Magna Electronics Inc.

Richard Rieden

Steven V Byrne

Matthew C Sesti

Brian Dean Brasier

Ben Stickler

Clarence Patrick McElroy

Clarence P Mcelroy

A vehicular camera includes a camera housing having a first housing portion and a second housing portion joined together to form a cavity within the camera housing. A first electrical connector is disposed at a circuit board and includes a plurality of pin-receiving sockets. The second housing portion has a second electrical connector having a plurality of pins. With the first housing portion joined with the second housing portion, the first ends of the pins are disposed within the cavity and the second ends of the pins are disposed outside of the cavity. When the second housing portion is being joined with the first housing portion, respective first ends of the pins insert into and electrically-conductively connect with respective pin-receiving sockets at the circuit board. With the vehicular camera mounted at a vehicle, the second ends of the pins electrically-conductively connect with a vehicle wire harness of the vehicle.

Vehicular camera

A vehicular camera module includes a front housing member, an imaging array sensor, a lens, a rear housing member, and a circuit board. The rear housing member is mated with the front housing member to form a camera housing. With the circuit board accommodated within the camera housing formed by the mated front and rear housing members, the imaging sensor is closer to a first side of the circuit board than to a second side of the circuit board. The rear housing member includes an electrical plug connector having a plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins that are configured to plug into respective individual pin-receiving sockets of an electrical socket connector disposed at the second side of the circuit board. Individual electrically-conductive pins of the plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins plug into and make electrical-conductive contact with corresponding individual pin-receiving sockets of the plurality of individual pin-receiving sockets.

Vehicular camera module

A vehicular camera includes a camera housing having a first portion and a second portion joined together to form a cavity within the camera housing. A first electrical connector is disposed at a circuit board and is in electrically-conductive connection with an imager. The first electrical connector includes a plurality of pin-receiving sockets. A second electrical connector includes a plurality of pins, each including a first end and a second end opposite the first end. When the second portion of the camera housing is being joined with the first portion of the camera housing, respective first ends of pins insert into and electrically-conductively connect with respective pin-receiving sockets at the second side of the circuit board. The first electrical connector and the second electrical connector cooperate to allow for misalignment of the second electrical connector relative to the first electrical connector when the first and second portions are being joined.

Vehicular camera with electrical connectors that allow for misalignment

A vehicular camera module includes a front housing member, an imaging sensor, a lens optically aligned with the imaging sensor, a rear housing member, and a circuit board. With the circuit board accommodated within the camera housing formed by the joined front and rear housing members, the imaging sensor is closer to a first side of the circuit board than to a second side of the circuit board. The rear housing member includes an electrical plug connector having a plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins that are configured to plug into respective individual pin-receiving sockets of an electrical socket connector disposed at the second side of the circuit board. Individual electrically-conductive pins of the plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins are plugged into and make electrical-conductive contact with corresponding individual pin-receiving sockets of the plurality of individual pin-receiving sockets.

A vehicular camera module includes a front housing member, a rear housing member, an imager, and a circuit board. With the circuit board accommodated within a cavity formed by the mated front and rear housing members, the imager is closer to a first side of the circuit board than to a second side of the circuit board. The rear housing member includes an electrical plug connector that is configured to plug into an electrical socket connector at the second side of the circuit board when the front and rear housing members are being mated together during assembly of the vehicular camera module. With the vehicular camera module mounted at a vehicle, electrical power is provided from the vehicle to the electrical circuitry of the circuit board via the connection made by the electrical plug connector of the rear housing member plugged into the electrical socket connector of the circuit board.

A vehicular camera includes a housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion mated together to form a cavity within the housing. A circuit board is attached at the front housing portion and has at least one front electrical connector in electrical connection with an imager. The rear housing portion has at least one rear electrical connector. With the rear housing portion mated with the front housing portion, the rear electrical connector electrically connects with the front electrical connector. The rear housing portion has a connector portion that is configured to electrically connect the rear electrical connector to a vehicle wire harness. The front electrical connector and the rear electrical connector cooperate to allow for misalignment of the electrical connectors in a direction parallel to the rear side of the circuit board when the rear housing portion is mated with the front housing portion.

A vehicular camera includes a metallic front housing member having a circuit board attachment portion, a lens barrel extending outward from the circuit board attachment portion and accommodating at least one lens, and a circuit board having an imager disposed at a first side and a circuit board connector disposed at a second side. With the circuit board attached at the circuit board attachment portion, the at least one lens is aligned with the imager and the lens barrel is retained relative to the metallic front housing member via cured UV curable adhesive. A metallic rear housing member is attached to the metallic front housing member and the circuit board is accommodated in a cavity formed by the attached metallic front and metallic rear housing members. An electrical connector is electrically connected to the circuit board connector and is configured for electrically connecting to an electrical cable of a vehicle.

