On-vehicle camera

Abstract

To provide an on-vehicle camera capable of further improving performance in responding to the required safety, autonomous driving functions, etc. for vehicles.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle camera includes: a lens unit 30 with a first cylindrical part having a first cylindrical shape; a chassis 60 with a second cylindrical part having a second cylindrical shape; and a flat ring member 20 formed with a first resin that has predetermined light transparency. The flange 32 of the lens unit includes a first welded rib 35 formed of a second resin that has a first light absorbent property. The lens unit includes a protrusion that protrudes in the radial direction and is in contact with the inner surface of the second cylindrical part 61 of the chassis. When welding of the ring member and the first welded rib, a first burr 36 that arises from the first welded rib does not reach the end face of the second cylindrical part of the chassis at the position where it overlaps with the protrusion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle camera. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with demands for improved vehicle safety and the introduction of autonomous driving functions, there has been active development of vehicle-mounted cameras that are mounted on vehicles and capture images of the inside and outside of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 10). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-196844 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-197798 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-75825 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-67740 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-139627 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-029614 [Patent Document 7] US Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0143907 [Patent Document 8] International Publication No. 2021 / 125074 [Patent Document 9] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-208190 [Patent Document 10] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-173434 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The level of requirements for vehicle safety, autonomous driving functions, and the like continues to rise, and further improvements in the performance of in-vehicle cameras are also being called for.

[0005] The present disclosure relates to a technique for providing a new vehicle-mounted camera. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure provides a lens unit including a first cylindrical portion having a first cylindrical shape and at least one lens arranged inside the first cylindrical portion, an imaging element arranged on an optical axis of the at least one lens, and a housing including a second cylindrical portion having a second cylindrical shape along the optical axis and housing at least the imaging element inside the second cylindrical portion, and a flat ring member formed of a first resin having a predetermined optical transparency, wherein the lens unit includes a flange portion arranged on the outside of the first cylindrical portion around the optical axis and extending outward with respect to the optical axis, the flange portion of the lens unit being arranged inward in a radial direction perpendicular to the optical axis than the second cylindrical portion of the housing, and the flange portion of the lens unit has a ring-shaped first surface facing the imaging element and a ring-shaped second surface opposite to the first surface, and the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit is a ring-shaped first surface facing the imaging element and a ring-shaped second surface opposite to the first surface, the first welding rib is made of a second resin having a first light absorbency, protrudes opposite to the first surface, and is arranged around the entire circumference centered on the optical axis; an end face of the second cylindrical portion of the housing is made of a third resin having a second light absorbency, protrudes along the optical axis direction, and is arranged around the entire circumference centered on the optical axis; the ring member is welded to the first welding rib on the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit and to the second welding rib on the end face of the second cylindrical portion of the housing, wherein the lens unit has a protrusion that protrudes in the radial direction and abuts against an inner surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing, and a first burr generated from the first welding rib due to welding of the ring member and the first welding rib does not reach the end face of the second cylindrical portion of the housing at a position overlapping with the protrusion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an in-vehicle camera is provided that can be manufactured at low cost and ensures excellent imaging performance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1A] 1 is a top perspective view of an in-vehicle camera according to a first embodiment; [Figure 1B] 1 is a bottom perspective view of an in-vehicle camera according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle-mounted camera according to a first embodiment; [Figure 3A] 1 is a top view of a vehicle-mounted camera according to a first embodiment; [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a state in which the ring member is removed in FIG. 3A. [Figure 4A] A cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 3A. [Figure 4B] An enlarged view of the area enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 4A. [Figure 5A] 3A along line II-II. [Figure 5B] An enlarged view of the area enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 5A. [Figure 6A] Schematic diagram showing the welded state obtained by laser welding with the melting amount of two weld ribs set to 0.16 mm. [Figure 6B] Schematic diagram showing the welded state obtained by laser welding with the melting amount of two weld ribs set to 0.25 mm. [Figure 7A] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an in-vehicle camera according to a second embodiment; [Figure 7B] 13 is a top view of the vehicle-mounted camera according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7C] 7B taken along line III-III. [Figure 7D] 7C taken along line IV-IV. [Figure 7E] Top view of the vehicle-mounted camera seen from directly above the circuit board [Figure 7F]Top view of Figure 7E with the circuit board removed [Figure 8A] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a first shield used in the vehicle-mounted camera according to the second embodiment, seen from above; [Figure 8B] A perspective view of the first shield as viewed from below. [Figure 8C] Top view of the first shield [Figure 8D] Side view of the first shield [Figure 8E] FIG. 7F is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 7F, illustrating a state in which the connector fixes the housing and the first shield. [Figure 9] A perspective view of a shield formed by bending a metal plate. [Figure 10A] 7C taken along line VV. [Figure 10B] A perspective view of the second shield seen from above. [Figure 10C] Side view of the second shield [Figure 10D] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly of a lens unit and a second shield as viewed from below; [Figure 11] A graph showing the results of measuring EMI inside the housing of three types of vehicle-mounted cameras versus frequency. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a top view of an example of a vehicle equipped with an on-board camera. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle interior of another example of a vehicle equipped with an on-board camera. [Figure 14] Top view of the vehicle in Figure 13 [Figure 15A] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a modified second shield as viewed from above; [Figure 15B] 1 is a side view of a modified example of the second shield; [Figure 15C] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an assembly of a modified example of the lens unit and the second shield, as viewed from below; [Figure 15D] 13 is a side view of an assembly of the lens unit, a modified example of the second shield, and a circuit board. [Figure 16A] A top view showing the curvature of each curved end face in the second shield. [Figure 16B]FIG. 11 is a top view showing the curvature of each curved end surface in a modified example of the second shield; [Figure 17] A top view showing the curvature of each curved side portion of the first shield. [Figure 18] A top view showing the curvature of each corner of a circuit board. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of connections between an on-board camera, a camera ECU, and a display provided in the vehicle shown in FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of connections between an on-board camera, a camera ECU, and a display device provided in the vehicle shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings as appropriate, an embodiment specifically disclosing an in-vehicle camera according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed description of already well-known matters and duplicated description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following description becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the attached drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0010] (Vehicles equipped with on-board cameras) 12 is an example of a vehicle, and shows a top view of a vehicle equipped with an on-board camera. The vehicle V is equipped with on-board cameras 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D. The on-board camera 100A is a front camera, the on-board camera 100B is a rear camera, the on-board camera 100C is a right-side camera, and the on-board camera 100D is a left-side camera. The on-board cameras 100A to 100D are wide-angle cameras having an angle of view of, for example, about 180°, and are arranged so as to capture an image of the entire circumference of the vehicle V.

[0011] For example, vehicle-mounted camera 100A is installed on the front grill of vehicle V and captures an image of the area ahead diagonally downward relative to the ground. Vehicle-mounted camera 100B is installed on the roof spoiler of vehicle V and captures an image of the area behind diagonally downward relative to the ground. Vehicle-mounted camera 100C and vehicle-mounted camera 100D are each installed on the side mirror of vehicle V and capture an image of an area to the side diagonally downward relative to the ground.

[0012] Fig. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of connections between the vehicle-mounted cameras 100A-100D, the camera ECU 110, and the display 7 provided in the vehicle V shown in Fig. 12. The camera ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 110 shown in Fig. 19 combines images captured by the vehicle-mounted cameras 100A-100D, and displays the combined image on a display 7 of a navigation system disposed in, for example, an instrument panel. An occupant can visually check the display 7 to confirm the situation around the vehicle V.

[0013] FIG. 13 is another example of a vehicle, and is a schematic diagram of a vehicle cabin equipped with an on-board camera, and FIG. 14 is a top view of the vehicle of FIG. 13. The vehicle V is a front part between the driver's seat 3 and the passenger seat 4 in the vehicle cabin 2, and is equipped with a display 5 (e.g., an electronic rearview mirror) at the mounting position of the rearview mirror. Furthermore, the vehicle V is equipped with an on-board camera 100 at the rear of the vehicle body. FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the connection of the on-board camera 100, the camera ECU 111, and the display 5 provided in the vehicle V shown in FIG. 13. The camera ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 111 shown in FIG. 20 processes the image captured by the on-board camera 100, and the display 5 displays the image. The occupant can check the situation behind the vehicle V by visually checking the display 5.

[0014] (First embodiment) FIG. 1A is a top perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a bottom perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3A is a top view of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a view showing a state in which a ring member 20, which will be described later, has been removed from FIG. 3A. Coordinates including an X-axis along one side of the vehicle-mounted camera 100, a Y-axis perpendicular to the X-axis and along the other side of the vehicle-mounted camera 100, and a Z-axis perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis and along the height direction of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 are defined and will be used in the following description.

[0015] 12 to 14, the vehicle-mounted camera 100 is an imaging device that is installed at the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle body and captures (images) the inside and outside of the vehicle body. In recent years, with demands for improved vehicle safety and the introduction of automatic driving functions, the development of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 has become active.

[0016] The vehicle-mounted camera 100 of this embodiment includes a cap 10, a ring member 20, a lens unit 30, a circuit board 40, an imaging element 41, a heat conductive member 50 (see FIG. 2), and a housing 60. The cap 10 is attached to the ring member 20 and is a member that protects the lens unit 30. In FIG. 3A, the cap 10 is not shown.

[0017] The ring member 20 is made of a flat member having a rectangular ring shape in a plan view (a line of sight when viewing the vehicle-mounted camera 200 along an XY plane perpendicular to the Z axis, the same applies below), and is welded to the lens unit 30 and the housing 60 by laser welding. The inner peripheral surface of the ring member 20 faces the outer peripheral surface of a first cylindrical portion 37 (see below) that constitutes the lens barrel 31 of the lens unit 30. The inner diameter of the ring member 20 has a length that allows the first cylindrical portion 37 (lens barrel 31) of the lens unit 30 to be inserted.

[0018] The ring member 20 is formed of a first resin having a predetermined light transmittance. The first resin is made of a material containing a light-transmitting resin. For example, the light-transmitting resin is formed of a polyester resin, a polyolefin resin, a polyamide resin, a vinyl chloride resin, a fluororesin, or the like. Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or the like can be used as the polyester resin. Polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like can be used as the polyolefin resin. The light-transmitting resin used may be one type or multiple types. In addition, if a certain level or higher of transmittance performance can be realized, a coloring material or a filler, or both, may be contained in the main light-transmitting resin.

[0019] The optical transparency of the first resin is, for example, 20% or more for light with a wavelength of 1070 nm, which is the wavelength of the laser light used in laser welding, and is 0% to 5% for light with a wavelength of 350 to 800 nm, which is the visible light wavelength range.

[0020] In this embodiment, the ring member 20 is a flat rectangular ring, but is not limited to this as long as the welded portion is flat. Therefore, it is not limited to a polygonal shape such as a rectangular ring, and may be a ring shape other than a circular ring, such as a circular ring or an elliptical ring. Also, the step, thickness, etc. of the portion other than the welded portion may not be uniform.

[0021] The lens unit 30 constitutes a cylindrical lens barrel 31, and includes a first cylindrical portion 37 having a first cylindrical shape, and at least one lens (not shown) disposed inside the first cylindrical portion 37. The first cylindrical portion 37 is cylindrical, and holds, for example, a lens group consisting of a plurality of lenses inside the first cylindrical portion 37. In the lens group, the lenses are arranged with their respective optical axes L (an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3A and aligned with the Z axis) aligned, constituting a lens group used for capturing images of the inside and outside of the vehicle body.

[0022] The lens unit 30 has a brim-shaped flange portion 32 (see FIG. 2) that protrudes outward from the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion 37. The flange portion 32 is disposed so as to extend outward with the optical axis L as a reference, around the entire circumference of the outer side of the first cylindrical portion 37, and has a rectangular cross section along the radial direction. The flange portion 32 is located near an opening of an internal space of a housing 60 (described later), and protrudes toward an inner circumferential surface of a housing side wall 67 (see FIG. 2) of the housing 60. At least a part of the flange portion 32 is joined to the housing 60 via a ring member 20. The relationship between the lens unit 30 and the housing 60 will be described later.

