Vehicular camera and lens assembly and method of manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9277104-B2
Application number	US-201214353808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2012
Priority date	Mar 25, 2009
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

A method of assembling a vehicular camera includes providing a lens assembly having a base portion, a lens barrel and a plurality of optical elements in the lens barrel, and providing a circuit element having a circuit board and an imaging array. An adhesive bead is dispensed at the base portion and/or circuit element. The circuit element is placed at the base portion with the adhesive bead therebetween and the optical elements are aligned with the imaging array via a six axis robotic device when the circuit element is at the base portion and in contact with the adhesive bead. The adhesive bead is cured to a first cure level via exposure of the adhesive bead to ultraviolet light. The assembly is moved to a second curing stage and the adhesive bead is cured to a second cure level via heating the adhesive bead.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of assembling a vehicular camera, said method comprising:
providing a lens assembly comprising a base portion, a lens barrel and a plurality of optical elements in said lens barrel;
providing a circuit element comprising a circuit board and an imaging array established at said circuit board;
dispensing at least one adhesive bead at one of (i) said base portion of said lens assembly and (ii) said circuit element;
placing said circuit element at said base portion of said lens assembly with said at least one adhesive bead between said circuit element and said base portion;
aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array when said circuit element is placed at said base portion and in contact with said at least one adhesive bead;
wherein aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array comprises aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array via a multi-axis robotic device;
curing said at least one adhesive bead to a first cure level via exposure of said at least one adhesive bead to ultraviolet light;
moving said lens assembly and said circuit element to a second curing stage and curing said at least one adhesive bead to a second cure level via heating said at least one adhesive bead to an elevated temperature for at least a selected period of time; and
attaching a housing portion to said base portion of said lens assembly to encase said circuit element and substantially sealing said housing portion and said base portion together.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein dispensing at least one adhesive bead at said base portion comprises dispensing at least four spaced apart adhesive dots at said base portion of said lens assembly.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array comprises aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array via (i) translationally moving one of said imaging array and said lens assembly relative to the other of said imaging array and said lens assembly along x, y and z axes and (ii) rotationally moving one of said imaging array and said lens assembly relative to the other of said imaging array and said lens assembly about pitch, yaw and roll axes.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein providing a lens assembly comprises providing a lens assembly that is part of a camera body portion, and wherein aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array comprises positioning and aligning said circuit element at said camera body portion via said multi-axis robotic device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing said at least one adhesive bead to a first cure level occurs after aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array to bring said optical elements of said lens assembly in focus and optically center-aligned with said imaging array.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein curing said at least one adhesive bead to a first cure level comprises curing said at least one adhesive bead to a first cure level via exposure of said at least one adhesive bead to ultraviolet light for less than about ten seconds.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising further curing said at least one adhesive bead to a further cure level via a further exposure of said at least one adhesive bead to ultraviolet light.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein further curing said at least one adhesive bead to a further cure level comprises further curing said at least one adhesive bead to a further cure level via further exposure of said at least one adhesive bead to ultraviolet light for a period of time that is less than about twenty seconds and greater than about ten seconds.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein moving said lens assembly and said circuit element to a second curing stage comprises moving said lens assembly and said circuit element to an oven.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein curing said at least one adhesive bead to a second cure level comprises curing said at least one adhesive bead to a second cure level via heating said at least one adhesive bead in said oven to an elevated temperature of at least about 85 degrees C. for at least about five minutes.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said at least one adhesive bead comprises an epoxy-amine adhesive.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein attaching a housing portion to said base portion of said lens assembly comprises laser welding a housing portion to said base portion of said lens assembly.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said housing portion comprises an electrical connector configured to electrically connect to a wiring harness of a vehicle when said camera is mounted at the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said electrical connector is electrically connected to circuitry of said circuit element when said housing portion is attached to said base portion.

15. A method of assembling a vehicular camera, said method comprising:
providing a lens assembly comprising a base portion, a lens barrel and a plurality of optical elements in said lens barrel, wherein said base portion comprises part of a camera body portion of said vehicular camera;
providing a circuit element comprising a circuit board and an imaging array established at said circuit board;
dispensing at least one adhesive bead at one of (i) said base portion of said lens assembly and (ii) said circuit element;
providing a multi-axis robotic device that is operable to (i) translationally move a grasping portion of said robotic device along an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis and (ii) rotationally move said grasping portion about two orthogonal axes;
placing said circuit element at said base portion of said lens assembly via said robotic device so that said at least one adhesive bead is between said circuit element and said base portion;
aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array and aligning said circuit element with said camera body portion via said robotic device when said circuit element is placed at said base portion and in contact with said at least one adhesive bead;
wherein aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array comprises aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array and aligning said circuit element with said camera body portion via (i) translationally moving said circuit element relative to said lens assembly along x, y and z axes and (ii) rotationally moving said circuit element relative to said lens assembly about two orthogonal axes;
when said imaging array and said lens assembly are aligned, at least partially curing said at least one adhesive bead; and
attaching a housing portion at said base portion of said lens assembly to encase said circuit element and substantially sealing said housing portion and said base portion together.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least partially curing said at least one adhesive bead occurs after aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array to bring said optical elements of said lens assembly in focus and optically center-aligned with said imaging array and after aligning said circuit element with said base portion of said lens assembly.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array comprises aligning said lens assembly with said imaging array via (i) translationally moving said circuit element relative to said lens assembly along x, y and z axes and (ii) rotationally moving said circuit element relative to said lens assembly about pitch, yaw and roll axes.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein dispensing at least one adhesive bead at said base portion comprises dispensing at least four spaced apart adhes

Assignees

• Magna Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Sesti Matthew C
• Devota Robert A
• Lu Yuesheng
• Byrne Steven V
• Gibson Joel S

Classifications

• H04N23/57

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

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title

• H04N23/55 Primary

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

• G02B7/025 Primary

  using glue · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title