Patent Description:
A conventional camera unit used by being mounted on a vehicle is fastened by screwing to be fixed to a bracket attached to a vehicle body (for example, Patent Literature <NUM>). Further, packing is put between the camera unit and the bracket in order to prevent water from entering a vehicle, depending on the model of vehicle or the model of camera unit.

<CIT> discloses a camera for a car, and more particularly, a camera for a car with increased productivity by combining each component according to an ultrasonic fusion. There is provided a camera for a car including upper and lower housings having a lens assembly received therein and a harness coupled with the lower housing, the camera including: a rib provided at a corner of any one of the upper and lower housings, wherein a high frequency fusion is performed on an adhering portion of the upper and lower housings and between the lower housing and a harness.

In the case of the conventional camera unit described above, there is a need to provide a space for a screw hollow and to perform attachment with a screw for packing. It is desirable that no space for a screw hollow be provided to increase a degree of freedom in design, fastening with a screw for packing not be performed to facilitate the operation (to improve the productivity), and production costs be reduced.

In view of the circumstances described above, it is an object of the present technology to provide a sensor module and a method for producing the sensor module, the sensor module making it possible to improve a degree of freedom in design, to facilitate the operation, and to reduce costs by reducing the number of components.

In order to achieve the object described above, a sensor module and a method for producing a sensor module are presented according to the present invention as defined in the claims.

In the sensor module, the second casing is welded to the first casing and the bracket. This results in there being no need to provide a space for a screw hollow and to perform attachment with a screw for packing. This makes it possible to improve a degree of freedom in design, to facilitate the operation, and to reduce costs by reducing the number of components.

The first casing and the bracket may be made of a resin material that has absorptive properties with respect to laser light of a specified wavelength, and the second casing may be made of a resin material that has transmissive properties with respect to the laser light.

The first casing and the bracket may be made of a resin material that has transmissive properties with respect to laser light of a specified wavelength, and the second casing may be made of a resin material that has absorptive properties with respect to the laser light.

The sensor element may be a solid-state imaging device.

The sensor element may be a ranging sensor.

A method for producing a sensor module according to the invention is defined in claim <NUM>.

Embodiments according to the present technology will now be described below with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a side view of a sensor module according to an embodiment of the present technology. A sensor module <NUM> of the present embodiment is a camera module used by being mounted on a vehicle.

In the following description, a right-and-left direction, a front-rear direction (an optical-axis direction), and a height direction of the sensor module <NUM> are respectively set to be a Z direction, a Y direction, and an X direction. Of course, such a setting of the direction is not limitative.

The sensor module <NUM> includes a camera unit <NUM> and a bracket <NUM>. For example, the camera unit <NUM> is arranged outside of a vehicle body (an attachment target) (not illustrated), and internally includes an image-capturing component that captures an image of a region situated ahead of a vehicle, an image of a region situated behind the vehicle, or a region on a lateral side of the vehicle depending on an attachment position. For example, a camera attached to a front portion (for example, a radiator grill) of a vehicle body captures an image of an environment ahead of the vehicle. Further, the camera attached to a rear portion (for example, above a license plate) of the vehicle body captures an image of an environment behind the vehicle. Furthermore, the camera attached to a side portion of the vehicle (for example, an upper portion of a pillar (an A-pillar, a B-pillar, or a pillar (a C-pillar, a D-pillar) situated in the rear of the vehicle, or a sideview mirror) captures an image of an environment in a lateral direction of the vehicle.

The bracket <NUM> is a fixation member used to fix the camera unit <NUM> to a vehicle body. The bracket <NUM> includes a support surface <NUM> that supports the camera unit <NUM>. As will be described later, the camera unit <NUM> is joined to the support surface <NUM> of the bracket <NUM> using laser welding.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view of the camera unit <NUM>, (A) and (B) of <FIG> are overall perspective views of the camera unit <NUM>, <FIG> is a cross-sectional side view of the camera unit <NUM>, and <FIG> is a cross-sectional side view of a primary portion of the camera unit <NUM>.

The camera unit <NUM> includes a front case (a first casing) <NUM>, an O-ring <NUM>, an image-capturing component <NUM>, and a rear case <NUM> (a second casing) in this order in a positive Y-axis direction.

