CN109104509B

CN109104509B - Time-of-flight subassembly and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN109104509B
Application number: CN201810962832.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 韦怡
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2018-08-22
Filing date: 2018-08-22
Publication date: 2021-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-22
Also published as: CN109104509A; WO2020038056A1

Abstract

The invention discloses a time-of-flight assembly. The time-of-flight assembly includes a time-of-flight module, a bracket and a lens assembly. The time-of-flight module comprises an optical transmitter and an optical receiver. The bracket comprises a body and a spacer. The body is provided with a light outlet corresponding to the light emitter and a light inlet corresponding to the light receiver. The lens group is arranged on the bracket. The lens group comprises a light-emitting lens and a light-entering lens. The light-emitting lens covers the light-emitting hole, and the light-entering lens covers the light-entering hole. The spacer separates the light emitting lens from the light incident lens. The invention also discloses an electronic device. Because the spacer separates the light-emitting lens and the light-entering lens, the light signal emitted by the light emitter can not directly enter the light-entering lens from the light-emitting lens and reach the light receiver, so that the accuracy of the depth information detected by the flight time module is higher.

Description

Time-of-flight subassembly and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of consumer electronics, and more particularly, to a time-of-flight assembly and an electronic device.

Background

Can dispose the time of flight module on the cell-phone, the transmitting terminal transmission of time of flight module detects the light, the receiving terminal receives by the detection light that external object reflected back in order to be used for acquireing the degree of depth information of object, still need set up non-light tight apron and cover the time of flight module usually, however, the detection light of transmitting terminal transmission probably directly gets into the receiving terminal behind the apron, leads to the degree of depth information's that the time of flight module detected accuracy to reduce.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a time-of-flight assembly and electronic equipment.

The time-of-flight assembly comprises a time-of-flight module, a support and a lens group arranged on the support; the time-of-flight module comprises an optical transmitter and an optical receiver; the bracket comprises a body and a spacer, wherein the body is provided with a light outlet corresponding to the light emitter and a light inlet corresponding to the light receiver; the lens group comprises a light-emitting lens and a light-entering lens, the light-emitting lens covers the light-emitting hole, the light-entering lens covers the light-entering hole, and the spacer separates the light-emitting lens and the light-entering lens.

In some embodiments, the spacer and the body together enclose at least two receiving grooves spaced from each other, and the outgoing lens and the incoming lens are disposed in different receiving grooves.

In some embodiments, the spacer is a unitary structure with the body; or the spacer and the body are in a split molding structure, and the spacer is connected to the body.

In some embodiments, the height of the spacer is greater than or equal to the thickness of the exit lens and/or the thickness of the entrance lens.

In some embodiments, the light exit lens is embedded on an inner wall of the light exit hole; and/or

The light incident lens is embedded in the inner wall of the light incident hole.

In some embodiments, the bracket further comprises a spacer wall extending from the body to the time-of-flight module, the spacer wall surrounding the optical transmitter and the optical receiver.

In some embodiments, the light-exiting lens is made of silica glass; and/or

The light incidence lens is made of silicon dioxide glass.

In some embodiments, at least one of the light incident surface and the light emergent surface of the light emergent lens is provided with an antireflection film; and/or

At least one of the light incident surface and the light emergent surface of the light incident lens is provided with an antireflection film.

The electronic device of the embodiment of the invention comprises a cover body and the time-of-flight assembly of any embodiment, wherein the cover body is provided with a through hole, and the time-of-flight assembly corresponds to the through hole.

In some embodiments, the electronic device further includes a housing coupled to the cover to form a receiving space, the through hole communicating with the receiving space, the time-of-flight module further includes a first substrate assembly, the optical transmitter and the optical receiver are disposed on the first substrate assembly, the optical transmitter and the optical receiver are mounted in the receiving space and exposed from the through hole, and the first substrate assembly is mounted on the housing.

In some embodiments, the electronic device further comprises a motherboard mounted on the housing,

the first substrate assembly is carried on the motherboard; or

The main board is provided with a through hole, and the first substrate assembly is installed on the main board and contained in the through hole.

In some embodiments, the housing is any one of a front housing, a back housing, and a middle frame of the electronic device.

In some embodiments, the bracket and the cover are of an integrally molded structure.

In some embodiments, the electronic device further includes a dual-camera module, the dual-camera module includes a main camera and a sub-camera, and centers of the light receiver, the light emitter, the main camera, and the sub-camera are located on a same straight line.

In the time-of-flight assembly and the electronic device in the embodiments of the present invention, since the spacer separates the light exit lens and the light entrance lens, the optical signal emitted by the light emitter does not directly enter the light entrance lens from the light exit lens and reaches the light receiver, so that the accuracy of the depth information detected by the time-of-flight module is higher.

