Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a front camera housing and a lens assembly having cylindrical barrel portion that is at least partially received at the front camera housing. An adhesive is disposed in an uncured state at the front camera housing and/or at the printed circuit board and laterally outboard of the imager. With the adhesive in the uncured state, an air gap exists between the inner surface of the lens and the imager. The adhesive is initially cured from the uncured state to an initially-cured state in an initial radiation curing process that comprises exposure to UV light for a first time period. With the adhesive in the initially-cured state, the front camera housing, with the printed circuit board adhesively attached thereto, is further cured to a further more cured state in a secondary curing process undertaken for a longer time period than the first time period.

Abstract: A camera module for a vehicular vision system includes a lens barrel accommodating a lens, a front camera housing portion having an imager PCB disposed therein, and a rear camera housing portion mated with the front camera housing. The imager PCB is disposed at the front camera housing portion with the imager optically aligned with an optical axis of the optical elements of the lens barrel. A thermal element (i) is disposed between the imager PCB and the front camera housing portion and has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) element of 13 ppm/° C. or less and/or (ii) has its temperature controlled via a thermoelectric device of the camera module. With the camera module disposed at the vehicle, circuitry of the camera module is in electrical connection with a wire harness of the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicular display system includes a rearward viewing camera disposed at a vehicle and a controller that includes a processor for processing image data captured by the rearward viewing camera. A display device is disposed in the vehicle for viewing by a driver of the vehicle. Image data captured by the rearward viewing camera is processed at the controller, which generates an output representative of an image having three image panes including a central image pane derived from a central subset of captured image data and two side image panes derived from respective side subsets of captured image data. Each of the side image panes are shaped and arranged with respect to the central image pane to have non-parallel upper edges and non-parallel lower edges. The display device, responsive to the output generated by the processing system, displays the image for viewing by the driver of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method for assembling an imager assembly for a vehicular camera includes providing a lens barrel that accommodates a lens, providing a lens holder, and providing a PCB with an imager disposed thereat. A cylindrical portion of the lens barrel is disposed in a cylindrical passageway of the lens holder and the PCB is disposed at the lens holder. An adhesive is dispensed to hold the lens optically aligned with the imager. After the lens is optically aligned with the imager, the adhesive is initially cured to an initially-cured state in an initial curing process for an initial-cure time period. The adhesive is further cured to a further-cured state in a secondary curing process for a longer further-cure time period. As further cured, the further-cured adhesive maintains optical alignment of the lens with the imager for use of the imager assembly in a vehicular camera in a vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a housing having a front housing and a rear housing, and a circuit board having an imaging element disposed at a first side and a first electrical connector disposed at a second side. The rear housing includes a second electrical connector that, with the rear housing mated with the front housing, electrically connects with the first electrical connector. The second electrical connector includes electrically conductive terminals that extend through the rear housing and that each have an inner end portion and an outer end portion that is physically and electrically contiguous with the inner 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 and the outer end portions of the electrically conductive terminals of the second electrical connector extend into a socket connection portion of the rear housing.

Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a metallic front housing member having a circuit board attachment portion, a lens barrel extending outward from the circuit board attachment portion and accommodating at least one lens, and a circuit board having an imager disposed at a first side and a circuit board connector disposed at a second side. With the circuit board attached at the circuit board attachment portion, the at least one lens is aligned with the imager and the lens barrel is retained relative to the metallic front housing member via cured UV curable adhesive. A metallic rear housing member is attached to the metallic front housing member and the circuit board is accommodated in a cavity formed by the attached metallic front and metallic rear housing members. An electrical connector is electrically connected to the circuit board connector and is configured for electrically connecting to an electrical cable of a vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicular camera module includes a metal front housing, a printed circuit board housed by the metal front housing, a lens holder disposed at the metal front housing with the lens aligned with an imager at the printed circuit board, a metal rear housing joined with the metal front housing, and a coaxial connecting element. With the metal rear housing joined with the metal front housing, an inward-extending portion of the coaxial connecting element extends inward of the metal rear housing towards the metal front housing and electrically connects with circuitry at the printed circuit board. With the metal rear housing joined with the metal front housing, a plurality of spring tabs make, via spring contact, an electrical connection between the circuitry at the printed circuit board and the metal rear housing. An outward-extending portion of the coaxial connecting element is configured for coaxial electrical connection to a vehicle connector.

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 assembly includes a front housing portion accommodating a lens, a circuit board having a connecting element, and an electrical connector. The rear housing portion includes a rear attachment portion that has an aperture therethrough. The electrical connector electrically connects a wire harness of the vehicle to the connecting element of the circuit board. The electrical connector includes an electrically conductive element that is electrically conductively connected to a coaxial or shielded wire connecting element of the electrical connector. The rear housing portion includes an electrically conductive element that protrudes through the aperture. As the electrical connector is attached at the rear attachment portion, the electrically conductive element of the rear housing portion engages the electrically conductive element of the electrical connector to establish and maintain electrically conductive connection between the electrically conductive elements.

Abstract: A camera sub-assembly for a vehicular camera includes a lens barrel having a cylinder accommodating a plurality of lens optics, and an annular flange extending radially outward from the cylinder. The cylinder is received in a receiving structure of a lens holder so that an annular attaching surface of the lens barrel is juxtaposed with an annular attaching surface of the receiving structure with a cured adhesive disposed between and contacting both of the annular attaching surfaces. The cured adhesive includes an adhesive material. With the lens optics aligned with respect to an imaging array of a printed circuit board attached at the lens holder, the adhesive material is cured to a partially-cured state via exposure of the adhesive material to ultraviolet light. With the joined lens barrel and lens holder construction at a further curing station, the adhesive material is further cured from the partially-cured state to a more-cured state.

