Camera modules for vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a camera module (1) for a vehicle (2). The camera module (1) has a printed circuit board (11) for at least one camera (14, 141, 142, ..., 14 N ) is provided. The carrier (10) is mounted directly to a printed circuit board (11). The printed circuit board (11) also carries electronic components (18) and connectors (19).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a camera module for a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] International patent application WO 2019 / 164724 A1 discloses a camera module assembly. An external housing for a camera module includes a rear housing and a front housing having a window. The camera core includes a lens assembly, a sensor assembly, and a sensor housing. The sensor assembly is disposed in the sensor housing, and the sensor housing is fixed to the lens assembly.

[0003] International patent application WO 2018 / 219951 A1 relates to a camera module for a motor vehicle. The camera module is used for driver monitoring in a passenger compartment. The camera module has at least one printed circuit board and a shielding member for encapsulating the printed circuit board. The shielding member comprises at least a first shielding part and a second shielding part.

[0004] US patent application US 2019 / 208091 A1 discloses a camera module for a vehicle vision system. The camera module includes a metal front housing, a lens holder, and a metal rear housing. The front housing houses a printed circuit board having an imager disposed thereon. The lens holder is attached to the front portion of the housing so that the lens assembly is optically aligned with the imager.

[0005] US patent application US 2018 / 222402 A1 discloses a camera housing portion having an imaging sensor at a base portion of the camera housing portion. A lens system is located at a first portion of the camera housing portion. A first circuit board is provided, the first circuit board including a circuit associated with the imaging sensor, the imaging sensor being disposed at a second circuit board that forms a board-to-board electrical connection with the first circuit board. The camera housing portion and the connector portion are joined together to encapsulate the first circuit board and the second circuit board.

[0006] US patent application US 2017 / 187931 A1 discloses a vehicle-mounted camera. The camera circuit board is located behind the image sensor and is mounted with the image sensor. The plate-shaped main circuit board is located on the lower side of the camera main assembly and extends in the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction.

[0007] US patent application US 2018 / 054553 A1 discloses an electronic device including an upper cover unit including at least one first camera and a plurality of second camera pairs. The housing includes a plurality of first openings, and the plurality of second camera pairs are at least partially connected to the plurality of first openings to be exposed to the outside.

[0008] US patent application US 2004 / 021792 A1 discloses a camera module having a flexible substrate, wherein a first camera unit and a second camera unit are mounted on the same surface of the flexible substrate. The camera module may provide a configuration in which the directions of the fields of view of the two camera units are opposite to each other.

[0009] US Patent No. 9 066 446 B1 discloses a heat extraction architecture for heat-generating electronic devices such as cameras or lights. An electronic device such as a camera may include a housing, a printed circuit board (PCB) within the housing, and a heat extraction element positioned between the housing and the PCB to transfer heat from the PCB to the housing and the external environment.

[0010] US patent application US 2017 / 036600 A1 discloses a dual camera system for viewing the connection of a hitch to a trailer. When the vehicle is reversed, two doors that automatically open through arms and linkages expose the cameras.

[0011] Typically, vision cameras are increasingly present in vehicles. They are used to scan the vehicle's environment as well as the driver and passengers, sending data to the ECU (Electronic Control Unit), which processes the data and warns the driver or acts on the vehicle's brakes. The most advanced vision cameras use two cameras working in a stereo configuration that also output distances. An algorithm is used, and the ECU receives the distance to the object.

[0012] The algorithm works well if the camera is aligned. However, when the camera loses alignment, reading errors occur. Currently, the camera is mounted directly in the camera housing, and then the printed circuit board is mounted and connected to the camera. This means that the camera housing, in which the camera is mounted, requires very tight tolerances. This creates high costs for producing the housing. Thermal deformation of the housing, which is made of aluminum, is caused by thermal changes. Thermal deformation translates in deviations of the visual axis, which leads to reading errors. In addition, the mounting process of the camera to the housing takes a lot of time.

[0013] Currently, vision systems use a V-groove design and three spheres in the camera module that are integrated into the housing, which creates problems in installation and use, especially under thermal variations. For driver monitoring systems, a camera is used that has a lens integrated into the housing and an image sensor mounted on a printed circuit board, which creates assembly problems. Summary of the invention

[0014] An object of the present invention is to provide a camera module for a vehicle, the camera module having at least one camera, wherein the alignment of the at least one camera is not affected by temperature changes and the camera module is easy to manufacture and inexpensive.