Additional aspects and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of embodiments of the invention.

Drawings

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of an electronic device of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of an electronic device in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of an electronic device in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an exit lens and an entrance lens according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a time-of-flight module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic top view of a time of flight module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic bottom view of a time of flight module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a time of flight module according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the time-of-flight module shown in FIG. 8 taken along line XI-XI;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged schematic view of the XII portion of the time of flight module shown in FIG. 11;

fig. 13 is a schematic front view of the time-of-flight module according to the embodiment of the invention when the flexible circuit board is not bent.

Detailed Description

The following further describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The same or similar reference numbers in the drawings identify the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functionality throughout.

In addition, the embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary only for the purpose of explaining the embodiments of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may be directly contacting the first and second features or indirectly contacting the first and second features through an intermediate. Also, a first feature "on," "over," and "above" a second feature may be directly or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply indicate that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature may be directly under or obliquely under the first feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, an electronic device 1000 according to an embodiment of the invention includes a housing 200, a cover 300, and a time-of-flight assembly 100. The electronic device 1000 may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a game machine, a smart watch, a head display device, an unmanned aerial vehicle, and the like, and the embodiment of the present invention is described by taking the electronic device 1000 as a mobile phone, and it is understood that the specific form of the electronic device 1000 is not limited to a mobile phone.

The housing 200 may serve as a mounting carrier for functional elements of the electronic device 1000, and the housing 200 may provide protection for the functional elements, such as the display screen 500 and the receiver, against dust, water, and falling. The chassis 200 includes opposing front and back sides. The display screen 500 may be disposed on the front surface.

The cover 300 is combined with the casing 200. In the embodiment of the present invention, the cover 300 may serve as a rear cover of the electronic device 1000. Of course, in other embodiments, the cover 300 may be a front cover or a side cover of the electronic apparatus 1000. The casing 200 and the cover 300 are combined to form an accommodating space 201, components such as a battery and a motherboard of the electronic device 1000 can be mounted in the accommodating space 201, and the time-of-flight module 100 can also be mounted in the accommodating space 201. The cover body 300 is provided with a through hole 301, the through hole 301 is communicated with the accommodating space 201, light rays can enter the external environment from the accommodating space 201 after passing through the through hole 301, and light rays in the external environment can also enter the accommodating space 201 after passing through the through hole 301. When the time of flight component 100 is mounted within the receiving space 201, the time of flight component 100 may be aligned with the through hole 301 and exposed from the through hole 301.

Referring to FIG. 3, the time-of-flight assembly 100 includes a time-of-flight module 20, a frame 10 and a lens assembly 30. The time-of-flight module 20 includes an optical transmitter 23 and an optical receiver 24. The bracket 10 includes a body 11 and a spacer 12, wherein the body 11 is provided with a light exit hole 111 and a light entrance hole 112. The light exit hole 111 corresponds to the light emitter 23, and the light entrance hole 112 corresponds to the light receiver 24. The lens assembly 30 is mounted on the bracket 10, and the lens assembly 30 includes an exit lens 31 and an entrance lens 32. The light exit lens 31 covers the light exit hole 111, and the light entrance lens 32 covers the light entrance hole 112. The spacer 12 separates the light exit lens 31 and the light entrance lens 32.

In the electronic device 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention, since the spacer 12 separates the light exit lens 31 and the light entrance lens 32, the optical signal emitted by the optical emitter 23 does not directly enter the light entrance lens 32 from the light exit lens 31 and reaches the optical receiver 24, so that the accuracy of the depth information detected by the time-of-flight module 20 is higher.

Specifically, the time-of-flight module 20 includes an optical transmitter 23 and an optical receiver 24. The optical transmitter 23 is used for emitting an optical signal outwards, specifically, the optical signal may be infrared light, and the optical signal may be a dot matrix light spot emitted to the object to be measured. The optical receiver 24 is used for receiving the reflected optical signal emitted by the optical transmitter 23.

The time-of-flight module 20 calculates a time difference between the optical signal emitted by the optical transmitter 23 and the optical signal reflected by the object to be measured received by the photosensitive chip of the optical receiver 24, and further obtains depth information of the object to be measured, where the depth information may be used for distance measurement, depth image generation, three-dimensional modeling, or the like. It can be understood that the optical receiver 24 can only accurately obtain the depth information of the object to be measured according to the optical signal reflected back by the object to be measured, and if the optical signal of the optical transmitter 23 is directly received by the optical receiver 24 without reaching the object to be measured, the depth information of the object to be measured can be misjudged, which results in the reduction of the detection accuracy.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the bracket 10 includes a body 11 and a spacer 12. One side of the body 11 can abut against the time-of-flight module 20, and the other side can abut against the cover 300. The body 11 is provided with a light exit hole 111 and a light entrance hole 112. The light exit hole 111 may be aligned with the light emitter 23, and the light signal emitted by the light emitter 23 may pass through the light exit hole 111; the light entrance aperture 112 may be aligned with the light receiver 24, and an external light signal may enter the light receiver 24 after passing through the light entrance aperture 112. The spacer 12 may be made of a material that is opaque to light, and further, the surface of the spacer 12 may have a high reflectivity or absorptivity to light to prevent light signals from passing through the spacer 12.