Abstract: A vehicular camera is configured to be disposed at a vehicle. The camera includes a circuit board and a lens holder having a lens barrel accommodating a lens. The circuit board has circuitry disposed at a circuit board substrate. The circuitry includes an imager disposed at a first side of the circuit board substrate. The circuit board substrate has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that is different from the CTE of the lens holder. The circuit board substrate is attached at the structure of the lens holder via a fastener that passes through an oversized hole in the circuit board substrate, with a cross dimension of the oversized hole being greater than a corresponding cross dimension of the fastener. The vehicular camera, via movement of the fastener within the oversized hole, allows for temperature-induced expansion or contraction of the lens holder relative to the circuit board substrate.

Abstract: A vehicular control system includes a rear backup camera viewing at least rearward of the vehicle. With a trailer hitched to the vehicle, and based at least in part on image processing of captured image data during a backing-up maneuver, the image processor determines a distance between an axle of the trailer and the hitch of the vehicle and determines a trailer angle of the trailer hitched to the vehicle. During the backing-up maneuver of the trailer hitched to the vehicle, the vehicular control system determines a path of the trailer responsive to (i) a steering angle of the vehicle, (ii) the determined trailer angle of the trailer and (iii) the determined distance between the axle of the trailer and the hitch of the vehicle. The vehicular control system displays information to assist the driver in backing up the trailer hitched to the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of calibrating a multi-camera vision system includes moving a vehicle along a vehicle assembly line having targets at respective side regions, with each target including a longitudinal line and a plurality of tick marks that extend laterally from the longitudinal line. As the vehicle moves along the vehicle assembly line it is equipped with a plurality of cameras and an image processor. As the vehicle moves along the vehicle assembly line, the target at a respective side region of the vehicle assembly line is present within the fields of view of front, side and rear cameras. Image data is captured by the cameras and processed to detect the targets and to determine misalignment of at least one of the cameras. The vehicular multi-camera vision system is calibrated by adjusting processing by the image processor of image data captured by the at least one misaligned camera.

Abstract: A camera for a vehicular vision system includes 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 a lens assembly is optically aligned with the imager. A bend-countering element is disposed at the first side or the second side of the circuit board. The bend-countering element has a second CTE that is different from 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 display system includes a camera configured to be positioned on a vehicle and a processing system for processing image data captured by the camera. The image data is representative of a scene viewed by the camera. The processing system generates an output representative of an image having three image panes including a central image pane derived from a first subset of captured image data and two side image panes derived from second and third subsets of captured image data. Each of the side image panes are shaped and arranged with respect to the central image pane to have non-parallel upper edges and non-parallel lower edges. A display device, responsive to the output generated by the processing system, displays the image for viewing by a driver of the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion mated together to form a cavity within the housing. A circuit board is attached at the front housing portion and has at least one front electrical connector in electrical connection with an imager. The rear housing portion has at least one rear electrical connector. With the rear housing portion mated with the front housing portion, the rear electrical connector electrically connects with the front electrical connector. The rear housing portion has a connector portion that is configured to electrically connect the rear electrical connector to a vehicle wire harness. The front electrical connector and the rear electrical connector cooperate to allow for misalignment of the electrical connectors in a direction parallel to the rear side of the circuit board when the rear housing portion is mated with the front housing portion.

Abstract: A method for assembling a vehicular camera includes providing a housing a circuit element. A first housing portion includes a lens holder and a second housing portion includes a connector portion configured for connecting to wiring of a vehicle. A plurality of electrical connector elements are disposed at the connector portion of the second housing portion, each having (i) a first end portion configured for electrically connecting to circuitry of the circuit element and (ii) a second end portion configured for electrically connecting to the vehicle wiring. The first end portions have a thickness that is less than a thickness of the second end portions. When mating the first and second housing portions, the first end portions engage with the circuitry of the circuit element and the electrical connector elements flex as the first end portions engage the circuitry and make electrical connection with the circuitry.

Abstract: A method of assembling a vehicular camera includes providing a metallic front housing member, a metallic rear housing member, a lens assembly and a circuit board. The front housing member has a lens receiving portion and a circuit board attachment portion. An imager is disposed on a first side of the circuit board and a connector is disposed on a second side of the circuit board. With the circuit board attached at the front housing member and with the lens assembly disposed at a lens receiving portion of the front housing member, images are focused at an imaging plane of the imager by adjusting the lens assembly relative to the imager. With the images focused at the imaging plane of the imager, the lens assembly is retained relative to the front housing member via an ultra-violet (UV) curable adhesive. The front housing member and the rear housing member are attached.

Abstract: A vehicular camera for a vehicular vision system 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 that extends 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 radially opposes the inner surface of the lens barrel support structure where the adhesive is disposed. With the adhesive in its uncured state and contacting the opposed surfaces, the imager is optically aligned with the lens accommodated at the lens barrel. With the imager optically aligned with the lens, the adhesive is cured to adhesively attach the lens barrel at the lens barrel support structure.

Abstract: A method of assembling a vehicular camera module includes providing a metal front housing having (i) a front portion, (ii) a rear portion opposite the front portion and (iii) a plurality of side walls extending between the front portion and the rear portion. A printed circuit board is disposed in a cavity of the metal front housing, and a lens holder is attached at the front portion of the metal front housing so that the lens is optically aligned with an imager of the printed circuit board. A metal rear housing has a connector portion having a coaxial connecting element. With the metal rear housing joined with the rear portion of the metal front housing, an inner portion of the coaxial connecting element extends inward into the cavity of the metal front housing and an outer portion of the coaxial connecting element extends outward from the metal rear housing.