Camera module for a vehicle and exterior body part having the camera module

Abstract

The invention relates to a camera module for a vehicle and an outer body part having the camera module. The camera module (100) has a housing section (105) with a camera lens (110) and is characterized in that the camera module (100) has a cylindrical front cover receiving portion (115) surrounding the housing section (105), the front cover receiving portion (115) having a projection beyond the camera lens (110). A transparent front cover (120) for the camera lens (110) is received in the front cover receiving portion (115). The front cover (120) has an outer side (125) that can withstand environmental influences.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a camera module for a vehicle and an outer body part for a vehicle having a camera module, in particular an outer rearview mirror. Background Art

[0002] To support the driver of the vehicle, the vehicle may have one or more cameras, which can be used, for example, when the vehicle is maneuvering. One or more cameras may be arranged on the outside of the vehicle, for example, on the vehicle's exterior mirrors, for detecting the vehicle's surroundings. For cleaning the camera lens, a cleaning system may be integrated, which can perform cleaning at regular intervals. Summary of the invention

[0003] Against this background, the present invention provides an improved camera module for a vehicle and an improved outer body component having a camera module according to the invention.

[0004] The solution proposed here is based on the recognition that by protecting the camera front of the camera lens, it is possible to avoid the need for special cleaning systems for cleaning the camera lens. The camera front of the camera module proposed here is resistant to environmental influences and can be cleaned aerodynamically due to its shape. Thus, contamination of the camera lens and a restriction of the camera field of view can be advantageously prevented. The solution proposed here can also advantageously be implemented cost-effectively and allows a space-saving arrangement of the camera module on the vehicle.

[0005] A camera module for a vehicle has a housing section with a camera lens. In addition, the camera module has a cylindrical front cover receiving portion surrounding the housing section, the front cover receiving portion having a projection beyond the camera lens. A transparent front cover of the camera lens is received in the front cover receiving portion. The front cover has an outer side that can withstand environmental influences.

[0006] The vehicle can be understood as a motor vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a commercial vehicle, or as a means of transport for transporting goods or people. The vehicle can be implemented as a self-driving vehicle. The camera module can be constructed as part of the vehicle's environmental detection system, or as part of another auxiliary system of the vehicle. The front cover receiving portion can be connected to the housing section of the camera module or to another housing section. In addition, the front cover receiving portion can be formed as a sleeve of the housing section. For this purpose, the front cover receiving portion can be formed as a hollow cylinder. The front cover receiving portion can also have a placement surface for the front cover in the extension portion beyond the camera lens, and the placement surface, for example, has a first surface section along the longitudinal extension axis of the front cover receiving portion and a second surface section at right angles to the first surface section, so as to achieve stable fastening of the front cover. The extension portion beyond the camera lens can have a length at least corresponding to or greater than the maximum thickness of the front cover. The front cover can be formed, for example, by glass or by transparent plastic.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the front cover and the front cover receptacle can be shaped in such a way that the camera lens is sealed against environmental influences. For this purpose, the front cover can be connected to the front cover receptacle in a materially locked, forcefully locked or form-locked manner. In order to seal the camera lens against environmental influences, the front cover and the front cover receptacle can seal the housing section with the camera lens, for example, in a fluid-tight manner. Advantageously, the camera lens is thus protected against contamination and potential damage due to environmental influences.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the outer side of the front cover is closed by means of a projection of the front cover receptacle. The projection of the front cover receptacle can be used in this way as a receiving surface of the front cover in order to stably fasten the front cover to the front cover receptacle. For this purpose, the front cover can, for example, be glued into the projection of the front cover receptacle. Closing the outer side of the front cover by means of the projection of the front cover receptacle can also be advantageous for integrating the camera module into an outer body part of the vehicle, for example into a side mirror. In addition, the closure helps prevent dirt from collecting in the transition area between the front cover and the front cover receptacle.

[0009] In addition, according to one embodiment, the outer side of the front cover can have a flat surface. In addition, the extension of the front cover receiving part can also be formed into a flat surface together with the outer side of the front cover, that is, the side facing away from the camera lens. This is beneficial for the aerodynamic cleaning of the outer side of the front cover.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the front cover can also have a water-repellent coating. The water-repellent coating can, for example, also be applied only on the outer side of the front cover. The two water-repellent coatings can, for example, be superhydrophobic coatings in order to encourage raindrops to roll off the front cover. Advantageously, the water-repellent coating can prevent a loss of camera image quality due to water on the front cover. Additionally or alternatively, the front cover can also have an anti-reflection coating. The anti-reflection coating can be applied on the outer side and the inner side of the front cover. Advantageously, undesired light reflections of the camera lens are minimized by the anti-reflection coating.

