Vehicular camera and lens assembly

A camera sub-assembly for a vehicular camera, the camera sub-assembly comprising:

• a lens barrel, wherein the lens barrel comprises (i) a cylinder having a length and a circular cross section, the cylinder commencing at a first end and terminating at a second end, the cylinder accommodating a plurality of lens optics, and (ii) an annular flange integral with and extending radially outward from the cylinder at a location between the first end and the second end of the cylinder of the lens barrel, the annular flange having an annular attaching surface at a side of the annular flange that is spaced from and faces toward the first end of the cylinder;
• a lens holder comprising (i) a cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure and (ii) an annular attaching surface at an outer end of the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure;
• a printed circuit board having an imaging array disposed thereat, wherein the imaging array comprises a CMOS imaging array;
• wherein the printed circuit board is mechanically attached at the lens holder;
• wherein the first end of the cylinder of the lens barrel is received in the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure of the lens holder so that the annular attaching surface of the annular flange of the lens barrel is juxtaposed with the annular attaching surface at the outer end of the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure of the lens holder with a cured adhesive disposed therebetween, the cured adhesive contacting both of (i) the annular attaching surface at the outer end of the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure of the lens holder and (ii) the annular attaching surface of the annular flange of the lens barrel;
• wherein the cured adhesive comprises an adhesive material that is curable from an uncured state to a partially-cured state via exposure of the adhesive material to ultraviolet light, and wherein the adhesive material is further curable from the partially-cured state to a more-cured state;
• wherein, with the adhesive material in the uncured state and contacting both of (i) the annular attaching surface at the outer end of the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure of the lens holder and (ii) the annular attaching surface of the annular flange of the lens barrel, the plurality of lens optics is alignable with respect to the imaging array of the printed circuit board attached at the lens holder;
• wherein, with the plurality of lens optics aligned with respect to the imaging array, the adhesive material is cured from the uncured state to the partially-cured state via exposure of the adhesive material to ultraviolet light;
• wherein, with the lens barrel and the lens holder joined together by the adhesive material in the partially-cured state, the joined lens barrel and lens holder construction is moved to a further curing station;
• wherein, with the joined lens barrel and lens holder construction at the further curing station, the adhesive material is further cured from the partially-cured state to the more-cured state;
• and
• wherein, with the adhesive material in the more-cured state, the cured adhesive maintains alignment of the plurality of lens optics with respect to the imaging array for use of the camera sub-assembly for the vehicular camera on a vehicle.

A camera sub-assembly for a vehicular camera, the camera sub-assembly comprising:

• a lens barrel, wherein the lens barrel comprises (i) a cylinder having a length and a circular cross section, the cylinder commencing at a first end and terminating at a second end, the cylinder accommodating a plurality of lens optics, and (ii) an annular flange integral with and extending radially outward from the cylinder at a location between the first end and the second end of the cylinder of the lens barrel, the annular flange having an annular attaching surface at a side of the annular flange that is spaced from and faces toward the first end of the cylinder;
• a lens holder comprising (i) a cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure and (ii) an annular attaching surface at an outer end of the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure;
• a printed circuit board having an imaging array disposed thereat;
• wherein the printed circuit board is mechanically attached at the lens holder via a plurality of fasteners;
• wherein the first end of the cylinder of the lens barrel is received in the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure of the lens holder so that the annular attaching surface of the annular flange of the lens barrel is juxtaposed with the annular attaching surface of the lens holder at the outer end of the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure of the lens holder with a cured adhesive disposed therebetween, the cured adhesive contacting both of (i) the annular attaching surface at the outer end of the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure of the lens holder and (ii) the annular attaching surface of the annular flange of the lens barrel;
• wherein the cured adhesive comprises an adhesive material that is curable from an uncured state to a partially-cured state via exposure of the adhesive material to ultraviolet light, and wherein the adhesive material is further curable from the partially-cured state to a more-cured state;
• wherein the adhesive material is cured from the uncured state to the partially-cured state via exposure of the adhesive material to ultraviolet light for a first time period, and wherein the adhesive material is further cured from the partially-cured state to the more-cured state via further curing the adhesive material for a second time period, and wherein the first time period for curing the adhesive material from the uncured state to the partially-cured state is less than ten seconds and wherein the second time period for further curing the adhesive material from the partially-cured state to the more-cured state is greater than ten seconds;
• wherein, with the adhesive material in the uncured state and contacting both of (i) the annular attaching surface at the outer end of the cylindrical lens barrel receiving structure of the lens holder and (ii) the annular attaching surface of the annular flange of the lens barrel, the plurality of lens optics is alignable with respect to the imaging array of the printed circuit board attached at the lens holder;
• wherein, with the plurality of lens optics aligned with respect to the imaging array, the adhesive material is cured from the uncured state to the partially-cured state via exposure of the adhesive material to ultraviolet light;
• wherein, with the lens barrel and the lens holder joined together by the adhesive material in the partially-cured state, the joined lens barrel and lens holder construction is moved to a further curing station;
• wherein, with the joined lens barrel and lens holder construction at the further curing station, the adhesive material is further cured from the partially-cured state to the more-cured state;
• and
• wherein, with the adhesive material in the more-cured state, the cured adhesive maintains alignment of the plurality of lens optics with respect to the imaging array for use of the camera sub-assembly for the vehicular camera on a vehicle.