[0015] The above object is achieved by a camera module for a vehicle comprising the features according to claim 1 .

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a camera module for a vehicle includes a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board carries a carrier for at least one camera, wherein the carrier is directly mounted to the printed circuit board. The carrier has a mounting structure for at least one camera, wherein the mounting structure has a pair of tracks and at least one pair of flexible wings. The chip housing of the at least one camera cooperates with the tracks of the carrier in a form-fitting manner. The lens body of the at least one camera cooperates with the flexible wings of the carrier in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner. Electronic components and connectors are also mounted to the printed circuit board.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the invention, the carrier for at least one camera carries at least one lighting device. For example, the at least one lighting device comprises at least one IR (infrared) light emitting diode.

[0018] An advantage of the invention is that, with the carrier for at least one camera, the alignment of the camera module and thus of each camera is not affected by temperature changes.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the carrier has a mounting structure for at least one camera. The mounting structure includes a pair of tracks and at least one pair of flexible wings. In another embodiment, the camera has a chip housing that cooperates with the tracks of the carrier in a form-fitting manner. The lens body of the camera cooperates with the flexible wings of the carrier in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner.

[0020] The advantage is that each camera can be mounted to the carrier in a simple manner and the mounted cameras are also aligned in a simple manner, which saves time and money in assembly.

[0021] The carrier may also have a mounting structure for at least one lighting device. For example, the mounting structure for at least one lighting device comprises a flat abutment surface with a peripheral edge. The lighting device is fixed to the mounting structure by snap-fitting.

[0022] In one embodiment, a housing is used that surrounds the camera module with all mounted components. The camera module is mounted in the housing via a printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the housing includes a housing base and a housing cover that are joined together and form the housing. In one embodiment, the joined housing base and housing cover define a cutout for at least one camera, a cutout for at least one lighting device, and a cutout for a connector. After the printed circuit board is mounted in the housing, the at least one camera, the at least one lighting device, and the connector of the camera module are aligned with the corresponding cutouts.

[0023] The camera module has a carrier with at least one camera and at least one lighting device (eg an IR light emitting diode), connectors and electronic components are arranged on a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is suitable for being mounted to the vehicle in an outer housing of the vehicle.

[0024] According to a preferred embodiment, the printed circuit board and the housing of the camera module have positioning features to center and guide the two into each other. The housing (e.g., the housing base) can have screw holes for fixing the printed circuit board directly to the housing (i.e., the housing base in this example). In one embodiment, the housing (i.e., the joined housing base and housing cover) has cutout features for at least one camera, a cutout for an illuminator (e.g., at least one IR-LED), and a cutout for a connector. According to another embodiment, the housing can have only one large cutout for a carrier on which at least one camera and at least one illuminator (e.g., at least one IR-LED) are mounted.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment, the housing is made of EMI (electromagnetic interference) shielding material or has a coating of EMI shielding material. The housing may have a cooling tower for electronic components that generate a lot of heat. In addition, the housing may have cooling fins on its surface. Thermal glue can be used as a contact bridge between the heat tower and the electronic components that need to be cooled. The housing may have a fan mounted on its surface; in this case, a cutout for the fan connector is preferably provided in the housing. In one embodiment, the housing is fixed to the ECU through the vehicle interface by mounting bolts. The installation of the housing is not limited to holes for mounting bolts. The housing may also have special holes or pins for guiding to the vehicle interface. The housing may have special clamping features for mounting it to the vehicle interface.

[0026] According to another embodiment, for protection reasons, at least one camera and at least one lighting device (e.g., at least one IR-LED) have an external cover that also covers the assembly of the housing and the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board itself carries the carrier, connectors, electronic components, at least one camera and at least one lighting device (IR-LED). If additional cooling is required, a thermal pad can be used between the printed circuit board and the housing cover. The housing cover can be mounted and fixed to the housing base by using screws, but clamping features or other suitable fixing members can also be used. In addition, glue / silicone can be dispensed on the housing cover or the housing base before mounting the housing cover and the housing base together.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED is an integrated part of an active safety protection system. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED is mounted on a vehicle. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED is directly assembled to a printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED can carry one or more cameras. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED can carry one or more IR-LEDs. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED has traces within the carrier, through which electrical connections are provided between at least one camera and the printed circuit board and between at least one lighting device and the printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED has a connection interface to the camera. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED has a connection interface to the at least one IR-LED. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED has a connection interface to the printed circuit board. In one embodiment, a carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED is mounted in an assembly having a printed circuit board, a camera, at least one IR-LED, electronic components, and a connector. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED is capable of communicating with other safety ECUs in a vehicle. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED is capable of sending a signal to another ECU in a vehicle. In one embodiment, the carrier for at least one camera with at least one IR-LED has a housing base and a housing cover. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Many advantages of the present disclosure may be better understood by those skilled in the art with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0029] Figure 1 is a plan view of a motor vehicle having at least one forward looking camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the placement of a camera module as viewed by a driver of a motor vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an electronic control unit that can be applied to at least one camera of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a carrier for mounting at least one camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 is a perspective view of components of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention mounted on a printed circuit board.

