US-12621549-B2 - Camera for a motor vehicle with specific sealing between a housing front part and a circuit board, as well as motor vehicle

US12621549B2US 12621549 B2US12621549 B2US 12621549B2US-12621549-B2

Abstract

A camera for a motor vehicle is disclosed. The camera includes a housing, wherein a receiving space, in which a lens module of the camera and a circuit board of the camera are arranged, is bounded by the housing. The camera has a longitudinal axis, wherein the circuit board and the lens module are arranged axially spaced from each other in the direction of this longitudinal axis such that a clearance is formed between the circuit board and the lens module. An elastic seal is arranged between the circuit board and the lens module such that the clearance is sealed from the remaining volume space in the housing by the seal.

Inventors

Noel Farrell
Mark Shaw

Assignees

CONNAUGHT ELECTRONICS LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20220525
Priority Date: 20210527

Claims (14)

1 . A camera for a motor vehicle, the camera comprising a housing, wherein a receiving space, in which a lens module of the camera and a circuit board of the camera are arranged, is bounded by the housing, wherein the camera comprises a longitudinal axis, wherein the circuit board and the lens module are arranged spaced from each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis such that a clearance is formed between the circuit board and the lens module, wherein an elastic seal is arranged between the circuit board and the lens module such that the clearance is sealed from the remaining volume space in the housing by the elastic seal, wherein the elastic seal is arranged on an annular shaped support plate, and wherein the support plate comprises electrical contact areas for allowing an electrical connection between the lens module and the circuit board.
2 . The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic seal is a ring.
3 . The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic seal directly abuts on a top side of the circuit board with a first rim.
4 . The camera according to claim 3 , wherein a groove-like recess is formed on the top side of the circuit board, wherein the elastic seal extends into the groove-like recess with the first rim.
5 . The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a front housing part, in which the lens module is arranged, wherein the front housing part comprises an abutment surface, wherein the abutment surface faces the circuit board, wherein the elastic seal abuts with a second rim to the lens module.
6 . The camera according to claim 5 , wherein the abutment surface comprises a groove-shaped recess, wherein the elastic seal extends into the groove-shaped recess with the second rim.
7 . The camera according to claim 5 , wherein the elastic seal is arranged axially compressed between the circuit board and the abutment surface.
8 . The camera according to claim 1 , wherein an optical path is separated from the remaining volume of the receiving space of the housing by the elastic seal, wherein the elastic seal is dust-proof, wherein the optical path extends in the clearance between an image sensor and a bottom side of the lens module, and wherein the image sensor is arranged on a top side of the circuit board.
9 . The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic seal is arranged at an outer edge of the support plate, wherein the elastic seal extends between the lens module and the support plate in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the camera, so that the clearance between the lens module and the support plate is sealed from the remaining volume space.
10 . The camera according to claim 9 , wherein the support plate is a component separate from the circuit board, from the housing and from the lens module, and wherein the support plate is arranged in the clearance between the circuit board and the lens module.
11 . The camera according to claim 10 , wherein the support plate comprises first electrical contact areas, wherein electrical lines of a heater of the camera for heating the lens module are connected to the first electrical contact areas, wherein the electrical lines connect from the lens module to the first electrical contact areas, and the support plate comprises second electrical contact areas, wherein the second electrical contact areas are connected to electrical contact elements which are arranged on the circuit board, and wherein the second electrical contact areas are connected to corresponding first electrical contact areas.
12 . The camera according to claim 11 , wherein the contact elements, which are arranged on the circuit board, are spring contacts.
13 . The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the support plate is arranged in contactless manner with the circuit board by the arrangement of the elastic seal, and wherein the support plate is arranged in contact manner with the front housing part.
14 . A motor vehicle with a camera according to claim 1 .

Description

An aspect of the invention relates to a camera for a motor vehicle. The camera comprises an exterior housing. A receiving space of the camera is bounded by this exterior housing or by this housing. A lens module of the camera and a circuit board of the camera are arranged in the receiving space. In particular, the camera also has a longitudinal axis. The longitudinal axis is in particular the longitudinal axis of the lens module. Cameras arranged in a motor vehicle are known in diverse configuration. In this context, it is known that cameras are formed and arranged for environmental capture of the motor vehicle. However, cameras can moreover also be employed for the capture of an interior space of the vehicle and are correspondingly arranged there. In this context, cameras are exposed to very different influences, which they have to withstand. This in particular relates to severe temperature fluctuations and/or severely fluctuating environmental influences. Moreover, cameras are also exposed to mechanical stresses due to the vibrations in moving the vehicle, which they have to permanently withstand. In this context, it is then in particular also a requirement to still be able to be highly functionally operated under these conditions and to allow sufficiently good image captures, which can then be provided to driver assistance systems, and it is evaluated if and optionally how a driver assistance system acts, based on this image information, respectively. In such extremely compactly constructed cameras for a motor vehicle, it is known that an exterior housing is formed of separate housing parts, a housing top part and a housing bottom part. These housing parts are assembled and form a receiving space for further components, in particular a lens module and at least one circuit board, in the interior. Heaters for such cameras, in particular for heating the lens modules, are also known. Thereto, it may for example be made reference to DE 10 2015 111 281 A1 and DE 10 2015 116 926 A1. Similarly, a camera for a motor vehicle with a heater for a lens is for example known from US 2020/0314311 A1. Further, it is provided that the heater itself comprises a ring, which directly abuts on a rear side of a lens to be able to heat it. Strips protrude from this ring, which is arranged in the lens module, which are laid on a housing inner side in axial or stepped manner and connected to electrical contacts on a circuit board. The ring is formed integrally with the strips. In compact cameras in the motor vehicle technology, a sharp image capture is particularly important. Thereby, it is also important that the optical path in the camera, which forms between an image sensor of the camera and at least one lens of the camera, can be kept very clean. In conventional cameras, contaminations in this area can result in functional impairment of the camera. It is the object of the present invention to provide a camera for a motor vehicle as well as a motor vehicle, in which an improved dust and/or contamination protection for a specific volume area is allowed in the receiving space of the housing of the camera. This object is solved by a camera and a motor vehicle according to the independent claims. An aspect of the invention relates to a camera for a motor vehicle. The camera comprises an exterior housing or a housing. A receiving space of the camera is bounded by the housing. A lens module of the camera is arranged in the receiving space at least in certain areas. Moreover, a circuit board of the camera is arranged in the receiving space. The circuit board and the lens module are arranged axially spaced from each other viewed in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the camera. In particular, the longitudinal axis is also the longitudinal axis of the lens module. A clearance or an air space is formed between the circuit board and the lens module by this axially spaced arrangement. An elastic seal of the camera is arranged between the circuit board and the lens module. The clearance is sealed from the remaining volume of the receiving space in the housing by the elastic seal. Therefore, it is provided by the invention that a specific partial volume of the receiving space, which is formed between the rear end of the lens module and the circuit board in axial direction, is specifically protected. By the elastic seal, which is in particular a component of the camera separate from the circuit board and from the lens module, thus, a partition is virtually also formed. Especially this clearance, in which the light is guided from the lens module to an image sensor on the circuit board, is thus bounded by this elastic seal. Thereby, this clearance is thus virtually generated as a partial volume space of the receiving space bounded by the seal. By this configuration, it can be avoided in improved manner that dust or dirt can get into this clearance. Thereby, the optical path between the lens module and the image sensor on the circuit board