Vehicular camera with adhesively bonded construction

A method for assembling an imager assembly for a vehicular camera, the method comprising:

• providing a lens barrel that accommodates a lens, the lens comprising a plurality of optical elements disposed in a cylindrical portion of the lens barrel;
• providing a lens holder, the lens holder including a cylindrical passageway;
• disposing at least a portion of the cylindrical portion of the lens barrel in the cylindrical passageway of the lens holder;
• providing a printed circuit board with an imager disposed thereat, wherein a flexible electrical ribbon cable has one end electrically connecting with the printed circuit board;
• attaching the lens barrel at the lens holder;
• dispensing an adhesive (i) at an attaching surface of the lens holder or (ii) at an attaching surface of the printed circuit board, wherein the adhesive, in its uncured state, comprises a one-part, filled adhesive;
• with the lens barrel attached at the lens holder, positioning the printed circuit board at the lens holder with the adhesive, in its uncured state, disposed between and contacting the attaching surface of the lens holder and the attaching surface of the printed circuit board;
• with the lens barrel attached at the lens holder and with the adhesive, in its uncured state, disposed between and contacting the attaching surface of the lens holder and the attaching surface of the printed circuit board, optically aligning the lens relative to the imager;
• after the lens is optically aligned with the imager, adhesively attaching the printed circuit board at the lens holder by initially curing the adhesive in an initial radiation curing process for an initial-cure time period of less than 10 seconds;
• wherein the initially-cured adhesive, as cured via the initial radiation curing process, holds the lens optically aligned with the imager;
• further curing the initially-cured adhesive via a secondary curing process, wherein further curing the initially-cured adhesive comprises further curing the initially-cured adhesive for a further-cure time period that is longer than the initial-cure time period;
• and
• wherein, as further cured via the secondary curing process, the further-cured adhesive maintains optical alignment of the lens with the imager for use of the imager assembly in a vehicular camera in a vehicle.

A method for assembling an imager assembly for a vehicular camera, the method comprising:

• providing a lens barrel that accommodates a lens, the lens comprising a plurality of optical elements disposed in a cylindrical portion of the lens barrel, the lens barrel including a flange that protrudes radially outward from the cylindrical portion of the lens barrel, the flange comprising an attaching surface;
• providing a lens holder, the lens holder comprising a pair of attaching flanges and an attaching surface that circumscribes a cylindrical passageway;
• providing a printed circuit board with an imager disposed thereat, wherein a flexible electrical ribbon cable has one end electrically connecting with the printed circuit board and another end terminating at an electrical connector;
• attaching the printed circuit board at the lens holder via at least two screw fasteners;
• dispensing an adhesive (i) at the attaching surface of the lens barrel or (ii) at the attaching surface of the lens holder, wherein the adhesive, in its uncured state, comprises a one-part, filled adhesive;
• with the printed circuit board attached at the lens holder, disposing at least a portion of the cylindrical portion of the lens barrel in the cylindrical passageway of the lens holder and positioning the attaching surface of the flange of the lens barrel at the attaching surface of the lens holder, with the adhesive, in its uncured state, disposed between and contacting the attaching surface of the flange of the lens barrel and the attaching surface of the lens holder;
• with the printed circuit board attached at the lens holder and with the adhesive, in its uncured state, disposed between and contacting the attaching surface of the flange of the lens barrel and the attaching surface of the lens holder, optically aligning the lens relative to the imager;
• after the lens is optically aligned with the imager, adhesively attaching the lens barrel at the lens holder by initially curing the adhesive in an initial radiation curing process for an initial-cure time period of less than 10 seconds;
• wherein the initially-cured adhesive, as cured via the initial radiation curing process, holds the lens optically aligned with the imager;
• further curing the initially-cured adhesive via a secondary curing process, wherein further curing the initially-cured adhesive comprises further curing the initially-cured adhesive for a further-cure time period that is longer than the initial-cure time period;
• and
• wherein, as further cured via the secondary curing process, the further-cured adhesive maintains optical alignment of the lens with the imager for use of the imager assembly in a vehicular camera in a vehicle.