Patent ID: 9338334
Filing Date: 2016-05-10
CPC Classification: B60R,G02B,H01L,H04N,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A vehicular camera suitable for use on a vehicle, said vehicular camera comprising: a lens assembly comprising a lens barrel and an attaching portion, said lens barrel including lens optics comprising a plurality of optical elements; a front camera housing having an imager disposed thereat; said front camera housing comprising a cylindrical opening; wherein said lens barrel is partially received in said cylindrical opening of said front camera housing; a printed circuit board attached at said front camera housing; wherein said imager is disposed on said printed circuit board; wherein, with an adhesive disposed in its uncured state between said attaching portion of said lens assembly and said front camera housing, said lens assembly is adjusted relative to said front camera housing to achieve optical center-alignment and focusing of said lens optics relative to said imager; wherein optical center-alignment and focusing of said lens optics relative to said imager is achieved via a multi-axis positioning device; wherein the adhesive is initially curable from its uncured state to an initially-cured state in an initial radiation curing process that comprises exposure to UV light for a first time period, and wherein the adhesive is further curable from the initially-cured state to a further more cured state in a secondary curing process undertaken for a second time period; wherein said second time period is longer than said first time period; wherein the adhesive is initially cured from its uncured state to the initially-cured state via the initial radiation curing process after said lens optics is brought into focus with said imager and is optically center-aligned therewith; wherein the adhesive, as cured to the initially-cured state via the initial radiation curing process, (i) attaches said lens assembly to said front camera housing and (ii) holds said lens optics optically center-aligned and in focus with said imager; wherein, after the initial radiation curing process is completed, said lens assembly, adhesively attached to said front camera housing, is moved to the secondary curing process to further cure the adhesive to the further more cured state; and wherein, when more cured via the secondary curing process, the adhesive, in the further more cured state, maintains focus and optical center-alignment of said lens optics with said imager for use of said vehicular camera on a vehicle.