Vehicular camera with adhesively bonded construction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12273611-B2
Application number	US-202318194699-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2023
Priority date	Nov 7, 2013
Publication date	Apr 8, 2025
Grant date	Apr 8, 2025

Abstract

A vehicular camera includes a lens comprising a plurality of optical elements, a lens holder, and an imager printed circuit board. The plurality of optical elements includes at least one plastic optical element and at least one glass optical element. The imager printed circuit board has circuitry disposed thereat. The circuitry of the imager printed circuit board includes an imager that has an imaging array. The lens is held in optical alignment with the imaging array of the imager via an adhesive. The adhesive bonds the lens barrel to the lens holder. A flexible electrical ribbon cable electrically connects the circuitry of the imager printed circuit board with additional circuitry of the vehicular camera. The vehicular camera, when installed and used in a vehicle, captures image data for a vision system of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular camera, the vehicular camera comprising:
a lens comprising a plurality of optical elements;
wherein the plurality of optical elements comprises at least one plastic optical element and at least one glass optical element;
wherein the lens is accommodated in a lens barrel;
a lens holder;
an imager printed circuit board, the imager printed circuit board having circuitry disposed thereat, the circuitry of the imager printed circuit board comprising an imager;
wherein the imager comprises an imaging array;
wherein the lens is held in optical alignment with the imaging array of the imager via an adhesive;
wherein the adhesive bonds the lens barrel to the lens holder;
a flexible electrical ribbon cable that electrically connects the circuitry of the imager printed circuit board with additional circuitry of the vehicular camera; and
wherein the vehicular camera, when installed and used in a vehicle, captures image data for a vision system of the vehicle; and
wherein the adhesive has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of at least 95 degrees Celsius.

2. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular camera comprises a vehicular rear backup camera that captures image data to assist a driver of the vehicle when backing up the vehicle.

3. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens barrel is formed with the lens holder.

4. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens barrel is integrated into the lens holder.

5. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens holder comprises a cylindrical passageway that accommodates at least a portion of the lens barrel.

6. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens holder comprises an aperture.

7. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens barrel comprises a flange that protrudes radially outward from the lens barrel, the flange comprising an annular surface.

8. The vehicular camera of claim 7 , wherein the lens holder comprises an annular surface that circumscribes a cylindrical passageway of the lens holder.

9. The vehicular camera of claim 8 , wherein the adhesive holding the lens and the imaging array of the imager in optical alignment bonds at least a portion of the annular surface that circumscribes the cylindrical passageway of the lens holder to at least a portion of the annular surface of the flange of the lens barrel.

10. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the imager printed circuit board is mechanically attached at the lens holder via at least one fastener.

11. The vehicular camera of claim 10 , wherein the imager printed circuit board is mechanically attached at the lens holder via at least one threaded fastener.

12. The vehicular camera of claim 11 , wherein the imager printed circuit board is mechanically attached at the lens holder via two screw fasteners.

13. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the flexible electrical ribbon cable that electrically connects to the additional circuitry of the vehicular camera terminates at an electrical connector.

14. A vehicular camera, the vehicular camera comprising:
a lens comprising a plurality of optical elements;
wherein the plurality of optical elements comprises at least one plastic optical element and at least one glass optical element;
wherein the lens is accommodated in a lens barrel;
a lens holder;
an imager printed circuit board, the imager printed circuit board having circuitry disposed thereat, the circuitry of the imager printed circuit board comprising an imager;
wherein the imager comprises an imaging array;
wherein the lens is held in optical alignment with the imaging array of the imager via an adhesive;
wherein the adhesive bonds the lens barrel to the lens holder;
a flexible electrical ribbon cable that electrically connects the circuitry of the imager printed circuit board with additional circuitry of the vehicular camera;
wherein the vehicular camera, when installed and used in a vehicle, captures image data for a vision system of the vehicle; and
wherein after exposing the vehicular camera at 85 degrees Celsius and 90% relative humidity for 240 hours, optical alignment of the lens with the imaging array of the imager is maintained.

15. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicular camera is installed and used in the vehicle, the additional circuitry of the vehicular camera generates a graphic overlay that overlays video images derived, at least in part, from image data captured by the imaging array of the imager of the vehicular camera that are displayed at a video display device of the vehicle.

16. The vehicular camera of claim 15 , wherein image data captured by the imaging array of the imager of the vehicular camera and the graphic overlay are output from the vehicular camera to a display controller of the vehicle that controls display of video images at the video display device.

17. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive comprises a one part adhesive that is both UV-curable and thermal-curable.

18. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular camera, when installed and used in the vehicle, captures image data for use by a bird's eye surround view display system of the vehicle.

19. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein image data captured by the imaging array of the imager is provided to the additional circuitry of the vehicular camera via the flexible electrical ribbon cable, and wherein the additional circuitry comprises a processor for processing image data captured by the imaging array of the imager and provided to the additional circuitry via the flexible electrical ribbon cable.

20. The vehicular camera of claim 19 , wherein, with the vehicular camera installed and used in the vehicle, the additional circuitry of the vehicular camera processes image data captured by the imaging array of the imager, and provided to the additional circuitry, to detect an object present rearward of the vehicle.

21. The vehicular camera of claim 20 , wherein the imaging array comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imaging array.

22. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein at least one selected from the group consisting of (a) lens resolution of the lens is selected to meet but not substantially exceed a resolution determined from (i) size of a display associated with the vehicular camera, (ii) distance between an observer and a display associated with the vehicular camera, (iii) a selected point on a contrast sensitivity function and (iv) size of a sensing surface of the imager, and (b) the lens omits achromatic lenses and employs digital chromatic correction based on a predetermined chromatic aberration measurement.

23. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive bonds to at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) PBT/PC and PBT plastics, (ii) an FR4 PCB, (iii) zinc and (iv) aluminum.

24. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein bond shear strength of the adhesive reduces less than 60% at 85 degrees Celsius.

25. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive is halogen-free.

26. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive, in its uncured state, has at least 30,000 cP viscosity at 23 degrees Celsius.

27. A vehicular camera, the vehicular camera comprising:
a lens comprising a plurality of optical elements;
wherein the plurality of optical elements comprises at lea

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Winden Brian J
• Devota Robert A
• Sesti Matthew C
• Stemmer Joseph A
• Byrne Steven V
• Garcia John R
• Olson David F

Classifications

• C09J2463/00

  Presence of epoxy resin · CPC title

• C09J5/00

  Adhesive processes in general; Adhesive processes not provided for elsewhere, e.g. relating to primers · CPC title

• H04N23/54

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• C09J163/00 Primary

  Adhesives based on epoxy resins; Adhesives based on derivatives of epoxy resins · CPC title