[0023] In addition, the flange portion 32 is positioned radially inwardly from a large-diameter cylindrical portion 61 of the housing 60, which will be described later, in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis L, and has a ring-shaped first surface 32a facing the imaging element 41, and a ring-shaped second surface 32b opposite to the first surface 32a.

[0024] At least the second surface 32b of the flange portion 32 of the lens unit 30 is formed of a second resin having a first light absorption property. The second resin is made of a material containing a light absorbing resin. As the light absorbing resin, for example, polyamide resin, olefin resin, vinyl resin, styrene resin, acrylic resin, polyester resin, polycarbonate resin, polyarylate resin, polysulfone resin, polyphenylene oxide resin, polyethersulfone resin, polyetherimide resin, etc. can be used. The light absorbing resin used may be one type or multiple types. In addition, the main light absorbing resin may contain an absorbent or a coloring material that absorbs laser light, or both.

[0025] The first light absorbency of the second resin is, for example, a light absorptivity of 95% or more for light in a wavelength range of 350 nm to 1200 nm.

[0026] By forming the second surface 32b of the flange portion 32 from the second resin, it is possible to reduce the transmission of light into the internal space. That is, it is possible to reduce the transmission of light from the outside of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 to the inside of the vehicle-mounted camera 100. Therefore, it is possible to prevent halation of the imaging element 41 caused by transmitted light. The entire flange portion 32 or the entire lens unit 30 may be formed from the second resin.

[0027] Furthermore, the lens unit 30 has a protrusion 33 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis L of the lens of the lens unit 30 (in other words, in a radial direction) in order to perform positioning with respect to the housing 60. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3B, the protrusion 33 is formed at the end of the flange portion 32 in the radial direction. In this embodiment, the protrusion 33 includes five protrusions, namely, protrusions 33a, 33b, 33c, 33d, and 33e. These protrusions are formed on all four sides of the rectangular shape of the flange portion 32. Specifically, the three protrusions 33a, 33d, and 33e are formed on different sides of the flange portion 32, and the two protrusions 33b and 33c are formed on a side different from the side on which the protrusions 33a, 33d, and 33e are formed. The details of the protrusions 33 will be described later.

[0028] The circuit board 40 is disposed in the internal space of the housing 60, and has an imaging element 41 that captures an image of light transmitted through the lens unit 30. The circuit board 40 has a first surface 40a and a second surface 40b opposite to the first surface 40a, and has an end surface 47 between the first surface 40a and the second surface 40b. However, two or more circuit boards may be provided.

[0029] The imaging element 41 is disposed on the optical axis L of at least one lens of the lens unit 30. The imaging element 41 is mounted on the first surface 40a of the circuit board 40, and can easily guide external light to the imaging element 41. The imaging element 41 has sensitivity to light in a wavelength range of, for example, 400 nm to 1000 nm.

[0030] The thermally conductive member 50 is disposed adjacent to the circuit board 40 in the internal space of the housing 60, and serves to dissipate heat generated from electronic components such as the circuit board 40 to the outside. The thermally conductive member 50 is made of a material having a predetermined thermal conductivity, such as heat dissipation grease, a silicone-based sheet, a non-silicone-based sheet, or a thermally conductive gel, but the type of material is not limited.

[0031] The housing 60 is a cylindrical member having an internal space, and plays a role of directly supporting the lens unit 30, or indirectly in some cases, and accommodating at least the circuit board 40 and the imaging element 41. The housing 60 has a large diameter cylindrical portion 61 having a second cylindrical shape along the optical axis L and a small diameter cylindrical portion 62 having a third cylindrical shape along the optical axis L. The large diameter cylindrical portion 61 constituting the second cylindrical portion has a larger cross-sectional area than the small diameter cylindrical portion 62 constituting the third cylindrical portion, and both have rectangular cross sections. The large diameter cylindrical portion 61 accommodates at least the imaging element 41, which is a thermally conductive member, inside. The small diameter cylindrical portion 62 accommodates the connector 80 that mainly ensures electrical connection with the outside of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 (see FIG. 4A). The large diameter cylindrical portion 61 and the small diameter cylindrical portion 62 can be integrally molded with a resin, which will be described later, but the large diameter cylindrical portion 61 and the small diameter cylindrical portion 62 may be joined by a method such as welding or screwing, which are prepared separately in advance. In this embodiment, the housing 60 has a rectangular cylindrical shape, but is not limited to this, and may be a cylindrical shape of a polygon other than a rectangle, a circular or elliptical shape, or a cylindrical shape of another shape.

[0032] In the housing 60, an end surface 63 (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3B) of the large diameter cylindrical portion 61 described later is formed of a third resin having a second light absorption property. The third resin is made of a material containing a light absorbing resin. As the light absorbing resin, for example, a polyamide resin, an olefin resin, a vinyl resin, a styrene resin, an acrylic resin, a polyester resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polyarylate resin, a polysulfone resin, a polyphenylene oxide resin, a polyethersulfone resin, a polyetherimide resin, or the like can be used. Note that the light absorbing resin used may be one type or multiple types. In addition, the main light absorbing resin may contain an absorbent or a coloring material that absorbs laser light, or both.

[0033] The second light absorptivity of the third resin is, for example, a light absorptance of 95% or more for light in a wavelength range of 350 nm to 1200 nm.

[0034] By forming the housing 60 from a material containing a light absorbing resin, it is possible to reduce the transmission of light into the internal space of the housing 60. In other words, it is possible to reduce the transmission of light from the outside of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 to the inside of the vehicle-mounted camera 100. Therefore, it is possible to prevent halation of the imaging element 41 caused by transmitted light. The entire large diameter cylindrical portion 61 or the entire housing 60 may be formed from a third resin.

[0035] Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted camera 100 of the embodiment includes a metallic shield 70 arranged to surround the circuit board 40 in the internal space of the housing 60. The shield 70 serves to block electromagnetic waves arriving from the outside of the housing 60 and electromagnetic waves radiated in the internal space. The shield 70 corresponds to the first shield 70 in the second embodiment, and will be described in the second embodiment.

[0036] Next, a method for welding the lens unit 30 and the housing 60 to the ring member 20 and the configuration of the welded portion will be described. Fig. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in Fig. 3A. Fig. 4B is an enlarged view of the portion surrounded by the dashed line in Fig. 4A. Fig. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Fig. 3A. Fig. 5B is an enlarged view of the portion surrounded by the dashed line in Fig. 5A.

[0037] 4A and 4B show the protrusion 33a of the lens unit 30. As shown in FIG. 3B, the protrusion 33a abuts against the inner surface of the housing side wall 67 of the large diameter cylindrical portion 61 of the housing 60, and plays a role in positioning the lens unit 30 with respect to the housing 60. Therefore, there is no gap between the lens unit 30 and the housing 60. On the other hand, in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the protrusion 33 of the lens unit 30 is not shown. There is a gap between the lens unit 30 and the housing 60. Note that the cap 10, the circuit board 40, and the heat conductive member 50 are omitted in FIG. 4A and FIG. 5A. Also, the small diameter cylindrical portion 62 of the housing 60 is shown shortened so as to omit a part of it.

[0038] In this embodiment, the flange portion 32 which is the lower end portion of the lens unit 30 is disposed at the upper opening portion of the housing 60, and a part of this flange portion 32 is welded to the above-mentioned ring member 20. The upper end portion of the housing 60 is also welded to the ring member 20. As a result, the housing 60 and the lens unit 30 are assembled together via the ring member 20.

[0039] 4B and 5B show the above configuration in detail. The lower surface of the ring member 20 and the flange portion 32 of the lens unit 30 are welded. The flange portion 32 has a second surface 32b on its upper surface that faces the ring member 20. The second surface 32b is a surface of an area that faces the ring member 20 in the optical axis direction, and has a width W1 in the orthogonal direction.

[0040] Meanwhile, the lower surface of the ring member 20 and the upper end of the housing 60 (i.e., the upper end of the housing side wall 67) are welded. The upper end of the housing 60 has an end face 63 that is welded to the ring member 20. The end face 63 is a surface of an area facing the ring member 20 in the optical axis direction, and has a width W2 in the perpendicular direction.

[0041] In this embodiment, the lens unit 30 is disposed so that the entire lens unit 30 is located inside the housing 60 in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the optical axis. In particular, the second surface 32b is disposed so that the second surface 32b is located inside the end surface 63 in the orthogonal direction.

[0042] In a typical laser welding method, when a laser is irradiated onto a light-transmitting resin while pressure is being applied to the resin, the laser passes through the light-transmitting resin without being absorbed by it, and is absorbed by the surface of the light-absorbing resin. The absorbed laser energy is converted into heat, and the surface of the light-absorbing resin is heated. Furthermore, due to thermal conduction, the surface of the light-transmitting resin in contact with the light-absorbing resin surface is also heated. This melts the resin at the interface between the light-absorbing resin and the light-transmitting resin. When the laser irradiation is stopped, the molten resin solidifies, and the two resins are welded together.

[0043] In general welding of the lens unit 30 and the housing 60 to the ring member 20, first, a laser is applied to the ring member 20 while it is pressed against the second surface 32b of the lens unit 30, and the lower surface of the ring member 20 is welded to the second surface 32b. Then, a laser is applied to the ring member 20 while it is pressed against the end surface 63 of the housing 60, and the lower surface of the ring member 20 is welded to the end surface 63.

[0044] However, since there is a limit to the molding accuracy of the components (molding accuracy of the resin material), it is difficult to mold the surface of the ring member 20, the second surface 32b, and the end surface 63 into perfect flat surfaces, and at least one of the surfaces will inevitably have a certain amount of waviness, unevenness, etc. For this reason, it is not easy to properly achieve laser welding between flat surfaces.

[0045] Therefore, in this embodiment, a first welding rib 35 that contacts the ring member 20 is formed on the second surface 32b of the flange portion 32 in advance, and a second welding rib 64 that contacts the ring member 20 is formed on the end surface 63 in advance. The first welding rib 35 is made of a second resin having light absorption properties, like the second surface 32b, protrudes in the opposite direction to the first surface 32a, and is arranged around the entire circumference of the flange portion 32 with the optical axis L as the center. The second welding rib 64 is made of a third resin having a second light absorption property, like the end surface 63 of the housing 60, protrudes along the optical axis L direction, and is arranged around the entire circumference of the end surface 63 with the optical axis L as the center. In this embodiment, the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64 are made of a convex portion having a rectangular cross section, but the shape is not particularly limited.

[0046] During laser welding, the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64 are melted by a predetermined amount (for example, about 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm) to weld the ring member 20 to the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64. This makes it possible to achieve appropriate welding while suppressing the effects of the above-mentioned undulations, irregularities, etc.

[0047] However, providing these ribs causes another problem. In Fig. 4B and Fig. 5B, the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64 are shown in the shape of the protrusions before laser welding, but the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64 melt and deform during laser welding, and so-called burrs (i.e., resin overflow phenomenon) occur from the melted parts.

[0048] Burrs are inevitable during the molding and welding of resin, and the burrs themselves do not necessarily cause problems. However, problems can occur when the burrs come into contact with other components or are affected by heat.

[0049] In particular, in this embodiment, the two welding points are arranged close to each other in a narrow area, so that if burrs generated from the first welding rib 35 by the previous welding spread outward in the perpendicular direction and reach the housing 60, it may hinder welding between the ring member 20 and the end face 63, resulting in poor welding between the ring member 20 and the housing 60.

[0050] For this reason, in this embodiment, the first welding rib 35 is designed so that the first burr generated from the first welding rib 35 does not reach the end surface 63 due to welding of at least the first welding rib 35 and the ring member 20. This design is based on factors such as the position, outer dimensions, volume, shape, type of resin, welding temperature, and welding time of the first welding rib 35, and can be determined from the welding results of multiple samples, simulations, etc. This achieves reliable welding regardless of the shape accuracy of the second surface 32b and the ring member 20, and can prevent the first burr generated from the first welding rib 35 from adversely affecting the welding between the ring member 20 and the housing 60.

