Camera module

• US 10,578,840 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2019
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Furutake, Yasuki, Nishioka, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Nazrul, Shahbaz
• Application Number:
  US16/375,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20190235215A1
• 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: B60R 2011/0063 using adhesive means, e.g. hook and loop fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/18 with lenses having one or more non-spherical faces, e.g. for reducing geometrical aberration G02B13/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/021 for more than one lens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/52 Elements optimising image sensor operation, e.g. for electromagnetic interference [EMI] protection or temperature control by heat transfer or cooling elements
• 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 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time

Abstract

A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes a lens unit and an imager to image the external environment by forming an optical image, which is from the external environment through the lens unit.

Claims

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

a lens unit configured by a combination of a plurality of lenses, which defines a single optical axis thereof, wherein the plurality of lenses includes a wide angle lens which is disposed on an external environment side of an other lens among the plurality of lenses, wherein the single optical axis of the wide angle lens is identical with the single optical axis of the other lens; and

an imager to image the external environment by forming thereon an optical image from the external environment through the lens unit, wherein

the wide angle lens has a wide angle optical surface on the external environment side, and

a geometric center of the wide angle optical surface is shifted toward an upper side of the single optical axis, the single optical axis passing through a principal point of the wide angle lens.

2. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein

the imager has an effective image capturing region capable of capturing an inverted image of the optical image as formed, and

a geometric center of the effective image capturing region is shifted toward a lower side of the single optical axis.

3. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the wide angle optical surface is in a cut form on the lower side of the single optical axis.

4. The camera module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a camera casing accommodating the lens unit and the imager.

5. The camera module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a circuit unit in which a control circuit is mounted on a control board, the control circuit configured to control the imager; and

a camera casing accommodating the circuit unit together with the lens unit and the imager.

6. The camera module according to claim 5, wherein

the control circuit is configured

to set an effective pixel by excluding a vehicle image capturing pixel, which reflects the vehicle, in an outside image generated by image processing of an output from the imager, and

to control an exposure based on a pixel value of the effective pixel during imaging with the imager.

7. The camera module according to claim 5, wherein

the circuit unit is configured by a combination of:

an imaging board located across an upper side and a lower side of the control board and on which the imager is mounted at least on an upper side of the control board; and

a flexible board connecting the imaging board to the control board.

8. The camera module according to claim 4, wherein

the camera casing includes:

an opposing wall portion to be located to face the windshield; and

a bent wall portion bent relative to the opposing wall portion and to be located in a posture in which the further the bent wall portion is distant away from the opposing wall portion, the further the bent wall portion is spaced away from the windshield, and

the lens unit is exposed to the outside of the camera casing through the bent wall portion.

9. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein

the lens unit further includes a lens barrel accommodating the wide angle lens,

the wide angle lens further includes a locked recess portion recessed on an outer peripheral side of the wide angle optical surface, and

the lens barrel has a locking portion locking the locked recess portion at a locking position, the locking position being located on a common plane in a circumferential direction, which is along an outer contour of the wide angle optical surface.

10. The camera module according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hood to restrict incidence of light on the lens unit from the external environment outside an imaging target range of the imager.

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

a lens unit configured by a combination of a plurality of lenses, which defines a single optical axis thereof, wherein the plurality of lenses includes a wide angle lens which is disposed on an external environment side of an other lens among the plurality of lenses; and

an imager to image the external environment by forming thereon an optical image from the external environment through the lens unit, wherein

the wide angle lens has a wide angle optical surface on the external environment side,

a geometric center of the wide angle optical surface is shifted toward an upper side of the single optical axis, the single optical axis passing through a principal point of the wide angle lens, and

the geometric center is a midpoint at which a distance between a lowermost portion and an uppermost portion of the wide angle optical surface is equally divided in a projection view viewed from the external environment side.

12. The camera module according to claim 11, wherein

the imager has an effective image capturing region capable of capturing an inverted image of the optical image as formed, and

a geometric center of the effective image capturing region is shifted toward a lower side of the single optical axis.

13. The camera module according to claim 11, wherein the wide angle optical surface is in a cut form on the lower side of the optical axis.

14. The camera module according to claim 11, further comprising:

a camera casing accommodating the lens unit and the imager.

15. The camera module according to claim 11, further comprising:

a circuit unit in which a control circuit is mounted on a control board, the control circuit configured to control the imager; and

a camera casing accommodating the circuit unit together with the lens unit and the imager.

16. The camera module according to claim 15, wherein

the control circuit is configured

to set an effective pixel by excluding a vehicle image capturing pixel, which reflects the vehicle, in an outside image generated by image processing of an output from the imager, and

to control an exposure based on a pixel value of the effective pixel during imaging with the imager.

17. The camera module according to claim 15, wherein

the circuit unit is configured by a combination of:

an imaging board located across an upper side and a lower side of the control board and on which the imager is mounted at least on an upper side of the control board; and

a flexible board connecting the imaging board to the control board.

18. The camera module according to claim 14, wherein

the camera casing includes:

an opposing wall portion to be located to face the windshield; and

a bent wall portion bent relative to the opposing wall portion and to be located in a posture in which the further the bent wall portion is distant away from the opposing wall portion, the further the bent wall portion is spaced away from the windshield, and

the lens unit is exposed to the outside of the camera casing through the bent wall portion.

19. The camera module according to claim 11, wherein

the lens unit further includes a lens barrel accommodating the wide angle lens,

the wide angle lens further includes a locked recess portion recessed on an outer peripheral side of the wide angle optical surface, and

the lens barrel has a locking portion locking the locked recess portion at a locking position, the locking position being located on a common plane in a circumferential direction, which is along an outer contour of the wide angle optical surface.

20. The camera module according to claim 11, further comprising:

a hood to restrict incidence of light on the lens unit from the external environment outside an imaging target range of the imager.