KR102618608B1 - Camera Module - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment includes a lens accommodating part in which at least one lens is accommodated, a lens part including an upper side part disposed on an upper side of the lens accommodating part in which a light transmission hole through which the lens is exposed is formed, and a device for fixing the lens part. A camera module is provided that includes a holder part for fixing, a light control unit provided between the upper side part and the lens receiving part, and a substrate for applying power to the light control unit.

Description

Camera Module {Camera Module}

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a camera module with an improved structure.

As various types of portable terminals become widespread and wireless Internet services become commercialized, consumer demands related to portable terminals are also diversifying. Accordingly, various types of additional devices are being installed on portable terminals.

Among them, the representative camera module is one that can take a photo or video of a subject, store the image data, and then edit and transmit it as needed.

Recently, the demand for small camera modules is increasing for use in various multimedia fields such as laptop-type personal computers, camera phones, PDAs, smart devices, and toys, and even for image input devices such as surveillance cameras and information terminals of video tape recorders. .

As the number of pixels in these camera modules increases, various efforts are being made to incorporate an aperture or shutter like a typical digital camera.

However, in the trend of miniaturizing camera modules, miniaturization of the shutter or iris must be considered due to problems such as constraints on internal installation space and battery consumption.

In other words, the shutter must be able to instantly open and close the light reflected from the subject, but the conventional shutter or iris uses multiple gears or is implemented by a complex link structure, so the shutter response speed is slow or miniaturization is required. It is difficult to do this.

The embodiment takes miniaturization into consideration and provides a camera module equipped with a light control unit capable of improving optical performance.

The embodiment includes a lens accommodating part in which at least one lens is accommodated, a lens part including an upper side part disposed on an upper side of the lens accommodating part in which a light transmission hole through which the lens is exposed is formed, and a device for fixing the lens part. A camera module is provided that includes a holder part for fixing, a light control unit provided between the upper side part and the lens receiving part, and a substrate for applying power to the light control unit.

Additionally, the lens unit may be formed as an integrated piece, and the light control unit may be insert molded into the lens unit.

Additionally, the light control unit may be implemented as a shutter unit.

In addition, the shutter part includes a frame portion rotatably disposed in the forward/reverse direction adjacent to the light transmission hole formed in the upper side portion, and one end fixed to the frame portion to open and close the light transmission hole by rotation of the frame portion. It may include a blade unit, a driving unit that drives the frame unit, and a power application unit that is connected at one end and the other end to the driving unit and the substrate, respectively, and transmits power.

In addition, the blade part may include a rotating part whose one end is fixed to the frame part and the middle part is hinged to the upper side part, and a blade provided at the other end of the rotating part to open and close the light transmission hole.

Additionally, at least two blade units may be provided at equal intervals.

Additionally, the light control unit may be implemented as an iris.

Additionally, one or more fastening protrusions may be formed on the upper side of the lens accommodation unit, and fastening grooves corresponding to the fastening protrusions may be formed in the light control unit.

Additionally, the upper side portion may be fastened to the upper side of the light control unit using adhesive.

Additionally, one or more fastening protrusions may be formed on the upper side of the lens accommodation unit, and fastening holes corresponding to the fastening protrusions may be formed in the light control unit.

Additionally, the upper side portion may be fastened to the fastening hole to form a mounting groove corresponding to the protruding fastening protrusion.

Additionally, the light control unit may be implemented as a shutter unit.

In addition, the shutter part includes a body that forms the exterior and is fastened to the lens accommodating part, a frame part provided on one side of the body and rotatable in the forward/reverse direction, and one end fixed to the frame part to form the frame part. It may include a blade part that opens and closes the light transmission hole by rotation of the part, a driving part that drives the frame part, and a power application part that is connected at one end and the other end to the driving part and the substrate, respectively, and transmits power.

Additionally, the blade part may include a rotating part whose one end is fixed to the frame part and whose middle part is hingedly connected to the body, and a blade provided at the other end of the rotating part to open and close the light transmission hole.

