Camera module and method for manufacturing a camera module

• US 9,557,515 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2013
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Brinks, Gerald, Apel, Uwe, Seger, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Nhan T
• Application Number:
  US14/395,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20150092105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 348/373, 348/374, 348/335
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/001 Miniaturised objectives for electronic devices, e.g. portable telephones, webcams, PDAs, small digital cameras G02B23/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/022 lens and mount having complementary engagement means, e.g. screw/thread
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/023 permitting adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/12 with means for supporting objectives, supplementary lenses, filters, masks, or turrets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• 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: Y10T 29/4987 Elastic joining of parts

Abstract

A camera module, in particular, for a vehicle, the camera module including at least: an objective mount and an objective, which is held in the objective mount and has a lens holder and at least one lens secured in the lens holder, the objective being fixed in position in the objective mount by a frictional connection between an outer surface of the lens holder and an inner surface of the objective mount. A plurality of frictional connection devices spaced apart in the circumferential direction are formed on the outer surface of the lens holder and/or on the inner surface of the objective mount, in order to generate the frictional connection. To insert and to adjust the objective, the objective mount is preferably asymmetrically deformed in an elastic manner, and the objective is placed into the deformed objective mount, and the elastic deformation is subsequently removed.

Claims

1. A camera module for a vehicle, comprising:

an objective mount;

an objective held in the objective mount and including a lens holder and at least one lens secured in the lens holder, wherein the objective is fixed in position in the objective mount by a frictional connection between an outer surface of the lens holder and an inner surface of the objective mount, and wherein the objective mount is elastically deformable; and

a plurality of frictional connection devices spaced apart in a circumferential direction and formed at least one of on the outer surface of the lens holder and on the inner surface of the objective mount, in order to form the frictional connection,

wherein the outer surface of the lens holder and the inner surface of the objective mount are only in contact with one another via the frictional connection devices, and wherein contact-free intermediate regions are formed at least one of on the outer surface of the lens holder and on the inner surface of the objective mount, between the frictional connection devices.

2. The camera module as recited in claim 1, wherein the camera module is for a vehicle.

3. The camera module as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of frictional connection devices run parallel to a longitudinal axis of the objective mount.

4. The camera module as recited in claim 1, wherein exactly three frictional connection devices spaced apart in the circumferential direction are provided.

5. The camera module as recited in claim 1, wherein the frictional connection devices are uniformly spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

6. The camera module as recited in claim 1, wherein the frictional connection devices are at least one of formed in one piece with the outer surface of the lens holder and formed in one piece with the inner surface of the objective mount.

7. The camera module as recited in claim 1, wherein the frictional connection devices are deformable ribs that are situated on the inner surface of the objective mount, and wherein the frictional connection devices project radially inwards.

8. The camera module as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the outer surface of the lens holder and the inner surface of the objective mount are cylindrical and positioned concentrically to one another, and

in response to an asymmetric action of forces from the outside radially inwards towards one of an axis of symmetry and an optical axis, a cylindrical wall region of the objective mount, at which the inner surface is formed, is asymmetrically deformable.

9. The camera module as recited in claim 8, wherein:

in response to an asymmetric action of force from the outside, the wall region of the objective mount is deformable in such a manner, that in an undeformed state, at least one of an inner radius defined by the frictional connection devices and a distance of the frictional connection devices to one of the optical axis and the axis of symmetry is less than an outer radius of the lens holder, and that in a deformed state, at least one of the inner radius defined by the frictional connection devices and the distance of the frictional connection devices to one of the optical axis and the axis of symmetry is greater than an outer radius of the lens holder.

10. The camera module as recited in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the lens holder has surface contouring running around in the circumferential direction, in order to improve the frictional connection to the frictional connection devices of the objective mount.

11. The camera module as recited in claim 10, wherein the surface contouring includes grooves.

12. The camera module as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an image sensor for picking up and outputting a video signal, the image sensor being mounted one of to the objective mount taking the form of a circuit substrate and to a circuit substrate rigidly connected to the objective mount.

13. The camera module as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

first positioning devices situated on the objective mount; and

second positioning devices situated on the lens holder for mutual engagement and for guidance while positioning the objective in the objective mount, and for fixing an angular position between the objective mount and the objective.

14. The camera module as recited in claim 1, wherein the objective mount is elastically deformable from an initial undeformed axially-symmetric cylindrical shape to a deformed non-axially-symmetric shape.

15. A method for manufacturing a camera module, comprising:

forming a plurality of frictional connection devices spaced apart in a circumferential direction at a uniform angular offset at least one of on an outer surface of a lens holder and on an inner surface of an objective mount;

inserting an objective, which includes the lens holder and at least one lens secured in the lens holder, into the objective mount, positioned, and adjusted while a frictional connection is formed;

prior to the inserting of the objective, applying an external, asymmetric action of forces to the objective mount, thereby elastically deforming the objective mount;

subsequently inserting the objective into the objective mount and adjusting the objective; and

without changing a position of the objective in the objective mount, terminating the external action of forces with elastic recovery of the objective mount to form a frictional connection between an inner surface of the objective mount and an outer surface of the objective, wherein the outer surface of the lens holder and the inner surface of the objective mount are only in contact with one another via the plurality of frictional connection devices, and wherein contact-free intermediate regions are formed at least one of on the outer surface of the lens holder and on the inner surface of the objective mount, between the plurality of frictional connection devices.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

in order to generate the asymmetric action of forces, externally applying a plurality of clamping devices distributed in a circumferential direction to the objective mount, wherein a number of clamping devices corresponds to a number of the frictional connection devices; and

displacing the clamping devices radially inwards towards an optical axis under the action of forces.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

applying the clamping devices over a circumference of the objective mount in a distributed manner with the uniform angular offset; and

offsetting the clamping devices from the frictional connection devices.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the clamping devices are offset by half of the uniform angular offset.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the plurality of frictional connection devices includes three frictional connection devices.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

forming the frictional connection devices running parallel to the optical axis on the inner surface of the objective mount, the clamping devices being acted upon by a force in such a manner that in a deformed state, a distance of the frictional connection devices to one of the optical axis and an axis of symmetry of the objective mount is greater than, and in an undeformed state, less than, an outer radius of the lens holder; and

slipping the objective into the objective mount deformed by the clamping devices, without at least one of contact and frictional resistance of the outer surface of the lens holder at least one of with and at the inner surface of the objective mount.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein the frictional connection devices include ribs.

22. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein applying an external, asymmetric action of forces to the objective mount elastically deforms the objective mount from an initial undeformed axially-symmetric cylindrical shape to a deformed non-axially-symmetric shape.