Camera for a vehicle

• US 9,139,140 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Karl, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Pe, Geepy
• Application Number:
  US13/265,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20120033079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 348/46, 348/49, 348/335, 348/340, 348/307, 250/336.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14645 Colour imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof

Abstract

A camera for a vehicle, in particular for monitoring the exterior environment. The camera having: an imager having a plurality of pixels, having different imager regions for different object distances, and an objective situated before the imager. Between the objective and the imager there is provided an additional optical unit that has in particular optical microelements, e.g., microlenses, the additional optical unit having different imaging properties for the imager regions of the imager, in particular for the compensation of different object distances and/or image distances.

Claims

1. A camera for a vehicle, for monitoring an exterior environment, comprising:

an imager having a plurality of pixels, the imager including a first imager region and a second imager region for different object distances;

an objective situated in front of the imager; and

an additional optical unit situated between the objective and the imager, imaging characteristics of the additional optical unit differing between the first and second imager regions of the imager such that a focal length differs from the first imager region to the second imager region of the imager, wherein the additional optical unit at least one of;

i) is unmovable relative to the objective and the imager; and

ii) includes, for each of the first and second imager regions, respective optical microelements situated between (a) the objective and (b) each pixel or a plurality of pixels of the respective imager region, a distance between the microelements situated in front of the first imager region and its respective pixels being different than a distance between the microelements situated in front of the second imager region and its respective pixels.

2. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein an optical system formed by the objective and the additional optical unit has at least one of different focal lengths, and different object distances, for the different imager regions.

3. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional optical unit is fastened to the imager or an imager bearer.

4. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional optical unit has microlenses that are attached in front of each pixel of at least one of the first imager region and the second imager region, the microlenses being convex and being made of a transparent material and being fashioned above a respective photodiode of the pixel.

5. The camera as recited in claim 4, wherein a respective microlens is placed on first pixels of the first imager region and on second pixels of the second imager region, and an optical arrangement is arranged to cover a plurality of the second pixels of the second imager region.

6. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein lens stacks of a plurality of microlenses stacked via spacers are placed on some of the pixels.

7. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein a respective microlens is placed on some of the pixels of the second imager region via spacers.

8. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein light-conducting devices which conduct incident light to a respective pixel, are situated in front of some of the pixels of the second imager region.

9. The camera as recited in claim 8, wherein the light-conducting devices include at least one of reflective separating walls and light-conducting tubes.

10. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the first imager region is set to acquire a surrounding environment of the vehicle with an infinite object distance setting, and the second imager region is set to a finite object distance.

11. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the second imager region is set to the finite object distance for acquisition of an external side of a vehicle window.

16. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein light-conducting devices, which are situated in front of at least some of the pixels of the second imager region, conduct incident light to a respective pixel via internal beam guiding.

17. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional optical unit includes, for each of the first and second imager regions, the respective optical microelements situated between (a) the objective and (b) the each pixel or the plurality of pixels of the respective imager region, the distance between the microelements situated in front of the first imager region and its respective pixels being different than the distance between the microelements situated in front of the second imager region and its respective pixels.

18. The camera as recited in claim 17, wherein the microelements situated in front of the first imager region and the microelements situated before the second imager region are stacked to varying heights.

19. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the microelements are microprisms that are attached in front of each pixel of at least one of the first imager region and the second imager region.

20. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional optical unit is unmovable relative to the objective and the imager.

21. The camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the additional optical unit simultaneously has the different imaging characteristics for the first and second imager regions.

22. The camera as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of:

(i) spacers are placed between the microelements situated in front of the first imager region and its respective pixels and (ii) the microelements situated before the first imager region are raised from its respective pixels.

12. A camera system, comprising:

a camera for a vehicle, for monitoring an exterior environment, the camera including an imager having a plurality of pixels, the imager including a first imager region and a second imager region for different object distances, an objective situated in front of the imager, and an additional optical unit situated between the objective and the imager, imaging characteristics of the additional optical unit differing between the first and second imager regions of the imager such that a focal length differs from the first imager region to the second imager region of the imager; and

a camera mount for attachment to a vehicle window;

wherein;

for adjustment of imaging of an acquired region of a window external side, at least one of i) the camera is displaceable on the camera mount, and ii) a system made up of the objective and the imager is displaceable within a camera housing borne by the camera mount; and

the additional optical unit at least one of;

i) is unmovable relative to the objective and the imager; and

ii) includes, for each of the first and second imager regions, respective optical microelements situated between (a) the objective and (b) each pixel or a plurality of pixels of the respective imager region, a distance between the microelements situated in front of the first imager region and its respective pixels being different than a distance between the microelements situated in front of the second imager region and its respective pixels.

13. A vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle window;

a camera including an imager having a plurality of pixels, the imager including a first imager region and a second imager region for different object distances, an objective situated in front of the imager, and an additional optical unit situated between the objective and the imager, imaging characteristics of the additional optical unit differing between the first and second imager regions of the imager such that a focal length differs from the first imager region to the second imager region of the imager; and

a camera mount to fasten the camera to an inner side of the window;

wherein;

the first imager region images through the window a first acquisition of an environment surrounding the vehicle with a comparatively large object distance using the additional optical unit and the objective, and the second imager region images via the additional optical unit and the objective a region with a comparatively smaller object distance; and

the additional optical unit at least one of;

i) is unmovable relative to the objective and the imager; and

ii) includes, for each of the first and second imager regions, respective optical microelements situated between (a) the objective and (b) each pixel or a plurality of pixels of the respective imager region, a distance between the microelements situated in front of the first imager region and its respective pixels being different than a distance between the microelements situated in front of the second imager region and its respective pixels.

14. The vehicle as recited in claim 13, wherein at least one of the imager regions is on the environment side of the window.

15. The vehicle as recited in claim 13, wherein at least one of:

(i) the camera is displaceable on the camera mount, and (ii) a system made up of the objective and the imager is displaceable within a camera housing borne by the camera mount, in a direction not parallel to the inner side of the window.