Camera module for vehicle vision system

A camera module for a vision system of a vehicle, said camera module comprising:

• a housing and a lens;
• at least one circuit board having circuitry disposed in said housing;
• an imaging array sensor disposed at said at least one circuit board;
• an electrically conductive connector making electrical connection to circuitry at said at least one circuit board and configured to electrically connect to a wire harness of a vehicle when said camera module is disposed at the vehicle;
• an elongated thermally conductive element separate from said electrically conductive connector and having a first portion in thermal conductive contact with at least one heat generating component of said at least one circuit board and a second portion extending from said first portion towards and through said housing, wherein said second portion of said thermally conductive element protrudes from said housing exterior of said camera module;
• wherein said first portion of said thermally conductive element is arranged generally parallel to said at least one circuit board to provide a generally planar contacting surface of said first portion at said at least one heat generating component of said at least one circuit board, and wherein said second portion of said thermally conductive element extends from said first portion in a direction generally normal to said contacting surface;
• and
• a heat sink disposed exterior of said housing, wherein said second portion of said thermally conductive element is at least partially received in said heat sink and is in thermally conductive contact with said heat sink so as to transfer heat from said at least one heat generating component of said at least one circuit board to said heat sink to reduce heat within said camera module, and wherein said heat sink is attached at said housing.

A camera module for a vision system of a vehicle, said camera module comprising:

• a housing comprising a front housing portion and a rear housing portion;
• wherein said rear housing portion comprises a metallic material and has a plurality of metallic tabs at an attaching end of said rear housing portion;
• wherein said front housing portion comprises a plurality of receiving surfaces at an attaching end of said front housing portion;
• a lens disposed at said front housing portion;
• wherein said attaching end of said front housing portion is at least partially received at said attaching end of said rear housing portion and wherein said receiving surfaces generally align with respective ones of said tabs when said attaching end of said front housing portion is at least partially received at said attaching end of said rear housing portion, and wherein said rear housing portion is attached at said front housing portion via bending of said tabs over respective receiving surfaces of said front housing portion;
• at least one circuit board having circuitry disposed in said housing;
• an imaging array sensor disposed at said at least one circuit board;
• an electrically conductive connector making electrical connection to circuitry at said at least one circuit board and configured to electrically connect to a wire harness of a vehicle when said camera module is disposed at the vehicle;
• an elongated thermally conductive element separate from said electrically conductive connector and having a first portion in thermal conductive contact with at least one heat generating component of said at least one circuit board and a second portion extending from said first portion towards and through said rear housing portion, wherein said second portion of said thermally conductive element protrudes from said rear housing portion exterior of said camera module;
• and
• a heat sink disposed exterior of said rear housing portion, wherein said second portion of said thermally conductive element is in thermally conductive contact with said heat sink so as to transfer heat from said at least one heat generating component of said at least one circuit board to said heat sink to reduce heat within said camera module;
• wherein said first portion of said thermally conductive element is arranged generally parallel to said at least one circuit board to provide a generally planar contacting surface of said first portion at said at least one heat generating component of said at least one circuit board, and wherein said second portion of said thermally conductive element extends from said first portion in a direction generally normal to said contacting surface.