Patent ID: 8866907

Claim:
A camera for mounting on a vehicle, said camera comprising: a front housing member; said front housing member comprising a first mating portion; a lens member and an imaging element disposed at said front housing member; a circuit board disposed at said front housing member; said circuit board comprising a plurality of individual front electrical connectors; a rear housing member; said rear housing member comprising a second mating portion; said rear housing member comprising a plurality of individual rear electrical connectors; a plurality of first connector portions of said plurality of individual rear electrical connectors extending from said rear housing member and configured to be received by and to make electrical connection with an electrical connector of the vehicle; a plurality of second connector portions of said plurality of individual rear electrical connectors configured for making electrical connection to respective ones of said plurality of individual front electrical connectors of said circuit board when said first mating portion of said front housing member and said second mating portion of said second housing member are mated together; an alignment structure that aligns said second connector portions with respect to said plurality of individual front electrical connectors when said first mating portion of said front housing member and said second mating portion of said second housing member are mated together; wherein, with said second connector portions so aligned with respect to said plurality of individual front electrical connectors and in electrical contact therewith, and with said first mating portion of said front housing member and said second mating portion of said second housing member mated together, said front and rear housing members are sealingly joined together by at least one of (a) welding and (b) an adhesive, said joining together of said front and rear housing members defining a camera interior; wherein at least (i) said imaging element, (ii) said circuit board, (iii) said plurality of front electrical connectors and (iv) said second connector portions of said plurality of individual rear electrical connectors are positioned in the camera interior; wherein one of (i) said plurality of individual front electrical connectors and (ii) said second connector portions of said plurality of individual rear electrical connectors comprises a plurality of pins and the other of (i) said plurality of individual front electrical connectors and (ii) said plurality of individual rear electrical connectors comprises a plurality of female connectors, and wherein said female connectors individual flex to accommodate for misalignment of respective ones of said pins when said first mating portion of said front housing member and said second mating portion of said second housing member are mated together; and wherein said female connectors are configured to flex in a direction generally transverse to a longitudinal axis of said pins.