In the example shown in fig. 3, the spacer 12 is connected to the body 11, and the spacer 12 and the time-of-flight module 20 are located on opposite sides of the body 11. In one example, the spacer 12 and the body 11 may be integrally formed, for example, the spacer 12 and the body 11 may be integrally formed by injection molding or the like, or the spacer 12 and the body 11 may be obtained from a blank by cutting. In another example, the spacer 12 and the body 11 may be formed separately, and the spacer 12 is fixedly connected to the body 11, for example, by welding, gluing, clamping, etc.

With continued reference to fig. 2 and 3, the lens assembly 30 is mounted on the frame 10, and the lens assembly 30 and the time-of-flight module 20 may be located on opposite sides of the frame 10. The lens assembly 30 includes an exit lens 31 and an entrance lens 32. The light-emitting lens 31 covers the light-emitting hole 111, and the optical signal emitted by the optical transmitter 23 passes through the light-emitting lens 31 and then passes out of the electronic device 1000. The light entrance lens 32 covers the light entrance hole 112, and an external optical signal enters the electronic device 1000 after passing through the light entrance lens 32. The materials of the light exiting lens 31 and the light entering lens 32 may be the same or different.

The light-emitting lens 31 and the light-entering lens 32 are spaced by the spacer 12, and the spacer 12 is opaque, so that the light signal emitted from the side surface of the light-emitting lens 31 does not pass through the spacer 12, and does not directly reach the light-entering lens 32 without being reflected by an external object, thereby preventing crosstalk of the light signal between the light-emitting lens 31 and the light-entering lens 32, and improving accuracy of depth information detected by the time-of-flight module 20.

In an example, the bracket 10 and the cover 300 are integrally formed, and when the electronic device 1000 is assembled, the time-of-flight module 20 may be first installed on the chassis 200, then the integrated structure of the bracket 10 and the cover 300 is combined to the chassis 200, and then the outgoing lens 31 and the incoming lens 32 are respectively installed on the bracket 10; the time-of-flight module 20 may be installed on the chassis 200, the incident lens 32 and the emergent lens 31 are installed on the bracket 10, and the bracket 10 with the incident lens 32 and the emergent lens 31 and the cover 300 are integrated into a whole and then combined to the chassis 200. In another example, the bracket 10 and the cover 300 may be formed as separate bodies, and when assembling the electronic device 1000, the time-of-flight module 20, the bracket 10 and the lens assembly 30 may be assembled into the time-of-flight module 100, the time-of-flight module 100 may be integrally mounted on the housing 200, and finally the cover 300 may be combined with the housing 200.

In summary, in the electronic apparatus 1000 according to the embodiment of the invention, since the spacer 12 separates the light-emitting lens 31 and the light-entering lens 32, the optical signal emitted by the optical emitter does not directly enter the light-entering lens 32 from the light-emitting lens 31 and reaches the optical receiver, so that the accuracy of the depth information detected by the time-of-flight module 20 is higher.

Referring to fig. 3, in some embodiments, the spacer 12 and the body 11 together define at least two receiving slots 13. At least two receiving grooves 13 are spaced apart from each other. The light exit lens 31 and the light entrance lens 32 are disposed in different accommodating grooves 13. Specifically, the spacer 12 may extend from the body 11, a direction in which the spacer 12 extends from the body 11 may be perpendicular to a plane in which the body 11 is located, and the plurality of receiving grooves 13 may be spaced from each other by the spacer 12. The light exit lens 31 and the light entrance lens 32 are disposed in different receiving grooves 13. Taking the mounting of the light-emitting lens 31 as an example, the light-emitting lens 31 may be dispensed in the receiving slot 13, and then the light-emitting lens 31 is mounted in the receiving slot 13, the light-emitting lens 31 may abut against the spacer 12, and the glue may fill the gap between the light-emitting lens 31 and the body 11 and the gap between the light-emitting lens 31 and the spacer 12, so as to prevent external dust, water vapor and the like from entering the electronic device 1000 through the light-emitting hole 111. The light entrance lens 32 is installed in a similar manner to the light exit lens 31, and will not be described in detail herein.