Additionally, at least two blade units may be provided at equal intervals.

Additionally, the light control unit may be implemented as an iris.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the overall camera module can be miniaturized by providing a light control unit integrated into the lens unit or between the lens units, and a mechanism unit that can implement either or simultaneously the functions of a shutter and/or an aperture. Optical performance can be improved by controlling the amount of light.

1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the camera module shown in FIG. 1.
Figure 3 is a schematic top side view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a side view of a camera module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a view showing the lens accommodating part of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a lower side view of the light control unit of Figure 4.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Unless otherwise specified, all terms in this specification have the same general meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, and if a term used in this specification conflicts with the general meaning of the term, the definition used in this specification shall apply.

However, the invention described below is only for explaining embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and the same reference numbers used throughout the specification indicate the same elements.

The present invention has a technical feature in that miniaturization and increased optical performance can be achieved by implementing the light control unit integrally with the lens unit or providing it between the lens units. This light control unit may be a shutter and/or an iris.

Hereinafter, the camera module of the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a drawing specifying the camera module shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic upper side view.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the camera module 100 according to the embodiment largely includes a lens unit 110, a light control unit 120, a holder unit 130, an image sensor (not shown), and a substrate 140. It may include, and although not shown, it may further include a cover can, an elastic unit, a base, or an IR filter.

The lens unit 110 may be a lens barrel, but is not limited to this, and may include any holder structure capable of supporting a lens. The embodiment will be described by taking the case where the lens unit 110 is a lens barrel.

Specifically, the lens unit 110 is formed with a lens accommodating part 111 in which at least one lens is accommodated, and a light transmission hole 112a through which the lens is exposed. The upper side of the lens accommodating part 111 is formed. It may include an upper side portion 112 disposed on, and an opening corresponding to the light transmission hole 112a may also be formed in the upper side portion 112.

In addition, the lens unit 110 is formed as an integrated piece, and the light control unit 120, which will be described later, is insert molded into the lens unit 110 and provided in the lens unit 110. Therefore, compared to the prior art, the lens unit 110 is provided in the lens unit 110. As the distance to the shutter is reduced, the camera module 100 can be miniaturized and its optical performance can be improved.

This lens unit 110 is installed on the upper side of the printed circuit board 140, which will be described later, and is placed at a position corresponding to the image sensor. This lens unit 110 is equipped with one or more lenses (not shown).

The light control unit 120 may be provided on the lower side of the upper side portion 112 of the lens unit 110, and may be provided by insert molding into the lens unit 110 as described above. .

This light control unit may be implemented as a shutter unit or an iris (IRIS).

Specifically, when the light control unit 120 is implemented as a shutter part, the shutter part includes a frame part 122 rotatable in the forward/reverse direction adjacent to the opening formed in the upper side part 112, and one end A blade unit 123 that is fixed to the frame unit 122 and opens and closes the light transmission hole 112a by rotation of the frame unit 122, a drive unit 121 that drives the frame unit 122, and , and includes a power application unit 124 that is connected at one end and the other end to the driving unit 121 and the substrate 140, respectively, and transmits power. The power application unit 124 may electrically connect the driver and the substrate by directly forming a circuit pattern on the surface of the holder using electrode forming technology.

Referring to FIG. 3, the blade portion 123 includes a rotating portion 123a with one end fixed to the frame portion 122 and a middle portion hinged to the upper side portion 112, and the rotating portion 123a. It includes a blade (123b) provided at the other end to open and close the light transmission hole (112a). It is shown that there are four such blade units 123, but the present invention is not limited to this and at least two or more may be provided at equal intervals. The blade portion 123 may include a first region coupled to the frame portion 122 of the light control unit 120 and a second region extending from the first region. The cross-sectional area of the first area of the blade unit 123 of the light control unit 120 may be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second area of the blade unit 123 of the light control unit 120. The first area of the blade portion 123 may be the rotating portion 123a. The second area of the blade portion 123 may be the blade 123b.

