CAMERA ASSEMBLY METHOD WITH ADHESIVE SHRINK OFFSET BASED ON INDIVIDUAL LENS CHARACTERISTIC

A method (100) of assembling a camera (12) includes the steps of determining a focused-position (28) of a lens (14) relative to an imager (16) where an image (30) is focused on the imager (16), determining a first-factor (32) indicative of focus quality at a central-portion (34) of the imager (16), and determining a second-factor (36) indicative of focus quality at an outer-portion (38) of the imager (16). The outer-portion (38) is characterized as displaced radially outward from the central-portion (34). The method (100) also includes the steps of determining an actual-ratio (40) of the first-factor (32) and the second-factor (36), and determining an offset-position (42) of the lens (14) relative to the imager (16) based on the focused-position (28), a ratio-difference between the actual-ratio (40) and a desired-ratio (44), and an expansion-characteristic (46) of an adhesive (20) that is used to fixedly couple the lens (14) to the imager (16). The method (100) also includes the step (110) of applying the adhesive (20) to fixedly couple the lens (14) to the imager (16) while the lens (14) is in the offset-position (42).