[0051] The above-mentioned design is performed at both positions shown in FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B, but it is desirable to perform it more strictly at the position where the first welding rib 35 and the protrusion 33a overlap as shown in FIG. 4B. As described above, at the position shown in FIG. 4B, the protrusion 33a contacts the inner surface of the housing side wall 67 of the housing 60, there is no gap between the flange portion 32 of the lens unit 30 and the inner surface of the housing side wall 67, and the space between the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64 is closed. Therefore, it is presumed that the first burr generated by melting the first welding rib 35 has no escape route and the first burr easily reaches the second welding rib 64 and the end face 63. Therefore, it is desirable to design the first welding rib 35 so that the first burr generated from the first welding rib 35 does not reach the end face 63 at the position where it overlaps with the protrusion 33. This makes it possible to prevent the first burr from easily reaching the end surface 63 at the position overlapping the protrusion 33.

[0052] With the above-described configuration, reliable welding can be achieved regardless of the shape accuracy of the second surface 32b of the flange portion 32 of the lens unit 30 and the ring member 20, and the first burrs generated from the first welding rib 35 can be prevented from adversely affecting the welding between the ring member 20 and the housing 60, thereby improving the assembly accuracy of the vehicle-mounted camera 100.

[0053] In this case, since the second surface 32b is in contact with the end surface 63, the first burr does not protrude from the outer edge of the second surface 32b. Also, the volume of the first burr generated by welding may be predicted, and the first welding rib 35 may be designed so that this volume is smaller than the space between the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64.

[0054] 3B, the protrusion 33 of the lens unit 30 includes five protrusions, 33a, 33b, 33c, 33d, and 33e. These protrusions are formed on all four sides of the rectangular shape of the flange 32. The protrusion 33 may be composed of at least three protrusions, a first protrusion, a second protrusion, and a third protrusion, each of which is disposed on a different side of the flange 32. This allows the lens unit 30 to be stably fixed to the housing 60 by the three first protrusions, the second protrusion, and the third protrusion.

[0055] Moreover, the protrusion 33 can be formed by a rib arranged along the direction of the optical axis L. This makes it possible to easily form the protrusion 33 when forming the lens unit 30.

[0056] On the other hand, in the position of Fig. 5B, the protrusion 33 does not exist, a gap exists between the flange portion 32 of the lens unit 30 and the inner surface of the housing side wall 67, and the space between the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64 is not closed. Therefore, the first burr generated by melting the first welding rib 35 can flow into the gap, and it is presumed that the first burr is less likely to reach the second welding rib 64 and the end face 63 than in the position of Fig. 4B. However, it is preferable to design the first welding rib 35 so that the first burr does not reach the end face 63 even in the position of Fig. 5B.

[0057] As described above, there are various factors for designing the first welding rib 35. As a preferred example of the position of the first welding rib 35, the first welding rib 35 is located in an inner region on the second surface 32b in the radial direction perpendicular to the optical axis. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 4B and 5B, the center line P of the first welding rib 35 in the radial direction is located in an inner region on the second surface 32b within the width W1 of the second surface 32b. This makes it difficult for the first burr generated from the first welding rib 35 to reach the end surface 63. This configuration also includes a configuration in which the inner surface of the first welding rib 35 in the orthogonal direction coincides with the inner end of the second surface 32b in the orthogonal direction, as shown in Fig. 5B.

[0058] In addition, a second welding rib 64 that contacts the ring member 20 is formed on the upper end of the end face 63 of the housing 60. It is desirable to design the second welding rib 64 so that the second burr generated from the second welding rib does not reach the second surface 32b when the second welding rib 64 is welded to the ring member 20, especially at the position where the second welding rib 64 overlaps with the protrusion 33a as shown in FIG. 4B. If the second burr generated from the second welding rib 64 reaches the end face 63 already welded to the ring member 20, it may adversely affect the welding between the ring member 20 and the end face 63. This achieves reliable welding regardless of the shape accuracy of the end face 63 and the ring member 20, and can suppress the second burr generated from the second welding rib 64 from adversely affecting the welding between the ring member 20 and the lens unit 30.

[0059] There are various factors for designing the second welding rib 64, but as a preferred example of the position of the second welding rib 64, the second welding rib 64 is located in an inner region on the end face 63 in the radial direction perpendicular to the optical axis. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B, the center line Q of the second welding rib 64 in the perpendicular direction is located in an inner region on the end face 63 within the width W2 of the end face 63. This makes it possible to prevent the second burr generated from the second welding rib 64 from protruding outside the housing 60. At the same time, it is also possible to prevent the second burr from reaching the end face 63 by adjusting the design of the second welding rib 64. Note that such a configuration also includes a configuration in which the inner surface in the perpendicular direction of the second welding rib 64 coincides with the inner end of the end face 63 in the perpendicular direction, as shown in FIG. 5B.

[0060] In addition, it is desirable to adjust the second surface 32b and the end surface 63 of the lens unit 30 so that the second surface 32b is located relatively farther from the ring member 20 than the end surface 63 of the housing 60. In the example of FIG. 4B and FIG. 5B, the second surface 32b is located below the end surface 63. In other words, it is desirable to set the first distance D1 between the ring member 20 and the second surface 32b of the flange portion 32 of the lens unit 30 to be larger than the second distance D2 between the ring member 20 and the end surface 63 of the large diameter cylindrical portion 61 of the housing 60. This makes it difficult for the first burr generated from the first welding rib 35 to reach the end surface 63. This configuration is particularly useful in the position of FIG. 4B where the space for the burr to escape is closed.

[0061] FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing a welded state obtained by laser welding with the melting amount of the first weld rib 35 and the second weld rib 64 set to 0.16 mm. This figure is a line drawing of a photograph obtained by taking an actual sample after welding. This figure shows the welded state at a position where the protrusion 33 does not exist as in FIG. 5B. The first burr 36 generated from the first weld rib 35 does not reach the end surface 63, and the second burr 65 generated from the second weld rib 64 does not reach the second surface 32b. By appropriately setting the melting amount of the ribs, it is possible to achieve appropriate welding while suppressing the spread of the two burrs.

[0062] 6B is a schematic diagram showing the welded state obtained by laser welding in which the melting amount of the first weld rib 35 and the second weld rib 64 is set to 0.25 mm. Because the melting amount is too large, the first weld rib 35 and the second weld rib 64 have disappeared. A large amount of the first burr 36 generated from the first weld rib 35 and the second burr 65 generated from the second weld rib 64 have been generated and have melted together, resulting in inappropriate welding.

[0063] 4A and 5A, the housing 60 has a base end 66 that constitutes a bottom surface portion on the opposite side to the end surface 63, and the imaging element 41 is surrounded by the large diameter cylindrical portion 61 of the housing 60, the base end 66, the ring member 20, and the lens unit 30. This allows the imaging element 41 to be surrounded reliably by the housing 60, the ring member 20, and the lens unit 30.

[0064] In particular, the imaging element 41 is mounted on the circuit board 40, and the imaging element 41 and the circuit board 40 are surrounded by the large diameter cylindrical portion 61 of the housing 60, the base end portion 66 of the housing 60, the ring member 20, and the lens unit 30. Furthermore, a connector 80 is disposed at the base end portion 66 of the housing 60, which penetrates the outside and inside of the housing 60 and has terminals (for example, a first terminal 81 and a second terminal 82 shown in FIG. 4A) for passing electrical signals, and the terminals of the connector 80 are electrically connected to the circuit of the circuit board 40. This allows the imaging element 41 and the circuit board 40 to be securely surrounded by the housing 60, the ring member 20, and the lens unit 30, while ensuring electrical connection with the outside.

[0065] Connector 80 may be a coaxial connector or an STQ having four terminals. Also, first terminal 81 and second terminal 82 of connector 80 may be directly connected to circuit board 40, or may be indirectly connected. For example, a separate circuit board may be prepared in addition to circuit board 40, and connector 80 may be connected via this separate circuit board.

[0066] As is clear from the drawings, the cross section along the radial direction of the first cylindrical portion 37 of the lens unit 30 is a circle, and the cross section along the radial direction of the large diameter cylindrical portion 61 of the housing 60 is a square. This makes it possible to easily form the lens unit 30 and the housing 60.

[0067] In addition, the first light absorbency of the second resin may be the same as the second light absorbency of the third resin. Alternatively, the second resin may be the same as the third resin. As a result, in the vehicle-mounted camera, since the first light absorbency of the second resin is the same as the second light absorbency of the third resin, there is no need to use a different type of laser for laser welding between the ring member and the housing and laser welding between the ring member and the lens unit, and laser welding can be easily performed.

[0068] Second embodiment FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7B is a top view of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7C is a view taken along line III-III in FIG. 7B. FIG. 7D is a view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 7C. FIG. 7E is a top view of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 as viewed from directly above the circuit board 40. FIG. 7F is a top view of FIG. 7E with the circuit board 40 removed. The vehicle-mounted camera 100 according to the second embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the vehicle-mounted camera 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0069] 7E shows details of the shape of the circuit board 40. In plan view, the circuit board 40 has a first shape including at least a first side 43, a second side 44, a third side 45, and a fourth side 46. The circuit board 40 of the embodiment has only the first side 43, the second side 44, the third side 45, and the fourth side 46, and the first shape is a first rectangular shape. The rectangular shape is a substantially rectangular shape, and may have rounded corners.

[0070] The end surface 47 of the circuit board 40 includes at least a first end surface 47a corresponding to the first side 43, a second end surface 47b corresponding to the second side 44, a third end surface 47c corresponding to the third side 45, and a fourth end surface 47d corresponding to the fourth side 46. Note that the first side 43, the second side 44, the third side 45, and the fourth side 46 can be defined on the first surface 40a of the circuit board 40, and similarly, the first side 43, the second side 44, the third side 45, and the fourth side 46 can be defined on the second surface 40b.

[0071] FIG. 7E shows a state in which the circuit board 40 has been removed from FIG. 7E, revealing a first bottom surface portion 73 (third bottom surface portion 72) of a first shield 70, which will be described later.

[0072] Fig. 8A is a perspective view of the first shield 70 used in the vehicle-mounted camera 100 according to the second embodiment, as viewed from above. Fig. 8B is a perspective view of the first shield 70 as viewed from below. Fig. 8C is a top view of the first shield 70. Fig. 8D is a side view of the first shield 70. Fig. 8E is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 7F, showing a state in which the connector 80 fixes the housing 60 and the first shield 70.

[0073] The first shield 70 is a member corresponding to the shield 70 in the first embodiment, and is a metal member that surrounds the circuit board 40 in the internal space of the housing 60 and is arranged so that at least a portion of the shield 70 faces the second surface 40b of the circuit board 40. The first shield 70 plays a role in blocking electromagnetic waves arriving from the outside of the housing 60 and electromagnetic waves radiated in the internal space. By blocking the electromagnetic waves, the imaging element 41 is less susceptible to the effects of the electromagnetic waves, and as a result, the imaging performance of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 can be improved.

[0074] Although it is possible to obtain shielding performance that blocks electromagnetic waves to a practical extent by constructing the entire housing 60 from metal, manufacturing the housing 60 from metal leads to an increase in the number of parts, manufacturing steps, and manufacturing costs. In the first and second embodiments of the present disclosure, the housing 60 is made of resin, and a first shield 70 made of metal is disposed inside, thereby ensuring shielding performance.

[0075] The first shield 70 includes a third bottom surface portion 72 and a plurality of side surface portions 71 rising from the outer edge of the third bottom surface portion 72. In this embodiment, the first shield 70 has a rectangular tubular shape as a whole, and the main surfaces of the first shield 70 and the third bottom surface portion 72, i.e., the surfaces perpendicular to the optical axis, have a rectangular shape (approximately square). This shape is a common shape for shields, and at least four side surface portions 71 rise from the outer edge of the third bottom surface portion 72, which has at least four sides. Therefore, the first shield 70 can efficiently accommodate rectangular members such as the circuit board 40 in its internal space.

[0076] Furthermore, the first shield 70 is formed by metal drawing, that is, the first shield 70 is formed by compressing and stretching a metal plate using a member such as a metal plate, and processing it into a predetermined shape.

[0077] The first shield 70 formed by drawing has curved side portions 76 that are present at the boundaries (corner portions) between at least two adjacent side portions 71 and are configured by continuous curved surfaces. In this embodiment, the four side portions 71 are smoothly connected to each other via the curved side portions 76 without any gaps.

