Camera module

• US 10,232,800 B1
• Filed: 04/19/2018
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Okuda, Sho, Kazama, Takeshi, Furutake, Yasuki, Shimizu, Nobuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morehead, III, John H.
• Application Number:
  US15/957,035
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 Windows, e.g. windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/02 Telephoto objectives, i.e. systems of the type + - in which the distance from the front vertex to the image plane is less than the equivalent focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 11/045 Lens hoods or shields
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 19/22 Double cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A camera module configured to be mounted on an inside of a windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, the camera module comprising:

a plurality of lens units having optical axes, respectively, wherein the optical axes are different from each other, an optical image of the external environment individually enters within angles of view, which are around the optical axes, respectively, the angles of view are different from each other;

an imaging system to perform imaging individually through the lens units and to generate an outside image of the external environment; and

a hood defining an imaging space, which is to guide the optical image of the external environment within an imaging target range of the imaging system to the lens units, and to restrict incidence of light on the lens units from an outside of the imaging target range, wherein

one of the lens units is a wide angle unit having an angle of view defined with the wide angle lens,

another of the lens units is a narrow angle unit having an angle of view narrower than that of the wide angle unit,

the hood includes;

a base wall portion to be located to face the windshield via the imaging space; and

a side wall portion raised from the base wall portion at a lateral side of the imaging space and inclined laterally outward correspondingly to an angle of view of the wide angle unit from a periphery of the wide angle unit toward an external environment side, and

a narrow angle exposure window is provided as an opening in the side wall portion on the external environment side of the wide angle unit and exposes the narrow angle unit to the imaging space.

3. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein an end of the narrow angle unit on the external environment side is located outside the imaging space.

6. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein an end of the narrow angle unit on the external environment side enters the imaging space from an inside of the narrow angle exposure window.

9. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein

the lens units further include a telescopic unit having an angle of view narrower than that of the narrow angle unit, and

a telescopic exposure window is provided as an opening in the side wall portion on the external environment side beyond the wide angle unit and exposes the telescopic unit to the imaging space.

12. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the side wall portion is located to spread along an angle of view of the wide angle unit.

15. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein

under a definition that a set of the lens units, in which angles of view overlap with each other, is a noted set,

depths of recognition field of the lens units, which belong to the noted set, overlap with each other, in which a far point of another of the noted set is between a near point and a far point of one of the noted set in the external environment, and

each of the far point of the one and the far point of the other defines a limit position of image recognition which is implemented by imaging through corresponding one of the lens units.

17. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein

angles of view of at least two of the lens units, which belong to the noted set, overlap with each other within a distance of 10 meters from the camera module.

2. A camera module configured to be mounted on an inside of a windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, the camera module comprising:

a plurality of lens units having optical axes, respectively, wherein the optical axes are different from each other, an optical image of the external environment individually enters within angles of view, which are around the optical axes, respectively;

an imaging system to perform imaging individually through the lens units and to generate an outside image of the external environment; and

a hood defining an imaging space, which is to guide the optical image of the external environment within an imaging target range of the imaging system to the lens units, and to restrict incidence of light on the lens units from an outside of the imaging target range, wherein

one of the lens units is defined as a first angle unit having an angle of view wider than or equal to that of the rest of the plurality of lens units,

the hood includes;

a base wall portion to be located to face the windshield via the imaging space; and

a side wall portion raised from the base wall portion at a lateral side of the imaging space and elongated laterally outward correspondingly to an angle of view of the wide angle unit from a periphery of the first angle unit toward an external environment side, and

a narrow angle exposure window is provided as an opening in the side wall portion and exposes one of the rest of the plurality of lens units to the imaging space.

4. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein an end of the narrow angle unit on the external environment side is located outside the imaging space.

5. The camera module according to claim 4, wherein the end of the narrow angle unit on the external environment side enters the narrow angle exposure window.

7. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein an end of the narrow angle unit on the external environment side enters the imaging space from an inside of the narrow angle exposure window.

8. The camera module according to claim 7, wherein the end of the narrow angle unit on the external environment side includes a reflection restriction portion to restrict light reflection.

10. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein

the lens units further include a telescopic unit having an angle of view narrower than that of the narrow angle unit, and

a telescopic exposure window is provided as an opening in the side wall portion on the external environment side beyond the wide angle unit and exposes the telescopic unit to the imaging space.

11. The camera module according to claim 10, wherein

the side wall portion includes a pair of side wall portions on both of lateral sides of the imaging space,

the narrow angle exposure window is provided in one of the side wall portions, and

the telescopic exposure window is provided in another of the side wall portions.

13. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein the side wall portion is located to spread along an angle of view of the wide angle unit.

14. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein a taper angle defines a horizontal angle of view range, which is within the imaging target range and is required for a specific control of the vehicle.

16. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein

under a definition that a set of the lens units, in which angles of view overlap with each other, is a noted set,

depths of recognition field of the lens units, which belong to the noted set, overlap with each other, in which a far point of another of the noted set is between a near point and a far point of one of the noted set in the external environment, and

each of the far point of the one and the far point of the other defines a limit position of image recognition which is implemented by imaging through corresponding one of the lens units.

18. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein

angles of view of at least two of the lens units, which belong to the noted set, overlap with each other within a distance of 10 meters from the camera module.