Vehicular camera module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12445703-B2
Application number	US-202318162767-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2023
Priority date	Feb 2, 2022
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

A vehicular camera module includes a camera housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion, a lens barrel accommodating a lens, and an imager printed circuit board (PCB). The lens barrel is attached at the front housing portion and extends through an aperture of the front housing portion. With an imager aligned with the lens, the imager PCB is adhesively attached at an inner end of the lens barrel. With the lens barrel and a connector PCB attached at the front housing portion, the connector PCB is spaced from the imager printed circuit board. Circuitry of the imager PCB is electrically connected to circuitry of the connector PCB via a flexible electrical connector. The rear housing portion includes a receiving portion configured to receive the electrical connector when the front housing portion is attached at the rear housing portion during assembly of the vehicular camera module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicular camera module, the vehicular camera module comprising:
a camera housing configured for mounting at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular camera module, the camera housing including a front housing portion and a rear housing portion;
an imager printed circuit board having a first side and a second side separated from the first side by a thickness of the imager printed circuit board, wherein an imager is disposed at the first side of the imager printed circuit board;
a lens barrel accommodating a lens, wherein the lens barrel is attached at the front housing portion and extends through an aperture of the front housing portion;
wherein, with the imager aligned with the lens, the imager printed circuit board is adhesively attached at an inner end of the lens barrel;
a connector printed circuit board comprising an electrical connector configured to electrically connect the vehicular camera module to an electrical connector of the vehicle when the camera housing is mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the vehicle;
wherein the connector printed circuit board is attached at the front housing portion;
wherein, with the lens barrel and the connector printed circuit board attached at the front housing portion, the connector printed circuit board is spaced from the imager printed circuit board and no part of the connector printed circuit board overlaps any part of the imager printed circuit board;
wherein circuitry of the imager printed circuit board is electrically connected to circuitry of the connector printed circuit board via a flexible electrical connector;
wherein the rear housing portion includes a receiving portion configured to receive the electrical connector of the connector printed circuit board when the front housing portion, with the lens barrel and connector printed circuit board attached at the front housing portion, is attached at the rear housing portion during assembly of the vehicular camera module;
wherein, with the lens barrel and the connector printed circuit board attached at the front housing portion, the imager printed circuit board is parallel to the connector printed circuit board; and
wherein, with the lens barrel and the connector printed circuit board attached at the front housing portion, the imager printed circuit board and the connector printed circuit board are spaced apart in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the lens barrel.

2. The vehicular camera module of claim 1 , wherein the flexible electrical connector comprises a plurality of flexible polyimide layers.

3. The vehicular camera module of claim 1 , wherein the flexible electrical connector comprises a flexible ribbon cable.

4. The vehicular camera module of claim 1 , wherein the front housing portion includes a chamfered edge region proximate to the lens barrel and corresponding to a rake angle of the windshield to, with the camera housing mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield, position the lens barrel relative to the windshield of the vehicle.

5. The vehicular camera module of claim 1 , wherein the front housing portion includes at least two pins configured to engage a mounting structure at the windshield to limit rotation of the camera housing relative to the windshield of the vehicle when the camera housing is mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the vehicle.

6. The vehicular camera module of claim 1 , wherein the lens is threadedly attached to the front housing portion of the camera housing.

7. The vehicular camera module of claim 1 , further comprising a thermally conductive element disposed between and contacting the imager printed circuit board and the rear housing portion.

8. The vehicular camera module of claim 1 , wherein the electrical connector extends from the connector printed circuit board in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the lens barrel.

9. The vehicular camera module of claim 8 , wherein, with the camera housing mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the vehicle, the electrical connector extends in a downward direction.

10. The vehicular camera module of claim 1 , wherein, with the camera housing mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the vehicle, the connector printed circuit board is laterally offset from the imager printed circuit board toward one side of the vehicle.

11. The vehicular camera module of claim 1 , wherein the connector printed circuit board is disposed at and contacts an inner side of the front housing portion.

12. A vehicular camera module, the vehicular camera module comprising:
a camera housing configured for mounting at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular camera module, the camera housing including a front housing portion and a rear housing portion;
an imager printed circuit board having a first side and a second side separated from the first side by a thickness of the imager printed circuit board, wherein an imager is disposed at the first side of the imager printed circuit board;
a lens barrel accommodating a lens, wherein the lens barrel is attached at the front housing portion and extends through an aperture of the front housing portion;
wherein, with the imager aligned with the lens, the imager printed circuit board is adhesively attached at an inner end of the lens barrel;
a connector printed circuit board comprising an electrical connector configured to electrically connect the vehicular camera module to an electrical connector of the vehicle when the camera housing is mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the vehicle;
wherein the connector printed circuit board is attached at the front housing portion;
wherein, with the lens barrel and the connector printed circuit board attached at the front housing portion, the connector printed circuit board is spaced from the imager printed circuit board and no part of the connector printed circuit board overlaps any part of the imager printed circuit board;
wherein circuitry of the imager printed circuit board is electrically connected to circuitry of the connector printed circuit board via a flexible electrical connector;
wherein the rear housing portion includes a receiving portion configured to receive the electrical connector of the connector printed circuit board when the front housing portion, with the lens barrel and connector printed circuit board attached at the front housing portion, is attached at the rear housing portion during assembly of the vehicular camera module;
wherein, with the lens barrel and the connector printed circuit board attached at the front housing portion, the imager printed circuit board is parallel to the connector printed circuit board; and
wherein, with the lens barrel and the connector printed circuit board attached at the front housing portion, the imager printed circuit board and the connector printed circuit board are co-planar.

13. The vehicular camera module of claim 12 , wherein the connector printed circuit board is attached at the front housing portion via a plurality of spacing elements.

14. A vehicular camera module, the vehicular camera module comprising:
a camera housing configured for mounting at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular camera module, the camera housing including a front housing portion and a rear housing portion;
an imager printed circuit board having a first side and a second side separated from the first side by a thickness of the imager printed circuit board, wherein an imager is disposed at the first side of the imager printed circuit board;
wherein an electrical connector

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Dreiocker Rene
• Byrne Steven V
• Conger Jonathan D
• Achenbach Garret F
• Weis Andreas

Classifications

• H04N23/54

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

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N23/57 Primary

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · 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

• H04N23/55 Primary

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