[0078] In addition, in the first shield 70 formed by drawing, the boundary portion 77 between the outer edge of the third bottom surface portion 72 and at least one side surface portion 71 is also formed of a continuous curved surface. In this embodiment, each of the four side surface portions 71 smoothly rises without any gaps from the outer edge of the third bottom surface portion 72 via the boundary portion 77.

[0079] 9 is a perspective view of shield 70A formed by bending a metal plate, not by drawing. In shield 70A, a gap g is formed in a portion corresponding to curved side portion 76 of first shield 70. In addition, in shield 70A, a portion corresponding to boundary portion 77 of first shield 70 is not a curved surface, but a simple bending line between third bottom portion 72 and side portion 71.

[0080] In the first shield 70 according to this embodiment, the curved side portion 76 is configured with a continuous curved surface resulting from drawing, and therefore gaps within the shield are eliminated, and it is possible to provide a high level of electromagnetic wave shielding at low cost and ensure excellent shielding performance. On the other hand, the shield 70A in FIG. 9 has gaps between the side portions 71, and is presumed to have inferior shielding performance compared to the first shield 70.

[0081] In addition, in the first shield 70 according to this embodiment, the boundary portion 77 is also configured with a continuous curved surface resulting from drawing, so that high strength against external pressure can be ensured at the boundary between the third bottom portion 72 and the side portion 71. On the other hand, in the shield 70A in FIG. 9, the boundary between the third bottom portion 72 and the side portion 71 is bent by a simple bending line, and it is estimated that the strength against external pressure is lower than that of the first shield 70.

[0082] Next, a description will be given of the internal space of the housing 60. The portion of the housing 60 in which the connector 80 that is connected to the outside of the housing 60 exists is defined by the base end 66. The internal space of the housing 60 is defined by this base end 66 and a plurality of housing side walls 67 that stand up from the outer edge of the base end 66.

[0083] In this embodiment, the housing 60 has a rectangular cylindrical shape as a whole, and the main surface of the internal space of the housing 60, i.e., the surface perpendicular to the optical axis, has a rectangular shape (approximately square). This shape is common for housings, and four housing side walls 67 stand up from the four sides present inside the base end 66. Therefore, the housing 60 can efficiently accommodate rectangular members such as the circuit board 40 and the first shield 70 in its internal space.

[0084] The arrangement of the first shield 70 relative to the housing 60 will be described in more detail. A sidewall inner surface 68 (see FIG. 7D) of the housing sidewall 67 rises so as to incline outward from the base end 66 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the lens unit 30 (the vertical direction in the plane of FIG. 7C) (the horizontal direction in the plane of FIG. 7C). In FIG. 7C, the sidewall inner surface 68 inclines outward from the lower side to the upper side of the housing 60, and as a result, the internal space of the housing 60 has a shape that expands in a tapered shape from the base end 66 toward the opening side. When the housing 60 is formed by injection molding of resin, the mold is pulled out from the opening side, and in order to facilitate the pull-out, the sidewall inner surface 68 is inclined outward toward the opening (in the pull-out direction).

[0085] Meanwhile, the third bottom surface portion 72 of the first shield 70 is disposed on the base end portion 66 of the housing 60. Here, the side surface portion 71 of the first shield 70 stands up so as to be inclined outward from the third bottom surface portion 72 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens unit 30. In Fig. 7C, the side surface portion 71 is inclined outward from the lower side to the upper side of the side surface portion 71, and as a result, the first shield 70 has a shape that widens in a tapered shape.

[0086] The side surface portion 71 of the first shield 70 is inclined so as to substantially match the inclination of the sidewall inner surface 68 of the housing 60 resulting from the manufacturing process. That is, the side surface portion 71 of the first shield 70 is disposed so as to closely fit along the sidewall inner surface 68 of the housing sidewall 67. This allows the first shield 70 to be stably disposed within the housing space and improves the shielding performance. The inclination angle of the side surface portion 71 and the sidewall inner surface 68 in the outward direction is set to, for example, about 1 degree, but the inclination angle is not particularly limited.

[0087] Next, the configuration of the third bottom surface portion 72 of the first shield 70 (shield 70) will be described in detail. In this embodiment, the third bottom surface portion 72 is not a simple flat surface, but includes a first bottom surface portion 73, a second bottom surface portion 75, and a connection portion 74, and has a shape with a step portion. That is, in this embodiment, the third bottom surface portion 72 includes the step portion that forms the bottom surface portion of the first shield 70.

[0088] The first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70 is a portion that mainly supports various components arranged inside the housing. The first bottom surface portion 73 (or the third bottom surface portion 72) is arranged to face the second surface 40b of the circuit board 40, and has a second shape including at least a fifth side 72a, a sixth side 72b, a seventh side 72c, and an eighth side 72d in a plan view. The first bottom surface portion 73 (or the third bottom surface portion 72) also has a hole 73e that is arranged to include the center of this second shape. In the embodiment, the second shape is a substantially rectangular shape, and may have rounded corners.

[0089] The second bottom surface portion 75 of the first shield 70 corresponds to the hole 73e arranged to include the center of the second shape of the first bottom surface portion 73 in the first shield 70, faces the second surface 40b of the circuit board 40, and is arranged away from the first bottom surface portion 73 with the second surface 40b as a reference. The second bottom surface portion 75 is included in the base end portion 66 of the housing 60, and corresponds to the bottom surface 66a (FIG. 7C) corresponding to the circuit board 40. The second bottom surface portion 75 has a fourth shape in a plan view, and this fourth shape may be a circle as in the embodiment, an ellipse, or a rectangle, or may be similar to a third shape of the hole 73e described later.

[0090] It has been described that the side surface portion 71 of the first shield 70 rises from the outer edge of the third bottom surface portion 72, but in this embodiment, this is synonymous with rising from the outer edge of the first bottom surface portion 73. The side surface portion 71 includes a first side surface portion 71a, a second side surface portion 71b, a third side surface portion 71c, and a fourth side surface portion 71d.

[0091] The first side surface portion 71a of the first shield 70 corresponds to the fifth side 72a of the first bottom surface portion 73 (or the third bottom surface portion 72), faces the circuit board 40, and is disposed in the opposite direction to the second bottom surface portion 75. The second side surface portion 71b of the first shield 70 corresponds to the sixth side 72b of the first bottom surface portion 73 (or the third bottom surface portion 72), faces the circuit board 40, and is disposed in the opposite direction to the second bottom surface portion 75. The third side surface portion 71c of the first shield 70 corresponds to the seventh side 72c of the first bottom surface portion 73 (or the third bottom surface portion 72), faces the circuit board 40, and is disposed in the opposite direction to the second bottom surface portion 75. The fourth side surface portion 71d of the first shield 70 corresponds to the eighth side 72d of the first bottom surface portion 73 (or the third bottom surface portion 72), faces the circuit board 40, and is disposed in the opposite direction to the second bottom surface portion 75.

[0092] The curved side portion 76 connecting the side portions 71 of the first shield 70 includes a first curved side portion 76a, a second curved side portion 76b, a third curved side portion 76c, and a fourth curved side portion 76d. The first curved side portion 76a connects the first side portion 71a and the second side portion 71b. The second curved side portion 76b connects the second side portion 71b and the third side portion 71c. The third curved side portion 76c connects the third side portion 71c and the fourth side portion 71d. The fourth curved side portion 76d connects the fourth side portion 71d and the first side portion 71a.

[0093] The connection portion 74 of the first shield 70 protrudes from a predetermined position on the first bottom surface portion 73 inside the outer edge of the first bottom surface portion 73 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens unit 30 to the opposite side to the side surface portion 71 in the optical axis direction. In particular, the connection portion 74 connects the entire circumference of the hole 73e arranged to include the center of the second shape of the first bottom surface portion 73 to the entire circumference of the second bottom surface portion 75. As a result, the first bottom surface portion 73 moves in the optical axis direction, upward in FIG. 7C, compared to when the connection portion 74 does not exist, and the third bottom surface portion 72 has a raised bottom structure. Accordingly, a solid raised bottom region S exists in a region adjacent to the first bottom surface portion 73 of the housing 60.

[0094] The end face 47 of the circuit board 40 and the side face portion 71 of the first shield 70 have the following positional relationship. That is, at least a part of the first side face portion 71a faces the first end face 47a of the circuit board 40. At least a part of the second side face portion 71b faces the second end face 47b of the circuit board 40. At least a part of the third side face portion 71c faces the third end face 47c of the circuit board 40. At least a part of the fourth side face portion 71d faces the fourth end face 47d of the circuit board 40.

[0095] In this embodiment, the hole 73e arranged to include the center of the second shape of the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70 has a third shape different from the second shape in a plan view. At least the first side surface portion 71a, the second side surface portion 71b, the third side surface portion 71c, and the fourth side surface portion 71d of the first shield 70 are formed by continuous curved surfaces. Furthermore, in the first shield 70, at least the first side surface portion 71a, the second side surface portion 71b, the third side surface portion 71c, the fourth side surface portion 71d, the first bottom surface portion 73, the connection portion 74, and the second bottom surface portion 75 are formed by continuous curved surfaces.

[0096] In the present embodiment, the first shield 70 has a two-stage structure including a first bottom surface portion 73 and a second bottom surface portion 75 that is smaller than the first bottom surface portion 73, thereby making it possible to reduce the volume inside the first shield 70. This reduces the distance between the heat-generating components arranged on the circuit board 40 and the first shield 70, allowing the heat from the heat-generating components to be efficiently transferred to the first shield 70.

[0097] Furthermore, the first shield 70 surrounds the circuit board 40, and the first side surface portion 71a, the second side surface portion 71b, the third side surface portion 71c, the fourth side surface portion 71d, the first bottom surface portion 73, the connection portion 74, and the second bottom surface portion 75 are continuously formed by utilizing drawing or the like. This eliminates gaps within the first shield 70, improving resistance to external electromagnetic noise while suppressing electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside.

[0098] For example, the first side surface portion 71a, the second side surface portion 71b, the third side surface portion 71c, the fourth side surface portion 71d, the first bottom surface portion 73, the connection portion 74, and the second bottom surface portion 75 of the first shield 70, which are formed by continuous curved surfaces, are formed by drawing a single metal plate. This makes it possible to eliminate gaps within the first shield 70, to provide a high level of shielding against electromagnetic waves at low cost, and to ensure excellent shielding performance.

[0099] Furthermore, the second shape, which is the shape of the first bottom surface portion 73 in a plan view, is different from the third shape of the hole 73e of the first bottom surface portion 73, and the first side surface portion 71a, the second side surface portion 71b, the third side surface portion 71c, and the fourth side surface portion 71d formed continuously from each, as well as the connection portion 74, can improve the rigidity of the first shield 70 itself, reduce the thickness of the first shield 70, and also reduce the weight of the vehicle-mounted camera 100.

[0100] In this embodiment, the first shape of the circuit board 40 is a first rectangular shape, the second shape of the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70 is a second rectangular shape, and the third shape of the hole 73e of the first shield 70 is a circular shape. This makes it possible to easily form the circuit board 40 and the first shield 70 in simple shapes.

[0101] In the present embodiment, the entire first side surface portion 71a of the first shield 70 faces the first end surface 47a of the circuit board 40, the entire second side surface portion 71b faces the second end surface 47b of the circuit board 40, the entire third side surface portion 71c faces the third end surface 47c of the circuit board 40, and the entire fourth side surface portion 71d faces the fourth end surface 47d of the circuit board 40. This improves the shielding ability of the circuit board 40 from the outside.

[0102] The connector 80 is disposed on the bottom surface 66a across the inside and outside of the housing 60. Specifically, the connector 80 is disposed so as to penetrate the second bottom surface portion 75 (or the third bottom surface portion 72) of the first shield 70. As shown in Fig. 7C, the connector 80 includes at least a first terminal 81 and a second terminal 82 that electrically connect the inside and outside of the housing 60, and the first terminal 81 and the second terminal 82 are electrically connected to the circuit of the circuit board 40.

[0103] 8E, the connector 80 can fix the second bottom surface portion 75 (or the third bottom surface portion 72) of the first shield 70 to the bottom surface 66a of the housing 60. This allows the connector 80 to firmly fix the first shield 70 and the housing 60. Furthermore, the second terminal 82 of the connector 80 and the first shield 70 are electrically connected to each other at the bottom surface 66a of the housing 60. This makes it possible to easily ensure electrical connection between the connector 80 and the first shield 70.