[0034] Figure 6 is a perspective exploded view of the camera module and housing, which encloses Figure 4 and Figure 5 The camera module shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Throughout the various drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements or elements of similar function. In addition, only the reference numerals necessary for the description of the corresponding drawings are shown in the drawings. The illustrated embodiments are merely examples of how the present invention can be performed. This should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 1 A plan view of a motor vehicle 2 is shown. A camera module 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted at a windshield 3 of the vehicle 2 so that a camera of the camera module 1 (see Figure 3 )Observe the driving direction D.

[0037] Figure 2 An arrangement of a camera module 1 according to another embodiment of the invention is shown. The lens 4 of the camera module 1 looks at a driver 5 of a vehicle 2 .

[0038] Figure 3 At least one camera 141, 142, ..., 143 that can be applied to the camera module 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. N The electronic control unit 12 can be applied to the camera module 1, wherein the camera module 1 includes at least one external camera 141, 142, ..., 14 N (See Figure 1 ) or viewing cameras 141, 142, ..., 14 N At least one driver 5 (see Figure 2 ). The camera module 1 consists of a printed circuit board 11 on which a carrier 10, a connector 19 and electronic components 18 are mounted. In the context of the present invention, a microcontroller unit (not shown) is also part of the electronic components 18. In one embodiment, the carrier 10 has traces (not shown) through which at least one camera 141, 142, ..., 14 N Between the printed circuit board 11 and at least one lighting device 161, 162, ..., 16 MThe carrier 10 is designed to mount at least one camera 141, 142, ..., 14 N , the at least one camera is also fixed in place by the carrier 10. In the case where the camera module 1 is used to monitor the driver, the carrier 10 also has at least one lighting device 161, 162, ..., 16 M At least one lighting device 161, 162, ..., 16 M Can be configured as an IR (infrared) light emitting diode (IR-LED).

[0039] At least one camera 141, 142, ..., 14 N The electronic connections 13 to the carrier 10 may be made by surface mount technology (SMT), but are not limited thereto. The electronic connections 13 between the carrier 10 and the printed circuit board 11 may also be made by SMT, but are not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the printed circuit board 11 has guide features (not shown) and holes (not shown), both of which facilitate the installation of the printed circuit board 11. For protection reasons, the camera module 1 is enclosed in a housing base 82 and a housing cover 81, which form the housing 7 when joined.

[0040] Figure 4 is a device for installing at least one camera 141, 142, ..., 14 N The carrier 10 shown here is configured to mount and fix at least one camera 141, 142, ..., 14 N and at least one lighting device 161, 162, ..., 16 M According to the embodiment shown here, at least one camera 141, 142, ..., 14 N The mounting structure 20 includes a pair of rails 21 and at least one pair of flexible wing members 22. M The mounting structure 25 of the carrier 10 comprises a planar abutment surface 26 having a peripheral edge 27 .

[0041] Figure 5 1 is a perspective view of components of a camera module 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention mounted on a printed circuit board 11. A carrier 10, a connector 19, and electronic components 18 are mounted on the printed circuit board 11. The carrier 10 mounts and fixes at least one camera 141, 142, ..., 14 N and at least one lighting device 161, 162, ..., 16 MIn the illustrated embodiment, at least one camera 141, 142, ..., 14 N The chip housing 17 and the lens body 15 are provided. The chip housing 17 is matched with the track 21 of the carrier 10 in a form-fitting manner. The lens body 15 is matched with the flexible wing-shaped piece 22 of the carrier 10 in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner. At least one lighting device 161, 162, ..., 16 M The lighting devices 161, 162, ..., 16 are fixed in the mounting structure 25 by snap-fitting with the edge 27 in the carrier 10. M At least one light emitting diode 30 configured to emit IR light is included. When the camera module 1 has the above components assembled, the camera module is fully functional and the electronic component 18 (eg, a microcontroller (MCU)) flashes the required firmware.