The image-capturing component <NUM> includes a lens assembly <NUM>, a shield case <NUM> used for electromagnetic shielding, a dustproof sheet <NUM>, a board unit <NUM>, a heat dissipating sheet <NUM>, and a spacer cushion <NUM> in this order in the positive Y-axis direction. The board unit <NUM> includes a front board <NUM>, a spacer board <NUM>, and a rear board <NUM> in this order in the positive Y-axis direction.

The front case <NUM> includes a front surface portion <NUM> that is formed substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction (the Y direction), and a lateral surface portion <NUM> that extends toward the rear case <NUM> from a peripheral edge of the front surface portion <NUM>. The front case <NUM> accommodates therein the image-capturing component <NUM>.

In the present embodiment, the front surface portion <NUM> is substantially rectangular as viewed from the Y direction. The front case <NUM> is hollow, and includes a space portion that is a region surrounded by the front surface portion <NUM> and the lateral surface portion <NUM>. At an end of the lateral surface portion <NUM> that is situated on the side of the rear case <NUM>, the front case <NUM> includes a rectangular opening end <NUM> in a Z-X plane. The opening end <NUM> and the front surface portion <NUM> may be formed into any shape, such as a circle or a triangle, in the Z-X plane.

The rear case <NUM> is fixed between the front case <NUM> and the bracket <NUM>. The rear case <NUM> is a shield case used for electromagnetic shielding, and includes a rear surface portion <NUM> that is arranged substantially orthogonal to the front-rear direction (the Y direction), and a lateral surface portion <NUM> that extends toward the front case <NUM> from a peripheral edge of the rear surface portion <NUM>. The rear case <NUM> has a shape similar to a shape of the front surface portion <NUM>, and, in the present embodiment, the rear surface portion <NUM> is substantially rectangular as viewed from the Y direction. A peripheral edge <NUM> of the rear case <NUM> is formed to have a larger area than the opening end <NUM> such that the peripheral edge <NUM> extends outward on the side of an outer periphery of the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM> (refer to (B) of <FIG>). The rear case <NUM> is hollow, and includes a space portion that is a region surrounded by the rear surface portion <NUM> and the lateral surface portion <NUM>.

The front case <NUM> and the rear case <NUM> are typically connected to each other using laser welding, which will be described in detail later. This results in forming an internal space that includes the space portion of the front case <NUM> and the space portion of the rear case <NUM>. The image-capturing component <NUM> is arranged in the internal space.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a through-hole <NUM> is formed in a middle portion of the front surface portion <NUM> of the front case <NUM>, and a lens portion <NUM> of the lens assembly <NUM> is inserted into the through-hole <NUM> to assemble the lens assembly <NUM> to the front case <NUM>. The image-capturing component <NUM> is arranged such that an optical axis O for image-capturing passes through substantially the center of the lens assembly <NUM>.

The front board <NUM> and the rear board <NUM> are electrically connected to each other using a B-to-B connection (a connection using a connector) or a flexible connection. Upon making this connection, the spacer board <NUM> is arranged between the front board <NUM> and the rear board <NUM> by, for example, a snap-fit or bonding. A solid-state imaging device <NUM> such as a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor or a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor is mounted on the front board <NUM> as a sensor element. The solid-state imaging device <NUM> captures an image of subject light through the lens assembly <NUM>. Peripheral circuits such as a drive circuit that drives the solid-state imaging device <NUM>, and a signal processing circuit that processes an output signal from the solid-state imaging device <NUM> are mounted on each of the front board <NUM> and the rear board <NUM>.

A connector <NUM> is provided to the rear surface portion <NUM> of the rear case <NUM>. For example, the connector <NUM> is electrically connected to the board unit <NUM> through a flexible printed circuit (FPC) <NUM>. This results in supplying power from a vehicle body to the image-capturing component <NUM>, or in outputting an image signal from the image-capturing component <NUM> to the vehicle body.

The O-ring <NUM> is arranged inside the front case <NUM> all around an inner peripheral surface of the front case <NUM>. The O-ring <NUM> serves to form a seal between the front case <NUM> and the image-capturing component <NUM> (the lens assembly <NUM>). This prevents, for example, raindrops from entering the casing through the through-hole <NUM> of the front case <NUM>. Any elastic material such as rubber or plastic may be used as a material of the O-ring <NUM>.