[0104] The first shield 70 has a two-stage configuration including a first bottom surface portion 73 and a second bottom surface portion 75 smaller than the first bottom surface portion 73, and a first area surrounded by the periphery of the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70 is larger than a second area surrounded by the periphery of the second bottom surface portion 75. This makes it possible to secure space around the connection portion 74 and the second bottom surface portion 75, thereby improving the handleability of the vehicle-mounted camera 100.

[0105] Specifically, the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70, which has a large diameter, is located above the first shield 70 connection portion 74 and the second bottom surface portion 75 in the optical axis direction in order to support various members such as the lens unit 30, the circuit board 40, and the heat conductive member 50. Since the connection portion 74 and the second bottom surface portion 75 have a smaller diameter than the first bottom surface portion 73, the volume of the bottom-up area S shown in FIG. 7C can be secured around the connection portion 74 and the second bottom surface portion 75 at the base end portion 66. This makes it possible to arrange various members in the bottom-up area S, i.e., the area adjacent to the first bottom surface portion 73, while securing the ground connection between the first shield 70 and the connector 80, thereby allowing the design freedom and miniaturization of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 to be achieved. In addition, the presence of the connection portion 74 allows the connector 80, which has a small diameter, to be efficiently disposed, and electrical connection with the outside to be easily secured.

[0106] In this embodiment, the housing 60 includes an attachment portion 69 for attaching the vehicle-mounted camera 100 to the vehicle. The attachment portion 69 is formed in a bottom-raised area S in the housing 60 adjacent to the first bottom surface portion 73. The attachment portion 69 is a portion required for attachment to other members. If the connection portion 74 does not exist and a general bottom surface that serves as the first bottom surface portion 73 is provided, it is difficult to secure the bottom-raised area S, so the attachment portion 69 needs to be provided in another area. In that case, the housing 60 may become large. In this embodiment, the attachment portion 69 can be disposed in the bottom-raised area S, and the housing 60 can be prevented from becoming large.

[0107] In Fig. 7C, a specific example of the mounting portion 69 shown by the long-axis-shaped broken line region is a female screw extending along the optical axis direction. This female screw is disposed on the opposite side of the circuit board 40 from the first bottom surface portion 73, outside the second bottom surface portion 75 of the first shield 70 with respect to the optical axis L. This makes it possible to prevent the housing 60 from becoming large, while ensuring ease of mounting the vehicle-mounted camera to the vehicle. The user can easily mount the vehicle-mounted camera 100 to other members of the vehicle body using this female screw and a separately prepared male screw.

[0108] Further, the heat conductive member 50 is disposed between the second surface 40b of the circuit board 40 and the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70. The heat conductive member 50 has insulating properties and thermal conductivity, and plays a role in dissipating heat generated from electronic components such as the circuit board 40 to the outside. In particular, the heat conductive member 50 plays an important role in dissipating heat from electronic components located at the end of the circuit board 40 far from the connector 80 to the outside through the first shield 70 and other components.

[0109] The heat conductive member 50 is disposed on the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70, and is not disposed in the bottom-raised region S. If the connection portion 74 does not exist and a general bottom surface that plays the role of the first bottom surface portion 73 is provided, a space will exist instead of the solid bottom-raised region S. In order to eliminate the gap, the heat conductive member 50 needs to be disposed in this space as well, but the amount of the heat conductive member 50 will increase, and the manufacturing cost of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 will increase. In this embodiment, since a portion of the housing 60 corresponding to the bottom-raised region S exists instead of such a space, the amount of the heat conductive member 50 can be reduced, and an increase in costs can be suppressed.

[0110] In addition, although the first shield 70 in the embodiment is formed by drawing a metal plate, the step portion formed by the first bottom surface portion 73, the connection portion 74, and the second bottom surface portion 75 can also be formed by bending a metal plate.

[0111] Fig. 10A is a view taken along line VV in Fig. 7C. Fig. 10B is a perspective view of the second shield 90 as viewed from above. Fig. 10C is a side view of the second shield 90. Fig. 10D is a perspective view of the assembly of the lens unit 30 and the second shield 90 as viewed from below.

[0112] The second shield 90 is disposed in the internal space of the housing 60. The second shield 90 is a metal member disposed so that at least a portion of the second shield 90 faces the first surface 40a of the circuit board 40. Specifically, the second shield 90 is disposed between the circuit board 40 and the lens unit 30, and has a metal flat plate shape having four sides 92. The second shield 90 has a hole (first hole) 96a in the center through which light from the lens unit 30 passes to reach the imaging element 41. The first shield 70 may be called a rear shield, and the second shield 90 may be called a front shield.

[0113] The second shield 90 has a fifth shape having at least a ninth side 92a, a tenth side 92b, an eleventh side 92c, and a twelfth side 92d that constitute four sides 92 in a plan view. The fifth shape is a rectangle with rounded corners. The hole 96a includes the center of the fifth shape and corresponds to the imaging element 41 mounted on the first surface 40a of the circuit board 40.

[0114] Furthermore, the second shield 90 has contacts 94 that ensure electrical connection with the first shield 70. The four contacts 94 include a first contact 94a, a second contact 94b, a third contact 94c, and a fourth contact 94d. The first contact 94a is electrically connected to the first side surface portion 71a of the first shield 70 at the ninth side 92a. The second contact 94b is electrically connected to the second side surface portion 71b of the first shield 70 at the tenth side 92b. The second contact 94b is electrically connected to the third side surface portion 71c of the first shield 70 at the eleventh side 92c. The fourth contact 94d is electrically connected to the fourth side surface portion 71d of the first shield 70 at the twelfth side 92d.

[0115] The second shield 90 is a member that cooperates with the first shield 70 to shield the internal space of the housing 60 from the outside, thereby further improving the shielding performance. In order to improve the shielding performance, it is desirable that the first shield 70 and the second shield 90 cooperate to form an electrically closed space.

[0116] As described above, in this embodiment, first, the first shield 70 surrounds the circuit board 40, and the first side surface portion 71a, the second side surface portion 71b, the third side surface portion 71c, the fourth side surface portion 71d, the first bottom surface portion 73, the connection portion 74, and the second bottom surface portion 75 are continuously formed by utilizing drawing or the like. This eliminates gaps within the first shield 70, improving resistance to external electromagnetic noise while suppressing electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside.

[0117] Furthermore, the second shield 90 is disposed on the first surface 40a side of the circuit board 40 on which the imaging element 41 is mounted, and together with the first shield 70, forms a closed space surrounding the circuit board 40, and is provided with contacts on each of the four sides that are electrically connected to the first shield 70. Thus, by forming an electrically closed space, it is possible to further suppress electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside while improving resistance to external electromagnetic noise.

[0118] The second shield 90 also includes a third surface 90a, a fourth surface 90b opposite the third surface 90a, and an end surface 95 connecting the third surface 90a and the fourth surface 90b. The end surface 95 includes at least a fifth end surface 95a corresponding to the ninth side 92a, a sixth end surface 95b corresponding to the tenth side 92b, a seventh end surface 95c corresponding to the eleventh side 92c, and an eighth end surface 95d corresponding to the twelfth side 92d.

[0119] The fifth end face 95a faces the first side portion 71a of the first shield 70, the sixth end face 95b faces the second side portion 71b of the first shield 70, the seventh end face 95c faces the third side portion 71c of the first shield 70, and the eighth end face 95d faces the fourth side portion 71d of the first shield 70.

[0120] This causes the side surface portion 71 of the first shield 70 and the end surface 95 of the second shield 90 to face each other, thereby reducing the gap between the first shield and the second shield and ensuring excellent shielding performance.

[0121] Furthermore, the first shield 70 has a sixth shape in plan view at portions corresponding to the fifth end face 95a, the sixth end face 95b, the seventh end face 95c, and the eighth end face 95d of the second shield 90. This sixth shape is larger than the second shape of the third bottom surface portion 72 of the first shield 70. In this embodiment, both the second shape and the sixth shape are substantially rectangular, and the area of ​​the substantially rectangular sixth shape is larger than the area of ​​the substantially rectangular second shape.

[0122] The first side surface portion 71a and the third side surface portion 71c of the first shield 70 face each other, and the first side surface portion 71a and the third side surface portion 71c extend from the third bottom surface portion 72 toward portions corresponding to the fifth end surface 95a, the sixth end surface 95b, the seventh end surface 95c, and the eighth end surface 95d of the second shield 90. The second side surface portion 71b and the fourth side surface portion 71d of the first shield 70 face each other, and the second side surface portion 71b and the fourth side surface portion 71d extend from the third bottom surface portion 72 toward portions corresponding to the fifth end surface 95a, the sixth end surface 95b, the seventh end surface 95c, and the eighth end surface 95d of the second shield 90.

[0123] That is, the side surface portion 71 of the first shield 70 rises so as to incline outward from the third bottom surface portion 72 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens unit 30. Therefore, the cross section of the first shield 70 is larger at the position of the second shield 90 than at the position of the base end portion 66. As a result, the opening side of the first shield 70 where the second shield 90 is present is formed to have a shape larger than the third bottom surface portion 72 on the bottom side, making it easier to process the first shield 70.

[0124] 10A is larger than the area of ​​the second shape of the third bottom surface portion 72 (first bottom surface portion 73) of the first shield 70. This setting reduces the gap between the side surface portion 71 and the second shield 90 (side 92), thereby improving the shielding performance.

[0125] Furthermore, in the housing 60, boundary portions 68a of at least two of the side wall inner surfaces 68 are configured by a continuous curved surface. Such a continuous curved surface can be easily formed by the shape of the mold during resin injection molding. The boundary portions 68a are continuous curved surfaces along the curved side surface portion 76 of the first shield 70, and the first shield 70 is accommodated in a state of being in close contact with the housing 60. Furthermore, the connection portions of at least two end surfaces 95 and sides 92 that configure the outer edge of the second shield 90 are configured by a curved end surface 93. The curved end surface 93 is a continuous curved surface that faces the curved side surface portion 76 of the first shield 70.

[0126] The curved end surface 93 of the second shield 90 includes a first curved end surface 93a, a second curved end surface 93b, a third curved end surface 93c, and a fourth curved end surface 93d. The first curved end surface 93a connects the fifth end surface 95a and the sixth end surface 95b. The second curved end surface 93b connects the sixth end surface 95b and the seventh end surface 95c. The third curved end surface 93c connects the seventh end surface 95c and the eighth end surface 95d. The fourth curved end surface 93d connects the eighth end surface 95d and the fifth end surface 95a.

[0127] The first curved end face 93a of the second shield 90 faces the first curved side portion 76a of the first shield 70, the second curved end face 93b of the second shield 90 faces the second curved side portion 76b of the first shield 70, the third curved end face 93c of the second shield 90 faces the third curved side portion 76c of the first shield 70, and the fourth curved end face 93d of the second shield 90 faces the fourth curved side portion 76d of the first shield 70.

[0128] This reduces the gap between the curved side surface portion 76 corresponding to the corner of the first shield 70 and the curved end surface 93 corresponding to the corner of the second shield 90, ensuring excellent shielding performance.

[0129] The first curved end surface 93a of the second shield 90 is convex outward with the center of the fifth shape of the second shield 90 as a reference, the second curved end surface 93b of the second shield 90 is convex outward with the center of the fifth shape as a reference, the third curved end surface 93c of the second shield 90 is convex outward with the center of the fifth shape as a reference, and the fourth curved end surface 93d of the second shield 90 is convex outward with the center of the fifth shape as a reference.

[0130] Corresponding to the above shapes, the inner surface of the first curved side portion 76a of the first shield 70 is concave corresponding to the convexity of the first curved end face 93a of the second shield 90, the inner surface of the second curved side portion 76b of the first shield 70 is concave corresponding to the convexity of the second curved end face 93b of the second shield 90, the inner surface of the third curved side portion 76c of the first shield 70 is concave corresponding to the convexity of the third curved end face 93c of the second shield 90, and the inner surface of the fourth curved side portion 76d of the first shield 70 is concave corresponding to the convexity of the fourth curved end face 93d of the second shield 90.

