Vehicular camera with lens defogging feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12316934-B2
Application number	US-202318357221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2023
Priority date	Mar 28, 2019
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

A vehicular camera includes a housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion, with the front housing portion including a lens accommodated by a lens barrel. A heating device is disposed at an outermost lens element of the lens. The heating device includes a heating element and electrically conductive elements that extend along the lens barrel for electrical connection to circuitry at a printed circuit board. The electrically conductive elements are disposed along respective channels established along the inner surface of the lens holder. An outer end of each of the electrically conductive elements is disposed at and in contact with the heating element. When powered, the heating element heats the outermost lens element. The camera is configured to be disposed at an exterior portion of a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular camera, the vehicular camera comprising:
a housing comprising a front housing portion and a rear housing portion;
wherein the front housing portion includes a lens accommodated by a lens holder;
an imager disposed at a printed circuit board and aligned with the lens;
a heating device comprising (i) a heating element disposed at and in contact with an inner surface of an outermost lens element of the lens and (ii) electrically conductive elements that extend along the lens holder for electrical connection to circuitry at the printed circuit board;
wherein the electrically conductive elements are disposed along respective channels established along an inner surface of the lens holder, and wherein the channels are recessed from the inner surface of the lens holder, and wherein the channels extend at least partially along the inner surface of the lens holder between (i) an inner end portion of the lens holder and (ii) an outer end portion of the lens holder, and wherein (a) the inner end portion is closer to the printed circuit board than the outer end portion and (b) the outer end portion is closer to the heating element than the inner end portion;
wherein an outer end of each of the electrically conductive elements is disposed at and in contact with the heating element;
wherein, when electrically powered, the heating element generates heat at the outermost lens element;
wherein the vehicular camera is configured to be disposed at an exterior portion of a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle, and wherein, with the vehicular camera mounted at the exterior portion of the vehicle, the lens is exposed at the exterior portion of the vehicle; and
wherein the rear housing portion includes an electrical connector, and wherein, with the vehicular camera mounted at the exterior portion of the vehicle, the electrical connector electrically connects to a wire harness of the vehicle.

2. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the vehicular camera is configured to be fixedly mounted at the exterior portion of the vehicle.

3. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the heating element comprises an electrically conductive ring.

4. The vehicular camera of claim 3 , wherein the electrically conductive ring is disposed at a recessed region at the lens holder behind the outermost lens element.

5. The vehicular camera of claim 4 , wherein the electrically conductive elements are disposed along part of the recessed region of the lens holder.

6. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the outer ends of the electrically conductive elements are disposed at part of an annular surface of the lens holder at which the outermost lens element is disposed.

7. The vehicular camera of claim 6 , wherein the outer ends of the electrically conductive elements are disposed at respective channels established along part of the annular surface of the lens holder.

8. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the heating element comprises an electrically conductive coating established at the inner surface of the outermost lens element.

9. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein electrical connection between the electrically conductive elements and the circuitry is made via respective electrically conductive spring-biased elements disposed at and between the printed circuit board and a respective part of the front housing portion that has a portion of the electrically conductive elements disposed thereat.

10. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein electrical connection between an inner end of each of the electrically conductive elements and the circuitry is made via respective electrically conductive spring-biased elements disposed at and between the printed circuit board and the inner ends of the electrically conductive elements, and wherein the electrically conductive spring-biased elements are biased toward an extended state and are compressed toward a compressed state when the printed circuit board is disposed in the front housing portion and the lens is optically aligned with the imager disposed at the printed circuit board.

11. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the heating element is at least partially disposed at an annular surface at an outer end region of the lens holder.

12. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive elements comprise electrically conductive traces established along the respective channels established along the inner surface of the lens holder.

13. The vehicular camera of claim 1 , wherein the electrical connector comprises one selected from the group consisting of (i) a multi-pin electrical connector and (ii) a coaxial electrical connector.

14. A vehicular camera, the vehicular camera comprising:
a housing comprising a front housing portion and a rear housing portion;
wherein the front housing portion includes a lens accommodated by a lens holder;
an imager disposed at a printed circuit board and aligned with the lens;
a heating device comprising (i) a heating element disposed at and in contact with an inner surface of an outermost lens element of the lens and (ii) electrically conductive elements that extend along the lens holder for electrical connection to circuitry at the printed circuit board;
wherein the electrically conductive elements are disposed along respective channels established along an inner surface of the lens holder, and wherein the channels are recessed from the inner surface of the lens holder, and wherein the channels extend at least partially along the inner surface of the lens holder between (i) an inner end portion of the lens holder and (ii) an outer end portion of the lens holder, and wherein (a) the inner end portion is closer to the printed circuit board than the outer end portion and (b) the outer end portion is closer to the heating element than the inner end portion;
wherein an outer end of each of the electrically conductive elements is disposed at and in contact with the heating element;
wherein, when electrically powered, the heating element generates heat at the outermost lens element;
wherein the vehicular camera is configured to be disposed at an exterior portion of a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior and rearward of the vehicle, and wherein, with the vehicular camera mounted at the exterior portion of the vehicle, the lens is exposed at the exterior portion of the vehicle;
wherein the rear housing portion includes an electrical connector, and wherein, with the vehicular camera mounted at the exterior portion of the vehicle, the electrical connector electrically connects to a wire harness of the vehicle; and
wherein the electrical connector comprises a coaxial electrical connector.

15. The vehicular camera of claim 14 , wherein the heating element comprises an electrically conductive ring disposed at a recessed region at the lens holder behind the outermost lens element.

16. The vehicular camera of claim 14 , wherein the outer ends of the electrically conductive elements are disposed at part of an annular surface of the lens holder at which the outermost lens element is disposed.

17. The vehicular camera of claim 16 , wherein the outer ends of the electrically conductive elements are disposed at respective channels established along part of the annular surface of the lens holder.

18. The vehicular camera of claim 14 , wherein the heating element comprises an electrically conductive coating established at the inner surface of the outermost lens element.

19. The vehicular camera of claim

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Liu Zhongyao
• Lu Yuesheng
• Conger Jonathan D

Classifications

• H04N23/54

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

• H04N23/55

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

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• B60S1/026

  using electrical means · CPC title

• B60R11/04

  Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle · CPC title