In the present embodiment, the rear case <NUM> is joined to the front case <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> using laser welding. In order to weld the rear case <NUM> to the front case <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> using laser welding, the front case <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> are made of a resin material that has absorptive properties with respect to laser light of a specified wavelength. Further, the rear case <NUM> is made of a resin material that has transmissive properties with respect to the laser light.

For example, a general-purpose resin such as an acrylonitrile-styrene (AS) resin or an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin, a polycarbonate (PC) resin, a mixture resin of ABS and PC, a polyamide (PA) resin, or a polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resin is used as a resin material that has absorptive properties or transmissive properties with respect to laser light.

The absorptive properties or the transmissive properties with respect to laser light can be adjusted by, for example, an amount of a laser-absorptive material that is mixed with a resin. For example, carbon black can be used as the laser-absorptive material. The adjustment of an amount of the laser-absorptive material added makes it possible to adjust the laser-light absorptance (or the laser-light transmittance) discretionarily. Note that it is favorable that the same type of matrix resin be used for a resin material having absorptive properties with respect to laser light and a resin material having transmissive properties with respect to the laser light. This results in increasing an affinity between resins situated at a joining portion and in enhancing the weld strength. Further, a change in a thickness of a resin makes it possible to adjust the transmittance. When the thickness of a resin is made larger (when a resin is made thicker), this makes it possible to further decrease the transmittance of the resin. Further, when the thickness of a resin is made smaller (when a resin is made thinner), this makes it possible to further increase the transmittance of the resin.

In the present embodiment, for example, red laser light or infrared laser light of a wavelength of from <NUM> to <NUM> is used as laser light used for welding. With respect to a resin material having transmissive properties with respect to laser light, the transmittance of the resin material with respect to the laser light is greater than or equal to <NUM>%, and favorably greater than or equal to <NUM>%.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the rear case <NUM> includes a first surface S1 that faces the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM>, and a second surface S2 that faces the support surface <NUM> of the bracket <NUM>. The support surface <NUM> is formed into a rectangularly annular, planar shape that faces a portion, in the peripheral edge of the rear case <NUM>, that corresponds to the second surface S2 (refer to <FIG>).

The first surface S1 of the rear case <NUM> includes a protrusion <NUM> that is closely fitted into the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM>. The first surface S1 further includes a first welding portion W1 that is welded to the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM>. The first welding portion W1 is a melt-and-mixture portion of a resin material of the front case <NUM> and a resin material of the rear case <NUM> (indicated by a black circle on the first surface S1 in <FIG>). The first welding portion W1 is annularly provided along the entirety of a portion, in the peripheral edge <NUM> of the rear case <NUM>, that corresponds to the first surface S1 and faces the opening end <NUM>.

The second surface S2 of the rear case <NUM> corresponds to the rear surface portion <NUM> of the rear case <NUM>. The second surface S2 includes a second welding portion W2 that is welded to the support surface <NUM> of the bracket <NUM>. The second welding portion W2 is a melt-and-mixture portion of a resin material of the bracket <NUM> and a resin material of the rear case <NUM> (indicated by a black circle on the second surface S2 in <FIG>). As illustrated in (A) of <FIG> and <FIG>, the second welding portion W2 is formed on a protrusion <NUM> (a first convex surface portion) that protrudes toward the support surface <NUM> of the bracket <NUM> from the second surface S2 of the rear case <NUM>. The protrusion <NUM> is rectangularly annularly formed along the periphery (the peripheral edge <NUM>) of the rear case <NUM>, and a protrusion end surface of the protrusion <NUM> is a planar surface parallel to the support surface <NUM>. The second welding portion W2 is annularly formed on the protrusion <NUM> by the protrusion <NUM> being welded to the support surface <NUM> using laser welding.

<FIG> is a schematic plan view of the camera unit <NUM> that illustrates a relationship between the first welding portion W1 and the second welding portion W2. In the Z-X plane, the first welding portion W1 and the second welding portion W2 are rectangularly annularly formed, with an optical axis of the camera unit <NUM> passing through the centers of the first welding portion W1 and the second welding portion W2, as illustrated in the figure. The first welding portion W1 and the second welding portion W2 are not formed in the same location as viewed from a direction of the optical axis, and the second welding portion W2 is formed on the side of an outer periphery of the first welding portion W1. Since the first welding portion W1 and the second welding portion W2 are each annually continuously formed, sealing properties of the joining portion between the front case <NUM> and the rear case <NUM> and of the joining portion between the rear case <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> are improved, and this results in ensuring waterproof properties and dustproof properties.