Referring to fig. 3, in some embodiments, the height of the spacer 12 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the light exit lens 31. Or the height of the spacer 12 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the light entry lens 32. Or the height of the spacer 12 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the light-emitting lens 31, and the height of the spacer 12 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the light-emitting lens 31. The height of the spacer 12 refers to a height of the spacer 12 higher than the mounting plane of the exit lens 31 or the entrance lens 32. In the embodiment of the present invention, the installation planes of the light exiting lens 31 and the light entering lens 32 may be flush. Because the height of the spacer 12 is at least greater than the thickness of one of the light-emitting lens 31 and the light-entering lens 32, the spacer 12 has a better blocking effect on the optical signal between the light-emitting lens 31 and the light-entering lens 32, and the optical signal directly emitted from the side surface of the light-emitting lens 31 cannot directly enter the light-entering lens 32, thereby reducing crosstalk of the optical signal.

Referring to fig. 5, in some embodiments, the light exiting lens 31 is embedded on the inner wall of the light exiting hole 111. Or the entrance lens 32 is embedded in the inner wall of the entrance aperture 112. Or the light exiting lens 31 is embedded on the inner wall of the light exiting hole 111, and the light entering lens 32 is embedded on the inner wall of the light entering hole 112.

When the light-emitting lens 31 is embedded in the inner wall of the light-emitting hole 111, the side face of the light-emitting lens 31 is abutted against the inner wall of the light-emitting hole 111 in an adhesive manner with the light-emitting lens 31, the light-emitting face of the light-emitting lens 31 can be flush with the outer surface of the body 11, so as to reduce the overall thickness of the time-of-flight assembly 100, at this time, the spacer 12 can be formed by the light-emitting hole 111 and the body 11 between the light-emitting holes 112, and the light signal emitted from the side face of the light-emitting lens 31 is blocked by the spacer.

When the light incident lens 32 is embedded in the inner wall of the light incident hole 112, the side surface of the light incident lens 32 is abutted against the inner wall of the light incident hole 112 by gluing the light incident lens 32, and the light incident surface of the light incident lens 32 can be flush with the outer surface of the body 11, so as to reduce the overall thickness of the time-of-flight assembly 100.

Referring to fig. 3-5, in some embodiments, the rack 10 further includes a partition 14, the partition 14 extending from the body 11 to the time-of-flight module 20, the partition 14 surrounding the optical transmitter 23 and the optical receiver 24. The partition wall 14 and the spacer 12 may be respectively located at two opposite sides of the body 11, and the partition wall 14 and the body 11 may be formed with a plurality of cavities. When the time-of-flight module 20 and the bracket 10 are assembled, the optical transmitter 23 and the optical receiver 24 may be aligned with different cavities, respectively, and the optical transmitter 23 is at least partially accommodated in one cavity, and the optical receiver 24 is at least partially accommodated in the other cavity, so that due to the blocking effect of the partition wall 14, the optical signal emitted by the optical transmitter 23 is further prevented from being directly received by the optical receiver 24 without passing through the electronic device 1000.

Referring to fig. 6, in some embodiments, the light exiting lens 31 is made of silica glass. Alternatively, the incident lens 32 is made of silica glass. Alternatively, the light exiting lens 31 and the light entering lens 32 are both made of silica glass. The silica glass material refers to glass with a silica base material, the silica glass material has a high transmittance to infrared light (for example, infrared light with a wavelength of 940 nm), the transmittance can reach more than 92%, when the transmittance is high, the loss of an optical signal when the optical signal passes through the light exit lens 31 or the light entrance lens 32 is small, and the detection precision that the time-of-flight module 20 can achieve is also high under the same optical power of the light emitter 23. In one example, the silica glass material glass is Corning 5 glass.

Referring to fig. 6, in some embodiments, an antireflection film 33 is disposed on at least one of the light incident surface and the light emitting surface of the light emitting lens 31 (see fig. 6 a). At least one of the light incident surface and the light exiting surface of the light incident lens 32 may also be provided with an antireflection film 33 (see fig. 6 b). The antireflection film 33 can further improve the transmittance of the optical signal passing through the light exit lens 31 or the light entrance lens 32, reduce the loss of the optical signal, and improve the detection accuracy. In one example, after the antireflection film 33 is disposed on the light incident surface or the light emergent surface of the light emergent lens 31, the transmittance of the light emergent lens 31 for infrared light may reach more than 95%.

