Vehicle Windshield Camera Module Nested Lens Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional camera modules for advanced driving or self-driving vehicles face challenges in achieving high image position accuracy in the lateral direction, suffer from blind spots, and have issues with object recognition due to overlapping depths of field, while also being prone to increased size which interferes with the vehicle's field of view and productivity during manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A camera module configuration using multiple lens units with shifted optical axes and overlapping angles of view, including wide, narrow, and telescopic units, along with a hood design that restricts excess light and optimizes the placement of lens units to reduce size and enhance image accuracy, while using a common positioning member to secure precise axial positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple lens units with overlapping angles of view are used to improve image position accuracy and eliminate blind spots, then the coverage and accuracy are improved, but the device size increases and interferes with the vehicle's field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing multiple lens units (wide-angle, narrow-angle, and telescopic lens units) in an overlapping configuration where their angles of view nest within each other. The narrow-angle lens unit is positioned within the wider field of view of the wide-angle lens unit, creating a compact nested arrangement that reduces overall module size while maintaining comprehensive coverage and high image position accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If multiple lens units are used to improve image position accuracy, then the imaging coverage is enhanced, but the device complexity increases and manufacturing productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the imaging function into three distinct lens units (wide-angle, narrow-angle, and telescopic), each optimized for specific imaging requirements. This segmentation allows for standardized manufacturing of individual lens modules that can be independently produced and then assembled, improving overall manufacturing productivity while achieving high image position accuracy through the combined functionality of the segmented units.
3Reliability
If lens units with overlapping depths of field are used to improve object recognition, then the recognition accuracy is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different focal characteristics to different regions of the imaging system. The wide-angle lens unit captures distant objects, the narrow-angle lens unit focuses on mid-range objects, and the telescopic lens unit captures close-range objects. Each lens unit is optimized for its specific local imaging requirements, creating overlapping depths of field that enhance object recognition accuracy while managing complexity through specialized local optimization.
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
The solution enhances image position accuracy in the lateral direction, reduces the risk of object loss in overlapping regions, and achieves a compact module design that minimizes interference with the vehicle's field of view while improving manufacturing productivity.
Implementation Method 1
a light from an external environment enters a vehicle camera through a lens thereby to image the external environment
Data Source
AI summary
A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.