Vehicle windshield mounted camera module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11150448-B2
Application number	US-201715828125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2017
Priority date	Nov 6, 2016
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes a lens unit and an imager to image the external environment by forming an optical image, which is from the external environment through the lens unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A camera module configured to be mounted to an inside of a windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, the camera module comprising:
a lens unit including a wide angle lens;
an imager to image the external environment by forming thereon an optical image from the external environment through the lens unit; and
a cap holding the wide angle lens from an opposite side of the imager, wherein
the wide angle lens has a wide angle optical surface on an external environment side,
the wide angle optical surface on an upper side of an optical axis of the wide angle lens is larger in size than that on a lower side of the optical axis in a projection view viewed from an external environment side of the lens unit,
the wide angle optical surface has an outer contour that comprises a circular arc portion and a non-circular arc portion,
the non-circular arc portion connects both ends of the circular arc portion, and
the non-circular arc portion comprises a linear shape or a projected shape projected radially outward, and
the cap comprises an annular shape along the outer contour.

2. A camera module configured to be mounted to an inside of a windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, the camera module comprising:
a lens unit configured by a combination of a wide angle lens in front of a rear lens and on an external environment side;
an imager to image the external environment by forming thereon an optical image from the external environment through the lens unit; and
a cap holding the wide angle lens from an opposite side of the imager, wherein
the wide angle lens has a wide angle optical surface on the external environment side,
the wide angle optical surface on an upper side of an optical axis of the rear lens is larger in size than that on a lower side of the optical axis of the rear lens in a projection view viewed from an external environment side of the lens unit, the optical axis passing through a principal point of the wide angle lens,
the wide angle optical surface has an outer contour that comprises a circular arc portion and a non-circular arc portion,
the non-circular arc portion connects both ends of the circular arc portion, and
the non-circular arc portion comprises a linear shape or a projected shape projected radially outward, and
the cap comprises an annular shape along the outer contour.

3. The camera module according to claim 1 , wherein
the imager has an effective image capturing region capable of capturing an inverted image of the optical image as formed, and
the effective image capturing region on the lower side of the optical axis is larger in size than that on the upper side of the optical axis.

4. A camera module configured to be mounted to an inside of a windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, the camera module comprising:
a lens unit including a wide angle lens; and
an imager to image the external environment by forming thereon an optical image from the external environment through the lens unit; and
a cap holding the wide angle lens from an opposite side of the imager, wherein
the wide angle lens has a wide angle optical surface, defining a single optical axis, on an external environment side,
a geometric center of the wide angle optical surface is shifted toward an upper side of the single optical axis of the wide angle lens,
the wide angle optical surface has an outer contour that comprises a circular arc portion and a non-circular arc portion,
the non-circular arc portion connects both ends of the circular arc portion, and
the non-circular arc portion comprises a linear shape or a projected shape projected radially outward, and
the cap comprises an annular shape along the outer contour.

5. A camera module configured to be mounted to an inside of a windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, the camera module comprising:
a lens unit configured by a combination of a wide angle lens in front of a rear lens, which defines a single optical axis thereof, and on an external environment side; and
an imager to image the external environment by forming thereon an optical image from the external environment through the lens unit, wherein
the wide angle lens has a wide angle optical surface on the external environment side; and
a cap holding the wide angle lens from an opposite side of the imager,
a geometric center of the wide angle optical surface is shifted toward an upper side of the single optical axis of the rear lens, the single optical axis passing through a principal point of the wide angle lens,
the wide angle optical surface has an outer contour that comprises a circular arc portion and a non-circular arc portion,
the non-circular arc portion connects both ends of the circular arc portion, and
the non-circular arc portion comprises a linear shape or a projected shape projected radially outward, and
the cap comprises an annular shape along the outer contour.

6. The camera module according to claim 4 , wherein
the imager has an effective image capturing region capable of capturing an inverted image of the optical image as formed, and
a geometric center of the effective image capturing region is shifted toward a lower side of the single optical axis.

7. The camera module according to claim 1 , wherein the wide angle optical surface is in a cut form on the lower side of the optical axis.

8. The camera module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a camera casing accommodating the lens unit and the imager.

9. The camera module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a circuit unit in which a control circuit is mounted on a control board, the control circuit configured to control the imager; and
a camera casing accommodating the circuit unit together with the lens unit and the imager.

10. The camera module according to claim 9 , wherein
the control circuit is
to set an effective pixel by excluding a vehicle image capturing pixel, which reflects the vehicle, in an outside image generated by image processing of an output from the imager and
to control an exposure based on a pixel value of the effective pixel during imaging with the imager.

11. The camera module according to claim 9 , wherein
the circuit unit is configured by a combination of:
an imaging board located across an upper side and a lower side of the control board and on which the imager is mounted at least on an upper side of the control board; and
a flexible board connecting the imaging board to the control board.

12. The camera module according to claim 8 , wherein
the camera casing includes:
an opposing wall portion to be located to face the windshield; and
a bent wall portion bent relative to the opposing wall portion and to be located in a posture in which the further the bent wall portion is distant away from the opposing wall portion, the further the bent wall portion is spaced away from the windshield, and
the lens unit is exposed to the outside of the camera casing through the bent wall portion.

13. The camera module according to claim 1 , wherein
the lens unit further includes a lens barrel accommodating the wide angle lens,
the wide angle lens further includes a locked recess portion recessed on an outer peripheral side of the wide angle optical surface, and
the lens barrel has a locking portion locking the locked recess portion at a locking position, the locking position being located on a common plane in a circumferential direction, which is along an outer contour of the wide angle optical surface.

14. The

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Furutake Yasuki
• Nishioka Ken
• Shimizu Nobuhisa
• Kajino Yoichi
• Yamaguchi Kazuma
• Chikata Kensuke
• Kazama Takeshi
• Masui Soji

Classifications

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/58

  Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/52

  Elements optimising image sensor operation, e.g. for electromagnetic interference [EMI] protection or temperature control by heat transfer or cooling elements · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title