Referring to fig. 2, in some embodiments, the electronic apparatus 1000 further includes a dual-camera module 400, and the dual-camera module 400 includes a main camera 401 and a sub-camera 402. The centers of the light receiver 24, the light emitter 23, the main camera 401, and the sub camera 402 are located on the same straight line Z. It should be noted that the center refers to the position of the geometric center of each element when the time-of-flight module 20 and the two-camera module 400 are mounted on the chassis 200, and the position of the geometric center of each element when the time-of-flight module 20 and the two-camera module 400 are viewed from the front (the front is viewed from the front of the electronic device 1000, or the front is viewed from the back is viewed from the front), for example, when the center of the optical receiver 24 is the center of the optical receiver 24 when the optical receiver 24 is viewed from the front. Line Z may be parallel to top wall 202 of chassis 200 or line Z may be parallel to side wall 203 of chassis 200. When the centers of the optical receiver 24, the optical transmitter 23, the main camera 401 and the sub-camera 402 are located on the same straight line Z, the width of the whole formed by the time-of-flight module 20 and the dual camera module 400 along the direction perpendicular to the straight line Z is small, so that the whole structure is compact and beautiful. The centers of the optical receiver 24, the optical transmitter 23, the main camera 401, and the sub-camera 402 may be arranged in this order, or may be arranged in another order, which is not limited herein.

Specifically, the main camera 401 and the sub-camera 402 may both be color cameras, for example, one is a telephoto camera and the other is a wide-angle camera; the main camera 401 and the sub camera 402 can be a color camera and the other one is a black-and-white camera; the main camera 401 and the sub camera 402 may be a color camera and the other an infrared camera; the main camera 401 and the sub camera 402 may be both infrared cameras. Of course, the types of the main camera 401 and the sub camera 402 are not limited to the above example.

An exemplary description of time-of-flight module 20 and associated structure is provided below.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the time-of-flight module 20 further includes a first substrate assembly 21, and the optical transmitter 23 and the optical receiver 24 are disposed on the first substrate assembly 21. The first substrate assembly 21 is mounted on the chassis 200.

Specifically, the electronic device 1000 further includes a main board 600, and the main board 600 is mounted on the chassis 200. In the example shown in fig. 3, a through hole 601 is opened in the main board 600, and the first board assembly 21 is mounted on the main board 600 and accommodated in the through hole 601. The time-of-flight module 20 may then be mounted on a frame (not shown), typically by passing the time-of-flight module 20 and the frame together through the aperture 601 and securing the frame to the motherboard 600. In the example shown in fig. 4, the first substrate 21 is carried on a main board 600.

The housing 200 may be any one of a front housing, a rear housing, and a middle frame of the electronic device 1000. Correspondingly, when the chassis 200 is a front case or a middle frame of the electronic device 1000, the cover 300 may be a rear case of the electronic device 1000; when the chassis 200 is a rear case or a middle frame of the electronic device 1000, the cover 300 may be a front case of the electronic device 1000.

In one example, referring to fig. 7-10, the time-of-flight module 20 includes a first substrate assembly 21, a pad 22, an optical transmitter 23 and an optical receiver 24. The first substrate assembly 21 includes a first substrate 211 and a flexible circuit board 212 connected to each other. The spacers 22 are disposed on the first substrate 211. The optical transmitter 23 is used for emitting optical signals outwards, and the optical transmitter 23 is arranged on the cushion block 22. The flexible circuit board 212 is bent and one end of the flexible circuit board 212 is connected to the first substrate 211 and the other end is connected to the light emitter 23. The optical receiver 24 is disposed on the first substrate 211, the optical receiver 24 is used for receiving the reflected optical signal emitted by the optical transmitter 23, the optical receiver 24 includes a housing 241 and an optical element 242 disposed on the housing 241, and the housing 241 is integrally connected with the spacer 22.

Specifically, the first substrate assembly 21 includes a first substrate 211 and a flexible circuit board 212. The first substrate 211 may be a printed circuit board or a flexible circuit board, and a control circuit of the time-of-flight module 20 may be laid on the first substrate 211. One end of the flexible circuit board 212 may be connected to the first substrate 211, and the flexible circuit board 212 may be bent at a certain angle, so that the relative positions of the devices connected to the two ends of the flexible circuit board 212 may be selected more.

Referring to fig. 7 and 11, the pads 22 are disposed on the first substrate 211. In one example, the spacer 22 is in contact with the first substrate 211 and is carried on the first substrate 211, and specifically, the spacer 22 may be bonded to the first substrate 211 by means of gluing or the like. The material of the spacer 22 may be metal, plastic, etc. In the embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the pad 22 combined with the first substrate 211 may be a plane, and the surface of the pad 22 opposite to the combined surface may also be a plane, so that the light emitter 23 has better stability when disposed on the pad 22.

