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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Abstract: A vehicular camera module includes (i) a lens holder formed of a first material, (ii) a lens barrel accommodating a lens and formed of a second material, (iii) an imager printed circuit board having an imager, and (iv) a processor circuit board having an image processor. The imager printed circuit board is attached at the lens holder with the imager aligned with the lens accommodated in the lens barrel. The processor printed circuit board has circuitry that is electrically connected to circuitry of the imager printed circuit board. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the second material forming the lens barrel is lower than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the first material forming the lens holder. Circuitry of the vehicular camera module includes connecting elements that are configured to electrically connect to a wire harness of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular camera module.

Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a PCB having an imager disposed thereat, a lens barrel accommodating a lens, and a lens barrel support structure that protrudes from the PCB and at least partially circumscribes the imager. The lens barrel has an outer surface between the ends of the lens barrel. The outer surface of the lens barrel is adhesively bonded to an inner surface of the lens barrel support structure via adhesive. The outer surface of the lens barrel opposes the inner surface of the lens barrel support structure. With the adhesive in its uncured state and contacting the opposed surfaces, the imager is aligned with the lens accommodated at the lens barrel. With the imager aligned with the lens, the adhesive is cured to adhesively attach the lens barrel at the lens barrel support structure.

Abstract: A vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly includes a mirror head adjustably attached at a mounting base. The mirror head includes a prismatic mirror reflective element having a wedge-shaped, reflector-coated glass substrate having a front side and a rear side separated by a thickness of the glass substrate, with the thickness of the glass substrate varying between a lower edge region of the glass substrate and an upper edge region of the glass substrate. A driver monitoring camera is accommodated by the mirror head and views through the prismatic mirror reflective element. A refraction-compensating element is disposed between a lens of the driver monitoring camera and the rear side of the glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element. The refraction-compensating element is a wedge-shaped element that offsets refraction of light that passes through the wedge-shaped, reflector coated glass substrate of the prismatic mirror reflective element.

Abstract: A vehicular camera assembly includes a camera housing, a circuit board having an imager and a first electrical connector. A rear portion of the camera housing includes an attachment portion having an aperture, and includes a first electrically conductive element at the aperture. A second electrical connector is attached at the rear portion of the camera housing. The second electrical connector includes (i) a connector portion for connecting to a vehicle wire harness, (ii) a connecting end for connecting to the first electrical connector, and (iii) a second electrically conductive element for electrically connecting to the first electrically conductive element. As the second electrical connector is attached at the rear portion of the camera housing, the first electrically conductive element engages the second electrically conductive element to establish and maintain electrically conductive connection between the first and second electrically conductive elements.

Abstract: A vehicular camera includes an imager printed circuit board and a lens having a plurality of optical elements. The lens is held in optical alignment with an imager at the imager printed circuit board via a dual cure one-part, filled adhesive that in its uncured state has an epoxy resin. The adhesive is both UV-curable and thermal-curable. A flexible electrical ribbon cable electrically connects circuitry of the imager printed circuit board with additional circuitry of the vehicular camera. Image data captured by the imager is provided to the additional circuitry of the vehicular camera via the flexible electrical ribbon cable. The additional circuitry includes at least a processor for processing image data captured by the imager and provided to the additional circuitry via the flexible electrical ribbon cable. The vehicular camera, when installed and used in a vehicle, captures image data for use by a vision system of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method for guiding reversing of a vehicle includes displaying, via a video display screen of the vehicle, and responsive to the vehicle being shifted into reverse gear, video images derived from image data captured by a rear backup camera of the vehicle. Responsive to actuation of an input by the driver of the vehicle, an alignment overlay is generated and electronically superimposed on the displayed video images to assist the driver in reversing the vehicle toward a trailer hitch of a trailer. The alignment overlay extends longitudinally rearward from a central region of the vehicle displayed in the displayed video images. The input is an actuatable input other than the vehicle being shifted into reverse gear. The alignment overlay is adjusted responsive to change in steering angle of the vehicle while the driver is executing the reversing maneuver of the vehicle.