Vehicle Camera Module Carrier for Thermal-Stable Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current camera modules in vehicles are prone to alignment errors due to thermal deformation of the housing, leading to increased production costs and assembly complexities, especially when using vee-groove designs and three spheres, which are affected by thermal changes.
Innovation Solution
A camera module design featuring a printed circuit board with a carrier that includes a mounting structure with rails and flexible wings for the camera, allowing for easy alignment and mounting, and an integrated illumination device, such as an IR LED, which is snap-fit secured, reducing the impact of temperature changes and simplifying assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the camera is mounted directly in the camera housing with tight tolerances, then the alignment precision is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases and the assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera mounting system is segmented into a separate carrier component that is independently manufactured and then mounted to the housing. This carrier includes integrated alignment features (rails and spheres) that provide precise positioning without requiring the housing itself to have tight tolerances. The segmentation allows the housing to be manufactured with looser tolerances while maintaining overall alignment precision through the carrier's features.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier acts as an intermediary component between the housing and the camera. It mediates the alignment function by providing its own alignment features (rails and spheres) that interface with corresponding features on both the housing and the camera, thereby eliminating the need for the housing to directly provide precise alignment.
2Ease of manufacture
If the housing is made from aluminium, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the alignment stability deteriorates due to thermal deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment function is extracted from the housing structure and transferred to the separate carrier component. The carrier's alignment features (rails and spheres) are designed to be dimensionally stable and provide consistent positioning regardless of housing material thermal expansion. This extraction allows the housing to be made from easily manufactured materials like aluminium without compromising alignment stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design anticipates thermal deformation by providing compensation mechanisms in advance. The carrier's rigid alignment features and the spherical interface design compensate for thermal expansion of the aluminium housing, maintaining alignment stability across temperature changes without requiring the housing itself to be thermally stable.
3Manufacturing precision
If the vee-groove design with three spheres is used, then the positioning function is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates and assembly problems occur at thermal changes
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure incorporates flexible elements (elastic arms with spheres) that provide dynamic adjustment capability. These flexible mounting elements can accommodate thermal expansion and contraction of the housing and camera components, maintaining proper positioning through a range of temperatures rather than requiring perfect rigid precision at a single temperature.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the positioning mechanism from rigid vee-groove and sphere interfaces to a flexible arm and sphere system. This parameter change allows the mounting structure to adapt to dimensional changes caused by thermal effects, maintaining positioning precision while simplifying assembly and eliminating the problems associated with rigid thermal-mismatched interfaces.
Data Source
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Figure 3
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AI summary
The invention relates to camera module (1) for a vehicle (2). A printed circuit board (11) of the camera module (1) has a carrier (10) for at least one camera (14, 141, 142,..., 14N). The carrier (10) is mounted directly to the printed circuit board (11). The printed circuit board (11) carries as well electronic components (18) and a connector (19).