Camera suitable for use in a vehicle

• US 10,017,127 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2012
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Electronics Incorporated (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Koppe, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Messmore, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US14/005,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20140009619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,301 Days
• Field of Search: 348148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0006 with means to keep optical surfaces clean, e.g. by preventing or removing dirt, stains, contamination, condensation G02B1/18 takes precedence; cleaning in general B08B
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings

Abstract

A camera having a housing, an optical system and an electrical image sensor, particularly for applications in the exterior region of motor vehicles, limits or prevents undesirable influences from moisture penetrating the camera or the housing. This is achieved by virtue of there being channels provided for air circulation in an interior of the optical system on the basis of the heating of air in the housing by operation of the image sensor, with the channels channeling air around lenses of the optical system. The channels may be along an internal wall of a lens frame of the optical system, and the channels may extend from an end portion of the lens frame at or near the image sensor to an internal space within the lens frame and between two adjacent lens elements of the optical system.

Claims

1. A camera suitable for use in a vehicle, said camera comprising:

a housing, an optical system and an image sensor,

wherein the optical system comprises a lens frame accommodating a plurality of lenses, and wherein said plurality of lenses comprises an outermost lens, an innermost lens and at least one intermediate lens disposed between the outermost lens and the innermost lens, and wherein the outermost lens is spaced from an adjacent intermediate lens so that an internal space is present between the outermost lens and the adjacent intermediate lens, and wherein the outermost lens, when the camera is disposed at a vehicle, is exposed at an exterior region of the vehicle,

wherein the lens frame is attached at the housing,

wherein the housing, with the lens frame attached at the housing, has an interior cavity,

wherein the image sensor is disposed within the interior cavity of the housing and, when operated, generates heat that heats the air in the interior cavity of the housing,

wherein the lens frame comprises a plurality of channels formed into an inner surface of the lens frame and along a longitudinal axis of the lens frame,

wherein the channels terminate in the lens frame without direct ventilation to exterior of the camera, wherein one end of the channels is open at the internal space between the outermost lens and the adjacent intermediate lens, and another end of the channels is open at the interior cavity of the housing,

wherein the channels extend to the internal space between the outermost lens and the adjacent intermediate lens such that air circulates from the interior cavity of the housing, along one of the channels, through the internal space between the outermost lens and the adjacent intermediate lens, along another of the channels and back to the interior cavity of the housing, and

wherein the channels provide for heated air circulation between the interior cavity of the housing and the internal space as a result of the heating of air in the interior cavity of the housing by the image sensor during operation of the image sensor, and wherein the plurality of channels circulates heated air between the outermost lens and the adjacent intermediate lens.

2. The camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the channels are arranged opposite a cylindrical passageway in the lens frame.

3. The camera as claimed in claim 2, wherein the channels extend from one end of the lens frame of the optical system to the internal space between the outermost lens and the adjacent intermediate lens.

4. The camera as claimed in claim 3, wherein the channels open into a plurality of internal spaces between pairwise different lenses of the optical system.

5. The camera as claimed in claim 4, wherein the channels in the inner surface of the lens frame lie in a plane with an optical axis of the lenses.

6. The camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein thermally conductive heat transfer elements for increasing the conductive heat transfer in a flow direction are arranged in and at least partially along at least one of the channels.

7. The camera as claimed in claim 6, wherein the channels equipped with the thermally conductive heat transfer elements are open toward the image sensor.

8. The camera as claimed in claim 7, wherein the thermally conductive heat transfer elements project out of the relevant selected channels toward the image sensor.

9. The camera as claimed in claim 8, wherein the thermally conductive heat transfer elements comprise one of (i) an elongate metal body arranged in the respective channel as a wire, a strip, or a tube, and (ii) a strip-shaped metallic coating of the respective channel.

10. The camera as claimed in claim 9, wherein the thermally conductive heat transfer elements have a thermal connection to a heat sink protruding from the lens frame.

11. The camera as claimed in claim 10, wherein the heat sink projects into the region between the image sensor and the optical system.

12. The camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein a section of the outer wall of the housing includes a membrane which is impermeable to water but open to vapor diffusion.

13. The camera as claimed in claim 12, wherein the membrane is arranged at a position in the vicinity of the image sensor in order to be heated by the heat given off by the image sensor.

