Modular Vehicle Camera With Stacked Circuit Boards
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The production of vehicle cameras requires multiple variants to accommodate different functionalities, leading to increased production effort and cost, as well as limited installation space due to compact designs.
Innovation Solution
A modular vehicle camera design with three consecutively stacked circuit boards, where the image sensor is on the first board, the image processing unit on the second, and the communication interface on the third, allowing for reduced variants by sharing components and enabling compact dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple camera variants are produced to accommodate different functionalities, then adaptability is improved, but production effort and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system is divided into separate functional modules: image sensor module, image processing unit module, and communication interface module. Each module can be independently selected and combined to create different camera variants, reducing production complexity while maintaining functional diversity.
Solution Approach 2:
A standardized camera housing and mounting structure is designed to accommodate different functional modules. The universal interface and mounting mechanism allow the same housing to support various combinations of image sensors, processing units, and communication interfaces, enabling multi-functionality without increasing production effort.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple camera variants are produced to accommodate different functionalities, then adaptability is improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the camera into separate functional modules, each module can be manufactured independently using standardized processes. This reduces tooling costs and allows for economies of scale in producing common components like the camera housing and mounting structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design allows common components such as the camera housing, mounting structure, and circuit board substrates to be reused across different variants. Only the specific functional modules differ, allowing recovery and reuse of expensive structural components.
3Volume of moving object
If circuit boards are stacked consecutively in the camera housing, then installation space is reduced, but heat dissipation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The camera components are arranged in a three-dimensional stacked configuration along the optical axis, transitioning from a planar layout to a vertical arrangement. This dimensional change reduces the horizontal footprint while creating vertical pathways for heat dissipation through the stack.
Solution Approach 2:
Thermal interface materials and heat dissipation structures are introduced as intermediaries between the stacked circuit boards. These intermediaries facilitate heat transfer from the image sensor and processing units to the camera housing, enabling effective thermal management in the compact stacked arrangement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces production effort and cost by allowing identical components to be shared across variants, while maintaining compactness and efficient heat dissipation, enabling real-time video processing and wireless communication.
Implementation Method 1
an image sensor for detecting light through the lens and for providing image data
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle camera (1) for a motor vehicle including an optical lens, including an image sensor (18) for detecting light through the lens and for providing image data, including a digital image processing unit (20) for pre-processing the image data, and including a communication interface (25) for communication with a control device of the motor vehicle, wherein the image sensor (18), the image processing unit (20) and the communication interface (25) are disposed in a camera housing (2) of the vehicle camera (1), wherein a first, a second and a third circuit board (12, 13, 14) are consecutively disposed in the camera housing (2) starting from the lens, wherein the image sensor (18) is disposed on the first circuit board (12), the image processing unit (20) is disposed on the second circuit board (13) and the communication interface (25) is disposed on the third circuit board (14).