In-vehicle cameras

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] BACKGROUND ART In recent years, with demands for improved vehicle safety and the introduction of autonomous driving functions, there has been active development of in-vehicle 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 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 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 and autonomous driving functions is constantly increasing, and further improvements in the performance of in-vehicle cameras are also being called for.

[0005] The present disclosure relates to a technology 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 the 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 accommodating 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 entire circumference of the first cylindrical portion and extending outward with respect to the optical axis, the flange portion of the lens unit being arranged inward from the second cylindrical portion of the housing in a radial direction perpendicular to the optical axis, 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 the first surface, the end face of the second cylindrical portion of the housing is made of a third resin having a second light absorption property and is provided with a second welding rib that protrudes along the optical axis direction and is arranged around the entire circumference around 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; the lens unit has a protrusion that protrudes in the radial direction and abuts against the inner surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing; and when the ring member and the first welding rib are welded to each other, a first burr generated from the first welding rib does not reach the end face of the second cylindrical portion of the housing at a position where it overlaps with the protrusion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an in-vehicle camera that can be manufactured at low cost and ensures excellent imaging performance is provided. [Brief explanation 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; [Figure 2] 1 is an exploded perspective view of an in-vehicle camera according to a first embodiment; [Figure 3A] 1 is a top view of an in-vehicle camera according to a first embodiment; [Figure 3B] 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] Enlarged view of the area enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 4A. [Figure 5A] A cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 3A. [Figure 5B] 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 depth of two weld ribs set to 0.16 mm [Figure 6B] Schematic diagram showing the welded state obtained by laser welding with the melting depth of two weld ribs set to 0.25 mm [Figure 7A] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an in-vehicle camera according to a second embodiment; [Figure 7B] 10 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 in-vehicle camera seen from directly above the circuit board [Figure 7F]Top view of Figure 7E with the circuit board removed [Figure 8A] FIG. 10 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 seen 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, showing 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] 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 in-vehicle cameras against frequency. [Figure 12] 1 is a top view of an example of a vehicle equipped with an on-board camera. [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic diagram of another example of a vehicle, in which an on-board camera is installed; [Figure 14] Top view of the vehicle in Figure 13 [Figure 15A] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a modified second shield as viewed from above; [Figure 15B] 10 is a side view of a modified example of the second shield; [Figure 15C] FIG. 10 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] 10 is a side view of an assembly of a 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. 10 is a top view showing the curvature of each curved end face in a modified example of the second shield. [Figure 17] A top view showing the curvature of each curved side surface of the first shield. [Figure 18] A top view showing the curvature of each corner curved surface of a circuit board. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of connections between an in-vehicle camera, a camera ECU, and a display provided in the vehicle shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 20] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of connections between an in-vehicle camera, a camera ECU, and a display provided in the vehicle shown in FIG. 13. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings as appropriate, a detailed description of an embodiment specifically disclosing an in-vehicle camera according to the present disclosure will be provided. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters and redundant description of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the accompanying 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 of the claims.

[0010] (Vehicles equipped with in-vehicle cameras) 12 is an example of a vehicle, showing a top view of a vehicle equipped with an on-board camera. Vehicle V is equipped with on-board cameras 100A, 100B, 100C, and 100D. On-board camera 100A is a front camera, on-board camera 100B is a rear camera, on-board camera 100C is a right-side camera, and on-board camera 100D is a left-side camera. On-board cameras 100A to 100D are wide-angle cameras with an angle of view of, for example, about 180°, and are positioned so that the entire periphery of vehicle V can be imaged.

[0011] For example, vehicle-mounted camera 100A is installed on the front grill of vehicle V and captures images of the area ahead in a direction looking diagonally down relative to the ground. Vehicle-mounted camera 100B is installed on the roof spoiler of vehicle V and captures images of the area behind in a direction looking diagonally down relative to the ground. Vehicle-mounted camera 100C and vehicle-mounted camera 100D are each installed on the side mirrors of vehicle V and capture images of the areas to the side in a direction looking diagonally down relative to the ground.

[0012] Fig. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of connections between the vehicle-mounted cameras 100A to 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 to 100D and displays the combined image on a display 7 of a navigation system disposed on, for example, an instrument panel. The occupants can view the display 7 to check the situation around the vehicle V.

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

[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 diagram showing the state in FIG. 3A with a ring member 20, which will be described later, removed. Note that coordinates are defined that include an X-axis along one side of the vehicle-mounted camera 100, a Y-axis that is perpendicular to the X-axis and along the other side of the vehicle-mounted camera 100, and a Z-axis that is perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis and along the height direction of the vehicle-mounted camera 100, and these will be used in the following description.

[0015] 12 to 14, the in-vehicle 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 autonomous driving functions, the development of in-vehicle cameras 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 conduction 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. The cap 10 is not shown in FIG. 3A.

[0017] The ring member 20 is made of a flat member that is rectangular and annular in a plan view (the line of sight when viewing the vehicle-mounted camera 200 along the 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 from 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 may be formed from 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 may be used as the polyester resin. Polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like may be used as the polyolefin resin. Note that one or more types of light-transmitting resin may be used. Furthermore, as long as a certain level of transmittance or higher can be achieved, the main light-transmitting resin may contain a coloring material, a filler, or both.

[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 laser light used in laser welding, and 0% to 5% for light with a wavelength of 350 nm 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, and may have any shape as long as the welded portion is flat. Therefore, it is not limited to a polygonal shape such as a rectangular ring, and may have a ring shape other than a circular ring, such as a circular ring or an elliptical ring. Furthermore, the portion other than the welded portion does not need to have a uniform step or thickness.

[0021] The lens unit 30 forms 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 multiple lenses inside the first cylindrical portion 37. The lenses in the lens group are arranged with their optical axes L (an axis extending perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 3A and along the Z axis) aligned, forming a lens group used for capturing images of the inside and outside of a 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 on the outside of the first cylindrical portion 37 around the entire circumference centered on the optical axis L, extending outward with the optical axis L as the reference, and has a rectangular cross section along the radial direction. The flange portion 32 is located near an opening of the internal space of a housing 60 (described later), and protrudes toward the inner circumferential surface of a housing side wall 67 (see FIG. 2) of the housing 60. At least a portion 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 inward from the 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 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. Examples of light-absorbing resins that can be used include polyamide-based resins, olefin-based resins, vinyl-based resins, styrene-based resins, acrylic-based resins, polyester-based resins, polycarbonate-based resins, polyarylate-based resins, polysulfone-based resins, polyphenylene oxide-based resins, polyethersulfone-based resins, and polyetherimide-based resins. The light-absorbing resins used may be one type or multiple types. Furthermore, the main light-absorbing resin may contain an absorbent or a coloring material that absorbs laser light, or both.

[0025] The first light absorption of the second resin is, for example, a light absorption rate 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 due to 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 protrusions 33 that protrude in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis L of the lens of the lens unit 30 (in other words, in a radial direction) for positioning with respect to the housing 60. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B , the protrusions 33 are formed at the radial ends of the flange portion 32. In this embodiment, the protrusions 33 include 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. Details of the protrusions 33 will be described later.

[0028] Circuit board 40 is disposed in the internal space of housing 60 and has an imaging element 41 that captures an image of light transmitted through lens unit 30. Circuit board 40 has a first surface 40a and a second surface 40b opposite first surface 40a, and has an end surface 47 between first surface 40a and 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 external light can be easily guided to the imaging element 41. The imaging element 41 is sensitive to light in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 1000 nm, for example.

[0030] The heat conducting 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 heat conducting member 50 is made of a material with a predetermined thermal conductivity, such as heat dissipation grease, a silicone-based sheet, a non-silicone-based sheet, or a heat conductive gel, but the type is not limited.

[0031] The housing 60 is a cylindrical member with an internal space. It directly, or indirectly in some cases, supports the lens unit 30 and accommodates at least the circuit board 40 and the image sensor 41. The housing 60 includes 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 a thermally conductive member and at least the image sensor 41 inside. The small-diameter cylindrical portion 62 accommodates a connector 80 that ensures electrical connection between the vehicle-mounted camera 100 and the outside (see FIG. 4A). The large-diameter cylindrical portion 61 and the small-diameter cylindrical portion 62 can be integrally molded using a resin, as described below. Alternatively, the large-diameter cylindrical portion 61 and the small-diameter cylindrical portion 62 may be individually prepared and joined by welding, screws, or other methods. Although the housing 60 is rectangular in this embodiment, it is not limited to this and may be a polygonal cylinder other than a rectangle, a circular or elliptical cylinder, or a cylinder of other shapes.

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

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

[0034] By constructing 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 due to 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 metal 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 outside 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 serves to position the lens unit 30 relative to the housing 60. Therefore, there is no gap between the lens unit 30 and the housing 60. On the other hand, in FIGS. 5A and 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, circuit board 40, and heat conduction member 50 are not shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A. The small-diameter cylindrical portion 62 of the housing 60 is shown shortened so as to omit a portion of it.

[0038] In this embodiment, a flange portion 32, which is the lower end portion of the lens unit 30, is disposed at the upper opening of the housing 60, and a portion 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, and 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 together. 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 in an area that faces the ring member 20 in the optical axis direction, and has a width W1 in the perpendicular direction.

[0040] Meanwhile, the lower surface of ring member 20 and the upper end of housing 60 (i.e., the upper end of housing side wall 67) are welded together. The upper end of housing 60 has an end face 63 that is welded to ring member 20. End face 63 is a surface in an area that faces 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 direction perpendicular to the optical axis. In particular, the second surface 32b is disposed so that it is located inside the end surface 63 in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

[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 that is 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 melted resin solidifies, and the two resins are welded together.

[0043] In general, when welding the lens unit 30 and housing 60 to the ring member 20, first, a laser is irradiated while the ring member 20 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. Thereafter, a laser is irradiated while the ring member 20 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, because 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 perfectly flat surfaces, and at least one of the surfaces will inevitably have a certain amount of undulation, 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 comes into contact with 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 comes into contact with the ring member 20 is also formed on the end surface 63 in advance. The first welding rib 35, like the second surface 32b, is made of a second resin having light absorption properties, protrudes in the direction opposite to the first surface 32a, and is disposed around the entire circumference of the flange portion 32, centered on the optical axis L. The second welding rib 64, like the end surface 63 of the housing 60, is made of a third resin having second light absorption properties, protrudes along the optical axis L, and is disposed around the entire circumference of the end surface 63, centered on the optical axis L. Note that, in this embodiment, the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64 are formed of protrusions with rectangular cross sections, 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 proper welding while suppressing the effects of the above-mentioned undulations, irregularities, etc.

[0047] However, providing these ribs causes another problem: in Figures 4B and 5B, the first weld rib 35 and the second weld rib 64 are shown in the shape of the protrusions before laser welding, but during laser welding, the first weld rib 35 and the second weld rib 64 melt and deform, causing burrs (i.e., resin overflow) in the melted portions.

[0048] Burrs are inevitably generated during resin molding and welding, and the burrs themselves do not necessarily cause problems. However, problems can arise 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, and therefore, if burrs generated from the first welding rib 35 by the previous welding spread outward in the perpendicular direction and reach the housing 60, they may interfere with 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, at least, the first burrs generated from the first welding rib 35 due to welding of the first welding rib 35 and the ring member 20 do not reach the end surface 63. 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 also prevents the first burrs generated from the first welding rib 35 from adversely affecting the welding between the ring member 20 and the housing 60.

[0051] While the above design is performed at both positions shown in Figures 4B and 5B, 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 Figure 4B. As described above, at the position shown in Figure 4B, the protrusion 33a contacts the inner surface of the housing sidewall 67 of the housing 60, and there is no gap between the flange portion 32 of the lens unit 30 and the inner surface of the housing sidewall 67, closing the space between the first welding rib 35 and the second welding rib 64. Therefore, it is estimated that the first burr generated by melting the first welding rib 35 has no escape route and 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 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, the second surface 32b is in contact with the end surface 63, and as a result, the first burr does not protrude from the outer edge of the second surface 32b. Furthermore, 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 protrusions 33 of the lens unit 30 include 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 32. The protrusions 33 may be composed of at least three protrusions, a first protrusion, a second protrusion, and a third protrusion, each of which is located 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 protrusions, the first protrusion, the second protrusion, and the third protrusion.

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

[0056] 5B, on the other hand, there is no protrusion 33, and a gap exists between the flange 32 of the lens unit 30 and the inner surface of the housing side wall 67, and the space between the first weld rib 35 and the second weld rib 64 is not closed. Therefore, the first burr generated when the first weld rib 35 melts can flow into the gap, and it is estimated that the first burr is less likely to reach the second weld rib 64 and the end face 63 than in the position of FIG. 4B. However, it is desirable to design the first weld 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 that affect the design of the first welding rib 35. A preferred example of the position of the first welding rib 35 is that the first welding rib 35 is located in an inward 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 inward region on the second surface 32b within the width W1 of the second surface 32b. This makes it difficult for a 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 perpendicular direction coincides with the inner end of the second surface 32b in the perpendicular direction, as shown in FIG. 5B .

[0058] Additionally, 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, upon welding to the ring member 20, a second burr generated from the second welding rib does not reach the second surface 32b, particularly at a position where the second welding rib 64 overlaps with the protrusion 33a as shown in FIG. 4B . If a second burr generated from the second welding rib 64 reaches the end face 63 already welded to the ring member 20, it could 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 also prevents 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] While there are various factors that affect the design of the second welding rib 64, a preferred example of the position of the second welding rib 64 is that the second welding rib 64 is located in an inward region of the end face 63 in the radial direction perpendicular to the optical axis. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5B , the center line Q of the second welding rib 64 in the perpendicular direction is located in an inward region of the end face 63 within the width W2 of the end face 63. This prevents second burrs generated from the second welding rib 64 from protruding outside the housing 60. Adjusting the design of the second welding rib 64 also makes it possible to prevent the second burrs from reaching the end face 63. This configuration also includes a configuration in which the inner surface of the second welding rib 64 in the perpendicular direction coincides with the inner end of the end face 63 in the perpendicular direction, as shown in FIG. 5B .

[0060] Furthermore, it is desirable to adjust the second surface 32b and the end surface 63 of the housing 60 so that the second surface 32b of the lens unit 30 is located relatively farther from the ring member 20 than the end surface 63 of the housing 60. In the examples of FIGS. 4B and 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 greater 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 weld 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 the welded state obtained by laser welding when the melting depth of the first weld rib 35 and the second weld rib 64 was set to 0.16 mm. This figure is a line drawing of a photograph taken of an actual sample after welding. This figure shows the welded state at a position where no protrusion 33 is present, as shown in FIG. 5B. The first burr 36 generated from the first weld rib 35 has not reached the end surface 63, and the second burr 65 generated from the second weld rib 64 has not reached the second surface 32b. By appropriately setting the melting depth of the ribs, it is possible to achieve proper 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 was set to 0.25 mm. Because the melting amount was too large, the first weld rib 35 and the second weld rib 64 have disappeared. A large amount of first burrs 36 generated from the first weld rib 35 and second burrs 65 generated from the second weld rib 64 have been generated and have melted together, resulting in inadequate welding.

[0063] 4A and 5A, housing 60 has a base end portion 66 that forms the bottom surface portion opposite end surface 63, and imaging element 41 is surrounded by large-diameter cylindrical portion 61 of housing 60, base end portion 66, ring member 20, and lens unit 30. This allows imaging element 41 to be reliably surrounded by housing 60, ring member 20, and 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 66 of the housing 60, the ring member 20, and the lens unit 30. Furthermore, a connector 80 is disposed at the base end 66 of the housing 60, which penetrates the outside and inside of the housing 60 and has terminals for transmitting electrical signals (for example, a first terminal 81 and a second terminal 82 shown in FIG. 4A ), and the terminals of the connector 80 are electrically connected to the circuit of the circuit board 40. As a result, the housing 60, the ring member 20, and the lens unit 30 can reliably surround the imaging element 41 and the circuit board 40 while ensuring electrical connection with the outside.

[0065] Connector 80 may be a coaxial connector or an STQ connector with four terminals. Furthermore, first terminal 81 and second terminal 82 of connector 80 may be directly or indirectly connected to circuit board 40. 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 circular, and the cross section along the radial direction of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 61 of the housing 60 is square. This makes it possible to easily form the lens unit 30 and the housing 60.

[0067] Furthermore, 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 different types 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 performed easily.

[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 seen from directly above the circuit board 40. FIG. 7F is a top view of the vehicle-mounted camera 100 shown in 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 a 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 quadrilateral. The quadrilateral is a substantially rectangular shape, and the corners may be rounded.

[0070] The end faces 47 of the circuit board 40 include at least a first end face 47a corresponding to the first side 43, a second end face 47b corresponding to the second side 44, a third end face 47c corresponding to the third side 45, and a fourth end face 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 seen from above. Fig. 8B is a perspective view of the first shield 70 as seen 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 fastens the housing 60 and the first shield 70 together.

[0073] The first shield 70 is a member equivalent 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, with at least a portion of it facing the second surface 40b of the circuit board 40. The first shield 70 serves to block electromagnetic waves arriving from outside the housing 60 and electromagnetic waves radiated within the internal space. By blocking electromagnetic waves, the imaging element 41 is less susceptible to the effects of electromagnetic waves, which results in improved imaging performance of the vehicle-mounted camera 100.

[0074] Although it is possible to obtain shielding performance that blocks electromagnetic waves to a practical extent by constructing the entire housing 60 out of metal, manufacturing the housing 60 out of metal increases 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 that rise from the outer edge of the third bottom surface portion 72. In this embodiment, the first shield 70 has a rectangular cylindrical 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 common 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 components such as the circuit board 40 in its internal space.

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

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

[0078] Furthermore, 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 configured with a continuous curved surface. In this embodiment, each of the four side surface portions 71 rises smoothly and without 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, rather than by drawing. In shield 70A, a gap g is formed in a portion corresponding to curved side surface 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 surface portion 72 and side surface portion 71.

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

[0081] Furthermore, in the first shield 70 according to this embodiment, the boundary portion 77 is also configured with a continuous curved surface resulting from the drawing process, and therefore high strength against external pressure can be ensured at the boundary between the third bottom surface portion 72 and the side surface portion 71. On the other hand, in the shield 70A of FIG. 9, the boundary between the third bottom surface portion 72 and the side surface 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, we will explain the internal space of the housing 60. The portion of the housing 60 where the connector 80 connected to the outside of the housing 60 is located 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 rise 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 existing 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. An inner sidewall surface 68 (see FIG. 7D) of the housing sidewall 67 rises so as to slope outward from the base end portion 66 in a direction (left-right direction in FIG. 7C) perpendicular to the optical axis direction of the lens unit 30 (up-down direction in FIG. 7C). In FIG. 7C, the inner sidewall surface 68 slopes outward from the bottom to the top of the housing 60, and as a result, the internal space of the housing 60 has a shape that tapers from the base end portion 66 toward the opening. When the housing 60 is formed by resin injection molding, the mold is removed from the opening side, and to facilitate this removal, the inner sidewall surface 68 slopes outward toward the opening (in the removal 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 tapered shape.

[0086] The side surface portions 71 of the first shield 70 are inclined to approximately match the inclination of the side wall inner surface 68 of the housing 60 that results from the manufacturing process. That is, the side surface portions 71 of the first shield 70 are disposed so as to closely fit along the side wall inner surface 68 of the housing side wall 67. This allows the first shield 70 to be stably disposed within the housing space and improves shielding performance. The outward inclination angle of the side surface portions 71 and the side wall inner surface 68 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 that includes 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 a hole 73e arranged to include the center of the second shape of the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70, and is arranged to face the second surface 40b of the circuit board 40 and be spaced apart from the first bottom surface portion 73 with respect to the second surface 40b. 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) that corresponds 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 below.

[0090] It has been stated 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 from 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 from 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 from 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 facing away from 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, which is inside the outer edge of the first bottom surface portion 73, in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens unit 30, toward the opposite side of the side surface portion 71 in the optical axis direction. In particular, the connection portion 74 connects the entire circumference of the hole 73e, which is 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 is shifted in the optical axis direction (upward in FIG. 7C ) compared to when the connection portion 74 is not present, resulting in a raised bottom structure in the third bottom surface portion 72. Accordingly, a solid raised bottom region S exists in a region of the housing 60 adjacent to the first bottom surface portion 73.

[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: At least a portion of the first side face portion 71a faces the first end face 47a of the circuit board 40. At least a portion of the second side face portion 71b faces the second end face 47b of the circuit board 40. At least a portion of the third side face portion 71c faces the third end face 47c of the circuit board 40. At least a portion of the fourth side face portion 71d faces the fourth end face 47d of the circuit board 40.

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

[0096] In this 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 reducing 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 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 connecting portion 74, and the second bottom surface portion 75 are formed continuously by utilizing drawing or the like. This eliminates gaps within the first shield 70, thereby improving resistance to external electromagnetic noise while suppressing electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside.

[0098] For example, first side surface portion 71a, second side surface portion 71b, third side surface portion 71c, fourth side surface portion 71d, first bottom surface portion 73, connecting portion 74, and second bottom surface portion 75 of first shield 70, which are formed by continuous curved surfaces, are formed by drawing a single metal plate. This eliminates gaps within first shield 70, enables high-level shielding of electromagnetic waves at low cost, and ensures 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, second side surface portion 71b, third side surface portion 71c, and fourth side surface portion 71d, which are formed continuously from each, and the connecting 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 in-vehicle 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 a circuit board 40 and a first shield 70 with simple shapes.

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

[0102] The connector 80 is disposed on the bottom surface 66a, spanning 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 on 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 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, and a first area enclosed by the periphery of the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70 is larger than a second area enclosed by the periphery of the second bottom surface portion 75. This makes it possible to ensure space around the connection portion 74 and the second bottom surface portion 75, thereby improving the handleability of the in-vehicle camera 100.

[0105] Specifically, the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70, which has a larger diameter, is positioned higher in the optical axis direction than the connecting portion 74 and second bottom surface portion 75 of the first shield 70 to support various components such as the lens unit 30, the circuit board 40, and the thermally conductive member 50. Because the connecting portion 74 and the second bottom surface portion 75 have smaller diameters than the first bottom surface portion 73, a volume equivalent to the raised bottom region S shown in FIG. 7C can be secured around the connecting portion 74 and the second bottom surface portion 75 at the base end 66. This allows various components to be arranged in the raised bottom region S, i.e., the region adjacent to the first bottom surface portion 73, while ensuring a ground connection between the first shield 70 and the connector 80, thereby increasing the design flexibility and miniaturizing the in-vehicle camera 100. Furthermore, the presence of the connecting portion 74 allows the connector 80, which has a smaller diameter, to be efficiently positioned, making it easy to secure electrical connection with the outside.

[0106] In this embodiment, the housing 60 includes an attachment portion 69 for attaching the in-vehicle camera 100 to a vehicle. The attachment portion 69 is formed in a raised bottom area S in the housing 60 adjacent to the first bottom surface portion 73. The attachment portion 69 is a location required for attachment to other components. If the connection portion 74 were not present and a general bottom surface were provided to serve as the first bottom surface portion 73, it would be difficult to secure the raised bottom area S, and therefore the attachment portion 69 would need to be provided in a separate area. In this case, the housing 60 may become larger. In this embodiment, the attachment portion 69 can be disposed in the raised bottom area S, thereby preventing the housing 60 from becoming larger.