In FIG. 3, when the frame unit 122 rotates counterclockwise by the driving unit 121, the blade 123b rotates counterclockwise based on the hinge axis 123c of the rotating unit 123a. The light transmission hole 112a is opened. Conversely, when the frame unit 122 is rotated clockwise by the driving unit 121, the blade 123b rotates clockwise about the hinge axis 123c of the rotating unit 123a to form the light transmission hole. (112a) is closed.

The blade 123b may normally perform the function of an aperture by opening the light transmission hole 112a to a certain extent as shown in FIG. 3.

Due to the implementation of the blade unit 123 with this relatively simple structure, there is no need for an aperture, the structure of the light control unit 120 is simplified, the camera module 100 can be miniaturized, and the response speed of the light control unit 120 is improved. Due to the speed, the optical performance of the camera module 100 may be improved.

The driving unit 121 may be an AC motor (Alternating Current Motor), a BLDC motor (Brushless Motor), or a stepping motor, and may be used as a driving force capable of rotating the frame unit 122 in the forward/reverse direction. provides.

The power application unit 124 is connected to a printed circuit board 140 or a separate FPCB to be described later to transmit power applied to the driving unit 121, and a portion of the power application unit 124 is connected to the lens unit. It may be provided by insert molding at (110).

The holder unit 130 is provided to fix the lens unit 110. In the case of an F.F (Fixed Focus) type camera module, it may be a holder for fixing the lens unit 110, and may be a holder for fixing the lens unit 110. In the case of the Focusing or OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) type, the focus of the image can be adjusted by moving the lens unit 110.

Here, adjusting the focus of the image refers to the AF (Auto Focusing) function when moving the lens unit 110 in the z-axis direction, which is the optical axis, for close or long-distance focusing of the subject, or the z for camera shake correction. It may refer to an OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) function that moves the lens unit 110 in the x and y axes, which are perpendicular to the axial direction, or a function that can simultaneously perform the A.F. function and the OIS function. .

That is, the holder unit 130 may be implemented as a F.F (Fixed Focus) type, an AF (Auto Focusing) type, or an OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) type. there is.

The AF (Auto Focusing) type holder part 130 may largely include a bobbin, a coil part, a magnet part, and a housing.

The bobbin is combined with the lens unit 110 to fix the lens unit 110, and the method of combining the lens unit 110 and the bobbin involves forming threads on the inner peripheral surface of the bobbin and the outer peripheral surface of the lens unit 110, respectively. A threaded connection method can be used, but it can also be connected using a non-threaded method using adhesive. Of course, even in the threaded connection method, adhesive can be used after threading to achieve a more robust installation.

The coil unit may be wound on the outer surface of the bobbin, or four individual coils may be arranged at 90° intervals on the outer surface of the bobbin. This coil unit can form an electromagnetic field by receiving power applied from the printed circuit board 140, which will be described later.

The magnet unit is mounted on the housing with adhesive or the like so that it can be placed at a position corresponding to the outer surface of the coil unit, and is mounted at equal intervals at four corners inside the housing to promote efficient use of the internal volume. .

The shape of the magnet may be a triangular pillar shape, a square pillar shape, a trapezoidal pillar shape, etc., and the prism shape may also include some curves.

The housing may be formed in a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the cover can that forms the exterior of the camera module 100 and spaced apart from the cover can by a predetermined distance. Additionally, the housing is made of an insulating material and can be made of an injection molded product considering productivity. The housing is a moving part for OIS operation and can be placed at a certain distance from the cover can.

The OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) type holder unit 130 may further include an OIS coil unit, an FPCB, and a Hall sensor in addition to the above components.

The OIS coil unit may be mounted on an FPCB provided on the upper side of the base, which will be described later, or may be formed on the FPCB or the substrate 140, and has a through hole in the center to pass the optical signal of the lens unit 110 (not shown). It is formed. Meanwhile, considering miniaturization of the camera module 100, specifically, lowering the height in the z-axis direction, which is the optical axis direction, the OIS coil unit may be formed of an FP coil, which is a patterned coil.

The FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) may be provided on the upper side of the base to apply power to the OIS coil unit, and has a through hole corresponding to the through hole of the OIS coil unit.

The Hall sensor unit senses the voltage applied to detect the movement of the magnet unit and the intensity and phase of the current flowing in the coil, and is provided to precisely control the actuator by interacting with the FPCB.

The Hall sensor unit may be provided in a straight line based on the magnet unit and the optical axis direction, and since it must detect displacement of the x-axis and y-axis, the Hall sensor unit may be installed in two adjacent corners of the FPCB. It includes two Hall sensors, and a Hall sensor receiving groove that can accommodate the Hall sensors may be formed in the base. Additionally, one or more Hall sensors may be provided.

This Hall sensor unit is provided closer to the OIS coil unit than the magnet unit, but considering that the strength of the magnetic field formed in the magnet is several hundred times greater than the strength of the electromagnetic field formed in the coil, the OIS coil unit is used to detect movement of the magnet unit. Impact is not taken into consideration.

In addition, the camera module 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a board 140, and this board 140 may be implemented as a printed circuit board 140 or FPCB.

The printed circuit board 140 has an image sensor (not shown) mounted in the center of the upper side, and various devices (not shown) for driving the camera module 100 can be mounted. In addition, the printed circuit board 140 is electrically connected to the lower spring or upper spring or directly to the coil unit in order to apply power to drive the holder unit 130 according to the embodiment.

The image sensor (not shown) may be mounted on the central portion of the upper side of the printed circuit board 140 so that it can be positioned along the optical axis direction with one or more lenses (not shown) accommodated in the lens unit 110. These image sensors convert optical signals from an object incident through a lens into electrical signals.

Additionally, the driving unit 121 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include an elastic unit.

The elastic unit may include an upper spring, a lower spring, and may further include a side spring.

The upper spring and lower spring may be made of separate springs disposed on each side of the housing, but for production efficiency, it is preferable that a single plate be bent and cut into a shape.

Accordingly, the upper spring and lower spring are approximately ring-shaped, the inner circumference is approximately circular to correspond to the shape of the moving part, and the outer circumference is approximately square so that it can be supported by the shape of the housing and base.

Meanwhile, the base is formed with a circular-shaped recess recessed downward in the center so that the bobbins can be spaced apart, and a through hole corresponding to the lens unit 110 is formed in the center of the recess.

This base can perform a sensor holder function to protect an image sensor (not shown), which will be described later, and can be provided to position an IR filter (not shown).

In this case, the IR filter may be mounted in a through hole formed in the center of the base, and an infrared ray filter may be provided. In addition, the IR filter may be formed of, for example, a film material or a glass material, and an infrared blocking coating material may be disposed on a flat optical filter such as a cover glass for protecting the imaging surface. Additionally, in addition to the base, a separate sensor holder may be located below the base.

In addition, when a cover can is further included, the cover can accommodates a lens unit 110, a holder unit 130, and an elastic unit (not shown), which will be described later, to form the exterior of the camera module 100. Specifically, the cover can is mounted on the base with its inner surface in close contact with the side surface of the base, which will be described later, and has the function of protecting the internal components from external impact and preventing penetration of external contaminants. In addition, the cover can must also perform the function of protecting the components of the camera module 100 from external radio wave interference caused by mobile phones, etc. Therefore, it is preferable that the cover can is made of a metal material. This cover can can be implemented as the yoke part itself, which will be described later, or it can be fixed by molding the yoke part on the inside. In an embodiment, an opening through which the lens unit 110 is exposed may be formed on the upper side of the cover can, and an inner yoke bent toward the inside of the cover can may be formed on the lower end of the upper side of the cover can.

In addition, the base may be formed with one or more fixing protrusions that protrude from the upper edge and face or combine with the inner surface of the cover can, and these fixing protrusions easily guide the fastening of the cover can and at the same time, after fastening, Enables solid fixation.