[0011] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the front cover may have a uniform thickness. Thus, the outer side and the inner side may be spaced the same distance from each other at each position. For example, the outer side and the inner side may be constructed flatly. The uniform thickness is advantageous in that light is not lost when incident on the camera lens.

[0012] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the inner side of the front cover can have a curvature. For example, the inner side can have a convex or concave shape. This is advantageous in that it can, for example, magnify the viewing area of ​​the camera. The inner side of the front cover can also be used like a lens in this way. Thus, the viewing area of ​​the camera can be advantageously changed inexpensively.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the camera lens can be fixed to the housing section by means of a collar. This is advantageous for fixing the camera lens to the housing section in a space-saving and stable manner.

[0014] This solution also provides an outer body part for a vehicle, in particular an outer rearview mirror. The outer body part has a housing. The camera module according to the above-mentioned embodiment is accommodated in the housing. The housing of the outer body part is formed in a way that it is closed with a front cover of the camera module.

[0015] An outer body part may be understood as a body component of the vehicle that is exposed to environmental influences on the outside of the vehicle, such as a radiator grille or a rear end. The outer body part may in particular be an exterior rearview mirror. The outer body part may have a defined profile corresponding to the aerodynamics of the vehicle body. The housing may have a recess for accommodating a camera module. The housing may be shaped so as to surround the camera module on three sides. The housing may form, for example, a flat surface together with a front cover of the camera module.

[0016] According to one embodiment, a flexible seal may be arranged between the housing and the camera module so that the camera module can be removably connected to the housing. The flexible seal may be an annular sealing element, such as an O-ring. Removably connecting the camera module to the housing facilitates replacement of the camera module without requiring removal of the outer body parts. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The present invention is explained in detail according to the attached examples, each of which is as follows:

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a camera module for a vehicle according to an embodiment;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a portion of a camera module for a vehicle according to an embodiment;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a camera module for a vehicle according to an embodiment; and

[0021] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating an exterior rearview mirror for a vehicle having a camera module according to an embodiment.

[0022] In the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention, identical or similar reference numerals are used for elements that are illustrated in different figures and act similarly, wherein a repeated description of these elements is omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a camera module 100 for a vehicle according to an embodiment is shown. The camera module 100 comprises a housing section 105 having a camera lens 110. The camera lens is arranged at the free end of the housing section 105. In addition, the camera module 100 has a front cover receiving portion 115 surrounding the column of the housing section 105. A transparent front cover 120 of the camera lens 110 is accommodated in the front cover receiving portion 115. The front cover 120 has an outer side that can withstand environmental influences.

[0024] According to an embodiment, the front cover 120 is spaced apart from the camera lens 110 by a gap. According to an embodiment, the symmetry axis of the front cover 120 coincides with the symmetry axis of the camera lens 110.

[0025] The camera module 100 shown here can be used for monitoring in a vehicle to support the control of the vehicle. The embodiment of the camera module 100 shown here realizes the adaptive integration of the camera into the vehicle. The front cover 120 is connected to the front cover receiving portion 115 by means of a material-locked connection 130. In addition, the front cover receiving portion 115 is connected to the housing of the camera module 100 by means of a material-locked connection 130. For example, the housing has a protrusion in the area of ​​the material-locked connection 130, and the housing section 105 extends from the protrusion. Alternatively, a force-locked connection or a form-locked connection can also be realized between the front cover 120 and the front cover receiving portion 115 and between the front cover receiving portion 115 and the camera module 100. The front cover 120 can be made of glass or transparent plastic. The front cover receiving portion 115 is configured to fix the front cover 120.

[0026] According to the exemplary embodiment shown here, the front cover 120 and the front cover receptacle 115 are shaped in such a way that the camera lens 110 is sealed against environmental influences. For this purpose, the front cover 120 is here, for example, glued into the front cover receptacle 115. The adhesive bonding is designed in such a way that, with the exception of the outer side 125 of the front cover 120, which is exposed to environmental influences, the camera lens 110, the housing section 105 and the camera module 100 are sealed against environmental influences and thus protected against environmental influences.