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

[0108] Furthermore, a heat conduction 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 conduction member 50 has insulating and thermally conductive properties, and plays a role in dissipating heat generated from electronic components such as the circuit board 40 to the outside. In particular, the heat conduction 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 conduction member 50 is disposed on the first bottom surface portion 73 of the first shield 70, and is not disposed in the raised bottom region S. If the connection portion 74 were not present and a general bottom surface were provided to serve as the first bottom surface portion 73, a space would exist instead of the solid raised bottom region S. To eliminate the gap, the heat conduction member 50 would also need to be disposed in this space, but this would increase the amount of the heat conduction member 50 and the manufacturing cost of the vehicle-mounted camera 100. In this embodiment, a portion of the housing 60 corresponding to the raised bottom region S exists instead of such a space, so the amount of the heat conduction 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 seen 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 seen from below.

[0112] A 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 thereof 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 with 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 is sometimes referred to as a rear shield, and the second shield 90 is sometimes referred to as a front shield.

[0113] In a plan view, 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. 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] The second shield 90 further 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 enhancing shielding performance. In order to enhance 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 connecting 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, thereby 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 electrically connect to the first shield 70. Therefore, by forming an electrically closed space as well, 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 has 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 surface 71a of the first shield 70, the sixth end face 95b faces the second side surface 71b of the first shield 70, the seventh end face 95c faces the third side surface 71c of the first shield 70, and the eighth end face 95d faces the fourth side surface 71d of the first shield 70.

[0120] This allows 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 portions of the first shield 70 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 have a sixth shape in plan view. 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 be inclined 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 reduces the gap between the side surface portion 71 and the second shield 90 (side 92), thereby improving shielding performance.

[0125] Furthermore, in the housing 60, boundary portions 68a of at least two of the side wall inner surfaces 68 are configured as continuous curved surfaces. Such continuous curved surfaces can be easily formed by the shape of the mold used during resin injection molding. The boundary portions 68a are continuous curved surfaces that follow the curved side surface portions 76 of the first shield 70, and the first shield 70 is housed in close contact with the housing 60. Furthermore, the connecting portions of at least two end surfaces 95 and sides 92 that form the outer edge of the second shield 90 are configured as curved end surfaces 93. The curved end surfaces 93 are continuous curved surfaces that face the curved side surface portions 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 face 93a of the second shield 90 is convex outward with the center of the fifth shape of the second shield 90 as the reference point, the second curved end face 93b of the second shield 90 is convex outward with the center of the fifth shape as the reference point, the third curved end face 93c of the second shield 90 is convex outward with the center of the fifth shape as the reference point, and the fourth curved end face 93d of the second shield 90 is convex outward with the center of the fifth shape as the reference point.

[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 convex shape 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 convex shape 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 convex shape 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 convex shape of the fourth curved end face 93d of the second shield 90.

[0131] As a result, the curved end surface 93 of the second shield 90 is positioned to correspond to the curved side surface portion 76 required to continuously form the side surface portion 71 of the first shield 70, and the gap between the four corners of the second shield 90 and the first shield 70 is minimized to the utmost, thereby suppressing electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside while improving resistance to external electromagnetic noise.

[0132] When the connecting portion of the two sides 92 of the second shield 90 is a right angle like a regular 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 sides 92 must be shorter than in the case of Fig. 10A . This means that the second shield 90 becomes smaller and its shielding performance deteriorates. In this embodiment, by configuring the connecting portion of the two sides 92 with the curved end surface 93 that follows the curved side portion 76, the overall size of the second shield 90, i.e., the length of the sides 92, is maintained while reducing the gap with the first shield 70 and improving 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 the first hole, then at least three of these four holes correspond to the second, third, and fourth holes.

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

[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. Of these four support pillars, at least three 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 pillar, and the third support pillar pass through at least three second holes, the third hole, and the fourth hole.

[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 differs from the example in Figures 10A to 10D in that the first contact 94a, the second contact 94b, the third contact 94c, and the 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 outside, and also enables the circuit board 40 and the multiple support pillars to stably support the second shield 90 and the lens unit 30.