[0131] As a result, by positioning the curved end surface 93 of the second shield 90 so as to correspond to the curved side portion 76 required to continuously form the side portion 71 of the first shield 70 and minimizing the gap between the first shield 70 and the four corners of the second shield 90, it is possible to improve resistance to external electromagnetic noise while suppressing electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside.

[0132] When the connecting portion of the two sides 92 of the second shield 90 is a right angle like a normal rectangle, it is easier to reach the curved side portion 76 of the first shield 70 compared to the curved end surface 93 of the second shield 90 in Fig. 10A, and the side 92 needs to be shorter than in the case of Fig. 10A. In other words, the second shield 90 becomes smaller and the shielding performance decreases. In this embodiment, by configuring the connecting portion of the two sides 92 with the curved end surface 93 along the curved side portion 76, the overall size of the second shield 90, i.e., the length of the side 92, is ensured, thereby reducing the gap with the first shield 70 and improving the shielding performance.

[0133] As described above, the second shield 90 has a hole 96a that includes the center of the fifth shape and corresponds to the imaging element 41 mounted on the first surface 40a of the circuit board 40. As shown in Fig. 10B, the second shield 90 further has four holes, namely, holes 96b, 96c, 96d, and 96e, around the hole 96a.

[0134] Holes 96b, 96c, 96d, and 96e are provided in sets of four, each corresponding to a corner of the fifth shape, and if hole 96a is defined as the first hole, then at least three of these four holes correspond to the second, third, and fourth holes.

[0135] The first contact 94a, the second contact 94b, the third contact 94c, and the fourth contact 94d are bent and extended downward, that is, toward the fourth surface 90b of the second shield 90, respectively.

[0136] 10D, the first surface 32a of the flange portion 32 of the lens unit 30 is provided with four support pillars 97a, 97b, 97c, and 97d that protrude into the housing 60. At least three of these four support pillars correspond to the first support pillar, the second support pillar, and the third support pillar. The at least three first support pillars, the second support pillars, and the third support pillars pass through at least three second holes, the third holes, and the fourth holes.

[0137] Fig. 15A is a perspective view of a modified example of the second shield 90 as viewed from above. Fig. 15B is a side view of the modified example of the second shield 90. Fig. 15C is a perspective view of an assembly of the lens unit 30 and the modified example of the second shield 90 as viewed from below. Fig. 15D is a side view of an assembly of the lens unit 30, the modified example of the second shield 90, and the circuit board 40.

[0138] 15A to 15D, unlike the example in Figures 10A to 10D, a first contact 94a, a second contact 94b, a third contact 94c, and a fourth contact 94d are each bent and extended upward, that is, toward the third surface 90a of the second shield 90. In this modification, the four contacts do not become an obstacle when assembling the vehicle-mounted camera 100, and the assembly in Figure 15C can be smoothly placed inside the housing 60.

[0139] 15D, of the four support pillars 97a, 97b, 97c, and 97d, at least three of them, the first support pillar, the second support pillar, and the third support pillar, reach the first surface 40a of the circuit board 40 and support the lens unit 30. This enables the imaging element 41 to capture an image of light from the outside, and the second shield 90 and the lens unit 30 can be stably supported by the circuit board 40 and the multiple support pillars.

[0140] Fig. 16A is a top view showing the curvature of each curved end surface 93 in the second shield 90. Fig. 16B is a top view showing the curvature of each curved end surface 93 in a modified example of the second shield 90. Fig. 17 is a top view showing the curvature of each curved side portion 76 in the first shield 70.

[0141] 16A and 16B, the first curved end surface 93a of the second shield 90 is a curved surface having a curvature R1 in a plan view, the second curved end surface 93b is a curved surface having a curvature R3 in a plan view, the third curved end surface 93c is a curved surface having a curvature R5 in a plan view, and the fourth curved end surface 93d is a curved surface having a curvature R7 in a plan view. R1, R3, R5, and R7 may be the same value or different values.

[0142] 17, the portion of the first shield 70 corresponding to the first curved side portion 76a is a curved surface having a curvature R2 in a plan view, the portion corresponding to the second curved side portion 76b is a curved surface having a curvature R4 in a plan view, the portion corresponding to the third curved side portion 76c is a curved surface having a curvature R6 in a plan view, and the portion corresponding to the fourth curved side portion 76d is a curved surface having a curvature R8 in a plan view. R2, R4, R6, and R8 may be the same value or different values.

[0143] In this embodiment, R1 is set to be equal to or less than R2 (R1≦R2), R3 is set to be equal to or less than R4 (R3≦R4), R5 is set to be equal to or less than R6 (R5≦R6), and R7 is set to be equal to or less than R8 (R7≦R8).

[0144] As a result, the curvature of the curved side portion 76 of the first shield 70 on the outside is sharper than the curvature of the curved end face of the second shield 90 on the inside, so the sizes of the first shield 70 and the second shield 90 can be set so that the first side portion 71a to the fourth side portion 71d of the first shield and the ninth side 92a to the twelfth side 92d of the second shield are close to each other, thereby reducing the gap between the first shield 70 and the second shield 90 and ensuring excellent shielding performance.

[0145] Fig. 18 is a top view showing the curvature of corner curved surface 48 in circuit board 40. As described in Fig. 7E, circuit board 40 has a first shape including at least first side 43, second side 44, third side 45, and fourth side 46 in plan view. End surface 47 of circuit board 40 includes at least first end surface 47a corresponding to first side 43, second end surface 47b corresponding to second side 44, third end surface 47c corresponding to third side 45, and fourth end surface 47d corresponding to fourth side 46.

[0146] As shown in FIG. 18, the corner curved surface 48 includes a first corner curved surface 48a, a second corner curved surface 48b, a third corner curved surface 48c, and a fourth corner curved surface 48d. The first corner curved surface 48a connects the first side 43 and the second side 44, and is a curved surface having a curvature R9 in a planar view. The second corner curved surface 48b connects the second side 44 and the third side 45, and is a curved surface having a curvature R10 in a planar view. The third corner curved surface 48c connects the third side 45 and the fourth side 46, and is a curved surface having a curvature R11 in a planar view. The fourth corner curved surface 48d connects the fourth side 46 and the first side 43, and is a curved surface having a curvature R12 in a planar view.

[0147] In the second embodiment, the vehicle-mounted camera 100 includes the third bottom surface portion 72 having a step portion and the second shield 90, but does not necessarily have to include both the third bottom surface portion 72 having a step portion and the second shield 90. The vehicle-mounted camera 100 includes the third bottom surface portion 72 having a step portion, but does not necessarily have to include the second shield 90, in which case the first shield 70 becomes a single shield. The vehicle-mounted camera 100 includes the second shield 90, but does not necessarily have to include the third bottom surface portion 72 having a step portion, in which case the third bottom surface portion 72 may be formed, for example, only by the flat first bottom surface portion 73.

[0148] Figure 11 is a graph showing the results of measuring EMI inside the housing of three types of vehicle-mounted cameras versus frequency. The horizontal axis shows the frequency of the radio waves arriving at the vehicle-mounted camera, and the vertical axis shows the magnitude of EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) inside the housing of the vehicle-mounted camera (units are dBμV / m). The smaller the EMI, the higher the shielding performance can be evaluated.

[0149] Graph A shows the measurement results of an in-vehicle camera having a plastic housing and not provided with a first shield 70 or a second shield 90. Graph B shows the measurement results of an in-vehicle camera having a plastic housing and provided with only a first shield 70. Graph C shows the measurement results of an in-vehicle camera having a plastic housing and provided with both a first shield 70 and a second shield 90.

[0150] The vehicle-mounted camera of graph C is provided with both the first shield 70 and the second shield 90, and therefore exhibits high shielding performance comparable to that of a metal housing. The vehicle-mounted camera of graph B has lower shielding performance than the vehicle-mounted camera of graph C, but exhibits higher shielding performance than the vehicle-mounted camera of graph A, especially in the high-frequency range (above approximately 2.3 GHz). It is presumed that this difference in performance appears in the high-frequency range because high-frequency radio waves are more likely to propagate through surfaces than low-frequency radio waves.

[0151] This application is based on Japanese patent applications filed on June 29, 2022 (Patent Application No. 2022-105021, Patent Application No. 2022-105022, and Patent Application No. 2022-105023), the contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.

[0152] As a result, the present disclosure includes at least the following items. Note that, in parentheses, components corresponding to those in the above-described embodiment are shown, but the present disclosure is not limited to these.

[0153] (A1) A lens unit (lens unit 30) including a first cylindrical portion (first cylindrical portion 37) having a first cylindrical shape and at least one lens disposed inside the first cylindrical portion; An imaging element (imaging element 41) disposed on the optical axis (optical axis L) of the at least one lens; a housing (housing 60) including a second cylindrical portion (large diameter cylindrical portion 61) that is a second cylindrical portion along the optical axis and that houses at least the imaging element inside the second cylindrical portion; A flat ring member (ring member 20) formed of a first resin having a predetermined light transmittance, The lens unit includes a flange portion (flange portion 32) disposed on the outside of the first cylindrical portion so as to extend outwardly with respect to the optical axis, around the entire circumference of the optical axis, the flange portion of the lens unit is disposed inwardly of the second cylindrical portion of the housing in a radial direction perpendicular to the optical axis, the flange portion of the lens unit has a ring-shaped first surface (first surface 32a) facing the imaging element and a ring-shaped second surface (second surface 32b) opposite the first surface, the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit is made of a second resin having a first light absorption property, and includes a first welding rib (first welding rib 35) that protrudes in a direction opposite to the first surface and is disposed around the entire circumference of the optical axis; an end surface (end surface 63) of the second cylindrical portion of the housing is made of a third resin having a second light absorbing property, and is provided with a second welding rib (second welding rib 64) that protrudes along the optical axis direction and is arranged around the entire circumference of the optical axis; The ring member is welded to the first welding rib of the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit and to the second welding rib of the end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing. the lens unit includes a protrusion (protrusion 33) that protrudes in the radial direction and abuts against an inner surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing, a first burr (first burr 36) generated from the first welding rib due to welding of the ring member and the first welding rib does not reach the end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing at a position overlapping with the protrusion; In-car camera.

[0154] This enables reliable welding to be achieved in an in-vehicle camera regardless of the shape precision of the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit and the ring member, and also prevents the first burrs generated from the first welding rib from adversely affecting the welding between the ring member and the housing.

[0155] (A2) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (A1), The protrusion of the lens unit is composed of at least a first protrusion, a second protrusion, and a third protrusion. In-car camera.

[0156] This allows the lens unit in the vehicle-mounted camera to be stably fixed to the housing by the three protrusions: the first protrusion, the second protrusion, and the third protrusion.

[0157] (A3) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (A1) or (A2), The protrusion of the lens unit is a rib arranged along the optical axis direction. In-car camera.

[0158] This makes it possible to easily form the protrusions when forming the lens unit.

[0159] (A4) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (A1) to (A3), the first welding rib on the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit is located in an inner region on the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit in the radial direction; In-car camera.

[0160] This makes it difficult for the first burr generated from the first welding rib to reach the housing side in the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0161] (A5) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (A1) to (A4), the second burr generated from the second welding rib due to welding of the ring member and the second welding rib does not reach the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit at a position where the second burr overlaps with the protrusion. In-car camera.

[0162] This enables reliable welding to be achieved in an in-vehicle camera regardless of the shape accuracy of the end face of the housing and the ring member, and also prevents the second burrs generated from the second welding rib from adversely affecting the welding between the ring member and the lens unit.

[0163] (A6) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (A5), The second welding rib on the end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing is located in an inner region of the end surface in the radial direction. In-car camera.

[0164] This makes it possible to prevent the second burr generated from the second welding rib from protruding outside the housing in the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0165] (A7) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (A1) to (A6), The housing has a bottom surface portion (base end portion 66) opposite the end surface, the second cylindrical portion of the housing, the bottom surface portion, the ring member, and the lens unit surround the imaging element; In-car camera.

[0166] This allows the imaging element to be reliably surrounded by the housing, the ring member, and the lens unit.