Vehicular camera with metallic housing

A method of assembling a vehicular camera includes providing a metallic front housing member, a metallic rear housing member, a lens assembly and a circuit board. The front housing member has a lens receiving portion and a circuit board attachment portion. An imager is disposed on a first side of the circuit board and a connector is disposed on a second side of the circuit board. With the circuit board attached at the front housing member and with the lens assembly disposed at a lens receiving portion of the front housing member, images are focused at an imaging plane of the imager by adjusting the lens assembly relative to the imager. With the images focused at the imaging plane of the imager, the lens assembly is retained relative to the front housing member via an ultra-violet (UV) curable adhesive. The front housing member and the rear housing member are attached.

Method of assembling camera for vehicular applications

A process for providing a vehicular camera and mounting the vehicular camera at a vehicle includes providing a vehicular camera having a camera-locking structure configured for engagement with a vehicle panel-locking structure at a vehicle panel of the vehicle at which the vehicular camera is to be mounted. The vehicular camera is mounted at the vehicle panel by inserting a portion of the vehicular camera through an aperture of the vehicle panel and inserting the camera-locking structure through corresponding portions of the aperture of the vehicle panel, and rotating the camera-locking structure to a locked position, whereby the camera-locking structure is engaged with the vehicle panel-locking structure. With the camera-locking structure engaged with the vehicle panel-locking structure, locking surfaces of the camera-locking structure engage respective locking surfaces of the vehicle panel-locking structure to limit axial movement of the vehicular camera relative to the vehicle panel.

Vehicular camera with locking attachment at vehicle panel

A process for providing a vehicular camera includes providing a front camera housing portion and a rear camera housing portion. The front camera housing portion accommodates a lens, an imager and a circuit board, with the circuit board having at least one front housing electrical connector. The rear camera housing portion includes at least one rear housing electrical connector. The front and rear camera housing portion are positioned so that the front housing electrical connector aligns with the rear housing electrical connector. The front and rear camera housing portions are joined together to define a camera housing interior. When the front and rear camera housing portions are joined together, the front housing electrical connector mechanically and electrically connects within the camera interior with the rear housing electrical connector.

Process for providing a vehicular camera

A method of assembling a vehicular camera includes providing front and rear housing members, a lens assembly and a circuit board. An imager is disposed on a first side of the circuit board and a connector is disposed on a second side of the circuit board. A conduit includes a plurality of electrically conductive elements terminating at (i) a first connecting end configured to electrically connect to the circuit board connector disposed on the second side of the circuit board and (ii) a second connecting end configured to electrically connect to a wire harness of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular camera and the vehicular vision system. The conduit is secured relative to the rear housing member to provide at least 110 N of strain relief in any axis with respect to the conduit. The front housing member and the rear housing member are attached.

A process for providing a vehicular camera includes providing a front housing member and a rear housing member. The front housing member includes a lens member, an imaging element and a circuit board mounted thereat, with the circuit board having at least first and second front housing electrical connectors. The rear housing member includes at least first and second rear housing electrical connectors. The front and rear housing members are positioned so that the first front housing electrical connector aligns with the first rear housing electrical connector and the second front housing electrical connector aligns with the second rear housing electrical connector. The front and rear housing members are joined together to define a camera interior. When the front and rear housing members are joined together, the front housing electrical connectors mechanically contact and electrically connect within the camera interior with the rear housing electrical connectors.

Process for providing a camera for mounting on a vehicle

A vehicular camera assembly for a vehicle vision system includes front and rear housing members, a lens assembly and a circuit board. An imaging element is disposed on a first side of the circuit board and a plurality of electrical connectors is disposed on a second side of the circuit board. The front housing member includes a lens assembly receiving portion and a circuit board attachment portion. With the circuit board attached at the front housing member and with the lens assembly received at the lens assembly receiving portion, the lens assembly and the imaging element are distanced from one another, and images are focused on the imaging element by the lens assembly. The front housing member and the rear housing member are configured to be attached together. With the front and rear housing members attached together, outer walls of the front and rear housing members enclose the circuit board.

Camera for vehicular applications

A camera module for a vehicle vision system includes a circuit element including an imaging sensor, associated circuitry and a circuitry connector. A cable has a cable portion and a cable connector for connecting to the circuitry connector. A housing portion includes a lens receiving portion and a cable receiving portion that mate together to substantially house the circuit element. The lens receiving portion includes a lens assembly. The cable receiving portion includes a connector receiving portion configured to receive and retain the cable connector therein and a wire receiving portion configured to receive and retain the cable portion therein. The tube has an appropriate form for a given cable shape and the tube encompasses at least a portion of the wire receiving portion and the cable portion. The tube substantially seals around the portion of the wire receiving portion and the cable portion.

A camera for mounting on a vehicle includes a front housing member, a rear housing member, a lens member mounted to the front housing member and an imaging element positioned to receive images from the lens member. A circuit board is mounted to the front housing member and is configured to send to another component signals relating to images received by the imaging element. The circuit board has at least one front electrical connector thereon. The rear housing member has at least one rear electrical connector extending therefrom, with the rear electrical connector electrically connected to the front electrical connector. The rear housing member has a rear alignment structure that aligns the rear electrical connector with respect to the front electrical connector. The rear housing member and the front housing member are unaligned and the rear housing member mates with the front housing member.

Growing community of inventors

Clinton Township, MI, United States of America

Richard Rieden