Exterior vehicle camera
AssigneeLang-Mekra North America, LLC
InventorsWerner Lang, Jochen Bauer, Martin Ell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An exterior vehicle camera is disclosed for monitoring an operating area of a vehicle comprising a camera housing with a camera module having a camera electronics, and camera optics carried within the housing. A recording opening is formed in the camera housing facing toward a recording direction. A transparent recording window covers the recording opening, and is disposed adjacent a recording end of the camera optics. The camera housing and the recording window are formed from plastic materials having sufficiently identical thermal characteristics so that formation of condensation is reduced within the housing at the recording window.
Claims22
An exterior vehicle camera for monitoring an operating area of a vehicle which includes a camera module having camera electronics and camera optics disposed within a camera housing, said camera optics having a first end in communication with said camera electronics and a second end extending in a recording direction of the camera, an empty space defined between said camera housing and said camera module, a recording opening formed in said camera housing facing said recording direction, and a transparent recording window covering said recording opening disposed at said second end of said camera optics, wherein said transparent recording window is made of plastic having thermal characteristics similar to the thermal characteristics of said camera housing so that formation of condensation is reduced on said recording window;
- and a molding compound filling said empty space and encapsulating said camera module within an interior of said housing.
A vehicle camera for mounting to the exterior of a vehicle for viewing an area near the vehicle comprising:
- a camera housing;
- camera electronics carried within said housing;
- camera optics carried within said housing having a first end operatively connected with said camera electronics and a second end extending in a recording direction;
- a recording opening formed in said camera housing facing toward said recording direction;
- a transparent recording window covering and enclosing said recording opening, said recording window disposed adjacent said second end of said camera optics;
- said camera housing and said recording window being formed from materials having sufficiently identical thermal characteristics so that formation of condensation is reduced within said housing at said recording window, and
- said transparent recording window includes a recess on an inside which receives said second end of said camera optics with said second end conforming to the shape of said recess.
A method of reducing the formation of condensation in an exterior vehicle camera of the type which includes a camera housing, a camera module carried within said housing having camera electronics and camera optics, said camera optics having a first end operatively connected with said camera electronics and a second end facing toward a recording direction, a void defined between said camera housing and said camera module, a recording opening formed in said camera housing facing toward said recording direction, a transparent recording window covering and enclosing said recording opening, said method comprising:
- forming said cameral housing and said recording window from one of the same plastic material, materials having the same thermal properties, and materials having substantially similar thermal properties.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.