[0027] According to the exemplary embodiment shown here, the outer side 125 of the front cover 120 is closed by means of a projection of the front cover receptacle 115. Thus, the front cover 120 and the front cover receptacle 115 here form, for example, a flat surface on the side facing away from the camera lens 110. This is advantageous for integrating the camera module 100 into an outer body part, for example, in a side mirror. Thus, the closing of the projection of the front cover receptacle 115 also helps to prevent dirt from accumulating between the front cover 120 and the front cover receptacle 115. This is also advantageous with regard to the aerodynamic self-cleaning of the front cover 120 and the camera module 100.

[0028] Furthermore, according to the exemplary embodiment shown here, the outer side 125 of the front cover 120 has a flat surface. For example, the inner side 135 of the front cover 120 also has a flat surface here. In this way, the field of view of the camera lens 110 is not changed due to the shape of the front cover 120. Alternatively, the front cover 120 can have a convex shape on the outer side 125 and additionally or alternatively on the inner side 135, for example according to the subsequent Figure 3 Example shown.

[0029] According to the embodiment shown here, the front cover 120 has a uniform thickness, which is advantageous in that the light is not prevented from entering the camera lens 110 due to the thickness variation of the front cover 120 .

[0030] The front cover receiving part 115 has an O-ring in this case, for example. The O-ring enables a flexible sealing of the camera module 100 relative to the outer body parts, so that the entire camera module 100 can be easily disassembled. In addition, an exemplary field of view 145 of the camera module 100, i.e., the "field of view" (FOV), is shown. The field of view 145 shows the area within the viewing angle of the camera lens 110. To hold the O-ring, the outer side of the front cover receiving part 115 has a circumferential groove. For example, the groove is arranged at the height of the camera lens 110.

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a portion of a camera module 100 for a vehicle according to an embodiment is shown. As part of the camera module 100, a housing segment 105 with a camera lens 110 is shown. The components of the camera module 100 shown here are similar to or correspond to those according to Figure 1 Components of the described camera module.

[0032] According to the exemplary embodiment shown here, the camera lens 110 is fixed to the housing section 105 by means of a collar 205. The camera lens 110 is shown here, for example, as a convexly shaped lens. There is an offset between the collar 205 and the camera lens 110. This offset is within the field of view of the camera lens 110. If the camera lens 110 is not protected by a front cover accommodated in a front cover receptacle, dirt will collect in the area of ​​the offset between the collar 205 and the camera lens 110. Figure 1 The front cover receiving portion and the front cover shown in , advantageously prevent this situation. The flat closed surface of the camera module is advantageous for aerodynamic self-cleaning.

[0033] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a camera module 100 for a vehicle according to an embodiment is shown. The camera module 100 shown here is similar to or corresponds to the camera module 100 according to Figure 1 The described camera module has a housing portion 105 , a camera lens 110 , a front cover receptacle 115 and a front cover 120 .

[0034] According to an embodiment, the front cover 120 has a water-repellent coating. Additionally or alternatively, the front cover 120 has an anti-reflective coating. The water-repellent coating is selectively applied to the outer side 125 of the front cover 120 that is exposed to environmental influences, so that undesirable raindrops roll off the surface of the front cover 120 and the image acquisition of the camera module 100 is not affected. According to an embodiment, the anti-reflective coating, also called "anti-reflective coating", is applied to the outer side 125 and the inner side 135 of the front cover 120. As a result, undesirable light reflections in front of the camera lens 110 are minimized.

[0035] In addition, according to an embodiment, the inner side 135 of the front cover 120 has a convex shape, as shown by the mark 305 in this example, or the inner side 135 has a concave shape, as shown by the mark 310 in this example. The camera is a vehicle component, and it is expensive to change it. Therefore, the minimum change in the case of the required field of view can be achieved by the convex shape 305 or the concave shape 310 on the inner side 135 of the transparent front cover 120 as shown in this example. Thus, relative to the front cover 120 with a flat outer side 125 and a flat inner side 135, the field of view is changed, as shown by the mark of the example of the modified field of view 315.

[0036] Figure 4A schematic diagram of an exterior rearview mirror 400 of a vehicle with a camera module 100 according to an embodiment is shown. The camera module 100 shown here is similar to or corresponds to the camera module shown in the aforementioned figures. A cross section of the exterior rearview mirror 400 is shown in the figure. The exterior rearview mirror 400 is shown, for example, as an outer body part for a vehicle. The outer body part, here the exterior rearview mirror 400, has a housing 405, in which an embodiment of the camera module 100 is accommodated. The housing 405 is shaped so as to be closed with a front cover 120 of the camera module 100. In this case, a flat surface of the front cover 120 is advantageous as a closing element, so that the camera module 100 can be integrated into various shapes of the housing 405 and aerodynamic self-cleaning of the front cover 120 can be achieved. The positioning of the camera module 100 in the housing 405 is shown here by way of example.

[0037] The camera module shown here can be integrated not only into the exterior rearview mirror 400, but also into other exterior body parts, such as into the radiator grille or the rear of the vehicle. This is advantageous because the camera on the vehicle can support the driver in different driving situations. In particular, the driver's view may be limited when maneuvering, so the support by the camera is beneficial. The camera and the camera module 100 shown here are also advantageous when implementing automatic driving. In automatic driving, higher requirements are placed on the camera, especially when detecting the surrounding environment. For this reason, high requirements are also placed on the cleanliness of the camera lens. In this regard, it is also advantageous to integrate the camera module 100 shown here with the front cover 120, because it makes it possible to aerodynamically clean the front cover 120 and keep the camera lens of the camera module 100 clean. For the cleaning of the front cover 120, a special shape of the profile of the exterior rearview mirror 400 is required, as shown here by way of example, in order to favorably influence the air flow on the front cover for aerodynamic cleaning.

[0038] According to the embodiment shown here, a flexible seal 140 is arranged between the housing 405 and the camera module 100 so that the camera module 100 can be removably connected to the housing 405. The flexible seal 140 is implemented as an O-ring here by way of example. This facilitates simple and quick installation and removal of the camera module 100.

[0039] If an embodiment includes an “and / or” association between a first feature and a second feature, this can be interpreted as an embodiment according to one embodiment having both the first feature and the second feature, and an embodiment according to another embodiment having either only the first feature or only the second feature.

[0040] List of reference numbers

[0041] 100 Camera Modules

[0042] 105 Shell section

[0043] 110 Camera Lens

[0044] 115 front cover receiving portion

[0045] 120 front cover

[0046] 125 Outside of the front cover

[0047] 130 Material-locked connection

[0048] 135Inside of the front cover

[0049] 140 Seals

[0050] 145 Views

[0051] 205 collar

[0052] 305 The convex shape on the inner side of the front cover

[0053] 310 The concave shape of the inner side of the front cover

[0054] 315 modified vision

[0055] 400 exterior mirror

[0056] 405 exterior mirror housing

Claims

1. A camera module (100) for a vehicle, wherein: The camera module (100) has a housing section (105) with a camera lens (110), characterized in that the camera module (100) has a cylindrical front cover receptacle (115) surrounding the housing section (105), the front cover receptacle (115) having a projection beyond the camera lens (110), wherein a transparent front cover (120) of the camera lens (110) is accommodated in the front cover receptacle (115), wherein the front cover (120) has an outer side (125) that can withstand environmental influences, wherein the outer side (125) of the front cover (120) has a flat surface, and wherein the inner side (135) of the front cover (120) is arched.

2. The camera module (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front cover (120) and the front cover receptacle (115) are shaped in such a way that the camera lens (110) is sealed against environmental influences.

3. The camera module (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The outer side (125) of the front cover (120) is closed by a projection of the front cover receiving portion (115).

4. The camera module (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The front cover (120) has a waterproof coating and / or an anti-reflective coating.

5. The camera module (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The front cover (120) has a uniform thickness.

6. The camera module (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The camera lens (110) is fixed to the housing section (105) via a clamping ring (205).

7. An outer body part for a vehicle, wherein: The outer body part has a housing (405), characterized in that a camera module (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is accommodated in the housing (405), wherein the housing (405) is formed in such a way that it is closed by a front cover (120).

8. The outer body component according to claim 7, characterized in that A flexible seal (140) is arranged between the housing (405) and the camera module (100) in order to connect the camera module (100) to the housing (405) in a removable manner.

9. The outer body component according to claim 7, characterized in that The outer body component is an outer rearview mirror (400).

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