[0167] (A8) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (A7), the imaging element is mounted on the circuit board; the imaging element and the circuit board are surrounded by the second cylindrical portion of the housing, the bottom surface portion, the ring member, and the lens unit, A connector (connector 80) is disposed on the bottom surface of the housing, the connector (connector 80) having terminals (first terminal 81, second terminal 82) that penetrate the outside and inside of the housing and transmit electrical signals; The terminals of the connector are electrically connected to the circuit of the circuit board. In-car camera.

[0168] This makes it possible for the housing, ring member, and lens unit to reliably surround the imaging element and the circuit board while ensuring electrical connection with the outside.

[0169] (A9) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (A1) to (A8), a cross section of the first cylindrical portion of the lens unit taken along the radial direction is a circle, The cross section of the second cylindrical portion of the housing along the radial direction is rectangular. In-car camera.

[0170] This makes it possible to easily form the lens unit and the housing.

[0171] (A10) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (A1) to (A9), a first distance between the ring member and the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit is greater than a second distance between the ring member and the end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing; In-car camera.

[0172] This makes it more difficult for the first burr generated from the first welding rib to reach the housing side in the vehicle-mounted camera. (A11) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (A1) to (A10), The first light absorbency of the second resin is the same as the second light absorbency of the third resin. In-car camera. As a result, in the vehicle-mounted camera, since the first light absorbency of the second resin and the second light absorbency of the third resin are the same, there is no need to change the type of laser used for laser welding between the ring member and the housing and laser welding between the ring member and the lens unit, and laser welding can be performed easily.

[0173] (B1) a lens unit (lens unit 30) having at least one lens; A circuit board (circuit board 40) having a first surface (first surface 40a) and a second surface (second surface 40b) opposite to the first surface, and having an end surface (end surface 47) between the first surface and the second surface; an imaging element (imaging element 41) mounted on the first surface of the circuit board and disposed on an optical axis (optical axis L) of the at least one lens; a housing (housing 60) that supports the lens unit and accommodates at least the circuit board and the imaging element; a first shield (first shield 70) made of metal that surrounds the circuit board in the internal space of the housing and is arranged such that a portion of the first shield faces the second surface of the circuit board; a second shield (second shield 90) made of metal and arranged so that a portion of the second shield faces the first surface of the circuit board; Equipped with The circuit board has a first shape including at least a first side (first side 43), a second side (second side 44), a third side (third side 45), and a fourth side (fourth side 46) in a plan view, The end faces of the circuit board include at least a first end face (first end face 47a) corresponding to the first side, a second end face (second end face 47b) corresponding to the second side, a third end face (third end face 47c) corresponding to the third side, and a fourth end face (fourth end face 47d) corresponding to the fourth side, The first shield is a third bottom surface portion (third bottom surface portion 72) that is disposed so as to face the second surface of the circuit board and has a second shape having at least a fifth side (fifth side 72a), a sixth side (sixth side 72b), a seventh side (seventh side 72c), and an eighth side (eighth side 72d) in a plan view; a first side surface portion (first side surface portion 71a) disposed toward the circuit board in correspondence with the fifth side of the third bottom surface portion; a second side surface portion (second side surface portion 71b) disposed toward the circuit board in correspondence with the sixth side of the third bottom surface portion; a third side surface portion (third side surface portion 71c) disposed toward the circuit board in correspondence with the seventh side of the third bottom surface portion; a fourth side surface portion (fourth side surface portion 71d) disposed toward the circuit board in correspondence with the eighth side of the third bottom surface portion, the first end surface of the circuit board faces the first side portion of the first shield, the second end surface of the circuit board faces the second side portion of the first shield, the third end surface of the circuit board faces the third side surface portion of the first shield, the fourth end surface of the circuit board faces the fourth side surface portion of the first shield, the second shield has a fifth shape having at least a ninth side (ninth side 92a), a tenth side (tenth side 92b), an eleventh side (eleventh side 92c), and a twelfth side (twelfth side 92d) in a plan view, and includes a center of the fifth shape and includes a hole (hole 96a) corresponding to the imaging element mounted on the first surface of the circuit board; At least the first side surface portion, the second side surface portion, the third side surface portion, the fourth side surface portion, and the third bottom surface portion of the first shield are formed by continuous curved surfaces, The second shield is a first contact (first contact 94a) electrically connected to the first side portion of the first shield at the ninth side; a second contact (second contact 94b) electrically connected to the second side portion of the first shield at the tenth side; a third contact (third contact 94c) electrically connected to the third side portion of the first shield at the eleventh side; and a fourth contact (fourth contact 94d) electrically connected to the fourth side portion of the first shield at the twelfth side. An in-vehicle camera (in-vehicle camera 100).

[0174] As a result, in an in-vehicle camera, two shields are used to form an electrically closed space surrounding the circuit board, thereby improving resistance to external electromagnetic noise while suppressing electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside.

[0175] (B2) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (B1), The second shield includes a third surface (third surface 90a), a fourth surface (fourth surface 90b) opposite to the third surface, and an end surface (end surface 95) connecting the third surface and the fourth surface, The end face of the second shield includes at least a fifth end face (fifth end face 95a) corresponding to the ninth side, a sixth end face (sixth end face 95b) corresponding to the tenth side, a seventh end face (seventh end face 95c) corresponding to the eleventh side, and an eighth end face (eighth end face 95d) corresponding to the twelfth side, the fifth end surface of the second shield faces the first side surface portion of the first shield, the sixth end surface of the second shield faces the second side surface portion of the first shield, the seventh end surface of the second shield faces the third side surface portion of the first shield, the eighth end surface of the second shield faces the fourth side surface portion of the first shield, In-car camera.

[0176] This allows the side surface of the first shield to face the end surface of the second shield, thereby reducing the gap between the first shield and the second shield and ensuring excellent shielding performance.

[0177] (B3) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (B2), The first shield is a first curved side portion (first curved side portion 76a) connecting the first side portion and the second side portion; a second curved side portion (second curved side portion 76b) connecting the second side portion and the third side portion; a third curved side portion (third curved side portion 76c) connecting the third side portion and the fourth side portion; a fourth curved side portion (fourth curved side portion 76d) connecting the fourth side portion and the first side portion, The second shield is a first curved end surface (first curved end surface 93a) connecting the fifth end surface and the sixth end surface; a second curved end surface (second curved end surface 93b) connecting the sixth end surface and the seventh end surface; a third curved end surface (third curved end surface 93c) connecting the seventh end surface and the eighth end surface; a fourth curved end surface (4th curved end surface 93d) connecting the eighth end surface and the fifth end surface, the first curved end surface of the second shield faces the first curved side surface of the first shield, the second curved end surface of the second shield faces the second curved side surface of the first shield, the third curved end surface of the second shield faces the third curved side surface portion of the first shield, The fourth curved end surface of the second shield faces the fourth curved side surface portion of the first shield. In-car camera.

[0178] This makes it possible to reduce the gap between the curved side surface portion corresponding to the corner of the first shield and the curved end surface corresponding to the corner of the second shield in the vehicle-mounted camera, thereby ensuring excellent shielding performance.

[0179] (B4) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (B3), the first curved end surface of the second shield is convex outward with respect to the center of the fifth shape, the second curved end surface of the second shield is convex outward with respect to the center of the fifth shape, the third curved end surface of the second shield is convex outward with respect to the center of the fifth shape, the fourth curved end surface of the second shield is convex outwardly with respect to the center of the fifth shape, an inner surface of the first curved side surface portion of the first shield has a concave shape corresponding to a convex shape of the first curved end surface of the second shield; an inner surface of the second curved side portion of the first shield has a concave shape corresponding to a convex shape of the second curved end surface of the second shield; an inner surface of the third curved side surface portion of the first shield has a concave shape corresponding to a convex shape of the third curved end surface of the second shield; The inner surface of the fourth curved side surface portion of the first shield is concave corresponding to the convexity of the fourth curved end surface of the second shield. In-car camera.

[0180] As a result, in an in-vehicle camera, the curved end face of the second shield is positioned to correspond to the curved side portion required to continuously form the side portion of the first shield, and the gaps between the second shield and the first shield at the four corners are minimized, thereby improving resistance to external electromagnetic noise while suppressing electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside.

[0181] (B5) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (B4), the first curved end surface of the second shield has a curvature R1 in a plan view, and a portion of the first shield corresponding to the first curved side surface portion has a curvature R2 in a plan view, and R1 is equal to or smaller than R2; the second curved end surface of the second shield has a curvature R3 in a plan view, and a portion of the first shield corresponding to the second curved side surface portion has a curvature R4 in a plan view, and R3 is equal to or smaller than R4; the third curved end surface of the second shield has a curvature R5 in a plan view, and a portion of the first shield corresponding to the third curved side surface portion has a curvature R6 in a plan view, and R5 is equal to or smaller than R6; The fourth curved end surface of the second shield has a curvature R7 in a plan view, and a portion of the first shield corresponding to the fourth curved side surface portion has a curvature R8 in a plan view, and R7 is equal to or less than R8. In-car camera.

[0182] As a result, in the vehicle-mounted camera, the curvature of the curved side portion of the first shield on the outside is sharper than the curvature of the curved end surface of the second shield on the inside, so the sizes of the first shield and the second shield can be set so that the first side portion to the fourth side portion of the first shield are close to the ninth side to the twelfth side of the second shield, thereby reducing the gap between the first shield and the second shield and ensuring excellent shielding performance.

[0183] (B6) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (B2) to (B5), portions of the first shield corresponding to the fifth end surface, the sixth end surface, the seventh end surface, and the eighth end surface of the second shield have a sixth shape in a plan view; the sixth shape is larger than the second shape of the third bottom portion of the first shield, the first side portion and the third side portion of the first shield face each other, the first side surface portion and the third side surface portion of the first shield expand from the third bottom surface portion toward the portions corresponding to the fifth end surface, the sixth end surface, the seventh end surface, and the eighth end surface of the second shield; the second side portion and the fourth side portion of the first shield face each other, the second side surface portion and the fourth side surface portion of the first shield extend from the third bottom surface portion toward the portions corresponding to the fifth end surface, the sixth end surface, the seventh end surface, and the eighth end surface of the second shield; In-car camera.

[0184] As a result, in the vehicle-mounted camera, the opening side of the first shield where the second shield is present is formed to have a larger shape than the third bottom surface portion on the bottom side, making it easier to process the first shield.

[0185] (B7) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (B1) to (B6), The housing includes a connector (connector 80) disposed across the inside and outside of the housing on a bottom surface corresponding to the circuit board, The connector includes at least a first terminal (first terminal 81) and a second terminal (second terminal 82) that electrically connect the inside and the outside of the housing, the first terminal and the second terminal of the connector are electrically connected to a circuit of the circuit board; The connector is disposed to penetrate the third bottom surface portion of the shield. In-car camera.

[0186] This makes it possible to easily connect the connector and the circuit board in the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0187] (B8) (B7) The vehicle-mounted camera according to the present invention, the connector fixes the third bottom surface portion of the first shield and the bottom surface of the housing; The second terminal of the connector and the first shield are electrically connected to the bottom surface of the housing. In-car camera.

[0188] This allows the connector to fix the first shield and the housing in the vehicle-mounted camera, and also ensures electrical connection between the connector and the first shield.

[0189] (B9) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (B1) to (B8), the hole of the second shield corresponding to the imaging element mounted on the first surface of the circuit board is defined as a first hole; the second shield includes at least a second hole, a third hole, and a fourth hole around the first hole; The first surface of the circuit board supports the lens unit through the second hole, the third hole, and the fourth hole, respectively, through which a first support pillar, a second support pillar, and a third support pillar pass. In-car camera.

[0190] This enables the imaging element of the vehicle-mounted camera to capture an image of external light, and also enables the second shield and lens unit to be stably supported by the circuit board and the multiple support columns.

[0191] (B10) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (B1) to (B9), the first side surface portion, the second side surface portion, the third side surface portion, the fourth side surface portion, and the third bottom surface portion of the first shield are formed by drawing a single metal plate. In-car camera.

[0192] This makes it possible to eliminate gaps within the first shield in an in-vehicle camera, provide a high level of electromagnetic wave shielding at low cost, and ensure excellent shielding performance.