Additionally, the base may be formed with a fastening groove into which the fastening piece of the cover can is inserted. This fastening groove may be formed locally on the outer surface of the base in a shape corresponding to the length of the fastening piece, or may be formed entirely on the outer surface of the base so that a predetermined portion of the bottom of the cover can including the fastening piece can be inserted. .

The adhesive described in the present invention may be implemented as a thermosetting epoxy or UV epoxy, and is cured by exposure to heat or UV. However, when thermosetting epoxy is used, it is cured by moving it to an oven or by directly applying heat, and when using UV (ultraviolet) epoxy, it is cured by applying UV (ultraviolet rays) to the adhesive.

In addition, the adhesive may be an epoxy capable of both heat curing and UV (ultraviolet) hardening, and may be an epoxy that can be cured by selecting either heat or UV (ultraviolet) hardening. The adhesive is not limited to the epoxy and can be replaced with any material that can adhere.

Meanwhile, the embodiment of the present invention may be provided with a light control unit integrated into the lens unit as described above, but may also be provided by mounting the light control unit between the lens units or on the upper side of the lens unit as follows. The following description is a description of another embodiment of the light control unit, and descriptions of omitted components are the same as those described above.

Figure 4 is a side view of a camera module according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a diagram showing the lens accommodating part of Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a lower side view of the light control unit of Figure 4.

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, in another embodiment, one or more fastening protrusions (211a) are formed on the upper side of the lens accommodation unit 211, and the light control unit 220 has a corresponding fastening protrusion (211a). A fastening groove 225a may be formed. In this case, the upper side portion 212 may be fastened to the upper side of the light control unit 220 with adhesive.

In addition, a fastening hole (not shown) rather than a fastening groove 225a may be formed in the light control unit 220. In this case, the upper side portion 212 is fastened to the fastening hole and has a protruding fastening protrusion. A mounting groove (not shown) corresponding to (211a) may be formed.

That is, in another embodiment, the light control unit 220 can be mounted between the lens accommodation units 211, and this light control unit 220 can be implemented as a shutter unit or an iris.

Specifically, when the light control unit 220 is implemented as a shutter unit, the shutter unit forms an exterior and is provided on a body 225 that is fastened to the lens receiving unit and one side of the body 225, A frame part 222 arranged to be rotatable in the reverse direction, a blade part (not shown) whose end is fixed to the frame part 222 and which opens and closes the light transmission hole by rotation of the frame part 222, It may include a driving unit 221 that drives the frame unit 222, and a power application unit 224 that is connected at one end and the other end to the driving unit 221 and the substrate (not shown), respectively, and transmits power. Referring to FIG. 4, the frame portion 222 of the light control unit 220 may include a first portion that overlaps the lens accommodating portion 211 in the optical axis direction, extends from the first portion, and includes a lens accommodating portion ( 211) and a second part that does not overlap in the optical axis direction. The driving unit 221 of the light control unit 220 may be disposed in the second part of the frame part 222 of the light control unit 220.

Here, as in one embodiment, the blade part (not shown) is provided with a rotating part whose one end is fixed to the frame part and whose middle part is hingedly connected to the body 225, and the other end of the rotating part and the light transmission hole. It may include a blade that opens and closes, and at least two blade units may be provided at equal intervals.

In short, in another embodiment, the light control unit 220 is mounted on the lens unit, and when implemented as a shutter unit, it further includes a body 225, and as shown, a frame unit 222 and a blade unit (not shown). Since is formed only on one side of the body 225 and mounted on the lens unit 210, it is possible to implement a camera module that can be smaller than the conventional one.

From the above description, those skilled in the art will be able to see that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the embodiments, but rather the patent claims. It must be determined by the scope and equivalent scope.

