Camera module

• US 10,406,995 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2018
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Furutake, Yasuki, Akiba, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Flohre, Jason A
• Application Number:
  US15/957,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20190143906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 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 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/108 using 'non-standard' camera systems, e.g. camera sensor used for additional purposes i.a. rain sensor, camera sensor split in multiple image areas
• 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 17/02 Bodies
• 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 23/698 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 shifted 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; and

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

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

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

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 the corresponding one of the lens units,

each of the lens units, which belong to the noted set, individually satisfies Lf=EFL·

Sf/Wf, in which

a corresponding far point is the far point of corresponding one of the lens units,

Lf is a distance from the corresponding one of the lens units to the corresponding far point,

EFL is a focal length of the corresponding one of the lens units,

Sf is a minimum object size required for the image recognition at the corresponding far point through the corresponding one of the lens units, and

Wf is a minimum pixel width required for the image recognition of the imaging system.

2. 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.

3. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the optical axes are different from each other.

4. 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 shifted 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; and

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

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

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

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 the corresponding one of the lens units,

each of the lens units, which belong to the noted set, individually satisfies Lc=EFL²Pc/(FNO·

Dc), in which

a corresponding near point is a near point of corresponding one of the lens units,

Lc is a distance from the corresponding one of the lens units to the corresponding near point,

EFL is a focal length of the corresponding one of the lens units,

Pc is a pixel pitch of the imaging system,

FNO is an F number of the corresponding one of the lens units, and

Dc is a diameter of a circle of confusion in the imaging system.

5. The camera module according to claim 4, 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.

6. The camera module according to claim 4, wherein the optical axes are different from each other.