[0193] (C1) a lens unit (lens unit 30) having at least one lens; A circuit board (circuit board 40) having a first surface (first surface 40a) and a second surface (second surface 40b) opposite to the first surface, and having an end surface (end surface 47) between the first surface and the second surface; an imaging element (imaging element 41) electrically connected to the circuit of the circuit board and disposed on the optical axis (optical axis L) of the at least one lens; a housing (housing 60) that supports the lens unit and accommodates at least the circuit board and the imaging element; a metal shield (first shield 70) arranged to surround the circuit board in the internal space of the housing; The circuit board has a first shape including at least a first side (first side 43), a second side (second side 44), a third side (third side 45), and a fourth side (fourth side 46) in a plan view, The end faces of the circuit board include at least a first end face (first end face 47a) corresponding to the first side, a second end face (second end face 47b) corresponding to the second side, a third end face (third end face 47c) corresponding to the third side, and a fourth end face (fourth end face 47d) corresponding to the fourth side, The housing includes a connector (connector 80) disposed across the inside and outside of the housing on a bottom surface (bottom surface 66a) corresponding to the circuit board, The connector includes at least a first terminal (first terminal 81) and a second terminal (second terminal 82) that electrically connect the inside and the outside of the housing, the first terminal and the second terminal of the connector are electrically connected to the circuit of the circuit board; The shield is a first bottom surface portion (first bottom surface portion 73) that is arranged so as to face the second surface of the circuit board, has a second shape having at least a fifth side (fifth side 72a), a sixth side (sixth side 72b), a seventh side (seventh side 72c), and an eighth side (eighth side 72d) in a plan view, and has a hole (hole 73e) that is arranged so as to include a center portion of the second shape; a second bottom surface portion (second bottom surface portion 75) that corresponds to the hole that is arranged to include a center portion of the second shape of the first bottom surface portion, faces the second surface of the circuit board, and is arranged away from the first bottom surface portion based on the second surface of the circuit board; a first side surface portion (first side surface portion 71a) that corresponds to the fifth side of the first bottom surface portion and is arranged in an opposite direction to the second bottom surface portion; a second side surface portion (second side surface portion 71b) that corresponds to the sixth side of the first bottom surface portion and is arranged in an opposite direction to the second bottom surface portion; a third side surface portion (third side surface portion 71c) that corresponds to the seventh side of the first bottom surface portion and is arranged in an opposite direction to the second bottom surface portion; a fourth side surface portion (fourth side surface portion 71d) that corresponds to the eighth side of the first bottom surface portion and is arranged in an opposite direction to the second bottom surface portion; a connection portion (connection portion 74) that connects the entire circumference of the hole arranged to include the center of the second shape of the first bottom surface portion and the entire circumference of the second bottom surface portion, the second bottom surface portion of the shield corresponds to the bottom surface of the housing; the connector is disposed to penetrate the second bottom surface portion of the shield, at least a portion of the first side surface of the shield faces the first end surface of the circuit board; at least a portion of the second side surface of the shield faces the second end surface of the circuit board; at least a portion of the third side surface portion of the shield faces the third end surface of the circuit board; at least a portion of the fourth side surface portion of the shield faces the fourth end surface of the circuit board; the hole arranged to include a center portion of the second shape of the first bottom surface portion of the shield has a third shape different from the second shape in a plan view; At least the first side portion, the second side portion, the third side portion, and the fourth side portion of the shield are formed by a continuous curved surface, At least the first side surface portion, the second side surface portion, the third side surface portion, the fourth side surface portion, the first bottom surface portion, the connection portion, and the second bottom surface portion are formed by a continuous curved surface. An in-vehicle camera (in-vehicle camera 100).

[0194] As a result, the first shield 70 has a two-stage structure including a first bottom surface portion and a second bottom surface portion smaller than the first bottom surface portion, thereby making it possible to reduce the volume inside the first shield. This reduces the distance between the first shield and the heat-generating components arranged on the circuit board, making it possible to efficiently transfer heat from the heat-generating components to the first shield.

[0195] (C2) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (C1), The imaging element is mounted on the first surface of the circuit board. In-car camera.

[0196] This makes it possible to easily guide external light to the imaging element in the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0197] (C3) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (C1) or (C2), The connector fixes the second bottom surface portion of the shield and the bottom surface of the housing. In-car camera.

[0198] This enables the connector to firmly fix the shield and the housing in the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0199] (C4) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (C1) to (C3), The second terminal of the connector and the shield are electrically connected to the bottom surface of the housing. In-car camera.

[0200] This makes it possible to easily ensure electrical connection between the connector and the shield in the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0201] (C5) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (C1) to (C4), The heat conductive member 50 is disposed between the second surface of the circuit board and the first bottom surface of the shield and has a predetermined thermal conductivity. In-car camera.

[0202] This makes it possible to reduce the amount of heat conductive material used in the vehicle-mounted camera, thereby preventing increases in costs.

[0203] (C6) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (C1) to (C5), The housing further includes a mounting portion (mounting portion 69) for mounting to a vehicle, the mounting portion is a female screw extending along the optical axis direction, The female screw is disposed on the outer side of the second bottom surface portion of the shield with respect to the optical axis, and on the opposite side of the circuit board from the first bottom surface portion of the shield. In-car camera.

[0204] This makes it possible to prevent the housing of the vehicle-mounted camera from becoming too large while ensuring ease of mounting the vehicle-mounted camera on the vehicle.

[0205] (C7) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (C1) to (C6), the first shape of the circuit board is a first rectangular shape, the second shape of the first bottom portion of the shield is a second rectangular shape; The third shape of the hole in the shield is circular. In-car camera.

[0206] This makes it possible to easily form a circuit board and a shield having a simple shape in the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0207] (C8) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (C1) to (C7), A first area enclosed by a periphery of the first bottom surface portion of the shield is larger than a second area enclosed by a periphery of the second bottom surface portion of the shield. In-car camera.

[0208] This makes it possible to ensure space around the connection portion and the second bottom portion in the vehicle-mounted camera, thereby improving the ease of handling of the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0209] (C9) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (C1) to (C8), the first end surface of the circuit board faces the first side portion of the shield, the second end surface of the circuit board faces the second side portion of the shield, the third end surface of the circuit board faces the third side surface portion of the shield, the fourth end surface of the circuit board faces the fourth side surface portion of the shield, In-car camera.

[0210] This improves the shielding effect of the circuit board from the outside in the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0211] (C10) The vehicle-mounted camera according to any one of (C1) to (C9), The first side surface portion, the second side surface portion, the third side surface portion, the fourth side surface portion, the first bottom surface portion, the connection portion, and the second bottom surface portion of the shield, which are formed by continuous curved surfaces, are formed by drawing a single metal plate. In-car camera.

[0212] This makes it possible to eliminate gaps within the shield for vehicle-mounted cameras, provide a high level of electromagnetic wave shielding at low cost, and ensure excellent shielding performance.

[0213] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications, corrections, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents may be made within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the components in the above-mentioned embodiments may be arbitrarily combined within the scope of the invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0214] The present disclosure is useful as an in-vehicle camera that can be manufactured at low cost and ensures excellent imaging performance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0215] 10 Cap 20 Ring member 30 Lens unit 31 Lens barrel 32 Flange section 32a 1st page 32b 2nd side 33 Protrusion 33a Protrusion 33b Protrusion 33c protrusion 33d protrusion 33e Protrusion 35 First welding rib 36 The First Bali 37 First cylindrical section 40 Circuit Board 40a Page 1 40b 2nd side 41 Image sensor 43 Side 1 44 Side 2 45 Third Side 46 Side 4 47 (Circuit board) edge 47a 1st end face 47b 2nd end face 47c 3rd end face 47d 4th end face 48 Corner curved surface 48a 1st corner curved surface 48b Second corner curved surface 48c 3rd corner curved surface 48d 4th corner curved surface 50 Thermal Conductive Materials 60 Case 61 Large diameter cylindrical portion (second cylindrical portion) 62 Small diameter cylindrical part 63 End face 64 Second welding rib 65 The Second Bali 66 Base end (bottom part) 66a Bottom 67 Case side wall 68 Inner side wall 68a Boundary part 69 Mounting part 70 Shield (1st Shield) 71 Side part 71a 1st side part 71b Second side part 71c 3rd side part 71d 4th side part 72 Third bottom part 72a Side 5 72b Side 6 72c Side 7 72d Edge 8 73 1st bottom part 73e hole 74 Connection 75 Second bottom part 76 Curved side part 76a 1st track side part 76b 2nd track side part 76c 3rd track side part 76d 4th track side part 77 Boundary 80 Connectors 81 1st terminal 82 2nd terminal 90 2nd Shield 92 sides 92a Side 9 92b Side 10 92c Side 11 92d Side 12 93 Curved end surface 93a 1st curved end surface 93b 2nd curved end surface 93c 3rd curved end surface 93d 4th curved end surface 94 Contacts 94a First Contact 94b Second Contact 94c Second Contact 94d Fourth Contact 95 End face 95a 5th end face 95b 6th end face 95c 7th end face 95d 8th end face 96a hole (1st hole) 96b hole 96c hole 96d hole 96e hole 97a Support column 97b Support column 97c support column 97d support column 100 Car Camera

Claims

1. A lens unit including a first cylindrical portion having a first cylindrical shape and at least one lens disposed inside the first cylindrical portion; an image sensor disposed on an optical axis of the at least one lens; a housing including a second cylindrical portion having a second cylindrical shape along the optical axis and housing at least the image sensor inside the second cylindrical portion; a flat ring member formed of a first resin having a predetermined light transmittance; the lens unit includes a flange portion disposed on the outside of the first cylindrical portion so as to extend outwardly with respect to the optical axis, the flange portion being disposed around the entire circumference of the first cylindrical portion and centered on the optical axis; the flange portion of the lens unit is disposed inwardly of the second cylindrical portion of the housing in a radial direction perpendicular to the optical axis, the flange portion of the lens unit has a ring-shaped first surface facing the image sensor and a ring-shaped second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit is made of a second resin having a first light absorbing property, and includes a first welding rib protruding in a direction opposite to the first surface and disposed around the entire circumference of the optical axis; an end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing is made of a third resin having a second light absorbing property, and includes a second welding rib protruding along the optical axis direction and disposed around the entire circumference of the optical axis; a vehicle-mounted camera, the ring member being welded to the first welding rib of the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit and to the second welding rib of the end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing, the lens unit includes a protrusion that protrudes in the radial direction and abuts against an inner surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing, a first burr generated from the first welding rib due to welding of the ring member and the first welding rib does not reach the end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing at a position overlapping with the protrusion; In-car camera.

2. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 1, The protrusion of the lens unit is composed of at least a first protrusion, a second protrusion, and a third protrusion. In-car camera.

3. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 1, The protrusion of the lens unit is a rib arranged along the optical axis direction. In-car camera.

4. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 1, the first welding rib on the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit is located in an inner region on the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit in the radial direction; In-car camera.

5. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 1, a second burr generated from the second welding rib due to welding of the ring member and the second welding rib does not reach the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit at a position where the second burr overlaps with the protrusion; In-car camera.

6. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 5, The second welding rib on the end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing is located in an inner region of the end surface in the radial direction. In-car camera.

7. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 1, The housing has a bottom surface portion opposite the end surface, the second cylindrical portion of the housing, the bottom surface portion, the ring member, and the lens unit surround the imaging element; In-car camera.

8. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 7, a circuit board accommodated inside the second cylindrical portion of the housing, the imaging element is disposed on the circuit board; the imaging element and the circuit board are surrounded by the second cylindrical portion of the housing, the bottom surface portion, the ring member, and the lens unit, a connector is disposed on the bottom surface of the housing, the connector penetrating the outside and inside of the housing and including a terminal for transmitting an electrical signal; The terminals of the connector are electrically connected to the circuit of the circuit board. In-car camera.

9. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 1, a cross section of the first cylindrical portion of the lens unit taken along the radial direction is a circle, A cross section of the second cylindrical portion of the housing along the radial direction is rectangular. In-car camera.

10. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 1, a first distance between the ring member and the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit is greater than a second distance between the ring member and the end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing; In-car camera.

11. The vehicle-mounted camera according to claim 1, The first light absorbency of the second resin is the same as the second light absorbency of the third resin. In-car camera.

Images