100, 200: Camera module 110, 210: Lens unit
111, 211: Lens receiving portion 112, 212: Upper side portion
112a, 212a: Light transmission hole 120, 220: Shutter light control unit
121, 221: driving part 122, 222: frame part
123: Blade portion 123a: Rotating portion
123b: Blade 123c: Hinge axis
130: base
211a: fastening protrusion
225: body
225a: Fastening groove

Claims (15)

A lens barrel containing a lens;
A bobbin coupled to the lens barrel;
a coil and a magnet that move the bobbin and the lens barrel through mutual electromagnetic interaction; and
Comprising a light control unit disposed on the lens barrel,
The light control unit includes a frame, a blade disposed on the frame, and a driving unit that moves the blade,
The frame of the light control unit includes a first part that overlaps the lens barrel and the optical axis direction, and a second part that extends from the first part and overlaps the bobbin and the optical axis direction,
The driving unit of the light control unit is disposed in the second portion of the frame of the light control unit,
An FPCB (flexible printed circuit board) is disposed that is electrically connected to the driving unit and applies power to the driving unit,
The FPCB includes a Hall sensor disposed to face the magnet,
When power is applied to the coil, the light control unit is moved along with the lens barrel in the direction of the optical axis of the lens. delete According to paragraph 1,
When power is applied to the coil, the light control unit is moved together with the lens barrel in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens. According to paragraph 1,
The lens includes a plurality of lenses,
The lens barrel includes an upper side portion disposed above the light control unit,
A lens disposed at the top of the plurality of lenses includes a first surface facing the light control unit,
A camera module wherein the distance between the first surface of the lens and the upper surface of the upper side portion of the lens barrel is greater than the distance between the first surface of the lens and the blade of the light control unit. According to paragraph 1,
The lens barrel includes an upper side portion disposed above the light control unit,
The frame of the light control unit includes holes penetrating the upper and lower surfaces of the frame of the light control unit,
The upper side portion of the lens barrel includes a region depressed from the lower surface of the upper side portion at a position corresponding to the hole of the frame,
A camera module in which a protrusion penetrating the hole of the frame of the light control unit is disposed in the depressed area of the upper side portion. According to paragraph 1,
The lens barrel includes an upper side portion disposed above the light control unit,
A camera module including an adhesive disposed between the light control unit and the upper side portion of the lens barrel. According to clause 6,
The blade of the light control unit includes a plurality of blades,
A camera module wherein two of the plurality of blades are arranged so that at least a portion of the blades overlaps in an initial state in which power is not applied to the driving unit of the light control unit. According to paragraph 1,
The blade of the light control unit includes a first area coupled to the frame of the light control unit, and a second area extending from the first area,
A camera module wherein the cross-sectional area of the first area of the blade of the light control unit is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second area of the blade of the light control unit. According to clause 8,
A camera module wherein the blade rotates in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction based on the first area of the blade. According to paragraph 1,
The lens barrel includes a light transmission hole formed at a position corresponding to the lens of the lens barrel,
A camera module wherein the blade of the light control unit opens and closes the light transmission hole of the lens barrel through rotation. According to paragraph 1,
The light control unit is a camera module that is a shutter. According to paragraph 1,
A camera module in which the light control unit is an iris (IRIS). According to paragraph 1,
The lens barrel includes an upper side portion disposed above the light control unit,
A camera module in which the lens barrel and the upper side portion are integrally formed. A smartphone including the camera module of claim 1. A lens barrel containing a lens;
A bobbin coupled to the lens barrel;
a coil and a magnet that move the bobbin and the lens barrel through mutual electromagnetic interaction; and
Comprising a light control unit disposed on the lens barrel,
The light control unit includes a frame, a blade disposed on the frame, and a driving unit that moves the blade,
The frame of the light control unit includes a first part that overlaps the lens and the optical axis direction, and a second part that extends from the first part and overlaps the bobbin and the optical axis direction,
The driving unit of the light control unit is disposed in the second portion of the frame of the light control unit,
An FPCB (flexible printed circuit board) is disposed that is electrically connected to the driving unit and applies power to the driving unit,
The FPCB includes a Hall sensor disposed to face the magnet,
When power is applied to the coil, the light control unit is moved together with the lens in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens.