US 2,006,171,704 · Filed 2003-11-14
The Sealed Camera Housing That Turned Cars Into Safety Witnesses
A car camera system that stays dry and clear even in rain and dust storms. The plastic housing uses special welding and a breathable vent to keep moisture out while letting the camera see everything outside, whether parked or in use.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a plastic-housed camera module for vehicles that uses laser or sonic welding to seal the image sensor inside, combined with a water-vapor-permeable but water-droplet-blocking ventilation layer. What's protected here is the specific design of the sealed housing assembly and the movable mount that lets the camera flip between stored and operational positions without compromising the weather seal.
Why it matters
This patent addresses a real engineering problem: car cameras need to see clearly in all weather, but moisture inside the lens fogging and salt spray corroding the electronics kill them fast. By combining sealed welding with selective ventilation, this design lets cameras survive years of automotive abuse—crucial for backup cameras, dash cams, and autonomous vehicle sensors that have become standard safety features.
Real-world use
When you shift into reverse and your car's backup camera activates in a rainstorm, you're relying on engineering like this to keep the lens clear and the electronics dry while the camera swings into position.
Original USPTO abstract
An imaging system for a vehicle includes a camera module positionable at the vehicle and a control. The camera module includes a plastic housing that houses an image sensor, which is operable to capture images of a scene occurring exteriorly of the vehicle. The control is operable to process images captured by the image sensor. The portions of the housing may be laser welded or sonic welded together to substantially seal the image sensor and associated components within the plastic housing. The housing may include a ventilation portion that is at least partially permeable to water vapor to allow water vapor to pass therethrough while substantially precluding passage of water droplets and/or other contaminants. The housing may be movable at the vehicle between a stored position and an operational position, where the image sensor may be directed toward the exterior scene.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,006,171,704
- Filing date
- 2003-11-14
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Bingle Robert L / Joseph Camilleri / Whitehead Peter J / Kenneth Schofield
- Inventor(s)
- BINGLE ROBERT L., CAMILLERI JOSEPH, WHITEHEAD PETER J., SCHOFIELD KENNETH
- CPC class
- B60R11/04
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