[0042] Figure 6 is a perspective exploded view of the camera module 1 and the housing 7, which encloses the Figure 4 and Figure 5 The camera module 1 shown. For protection reasons, it has at least one camera 14 (see Figure 5 ) and at least one lighting device 16 (see Figure 5 ) is enclosed in a housing 7. The housing 7 comprises a housing base 82 and a housing cover 81. According to the embodiment shown here, the housing base 82 and the housing cover 81 are joined together and form a housing 7 having a cutout 31 for at least one camera 14 and a cutout 32 for at least one lighting device 16. In addition, the housing base 82 and the housing cover 81 have a cutout 33 for the connector 19.

[0043] It is believed that the present disclosure and its many attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components without departing from the disclosed subject matter or sacrificing all of its material advantages. The forms described are merely illustrative, and such changes are intended to be covered and included by the following claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention shall be limited only by the appended claims.

[0044] List of reference numbers

[0045] 1 Camera Module

[0046] 2 Vehicles

[0047] 3 Windshield

[0048] 4 Lenses

[0049] 5. Driver

[0050] 7 Housing

[0051] 81 Housing cover

[0052] 82 Shell base

[0053] 10 Carrier

[0054] 11. Printed Circuit Board

[0055] 12 Electronic Control Unit

[0056] 13 Electronic connectors

[0057] 141, 142, ..., 14 N camera

[0058] 15 Lens body

[0059] 161, 162, ..., 16 M lighting fixtures

[0060] 17 Chip housing

[0061] 18 Electronic components

[0062] 19 Connectors

[0063] 20 Mounting structure

[0064] 21 Track

[0065] 22 Wing

[0066] 25 Mounting structure

[0067] 26 Adjacent surfaces

[0068] 27 Edge

[0069] 30 LEDs

[0070] 31 Incision

[0071] 32 Incision

[0072] 33 Incision

[0073] D Driving direction

Claims

1. A camera module (1) for a vehicle (2), comprising: At least one camera (14,141,142,…,14 N ), Features Printed circuit board (11), For the at least one camera (14, 141, 142, ..., 14 N ) is directly mounted to the printed circuit board (11), wherein the carrier (10) has a plurality of mounting members for the at least one camera (14, 141, 142, ..., 14 N ) a mounting structure (20), wherein the mounting structure (20) has a pair of rails (21) and at least one pair of flexible wing-shaped members (22); The at least one camera (14, 141, 142, ..., 14 N ) is matched with the track (21) of the carrier (10) in a form-fitting manner, and the at least one camera (14, 141, 142, ..., 14 N ) is matched with the flexible wing-shaped piece (22) of the carrier (10) in a form-fitting and force-fitting manner; and An electronic component (18) and a connector (19) are mounted to the printed circuit board (11).

2. The camera module (1) according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of components for the at least one camera (14, 141, 142, ..., 14 N ) of the carrier (10) and at least one lighting device (16, 161, 162, ..., 16 M ).

3. The camera module (1) according to claim 2, wherein the at least one lighting device (16, 161, 162, ..., 16 M ) comprises at least one IR light emitting diode (30).

4. The camera module (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the carrier (10) has a plurality of illuminating devices (16, 161, 162, ..., 16 M ) of the mounting structure (25).

5. The camera module (1) according to claim 4, wherein the at least one lighting device (16, 161, 162, ..., 16 M ) includes a flat abutment surface (26) having a peripheral edge (27), and the lighting device (16, 161, 162, ..., 16 M ) is fixed to the mounting structure (25) by snap fit.

6. The camera module (1) according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a housing (7) surrounding the camera module (1).

7. The camera module (1) according to claim 6, wherein the housing (7) comprises a housing base (82) and a housing cover (81), wherein the housing base and the housing cover are both joined together and form the housing (7).

8. The camera module (1) according to claim 7, wherein the joined housing base (82) and the housing cover (81) have a housing for the at least one camera (14, 141, 142, ..., 14 N ) for at least one lighting device (16, 161, 162, ..., 16 M ) and a cutout (32) for the connector (19), wherein the at least one camera (14, 141, 142, ..., 14 N ), the at least one lighting device (16, 161, 162, ..., 16 M ) and the connector (19) are aligned with the corresponding cutouts (31, 32, 33).

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