Patents by Inventor Steven V. Byrne

Steven V. Byrne has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240155214
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a printed circuit board (PCB) and a camera housing having a first housing portion with a lens barrel that accommodates a lens. An imager at the PCB faces the lens. At least one of (i) the PCB is attached at the first housing portion via a thermally conductive adhesive and (ii) the lens barrel is attached at the first housing portion via the thermally conductive adhesive. The PCB is thermally conductively connected to the first housing portion and, while the vehicular camera assembly is electrically operated to capture image data, heat generated within the camera housing is drawn away from the PCB at least in part through the thermally conductive adhesive and the front housing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2023
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Jonathan D. Conger, Rene Dreiocker, Matthew C. Sesti, Gavin E. Skrocki
  • Patent number: 11972597
    Abstract: A vehicular occupant monitoring system includes a camera disposed at an interior rearview mirror of a vehicle. The camera includes an imaging array sensor and a lens. The lens is disposed at the imaging array sensor with a center axis of the lens vertically offset from a center region of the imaging array sensor. A center region of the lens is disposed at and images at a lower region of the imaging array sensor when the camera is disposed at the interior rearview mirror and an upper peripheral region of the lens images at the center region and a lower region of the imaging array sensor when the camera is disposed at the interior rearview mirror. The vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to processing by the image processor of image data captured by the camera, determines presence of an occupant of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Rother, Jonathan D. Conger, Steven V. Byrne, Zhongyao Liu
  • Patent number: 11930264
    Abstract: A vehicular driver monitoring system includes a camera disposed at an interior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular driver monitoring system, an electronic control unit (ECU) with an image processor for processing image data captured by the camera. The camera includes an imaging array sensor and a lens and the camera is adjustable by at least one of (i) adjusting a position of the imaging array sensor relative to the lens and (ii) adjusting a position of the lens relative to the imaging array sensor. The system, responsive to processing at the ECU of image data captured by the camera, monitors a body portion of a driver of the vehicle and adjusts the camera to adjust the position of where the monitored body portion of the driver is imaged at the imaging array sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan D. Conger, Steven V. Byrne
  • Publication number: 20240067106
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing having a first housing portion and a second housing portion joined together to form a cavity within the camera housing. A first electrical connector is disposed at a circuit board and includes a plurality of pin-receiving sockets. The second housing portion has a second electrical connector having a plurality of pins. With the first housing portion joined with the second housing portion, the first ends of the pins are disposed within the cavity and the second ends of the pins are disposed outside of the cavity. When the second housing portion is being joined with the first housing portion, respective first ends of the pins insert into and electrically-conductively connect with respective pin-receiving sockets at the circuit board. With the vehicular camera mounted at a vehicle, the second ends of the pins electrically-conductively connect with a vehicle wire harness of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Clarence P. McElroy, Matthew C. Sesti, Richard Rieden, Steven V. Byrne
  • Publication number: 20240040229
    Abstract: A vehicular camera module includes a front housing member, an imaging array sensor, a lens, a rear housing member, and a circuit board. The rear housing member is mated with the front housing member to form a camera housing. With the circuit board accommodated within the camera housing formed by the mated front and rear housing members, the imaging sensor is closer to a first side of the circuit board than to a second side of the circuit board. The rear housing member includes an electrical plug connector having a plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins that are configured to plug into respective individual pin-receiving sockets of an electrical socket connector disposed at the second side of the circuit board. Individual electrically-conductive pins of the plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins plug into and make electrical-conductive contact with corresponding individual pin-receiving sockets of the plurality of individual pin-receiving sockets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Ben Stickler, Richard Rieden, Matthew C. Sesti, Brian D. Brasier
  • Patent number: 11874593
    Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a lens barrel accommodating at least an outer lens element and an inner lens element. An imager printed circuit board (imager PCB) includes an imager disposed at a side. The lens barrel is disposed at the housing such that the imager is aligned with the inner lens element and the outer lens element, with the inner lens element disposed closer to the imager than the outer lens element. A vacuum exists in a space between the outer lens element and the inner lens element to thermally insulate an outer surface of the outer lens element from an inner surface of the inner lens element. Light passing through the outer lens element, the vacuum, and the inner lens element is imaged by the imager.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Zhongyao Liu, Jonathan D. Conger, Steven V. Byrne, Jeffrey A. White, Kevin T. Smith
  • Patent number: 11872939
    Abstract: A vehicular trailer angle detection system includes a rear camera, a left-side camera, a right-side camera and a control having an image processor. With a trailer hitched at a vehicle, and while the vehicle is driven in a forward direction and towing the trailer, image data is captured by at least one of the cameras. The vehicular trailer angle detection system determines an expected location of the portion of the trailer based on provided vehicle-trailer parameters as the vehicle is driven forward and towing the trailer. The vehicular trailer angle detection system determines an actual location of the portion of the trailer via processing of captured image data as the vehicle is driven forward and towing the trailer. Responsive to an offset between the determined actual location of the portion of the trailer and the determined expected location, the vehicular trailer angle detection system accommodates the offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Yuesheng Lu, Steven V. Byrne, Paul A. VanOphem, James D. Harris