Next, a method for producing the sensor module <NUM> having the configuration described above is described.

A method for producing a sensor module according to the present embodiment includes accommodating the camera unit <NUM> including a sensor element (the solid-state imaging device <NUM>) in the front case <NUM>, joining the first surface S1 of the rear case <NUM> to the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM> using laser welding, and joining the bracket <NUM> to the second surface S2 of the rear case <NUM> using laser welding.

(A) and (B) of <FIG> are schematic process diagrams used to describe the method for producing the sensor module <NUM>.

First, as illustrated in <FIG>, the image-capturing component <NUM> obtained by sequentially assembling the shield case <NUM>, the dustproof sheet <NUM>, the board unit <NUM>, the heat dissipating sheet <NUM>, and the spacer cushion <NUM> to the lens assembly <NUM> in a Y-axis direction is accommodated in the front case <NUM> through the seal ring <NUM>. Then, as illustrated in (A) of <FIG>, the front case <NUM> and the rear case <NUM> are assembled to each other in the Y-axis direction such that the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM> and the first surface S1 of the rear case <NUM> face each other.

Thereafter, laser light L used for welding is irradiated onto the second surface S2 of the rear case <NUM> in a state in which the rear case <NUM> is pressed against the front case <NUM> under a specified load, as illustrated in (B) of <FIG>. An irradiation direction is a direction of an arrow of the laser light L in (A) of <FIG>. Here, the laser light L is transmitted through a resin layer of the rear case <NUM> to be irradiated onto a portion, in the front case <NUM>, that corresponds to the opening end <NUM>, and is rectangularly annularly scanned over the second surface S2 of the rear case <NUM> along the opening end <NUM>. The laser light L may be pulsed light or continuous light.

In the present embodiment, the front case <NUM> is made of a resin material that has absorptive properties with respect to the laser light L, and the rear case <NUM> is made of a resin material that has transmissive properties with respect to the laser light L. Thus, the laser light L is transmitted through the rear case <NUM> to be irradiated onto the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM>. A region, in the opening end <NUM>, that is irradiated with the laser light L generates heat due to absorption of the laser light L to be partially melted. On the other hand, the first surface S1 being included in the rear case <NUM> and facing the opening end <NUM> is also partially melted due to heat transfer from a melted portion of the opening end <NUM>. Thereafter, the melted portion of the front case <NUM> and a melted portion of the rear case <NUM> are cooled to be solidified, and the first welding portion W1 welded to the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM> is formed on the first surface S1 of the rear case <NUM>. This results in producing the camera unit <NUM> obtained by the front case <NUM> and the rear case <NUM> being integrally joined to each other.

Next, as illustrated in (B) of <FIG>, the camera unit <NUM> is turned upside down, and the camera unit <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> are assembled to each other in the Y-axis direction such that the second surface S2 of the rear case <NUM> faces the support surface <NUM> of the bracket <NUM>. Thereafter, the laser light L used for welding is irradiated onto the first surface S1 of the rear case <NUM> of the camera unit <NUM> in a state in which the rear case <NUM> is pressed against the bracket <NUM> under a specified load. An irradiation direction is a direction of an arrow of the laser light L in (B) of <FIG>. Here, the laser light L is transmitted through the resin layer of the rear case <NUM> to be irradiated onto a portion, in the rear case <NUM>, that corresponds to the protrusion <NUM> (refer to (A) of <FIG> and <FIG>), and is rectangularly annularly scanned over the first surface S1 of the rear case <NUM> along the protrusion <NUM>. The laser light L may be pulsed light or continuous light.

In the present embodiment, the bracket <NUM> is made of a resin material that has absorptive properties with respect to the laser light L, as in the case of the front case <NUM>. Thus, the laser light L is transmitted through the rear case <NUM> to be irradiated onto the support surface <NUM> of the bracket <NUM>. A region, in the support surface <NUM>, that is irradiated with the laser light L generates heat due to absorption of the laser light L to be partially melted. On the other hand, the protrusion <NUM> being included in the rear case <NUM> and facing the support surface <NUM> is also partially melted due to heat transfer from a melted portion of the support surface <NUM>. Thereafter, the melted portion of the bracket <NUM> and a melted portion of the rear case <NUM> are cooled to be solidified, and the second welding portion W2 welded to the support surface <NUM> of the bracket <NUM> is formed on the second surface S2 of the rear case <NUM>. This results in producing the sensor module <NUM> obtained by the camera unit <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> being integrally joined to each other.

As described above, the rear case <NUM> is welded to the front case <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> by laser welding. Thus, according to the present embodiment, there is no need to provide a space for a screw hollow and to perform attachment with a screw for packing, compared to when a rear case and a front case are joined to each other using a screw. This makes it possible to improve a degree of freedom in design, to facilitate the operation, and to reduce costs by reducing the number of screw components. Further, the sensor module <NUM> can be made smaller in size since there is no need for a space for a screw hollow. Furthermore, a high-functionality large component (LSI) can be implemented since the internal space of the sensor module <NUM> is made larger. This makes it possible to raise the functionality of the sensor module <NUM>.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the rear case <NUM> is formed to have a larger area than the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM>, and the second welding portion W2 is provided on the side of the outer periphery of the first welding portion W1. Consequently, even after the first welding portion W1 is formed (after the front case <NUM> and the rear case <NUM> are welded to each other), the laser light L can be irradiated onto the peripheral edge <NUM> that is included in the rear case <NUM> and on which the second welding portion W2 is formed. This results in being able to stably form the second welding portion W2.

(A) and (B) of <FIG> are perspective views illustrating other examples of a configuration of the camera unit <NUM> as viewed from the side of the rear case <NUM>. Camera units 110A and 110B respectively illustrated in (A) and (B) of <FIG> each have the second welding portion W2 different from the second welding portion W2 of the embodiment described above. Note that an illustration of the bracket <NUM> is omitted.

In the camera unit 110A illustrated in (A) of <FIG>, the second welding portion W2 is formed in an elevated portion <NUM> (the first convex surface portion) that is further formed on the protrusion <NUM> on the second surface S2 of the rear case <NUM>. The elevated portion <NUM> is a convex surface of a specified height, the convex surface protruding toward the bracket <NUM> from a surface of the protrusion <NUM> and being welded to the bracket <NUM>. The elevated portion <NUM> is provided at a plurality of positions around the second surface S (the peripheral edge <NUM>). The elevated portion <NUM> is formed at positions (two positions), on the second surface S2, that are situated diagonal to each other. However, the elevated portion <NUM> may be formed at three or more positions situated at corners of the second surface S2. Further, the elevated portion <NUM> is formed on the protrusion <NUM> in the illustrated example. However, the protrusion <NUM> may be omitted. In this case, the elevated portion <NUM> is directly formed on the second surface S2.

In the camera unit 110A having the configuration described above, the welding portion W2 is locally formed at a position at which the elevated portion <NUM> is formed. Such a configuration can be applied to, for example, a camera module in which there is no need for hermetic sealing between the camera unit 110A and the bracket <NUM>. This example makes it possible to, for example, simplify the configuration of a joining portion between the camera unit 110A and the bracket <NUM> and to facilitate the joining operation. Of course, even in a structure in which the welding portion W2 is locally formed at a position at which the elevated portion <NUM> is formed, hermetic sealing of the camera unit can be enhanced by using packing. The camera unit 110A more hermetically sealed by using packing can be used as a camera module in which there is a need for hermetic sealing.

On the other hand, in the camera unit 110B illustrated in (B) of <FIG>, the second welding portion W2 is formed in four wing portions <NUM> (the first convex surface portions) formed at the four corners of the second surface S2 of the rear case <NUM>. In this example, the rear case <NUM> is formed to have substantially the same size (area) as the opening end <NUM> of the front case <NUM>, and a plurality of wing portions <NUM> is formed such that each of the plurality of wing portions <NUM> protrudes outward on the side of an outer periphery of the second surface S2 from a corresponding one of the four corners of the second surface S2. Each of the plurality of wing portions <NUM> is a convex surface of a specified height, the convex surface protruding toward the bracket <NUM> from the second surface S2 and being welded to the bracket <NUM>. The second welding portion W2 is formed on a surface (an end surface) of the wing portion <NUM> that is situated on the side of the bracket <NUM>.

Further, in the camera unit 110B, the rear case <NUM> includes a plurality of convex portions <NUM> (second convex surface portions). Each of the plurality of convex portions <NUM> is provided on the second surface S2 on the side of an inner periphery of the wing portion <NUM>. Each of the plurality of convex portions <NUM> is formed to protrude toward the bracket <NUM> to a lesser extent than the wing portion <NUM>. The plurality of convex portions <NUM> serves as a stopper that defines a relative position between the rear case <NUM> and the bracket when the wing portion <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> are welded to each other.

In other words, the rear case <NUM> is pressed against the bracket <NUM> under a specified load when the rear case <NUM> is welded to the bracket <NUM>. Here, the wing portion <NUM> is melted due to irradiation of the laser light L. Thus, a distance between the L rear case <NUM> (the second surface S2) and the bracket <NUM> (the support surface <NUM>) is gradually shortened during the irradiation of the laser light. Thus, when the convex portion <NUM> protruding to a lesser extent than the wing portion <NUM> is provided at a specified position on the second surface S2, this makes it possible to limit an approaching distance between the rear case <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> to an amount of protrusion of the convex portion <NUM> due to the convex portion <NUM> being brought into contact with the bracket <NUM> (the support surface <NUM>). A position at which the convex portion <NUM> is formed, the number of the convex portions <NUM>, a shape of the convex portion <NUM>, and the like are not particularly limited, and can be set discretionarily.

Effects similar to those described above can also be provided by the camera unit 110A having the configuration above. In particular, in this example, a specified relative distance between the camera unit 110B and the bracket <NUM> can be stably ensured. Thus, for example, variations in optical axis can be reduced after the assembly of the sensor module.

In the embodiments described above, the front case <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> are made of a resin material that has absorptive properties with respect to the laser light L, and the rear case <NUM> is made of a resin material that has transmissive properties with respect to the laser light L. However, the front case <NUM>, the bracket <NUM>, and the rear case <NUM> are not limited thereto. For example, the front case <NUM> and the bracket <NUM> may be made of a resin material that has transmissive properties with respect to the laser light L, and the rear case <NUM> may be made of a resin material that has absorptive properties with respect to the laser light L.

In this case, a flange 104F that extends outward is formed at the opening end of the front case <NUM>, and the laser light L is irradiated onto the flange 104F to form the first welding portion W1 between the flange 104F and a portion, in the peripheral edge of the rear case <NUM>, that corresponds to the first surface S1, for example, as schematically illustrated in <FIG>. Further, the laser light L is irradiated onto a portion, in the bracket <NUM>, that is situated opposite to the support surface <NUM> to form the second welding portion W2 between a portion, in the peripheral edge of the rear case <NUM>, that corresponds to the second surface S2 and the support surface <NUM> of the bracket <NUM>. In this example, the second welding portion W2 is formed on the side of an inner periphery of the first welding portion W1. However, the second welding portion W2 may be formed on the side of an outer periphery of the first welding portion W1.

The technology according to the present disclosure can be applied to various products. For example, the technology according to the present disclosure may be provided as a sensor module that is mounted on one of the types of mobile bodies such as vehicle, electric vehicle, hybrid electric vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, personal mobility, airplane, drone, ship, robot, construction machinery, and agricultural machinery (tractor).

Further, a camera module has been described as an example of the sensor module <NUM> in the embodiments described above. However, the present technology is not limited thereto. For example, the present technology can also be adopted for a sensor module that includes, as a sensor element, a ranging sensor such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR) or a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor.

Claim 1:
A sensor module (<NUM>), comprising:
a sensor element (<NUM>);
a first casing (<NUM>) that includes an opening end (<NUM>) and accommodates therein the sensor element (<NUM>);
a bracket (<NUM>) that is configured to fix the first casing (<NUM>) to an attachment target; and
a second casing (<NUM>) that includes a first surface (S1) that includes a first welding portion (W1) welded to the opening end (<NUM>), and a second surface (S2) that includes a second welding portion (W2) welded to the bracket (<NUM>), the second casing (<NUM>) being fixed between the first casing (<NUM>) and the bracket (<NUM>),
wherein the first welding portion (W1) is annularly provided along a portion, in a peripheral edge (<NUM>) of the second casing (<NUM>), that is situated on the first surface (S1), and
wherein the second welding portion (W2) is annularly provided on a portion, in the peripheral edge, that is situated on the second surface (S2) on a side of an outer periphery of the first welding portion (W1).