Vehicular camera and lens assembly and method of manufacturing same
First Claim
1. A method of assembling a vehicular camera, said method comprising:
- providing a lens assembly comprising a lens barrel and an attaching portion, the lens barrel including lens optics;
providing a front camera housing;
securing the lens assembly at the front camera housing;
providing a printed circuit board having an imaging array disposed thereat;
dispensing an adhesive in an uncured state at the printed circuit board laterally outboard of the imaging array;
mating the attaching portion of the front camera housing and the printed circuit board with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween;
with the front camera housing mated with the printed circuit board and with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween, aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array;
wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array (i) utilizes a multi-axis positioning device operable to align the lens optics with respect to the imaging array by (a) translating the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly along one or more of x, y, z orthogonal translational axes and (b) manipulating the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly about one or more of pitch, yaw and roll rotational axes or (ii) utilizes a multi-axis positioning device operable to align the lens optics with respect to the imaging array by (a) translating the lens assembly relative to the printed circuit board along one or more of x, y, z orthogonal translational axes and (b) manipulating the lens assembly relative to the printed circuit board about one or more of pitch, yaw and roll rotational axes;
after aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array, curing the adhesive to a first cure level via exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light to join the printed circuit board and the front camera housing;
moving the lens assembly and the front camera housing joined with the printed circuit board by the adhesive at the first cure level to a further curing station; and
at the further curing station, further curing the adhesive to a second cure level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of assembling a vehicular camera includes providing a printed circuit board and dispensing an adhesive in an uncured state at the printed circuit board. A front camera housing is mated with the circuit board, and the lens optics are aligned with respect to the imaging array at the circuit board by utilizing a multi-axis positioning device operable to translate the circuit board or lens assembly relative to the other along one or more orthogonal translational axes and manipulate the circuit board or lens assembly relative to the other about one or more orthogonal rotational axes. After aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array, the adhesive is cured to a first cure level and the joined lens assembly and the front camera housing are moved to a further curing station, where the adhesive is further cured to a second cure level.
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Citations
99 Claims
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1. A method of assembling a vehicular camera, said method comprising:
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providing a lens assembly comprising a lens barrel and an attaching portion, the lens barrel including lens optics; providing a front camera housing; securing the lens assembly at the front camera housing; providing a printed circuit board having an imaging array disposed thereat; dispensing an adhesive in an uncured state at the printed circuit board laterally outboard of the imaging array; mating the attaching portion of the front camera housing and the printed circuit board with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween; with the front camera housing mated with the printed circuit board and with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween, aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array; wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array (i) utilizes a multi-axis positioning device operable to align the lens optics with respect to the imaging array by (a) translating the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly along one or more of x, y, z orthogonal translational axes and (b) manipulating the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly about one or more of pitch, yaw and roll rotational axes or (ii) utilizes a multi-axis positioning device operable to align the lens optics with respect to the imaging array by (a) translating the lens assembly relative to the printed circuit board along one or more of x, y, z orthogonal translational axes and (b) manipulating the lens assembly relative to the printed circuit board about one or more of pitch, yaw and roll rotational axes; after aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array, curing the adhesive to a first cure level via exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light to join the printed circuit board and the front camera housing; moving the lens assembly and the front camera housing joined with the printed circuit board by the adhesive at the first cure level to a further curing station; and at the further curing station, further curing the adhesive to a second cure level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A method of assembling a vehicular camera, said method comprising:
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providing a lens assembly comprising a lens barrel and an attaching portion, the lens barrel including lens optics; providing a front camera housing; securing the lens assembly at the front camera housing; providing a printed circuit board having an imaging array disposed thereat; dispensing an adhesive in an uncured state at the printed circuit board laterally outboard of the imaging array; mating the attaching portion of the front camera housing and the printed circuit board with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween; with the front camera housing mated with the printed circuit board and with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween, aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array; wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array utilizes a six axis robot that is operable (a) to grasp the printed circuit board, (b) to translate the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly along up to three of x, y, z orthogonal translational axes and (c) to manipulate the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly about up to three of pitch, yaw and roll rotational axes; after aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array, curing the adhesive to a first cure level via exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light to join the printed circuit board and the front camera housing; moving the lens assembly and the front camera housing joined with the printed circuit board by the adhesive at the first cure level to a further curing station; and at the further curing station, further curing the adhesive to a second cure level. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72)
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73. A method of assembling a vehicular camera, said method comprising:
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providing a lens assembly comprising a lens barrel and an attaching portion, the lens barrel including lens optics; providing a front camera housing; securing the lens assembly at the front camera housing; providing a printed circuit board having an imaging array disposed thereat; dispensing an adhesive in an uncured state at the printed circuit board laterally outboard of the imaging array; mating the attaching portion of the front camera housing and the printed circuit board with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween; with the front camera housing mated with the printed circuit board and with the adhesive in its uncured state therebetween, aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array; wherein aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array utilizes a multi-axis robot that manipulates the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly; wherein, when aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array, the multi-axis robot is operable (a) to translationally move the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly along any one or more of x, y and z orthogonal axes and (b) to rotationally move the printed circuit board relative to the lens assembly about any one or more of pitch, yaw and roll orthogonal axes; after aligning the lens optics with respect to the imaging array, curing the adhesive to a first cure level via exposure of the adhesive to ultraviolet light to join the printed circuit board and the front camera housing; moving the lens assembly and the front camera housing joined with the printed circuit board by the adhesive at the first cure level to a further curing station; and at the further curing station, further curing the adhesive to a second cure level. - View Dependent Claims (74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99)
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Specification