  • Patent number: 11842450
    Abstract: A vehicular backing up assistance system includes a rearview camera at a rear portion of a vehicle, the vehicle being a vehicle family member of a particular family of pickup trucks. The system receives first input data that corresponds to the vehicle configuration of the vehicle. When the vehicle is backing up, the system receives second input data corresponding to steering angle of the vehicle. The system displays a predicted trajectory of the vehicle at the in-cabin display as an overlay overlaying the images captured by the rearview camera being displayed at the in-cabin display. The overlay comprises a pair of guidelines that are spaced apart and that are appropriate to (i) the wheelbase of the vehicle configuration of a plurality of vehicle configurations of the particular family of pickup trucks the rearview camera is mounted at and (ii) a current steering angle of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Joel S. Gibson, Steven V. Byrne, Richard D. Shriner
  • Patent number: 11841545
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a circuit board having an imager disposed at a first side of the circuit board. A lens barrel accommodates a lens assembly having a plurality of lens elements spaced apart along the lens barrel by respective lens spacers. Each lens spacer is formed of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 5 ppm/° C. or less. The circuit board is positioned at a lens holder, and the lens barrel is positioned at a lens holder so as to optically align the lens and the imager. The lens barrel is formed of a material having a CTE that matches within ten percent of the CTE of the material that forms the lens holder, with the CTEs of the lens barrel and lens holder materials being greater than the CTE of the material of the lens spacers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Zhongyao Liu, Steven V. Byrne, Yuesheng Lu
  • Publication number: 20230391277
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes an imager, a housing having front and rear housing members, a lens member, and a circuit board. A female electrical connector assembly is disposed at the circuit board and includes a set of female electrical connectors. The rear housing member includes a male electrical connector having a set of electrically conductive pins. Each electrically conductive pin includes an inward-extending pin portion and an outward-extending pin portion. The outward-extending pin portions pass outward through a wall portion of the rear housing member into a socket connection portion of the rear housing member and the inward-extending pin portions extend inward from an inner surface of the wall portion of the rear housing member and plug into and electrically connect with respective female electrical connectors of the set of female electrical connectors when the rear housing member is mated with the front housing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Inventors: Matthew C. Sesti, Steven V. Byrne
  • Publication number: 20230375849
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a lens barrel accommodating a lens, a housing, and an imager printed circuit board. During assembly of the camera, with the lens barrel received through an alignment element and a first portion of the housing, the lens barrel is adjusted relative to the first portion of the housing and alignment element to initially align the lens relative to the imager. With the lens initially aligned relative to the imager, the alignment element is initially attached to the first portion of the housing and the lens barrel is initially attached to the alignment element to initially retain the lens relative to the imager. With the lens initially retained relative to the imager, the lens barrel is adjusted to further align the lens relative to the imager and the alignment member is secured at the housing and the lens barrel is secured at the alignment member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Inventors: Janie R. Harari, Rene Dreiocker, Steven V. Byrne
  • Patent number: 11807171
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing having a first portion and a second portion joined together to form a cavity within the camera housing. A first electrical connector is disposed at a circuit board and is in electrically-conductive connection with an imager. The first electrical connector includes a plurality of pin-receiving sockets. A second electrical connector includes a plurality of pins, each including a first end and a second end opposite the first end. When the second portion of the camera housing is being joined with the first portion of the camera housing, respective first ends of pins insert into and electrically-conductively connect with respective pin-receiving sockets at the second side of the circuit board. The first electrical connector and the second electrical connector cooperate to allow for misalignment of the second electrical connector relative to the first electrical connector when the first and second portions are being joined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Clarence P. McElroy, Matthew C. Sesti, Richard Rieden, Steven V. Byrne
  • Patent number: 11801795
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing, a lens assembly having a lens, an imager printed circuit board (imager PCB), and a heating device. The imager PCB is disposed at the camera housing and the lens is aligned with an imager disposed at the imager PCB. The heating device is disposed at at least a portion of the lens assembly and includes an electrically connecting portion having electrical contacts at an end thereof, with the electrical contacts disposed at an inner surface of the camera housing. The heating device is electrically connected to circuitry of the vehicular camera via electrical connectors that electrically connect with the electrical contacts of the electrically connecting portion of the heating device at the camera housing as the vehicular camera is assembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Stefan Sauer, Rene Dreiocker, Steven V. Byrne, Jonathan D. Conger
  • Patent number: 11785327