The optical transmitter 23 is used for emitting an optical signal outwards, and the optical signal is emitted from the optical transmitter 23 at a certain divergence angle. The light emitter 23 is disposed on the pad 22, and in the embodiment of the present invention, the light emitter 23 is disposed on a side of the pad 22 opposite to the first substrate 211, or the pad 22 separates the first substrate 211 and the light emitter 23, so that a height difference is formed between the light emitter 23 and the first substrate 211. Light emitter 23 is further connected to flexible circuit board 212, flexible circuit board 212 is bent, one end of flexible circuit board 212 is connected to first substrate 211, and the other end is connected to light emitter 23, so as to transmit a control signal of light emitter 23 from first substrate 211 to light emitter 23, or transmit a feedback signal of light emitter 23 (for example, time information, frequency information of a light emitting signal of light emitter 23, temperature information of light emitter 23, etc.) to first substrate 211.

Referring to fig. 7, 8 and 10, the optical receiver 24 is used for receiving the reflected optical signal emitted by the optical transmitter 23. The light receiver 24 is disposed on the first substrate 211, and the contact surface of the light receiver 24 and the first substrate 211 is disposed substantially flush with the contact surface of the spacer 22 and the first substrate 211 (i.e., the mounting start points of the two are on the same plane). Specifically, the light receiver 24 includes a housing 241 and an optical element 242. The housing 241 is disposed on the first substrate 211, the optical element 242 is disposed on the housing 241, the housing 241 may be a lens holder and a lens barrel of the optical receiver 24, and the optical element 242 may be an element such as a lens disposed in the housing 241. Further, the light receiver 24 may further include a light sensing chip (not shown), and a light signal reflected by the object to be measured is irradiated into the light sensing chip after being acted on by the optical element 242, and the light sensing chip responds to the light signal. In the embodiment of the present invention, the housing 241 is integrally connected to the cushion block 22. Specifically, the housing 241 and the pad 22 may be integrally formed, and the housing 241 and the pad 22 may be mounted on the first substrate 211 together, for convenience of mounting, for example, the housing 241 and the pad 22 are made of the same material and are integrally formed by injection molding, cutting, and the like; or the shell 241 and the cushion block 22 are made of different materials and are integrally formed by two-color injection molding or the like. The housing 241 and the cushion block 22 may also be formed separately, and they form a matching structure, and when the time-of-flight module 20 is assembled, the housing 241 and the cushion block 22 may be connected into a whole and then disposed on the first substrate 211 together; one of the case 241 and the spacer 22 may be disposed on the first substrate 211, and the other may be disposed on the first substrate 211 and integrally connected.

In the electronic device 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the light emitter 23 is disposed on the pad 22, the height of the light emitter 23 can be increased by the pad 22, so as to increase the height of the emitting surface of the light emitter 23, and the optical signal emitted by the light emitter 23 is not easily shielded by the light receiver 24, so that the optical signal can be completely irradiated onto the object to be measured. The exit surface of the light emitter 23 may be flush with the entrance surface of the light receiver 24, or the exit surface of the light emitter 23 may be slightly lower than the entrance surface of the light receiver 24, or the exit surface of the light emitter 23 may be slightly higher than the entrance surface of the light receiver 24.

Referring to fig. 9 and 11, in some embodiments, the first substrate assembly 21 further includes a stiffener plate 213, and the stiffener plate 213 is coupled to a side of the first substrate 211 opposite to the pad 22. The reinforcing plate 213 may cover one side surface of the first substrate 211, and the reinforcing plate 213 may be used to increase the strength of the first substrate 211 and prevent the first substrate 211 from being deformed. In addition, the reinforcing plate 213 may be made of a conductive material, such as metal or alloy, and when the time of flight module 20 is mounted on the electronic device 1000, the reinforcing plate 213 may be electrically connected to the chassis 200, so as to ground the reinforcing plate 213 and effectively reduce the interference of static electricity of external components on the time of flight module 20.

Referring to fig. 11 to 13, in some embodiments, the pad 22 includes a protrusion 225 protruding from a side edge 2111 of the first substrate 211, and the flexible circuit board 212 is bent around the protrusion 225. Specifically, a portion of the pad 22 is directly carried on the first substrate 211, and another portion is not in direct contact with the first substrate 211 and protrudes relative to a side edge 2111 of the first substrate 211 to form a protrusion 225. The flexible circuit board 212 may be connected to the side edge 2111, and the flexible circuit board 212 is bent around the protruding portion 225, or the flexible circuit board 212 is bent so that the protruding portion 225 is located in a space surrounded by the bending of the flexible circuit board 212, when the flexible circuit board 212 is subjected to an external force, the flexible circuit board 212 does not collapse inward to cause an excessive bending degree, which may damage the flexible circuit board 212.

Further, as shown in fig. 12, in some embodiments, the outer side 2251 of the protrusion 225 is a smooth curved surface (e.g., a cylindrical outer side), that is, the outer side 2251 of the protrusion 225 does not have a sudden curvature, so that even if the flexible circuit board 212 bends along the outer side 2251 of the protrusion 225, the bending degree of the flexible circuit board 212 is not too large, and the integrity of the flexible circuit board 212 is further ensured.

Referring to fig. 7-9, in some embodiments, the time-of-flight module 20 further includes a connector 26, and the connector 26 is connected to the first substrate 211. The connector 26 is used to connect the first board assembly 21 and an external device. The connector 26 and the flexible circuit board 212 are respectively connected to opposite ends of the first substrate 211. The connector 26 may be a connecting socket or a connecting head, and when the time-of-flight module 20 is installed in the chassis 200, the connector 26 may be connected to a motherboard of the electronic device 1000, so that the time-of-flight module 20 is electrically connected to the motherboard. The connectors 26 and the flexible circuit board 212 are respectively connected to opposite ends of the first substrate 211, for example, the connectors may be respectively connected to the left and right ends of the first substrate 211, or respectively connected to the front and rear ends of the first substrate 211.

Referring to fig. 8 and 9, in some embodiments, the optical transmitter 23 and the optical receiver 24 are arranged along a straight line L, and the connector 26 and the flexible circuit board 212 are respectively located on two opposite sides of the straight line L. It will be appreciated that the time-of-flight module 20 may already be relatively large in size in the direction of line L due to the arrangement of the optical transmitter 23 and the optical receiver 24. The connectors 26 and the flexible circuit board 212 are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the straight line L, so that the size of the time-of-flight module 20 along the direction of the straight line L is not increased, and the time-of-flight module 20 is conveniently mounted on the chassis 200 of the electronic device 1000.

Referring to fig. 11 and 12, in some embodiments, a receiving cavity 223 is formed at a side of the pad 22 combined with the first substrate 211. The time-of-flight module 20 further includes an electronic component 25 disposed on the first substrate 211, and the electronic component 25 is received in the receiving cavity 223. The electronic component 25 may be a capacitor, an inductor, a transistor, a resistor, or the like, and the electronic component 25 may be electrically connected to a control circuit laid on the first substrate 211 and used to drive or control the operation of the optical transmitter 23 or the optical receiver 24. The electronic component 25 is accommodated in the accommodating cavity 223, so that the space in the cushion block 22 is reasonably utilized, the electronic component 25 is arranged without increasing the width of the first substrate 211, and the whole size of the time-of-flight module 20 is favorably reduced. The number of the receiving cavities 223 may be one or more, and the plurality of receiving cavities 223 may be spaced apart from each other, and when the spacer 22 is mounted, the receiving cavities 223 may be aligned with the positions of the electronic components 25 and the spacer 22 may be disposed on the first substrate 211.

Referring to fig. 11 and 13, in some embodiments, the cushion block 22 is provided with a bypass through hole 224 communicated with the at least one accommodating cavity 223, and the at least one electronic component 25 extends into the bypass through hole 224. It is understood that when the electronic component 25 needs to be accommodated in the accommodating cavity 223, the height of the electronic component 25 is required to be not higher than the height of the accommodating cavity 223. For the electronic component 25 higher than the accommodating cavity 223, a bypass through hole 224 corresponding to the accommodating cavity 223 may be formed, and the electronic component 25 may partially extend into the bypass through hole 224, so as to arrange the electronic component 25 without increasing the height of the cushion block 22.

Referring to fig. 11, in some embodiments, the light emitter 23 includes a second substrate assembly 231, a light source assembly 232, and a housing 233. The second substrate assembly 231 is disposed on the spacer 22, and the second substrate assembly 231 is connected to the flexible circuit board 212. A light source assembly 232 is disposed on the second substrate assembly 231, the light source assembly 232 for emitting a light signal. The housing 233 is disposed on the second substrate assembly 231, and the housing 233 forms an accommodating space 2331, and the accommodating space 2331 can be used to accommodate the light source assembly 232. The flexible circuit board 212 may be removably attached to the second substrate assembly 231. The light source assembly 232 is electrically connected to the second substrate assembly 231. The casing 233 may be bowl-shaped as a whole, and an opening of the casing 233 is covered downward on the second substrate assembly 231 to accommodate the light source assembly 232 in the accommodating space 2331. In the embodiment of the present invention, the housing 233 is provided with a light exit 2332 corresponding to the light source module 232, and the light signal emitted from the light source module 232 passes through the light exit 2332 and then is emitted out, and the light signal may directly pass through the light exit 2332, or may pass through the light exit 2332 after changing the light path through other optical devices.

