Camera module having compact camera subassembly insertable into the camera housing

1. A camera module comprising:

a housing having an interior compartment, a lens bore extending from the interior compartment to an exterior of the housing, and a shoulder at least partially surrounding the lens bore and forming part of the interior compartment; and

a support member having a lens mount portion supporting a lens and an imager mount portion supporting an imager assembly;

wherein the support member is nested within the housing with at least a portion of the lens mount portion extending into the lens bore, and the imager mount portion abuttingly engaged with the shoulder of the housing in the interior compartment; and

wherein at least two opposite peripheral edges of the imager mount portion of the support member are engaged with respective interior surfaces of the housing adjacent the shoulder, thereby restricting relative movement between the housing and the support member.

2. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the imager mount portion extends beyond the imager assembly such that the at least two opposite peripheral edges of the imager mount portion are spaced apart from respective edges of the imager assembly.

3. The camera module of claim 2 , wherein the interior compartment of the housing and the imager mount portion of the support member have complementary cross-sectional shapes such that a major portion of a peripheral edge of the imager mount portion is engaged with the housing.

4. The camera module of claim 1 , further comprising a seal element disposed between the housing and the support member.

5. The camera module of claim 4 , wherein the seal element includes an O-ring interposed between the lens bore of the housing and the lens mount portion of the support member.

6. The camera module of claim 5 , wherein the lens bore and the lens mount portion of the support member are cylindrical.

7. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the lens and the imager assembly are optically aligned, said optical alignment maintained by a rigid connection between the lens and imager assembly to the support member.

8. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the support member is a monolithic structure.

9. A method of assembling a camera module comprising:

providing a camera subassembly including a support member having a lens mount portion supporting a lens and an imager mount portion supporting an imager assembly;

inserting the camera subassembly into a housing having an interior compartment, a lens bore extending from the interior compartment to an exterior of the housing, and a shoulder at least partially surrounding the lens bore and forming part of the interior compartment;

wherein the inserting the camera subassembly includes positioning the camera subassembly with at least a portion of the lens mount portion extending into the lens bore of the housing, and the imager mount portion abuttingly engaged with the shoulder of the housing in the interior compartment; and

wherein the imager mount portion extends beyond the imager assembly such that the at least two opposite peripheral edges of the imager mount portion are spaced apart from respective edges of the imager assembly, and wherein the least two opposite peripheral edges of the imager mount portion of the support member are engaged with respective interior surfaces of the housing adjacent the shoulder, thereby restricting relative movement between the housing and the support member.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the interior compartment of the housing and the imager mount portion of the support member have complementary cross-sectional shapes such that a major portion of a peripheral edge of the imager mount portion is engaged with the housing.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising interposing a seal element between the housing and the support member.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the seal element includes an O-ring interposed between the lens bore of the housing and the lens mount portion of the support member.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the lens bore and the lens mount portion of the support member are cylindrical.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising optically aligning the lens and the imager assembly.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the support member is a monolithic structure.