Roll-Adjustable Camera Housing for Precise PCB Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automotive camera assembly methods face challenges in achieving high angular accuracy due to surface mount technology (SMT) process errors and component tolerances, leading to misalignment issues between the lens, imager, and housing components.
Innovation Solution
A sensor unit design featuring an angularly adjustable housing relative to the sensor subassembly, allowing for rotatable alignment of the imager PCB with the cylindrical lens and subsequent mounting into an annular bearing surface, with adjustable connector positions to accommodate roll movement and customer-specific reference features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional surface mount technology (SMT) process and fixed housing assembly are used, then manufacturing efficiency is maintained, but angular accuracy and alignment precision between lens, imager, and housing deteriorate due to process errors and component tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with rotational adjustability about the longitudinal axis, transforming a static assembly into a dynamic one. This allows the housing to be rotated to different angular positions during assembly to compensate for tolerances in the SMT process and component manufacturing, thereby achieving high angular accuracy without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances across all components
Solution Approach 2:
The camera assembly is divided into separable components: the sensor subassembly (lens barrel with imager PCB) and the housing. This segmentation allows independent adjustment and alignment of each component, with the housing rotatable relative to the sensor subassembly, enabling precise angular alignment to be achieved through relative positioning rather than requiring perfect alignment of all components during manufacturing
2Manufacturing precision
If tight component tolerances are enforced for lens, imager, and housing alignment, then angular accuracy improves, but manufacturing cost and difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By making the housing rotatable relative to the sensor subassembly, the system gains a degree of freedom that allows alignment compensation. This dynamic adjustment capability means that standard tolerance components can be assembled and then adjusted to achieve precise alignment, rather than requiring expensive tight-tolerance components from the start
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly process incorporates self-alignment capabilities through the rotatable housing design. During assembly, the housing can be rotated to align reference features on the sensor subassembly with corresponding features on the housing, allowing the assembly process itself to correct for manufacturing tolerances without requiring additional complex alignment equipment or procedures
3Measurement precision
If the housing is made rotatable for alignment adjustment, then angular positioning accuracy improves, but device complexity and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor subassembly is pre-assembled with the lens barrel and imager PCB in a fixed configuration before being mounted to the rotatable housing. This preliminary assembly establishes a stable reference frame, and then the housing can be rotated as a single unit to achieve angular positioning, rather than requiring multiple separate adjustment operations on individual components during final assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable housing acts as an intermediary between the fixed sensor subassembly and the external mounting structure. It provides a mechanism for angular adjustment that decouples the alignment requirements from the mounting requirements, allowing precise angular positioning to be achieved through a single rotational degree of freedom rather than multiple adjustment mechanisms
Data Source
Figure 1~3
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Figure 10~12
AI summary
A sensor, e.g. automotive camera, unit and method of assembling same, with relative roll adjustment between the parts. A sensor part (10) and mounting part, (18) having reference features (19), are engaged at respective mating annular surfaces while a connector device (24) is aligned with and extends through an opening (26) in the mounting part (18). A position of the mounting part (18) relative to the sensor part (10) can be chosen by rotating one or the other part about a longitudinal axis (X-X) and then fixing same in place. Angular displacement may be limited by the size of the opening/slot (26). A connector cover (27) may be arranged coaxially with the connector (24), which also covers any gap in the slot (26).