[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 surface 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 first shield 70 corresponding to first curved side portion 76a is a curved surface having a curvature R2 in plan view, the portion corresponding to second curved side portion 76b is a curved surface having a curvature R4 in plan view, the portion corresponding to third curved side portion 76c is a curved surface having a curvature R6 in plan view, and the portion corresponding to fourth curved side portion 76d is a curved surface having a curvature R8 in 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 degree of curvature of the curved side surface 76 of the first shield 70 on the outside is steeper than the degree of curvature of the curved end surface of the second shield 90 on the inside, and therefore the sizes of the first shield 70 and the second shield 90 can be set so that the first side surface 71a to the fourth side surface 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] 18 is a top view showing the curvature of corner curved surfaces 48 of circuit board 40. As described in FIG. 7E, circuit board 40 has a first shape in plan view that includes at least a first side 43, a second side 44, a third side 45, and a fourth side 46. End surfaces 47 of circuit board 40 include at least a first end surface 47a corresponding to first side 43, a second end surface 47b corresponding to second side 44, a third end surface 47c corresponding to third side 45, and a fourth end surface 47d corresponding to fourth side 46.

[0146] 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 has a curvature R9 in a planar view. The second corner curved surface 48b connects the second side 44 and the third side 45 and has a curvature R10 in a planar view. The third corner curved surface 48c connects the third side 45 and the fourth side 46 and has a curvature R11 in a planar view. The fourth corner curved surface 48d connects the fourth side 46 and the first side 43 and has a curvature R12 in a planar view.

[0147] In the second embodiment, the vehicle-mounted camera 100 includes a third bottom surface portion 72 having a step portion and a second shield 90, but it is not necessary 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 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 include the third bottom surface portion 72 having a step portion, in which case the third bottom surface portion 72 may be composed of, for example, only 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 in-vehicle cameras versus frequency. The horizontal axis shows the frequency of the radio waves arriving at the in-vehicle camera, and the vertical axis shows the magnitude of EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) inside the housing of the in-vehicle camera (unit: dBμV / m). The smaller the EMI, the better the shielding performance can be evaluated.

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

[0150] The in-vehicle 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 in-vehicle camera of graph B has lower shielding performance than the in-vehicle camera of graph C, but exhibits higher shielding performance than the in-vehicle 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 propagate more easily through surfaces than low-frequency radio waves.

[0151] This application is based on Japanese patent applications filed on June 29, 2022 (Patent Application Nos. 2022-105021, 2022-105022, and 2022-105023), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0152] As a result, the present disclosure describes at least the following: Note that the components in parentheses correspond to those in the above-described embodiments, but are 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 around the entire circumference of the optical axis and extending outward with the optical axis as a reference; a flange portion of the lens unit is disposed inward from 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 is provided with a first welding rib (first welding rib 35) that protrudes in a direction opposite to the first surface and is arranged 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 absorption 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 on the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit and to the second welding rib on the end surface of the second cylindrical portion of the housing, in a vehicle-mounted camera (vehicle-mounted camera 100), the lens unit includes a protrusion (protrusion 33) that protrudes in the radial direction and abuts against the 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 allows reliable welding to be achieved in an in-vehicle camera regardless of the shape accuracy 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 burrs 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 allows 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 (base end 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 allows the housing, ring member, and lens unit to reliably surround the imaging element and 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 along the radial direction is a circle, The cross section of the second cylindrical portion of the housing along the radial direction is square. 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 even more difficult for the first burr generated from the first weld 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 when laser welding the ring member to the housing and when laser welding the ring member to 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 arranged on the optical axis (optical axis L) of the at least one lens; a housing (housing 60) that supports the lens unit and houses 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 so 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 arranged to face the second surface of the circuit board and has a second shape that has 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 facing 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 facing 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 surface portion of the first shield, the second end surface of the circuit board faces the second side surface 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, the second shield including a center of the fifth shape and including 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 surface portion of the first shield on the ninth side; a second contact (second contact 94b) electrically connected to the second side surface portion of the first shield on the tenth side; a third contact (third contact 94c) electrically connected to the third side surface portion of the first shield on the eleventh side; and a fourth contact (fourth contact 94d) electrically connected to the fourth side surface portion of the first shield on 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 preventing electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside while improving resistance to external electromagnetic noise.

[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 faces of the second shield include 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 and the end surface of the second shield to face each other, 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 surface portion (first curved side surface portion 76a) connecting the first side surface portion and the second side surface portion; a second curved side surface portion (second curved side surface portion 76b) connecting the second side surface portion and the third side surface portion; a third curved side surface portion (third curved side surface portion 76c) connecting the third side surface portion and the fourth side surface portion; a fourth curved side surface portion (fourth curved side surface portion 76d) connecting the fourth side surface portion and the first side surface 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 (fourth 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 portion of the first shield, the second curved end surface of the second shield faces the second curved side surface portion 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 reduces the gap between the curved side surface 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, ensuring excellent shielding performance.