14. The camera as claimed in claim 13, wherein the membrane comprises one of (i) a mechanically expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheet (ii) a sheet of a polyester and polyether block copolymer.

15. A camera suitable for use in a vehicle, said camera comprising:

a housing, an optical system and an image sensor,

wherein the optical system comprises an arrangement of at least two lens elements in a lens frame, and wherein said at least two lens elements comprises an outermost lens element and an inner adjacent lens element, and wherein the outermost lens element is spaced from the inner adjacent lens element so that an internal space is present between the outermost lens element and the inner adjacent lens element, and wherein the outermost lens, when the camera is disposed at a vehicle, is exposed at an exterior region of the vehicle,

wherein the lens frame is attached at the housing,

wherein the housing, with the lens frame attached at the housing, has an interior cavity,

wherein the image sensor is disposed within the interior cavity of the housing,

wherein the lens elements are aligned with the image sensor when the lens frame is attached at the housing,

wherein the optical system includes a plurality of channels established along and partially in opposite regions of an internal wall of the lens frame and along a longitudinal axis of the lens frame,

wherein the channels terminate in the lens frame without direct ventilation to exterior of the camera, and wherein one end of each of the channels is open at the internal space between the outermost lens element and the inner adjacent lens element, and wherein the other end of each of the channels is open at the interior cavity of the housing,

wherein the channels extend from an end portion of the lens frame at or near the image sensor to the internal space within the lens frame and between the outermost lens element and the inner adjacent lens element, and wherein heated air that is heated by operation of the image sensor is circulated from the interior cavity of the housing, along one of the channels, through the internal space between the outermost lens element and the inner adjacent lens element, along another of the channels and back to the interior cavity of the housing.

16. The camera as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least two lens elements comprise at least three lens elements, and wherein the channels open into a plurality of internal spaces between pairwise lens elements of the optical system.

17. The camera as claimed in claim 16, wherein the plurality of channels comprise two channels that are disposed at opposite sides of the inner wall of the lens frame of the optical system and at least along portions of the inner wall at which the lens elements are disposed.

18. The camera as claimed in claim 15, comprising at least one of (i) an elongate metal body arranged in the channels and (ii) a strip-shaped metallic coating of the channels.

19. A camera suitable for use in a vehicle, said camera comprising:

a housing, an optical system and an image sensor,

wherein the optical system comprises an arrangement of at least three lens elements in a lens frame, wherein said at least three lens elements comprises an outermost lens element, an innermost lens element and at least one intermediate lens element disposed between the outermost lens element and the innermost lens element, and wherein the lens elements are spaced from a respective adjacent lens element so that an internal space is present between pairwise lens elements of the optical system, and wherein the outermost lens, when the camera is disposed at a vehicle, is exposed at an exterior region of the vehicle,

wherein the lens frame is attached at the housing,

wherein the housing, with the lens frame attached at the housing, has an internal space,

wherein the image sensor is disposed within the internal space of the housing,

wherein the optical system includes a plurality of channels established at an inner wall of the lens frame and at least along portions of the inner wall at which the lens elements are disposed,

wherein the plurality of channels comprise a first channel and a second channel formed into and along opposite sides of the inner wall at the portions of the inner wall at which the lens elements are disposed,

wherein the first channel comprises a first portion that opens into the internal space at the imager sensor and a first internal space between first pairwise lens elements of the optical system, and wherein the first channel comprises a second channel portion that opens into the first internal space and a second internal space between a second pairwise lens elements of the optical system,

wherein the second channel comprises a first portion that opens into the internal space at the imager sensor and a first internal space between the first pairwise lens elements of the optical system, and wherein the second channel comprises a second channel portion that opens into the first internal space and a second internal space between a second pairwise lens elements of the optical system, and

wherein air in the internal space at the image sensor is heated during operation of the image sensor and circulates from the internal space at the image sensor through the first channel, through the internal spaces between pairwise lens elements, through the second channel and back to the internal space at the image sensor.

20. The camera as claimed in claim 19, wherein the lens frame comprises at least one of (i) an elongate metal body arranged in at least one of the channels and (ii) a strip-shaped metallic coating established in at least one of the channels.