    Abstract: A vehicular camera module includes a front housing member, an imaging sensor, a lens optically aligned with the imaging sensor, a rear housing member, and a circuit board. With the circuit board accommodated within the camera housing formed by the joined front and rear housing members, the imaging sensor is closer to a first side of the circuit board than to a second side of the circuit board. The rear housing member includes an electrical plug connector having a plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins that are configured to plug into respective individual pin-receiving sockets of an electrical socket connector disposed at the second side of the circuit board. Individual electrically-conductive pins of the plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins are plugged into and make electrical-conductive contact with corresponding individual pin-receiving sockets of the plurality of individual pin-receiving sockets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Ben Stickler, Richard Rieden, Matthew C. Sesti, Brian D. Brasier
  • Patent number: 11745657
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a lens assembly and a circuit board having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The circuit board has a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). An imager is disposed at the first side of the circuit board and optically aligned with the lens assembly. A bend-countering element is disposed at the second side of the circuit board. The bend-countering element has a second CTE that is greater than the first CTE of the circuit board. The bend-countering element counters temperature-induced bending of the circuit board. With the camera disposed at the vehicle, temperature-induced bending of the bend-countering element is in an opposite direction from temperature-induced bending of the circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Yuesheng Lu, Steven V. Byrne
  • Patent number: 11731569
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a housing having a front and rear housing portions, and a circuit board having a first side and a second side, with a first electrical connector disposed at the second side. The rear housing portion includes a second electrical connector that, with the front and rear housing portions mated together, electrically connects with the first electrical connector. The second electrical connector includes electrically conductive terminals that extend through the rear housing portion and that each have an inner end portion and an outer end portion. The inner end portions of the electrically conductive terminals of the second electrical connector extend from an inner surface of the rear housing portion and the outer end portions of the electrically conductive terminals of the second electrical connector extend through a wall of the rear housing portion into a socket connection portion of the rear housing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Matthew C. Sesti, Steven V. Byrne
  • Publication number: 20230254562
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a lens comprising a plurality of optical elements, a lens holder, and an imager printed circuit board. The plurality of optical elements includes at least one plastic optical element and at least one glass optical element. The imager printed circuit board has circuitry disposed thereat. The circuitry of the imager printed circuit board includes an imager that has an imaging array. The lens is held in optical alignment with the imaging array of the imager via an adhesive. The adhesive bonds the lens barrel to the lens holder. A flexible electrical ribbon cable electrically connects the circuitry of the imager printed circuit board with additional circuitry of the vehicular camera. The vehicular camera, when installed and used in a vehicle, captures image data for a vision system of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Inventors: Brian J. Winden, Robert A. Devota, Matthew C. Sesti, Joseph A. Stemmer, Steven V. Byrne, John R. Garcia, David F. Olson
  • Patent number: 11722758
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing having a first portion and a second portion joined to the first portion. The first portion of the camera housing accommodates a lens and has an attaching portion having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). A circuit board includes circuitry disposed at a circuit board substrate that has a second CTE that is different from the first CTE. The circuitry includes an imager. The circuit board substrate is attached at the attaching portion of the first portion of the camera housing. When the vehicular camera is operated at an operating temperature greater than 50 degrees C., the attaching portion expands a greater degree than the circuit board substrate. When the vehicular camera is operated at an operating temperature below ?20 degrees C., the attaching portion contracts a greater degree than the circuit board substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Jonathan D. Conger
  • Patent number: 11711886
    Abstract: A vehicular camera module includes a front camera housing portion having an imager, a lens having a plurality of optical elements, and an imager printed circuit board. The imager is disposed at a front side of the imager printed circuit board and the lens is optically aligned with the imager. A rear camera housing portion is mated with the front camera housing portion to form a camera housing. A thermal element is disposed between the imager printed circuit board and the camera housing. The thermal element has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 13 ppm/° C. or less. With the vehicular camera module disposed at a vehicle, circuitry of the vehicular camera module is in electrical connection with a wire harness of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Yuesheng Lu, Rene Dreiocker, Jonathan D. Conger
  • Publication number: 20230232092
    Abstract: A vehicular camera module includes a front housing member, an imaging sensor, a lens optically aligned with the imaging sensor, a rear housing member, and a circuit board. With the circuit board accommodated within the camera housing formed by the joined front and rear housing members, the imaging sensor is closer to a first side of the circuit board than to a second side of the circuit board. The rear housing member includes an electrical plug connector having a plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins that are configured to plug into respective individual pin-receiving sockets of an electrical socket connector disposed at the second side of the circuit board. Individual electrically-conductive pins of the plurality of individual electrically-conductive pins are plugged into and make electrical-conductive contact with corresponding individual pin-receiving sockets of the plurality of individual pin-receiving sockets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Ben Stickler, Richard Rieden, Matthew C. Sesti, Brian D. Brasier