[0179] (B4) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (B3), the first curved end surface of the second shield has a convex shape that is outwardly convex with respect to the center of the fifth shape, the second curved end surface of the second shield has a convex shape that is outwardly convex with respect to the center of the fifth shape, the third curved end surface of the second shield has a convex shape that is outwardly convex with respect to the center of the fifth shape, the fourth curved end surface of the second shield has a convex shape that is outwardly convex 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 the convex shape of the first curved end surface of the second shield, an inner surface of the second curved side surface portion of the first shield has a concave shape corresponding to the 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 the convex shape of the third curved end surface of the second shield, an inner surface of the fourth curved side surface portion of the first shield having a concave shape corresponding to the convex shape 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 gap between the first shield and the four corners of the second shield is minimized, thereby suppressing electromagnetic noise from escaping to the outside while improving resistance to external electromagnetic noise.

[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 less 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 less 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 less than R6; The fourth curved end surface of the second shield has a curvature of R7 in a plan view, and a portion of the first shield corresponding to the fourth curved side surface portion has a curvature of 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 curved side surface of the first shield on the outside is curved more sharply than the curved end surface of the second shield on the inside, so the sizes of the first and second shields can be set so that the first to fourth side surfaces of the first shield are close to the ninth to twelfth sides of the second shield, reducing the gap between the first and second shields 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 surface portion of the first shield; the first side surface portion and the third side surface 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 surface portion and the fourth side surface 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, which makes 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 on the bottom surface corresponding to the circuit board, the connector 80 being disposed across the inside and outside of the housing; The connector includes at least a first terminal (first terminal 81) and a second terminal (second terminal 82) that electrically connect the inside and outside of the housing, the first terminal and the second terminal of the connector are electrically connected to a circuit on the circuit board; The connector is disposed so as to penetrate the third bottom surface portion of the shield. In-car camera.

[0186] This allows the connector and the circuit board to be easily connected in the vehicle-mounted camera.

[0187] (B8) The vehicle-mounted camera according to (B7), the connector fixes the third bottom surface portion of the first shield to 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 place 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 allows the imaging element of the vehicle-mounted camera to capture an image of external light, and also allows the circuit board and the plurality of support columns to stably support the second shield and lens unit.

[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 the vehicle-mounted camera, thereby providing a high level of electromagnetic wave shielding at low cost and ensuring 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 on 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 houses 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 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 to face the second surface of the circuit board, has a second shape that has 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 to include a center of the second shape; a second bottom surface portion (second bottom surface portion 75) that corresponds to the hole that is arranged to include the center of the second shape of the first bottom surface portion, faces the second surface of the circuit board, and is arranged apart from the first bottom surface portion with respect to 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 connecting portion (connecting portion 74) that connects the entire circumference of the hole that is arranged so as to include the center of the second shape of the first bottom surface portion to 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 portion of the shield faces the first end surface of the circuit board; at least a portion of the second side surface portion 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 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 surface portion, the second side surface portion, the third side surface portion, and the fourth side surface portion of the shield are formed by continuous curved surfaces, 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 connecting portion, and the second bottom surface portion are formed by continuous curved surfaces, 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 that is smaller than the first bottom surface portion, thereby reducing the volume inside the first shield. This reduces the distance between the heat-generating components arranged on the circuit board and the first shield, allowing heat from the heat-generating components to be efficiently transferred 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 allows the vehicle-mounted camera to easily guide external light to the imaging element.

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

[0198] This allows 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 device further includes a heat conduction member (heat conduction member 50) that is disposed between the second surface of the circuit board and the first bottom surface portion of the shield and has a predetermined thermal conductivity. In-car camera.

[0202] This reduces the amount of heat-conducting material 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 attachment 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 first bottom surface portion of the shield to the circuit board, 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 installation of 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 quadrangular 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 with 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 the periphery of the first bottom surface portion of the shield is larger than a second area enclosed by the periphery of the second bottom surface portion of the shield; In-car camera.

[0208] This allows space to be secured around the connection portion and the second bottom surface portion in the vehicle-mounted camera, 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 surface portion of the shield, the second end surface of the circuit board faces the second side surface 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 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 eliminates gaps within the shield in the vehicle-mounted camera, providing a high level of electromagnetic wave shielding at low cost and ensuring 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 will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, alterations, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents may be made within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit 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 Caps 20 Ring member 30 Lens unit 31 Lens barrel 32 Flange 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 Conduction Material 60 cabinets 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 Side 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 Connector 81 1st terminal 82 2nd terminal 90 Second 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 In-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 imaging element disposed on the 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 accommodating at least the imaging element 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 around the optical axis and extending outward with respect to the optical axis, a flange portion of the lens unit is disposed inward from 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 absorption property, and includes a first welding rib that protrudes opposite to the first surface and is arranged 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 absorption property, and includes a second welding rib 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 on the second surface of the flange portion of the lens unit and to the second welding rib on 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 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 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 that penetrates the inside and outside of the housing and has a terminal that transmits an electrical signal is disposed on the bottom surface of the housing; 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 along the radial direction is a circle, The cross section of the second cylindrical portion of the housing along the radial direction is square. 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