Vehicular camera system

A vehicular camera system, said vehicular camera system comprising:

• a camera module comprising an imager assembly, a main circuit board and a camera housing;
• wherein said camera housing comprises an upper cover and a lower cover, and wherein said upper cover and said lower cover are joined together;
• wherein said imager assembly comprises (i) an imager disposed on an imager circuit board, (ii) a lens barrel and (iii) a lens holder;
• wherein the imager is operable to capture image data;
• wherein said lens barrel comprises cylindrical wall structure having a first end and a second end;
• wherein said lens barrel comprises an annular flange that extends from the cylindrical wall structure outward from a portion of the cylindrical wall structure that is located between the first end and the second end of the cylindrical wall structure of said lens barrel;
• wherein said lens holder comprises a cylindrical passageway that spans between a first side of said lens holder and a second side of sad lens holder;
• wherein a first portion of said lens barrel between the location of the annular flange and the first end of said lens barrel is not disposed within the cylindrical passageway of said lens holder;
• wherein a second portion of said lens barrel between the location of the annular flange and the second end of said lens barrel is disposed within the cylindrical passageway of said lens holder;
• wherein said imager assembly comprises a flexible ribbon cable, said flexible ribbon cable terminating at a terminator portion;
• wherein said terminator portion of said flexible ribbon cable comprises a first electrical connector;
• wherein said main circuit board comprises a multilayered printed circuit board (multilayered PCB) having a first planar side and a second planar side opposite the first planar side and separated from the first planar side by a thickness dimension of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board;
• wherein circuitry disposed at the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board comprises (i) first circuitry disposed at the first planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board and (ii) second circuitry disposed at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board;
• wherein said first circuitry disposed at the first planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board comprises a vehicle connector;
• wherein the second circuitry disposed at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board comprises an image processor;
• wherein said image processor is operable to process image data captured by the imager;
• wherein the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board at its second planar side comprises a second electrical connector, and wherein said second electrical connector at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board is configured for connecting with said first electrical connector at the terminator portion of said flexible ribbon cable;
• wherein, with said imager assembly operated to capture image data and with said first electrical connector at the terminator portion of said flexible ribbon cable connected with said second electrical connector at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board, image data captured by the imager of said imager assembly is provided via said flexible ribbon cable at least to said second circuitry disposed at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board;
• wherein said camera housing comprises a forward portion and a rearward portion;
• wherein said main circuit board is accommodated within said forward and rearward portions;
• wherein the imager is disposed at said rearward portion and is not disposed at said forward portion of said camera housing;
• wherein said camera housing of said camera module has a breadth and a length, and wherein the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board extends across the breadth of said camera housing and along the length of said camera housing;
• wherein the imager circuit board is disposed at said rearward portion of said camera housing and is tilted at an acute angle with respect to said main circuit board;
• wherein said upper cover of said camera housing at said rearward portion of said camera housing comprises an aperture;
• wherein at least a part of the first portion of said lens barrel between the location of the annular flange and the first end of said lens barrel protrudes to exterior of said camera housing through the aperture of said upper cover of said camera module;
• wherein said lens barrel is adhesively bonded to said lens holder;
• wherein said lens holder is attached at said upper cover of said camera housing by at least a first screw fastener;
• wherein said lens holder comprises a first opening;
• wherein said upper cover of said camera housing comprises a first hole that corresponds with the first opening of said lens holder;
• wherein said lens holder is attached at said upper cover of said camera housing by the first screw fastener that passes through the first opening of said lens holder into the first hole of said upper cover;
• wherein the imager circuit board is attached at said lens holder by a plurality of screw fasteners;
• wherein the imager circuit board comprises a plurality of holes;
• wherein said lens holder comprises a plurality of threaded holes;
• and
• wherein each screw fastener of the plurality of screw fasteners extends through a respective hole of the plurality of holes of the imager circuit board to mate with a respective threaded hole of the plurality of threaded holes of said lens holder.

A vehicular camera system, said vehicular camera system comprising:

• a camera module comprising an imager assembly, a main circuit board and a camera housing;
• wherein said camera housing comprises an upper cover and a lower cover, and wherein said upper cover and said lower cover are joined together;
• wherein said imager assembly comprises (i) an imager disposed on an imager circuit board, (ii) a lens barrel and (iii) a lens holder;
• wherein the imager is operable to capture image data;
• wherein said lens barrel comprises cylindrical wall structure having a first end and a second end;
• wherein said lens barrel comprises an annular flange that extends from the cylindrical wall structure outward from a portion of the cylindrical wall structure that is located between the first end and the second end of the cylindrical wall structure of said lens barrel;
• wherein said lens holder comprises a cylindrical passageway that spans between a first side of said lens holder and a second side of sad lens holder;
• wherein a first portion of said lens barrel between the location of the annular flange and the first end of said lens barrel is not disposed within the cylindrical passageway of said lens holder;
• wherein a second portion of said lens barrel between the location of the annular flange and the second end of said lens barrel is disposed within the cylindrical passageway of said lens holder;
• wherein said imager assembly comprises a flexible ribbon cable, said flexible ribbon cable terminating at a terminator portion;
• wherein said terminator portion of said flexible ribbon cable comprises a first electrical connector;
• wherein said main circuit board comprises a multilayered printed circuit board (multilayered PCB) having a first planar side and a second planar side opposite the first planar side and separated from the first planar side by a thickness dimension of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board;
• wherein circuitry disposed at the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board comprises (i) first circuitry disposed at the first planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board and (ii) second circuitry disposed at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board;
• wherein said first circuitry disposed at the first planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board comprises a vehicle connector;
• wherein the second circuitry disposed at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board comprises an image processor;
• wherein said image processor is operable to process image data captured by the imager;
• wherein the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board at its second planar side comprises a second electrical connector, and wherein said second electrical connector at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board is configured for connecting with said first electrical connector at the terminator portion of said flexible ribbon cable;
• wherein, with said imager assembly operated to capture image data and with said first electrical connector at the terminator portion of said flexible ribbon cable connected with said second electrical connector at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board, image data captured by the imager of said imager assembly is provided via said flexible ribbon cable at least to said second circuitry disposed at the second planar side of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board;
• wherein the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board comprises an opening configured to allow said flexible ribbon cable to traverse, via the opening, the thickness dimension of the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board;
• wherein said camera housing comprises a forward portion and a rearward portion;
• wherein said main circuit board is accommodated within said forward and rearward portions;
• wherein the imager is disposed at said rearward portion and is not disposed at said forward portion of said camera housing;
• wherein said camera housing of said camera module has a breadth and a length, and wherein the multilayered PCB of said main circuit board extends across the breadth of said camera housing and along the length of said camera housing;
• wherein said upper cover of said camera housing at said rearward portion of said camera housing comprises an aperture;
• wherein at least a part of the first portion of said lens barrel between the location of the annular flange and the first end of said lens barrel protrudes to exterior of said camera housing through the aperture of said upper cover of said camera module;
• wherein said lens holder is attached at said upper cover of said camera housing by at least one fastener;
• and
• wherein the imager circuit board is attached at said lens holder by at least one fastener.