With continued reference to fig. 11, in some embodiments, the second substrate assembly 231 includes a second substrate 2311 and a stiffener 2312. The second substrate 2311 is connected to the flexible circuit board 212. The light source assembly 232 and the reinforcement member 2312 are disposed on opposite sides of the second substrate 2311. A specific type of the second substrate 2311 may be a printed wiring board, a flexible wiring board, or the like, and a control circuit may be laid on the second substrate 2311. The reinforcement 2312 may be fixedly connected to the second substrate 2311 by gluing, riveting, or the like, and the reinforcement 2312 may increase the overall strength of the second substrate assembly 231. When the light emitter 23 is disposed on the pad 22, the reinforcement 2312 may be in direct contact with the pad 22, the second substrate 2311 is not exposed to the outside and does not need to be in direct contact with the pad 22, and the second substrate 2311 is not easily contaminated by dust and the like.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 11, the stiffener 2312 is formed separately from the spacer 22. When assembling the time-of-flight module 20, the pads 22 may be mounted on the first substrate 211, and at this time, the two ends of the flexible circuit board 212 are connected to the first substrate 211 and the second substrate 2311, respectively, and the flexible circuit board 212 may not be bent first (as shown in fig. 12). The flexible circuit board 212 is then bent such that the reinforcement members 2312 are disposed on the spacers 22.

Of course, in other embodiments, the stiffener 2312 and the spacer 22 may be integrally formed, for example, by injection molding, and the spacer 22 and the light emitter 23 may be mounted on the first substrate 211 together when the time-of-flight module 20 is assembled.

Referring to fig. 13, in some embodiments, the reinforcing member 2312 is formed with a first positioning member 2313. The spacer 22 includes a body 221 and a second positioning member 222, wherein the second positioning member 222 is formed on the body 221. When the second substrate assembly 231 is disposed on the spacer 22, the first positioning member 2313 is engaged with the second positioning member 222. Specifically, the first positioning member 2313 and the second positioning member 222 cooperate to effectively limit the relative movement between the second substrate assembly 231 and the spacer 22. The specific types of the first positioning element 2313 and the second positioning element 222 can be selected according to the requirement, for example, the first positioning element 2313 is a positioning hole formed on the reinforcing element 2312, and the second positioning element 222 is a positioning column which extends into the positioning hole to enable the first positioning element 2313 and the second positioning element 222 to be matched with each other; or the first positioning piece 2313 is a positioning column formed on the reinforcing piece 2312, the second positioning piece 222 is a positioning hole, and the positioning column extends into the positioning hole so that the first positioning piece 2313 and the second positioning piece 222 are matched with each other; or the number of the first positioning elements 2313 and the second positioning elements 222 is plural, part of the first positioning elements 2313 are positioning holes, part of the second positioning elements 222 are positioning columns, part of the first positioning elements 2313 are positioning columns, part of the second positioning elements 222 are positioning holes, and the positioning columns extend into the positioning holes so that the first positioning elements 2313 and the second positioning elements 222 are matched with each other.

In the description of the specification, reference to the terms "certain embodiments," "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, unless specifically limited otherwise.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention, and those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A time-of-flight assembly, comprising:

a time-of-flight module comprising an optical transmitter and an optical receiver; and

the support comprises a body and a distance piece extending from the body to a direction far away from the flight time module, the distance piece and the body jointly enclose at least two accommodating grooves which are mutually spaced, the body is provided with a light outlet corresponding to the light emitter and a light inlet corresponding to the light receiver, and the width of each accommodating groove is greater than the width of each light inlet and each light outlet; one side of the body abuts against the flight time module, and the other side of the body abuts against a cover body of the electronic equipment; the bracket also comprises a partition wall extending from the body to the time-of-flight module, and the partition wall surrounds the optical transmitter and the optical receiver; and

install lens group on the support, lens group is including light-emitting lens and income light lens, the light-emitting lens reaches the income light lens sets up differently in the accepting groove, the light-emitting lens covers the light-emitting hole, the income light lens covers go into the light hole, the spacer interval the light-emitting lens with go into the light lens, the spacer is light-tight, the spacer separation is followed the side outgoing of light-emitting lens and is gone into the light of income light lens.

2. The time of flight assembly of claim 1, in which the spacer is of unitary construction with the body; or the spacer and the body are in a split molding structure, and the spacer is connected to the body.

3. The time-of-flight assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the height of the spacer is greater than or equal to the thickness of the exit optic and/or the thickness of the entrance optic.

4. The time of flight assembly of claim 1, in which the exit optic is embedded on an inner wall of the exit aperture; and/or

5. The time of flight assembly of claim 1, in which the light exiting lens is silica glass; and/or

The light incidence lens is made of silicon dioxide glass.

6. The time-of-flight assembly of claim 1, wherein an antireflection film is disposed on at least one of the light incident surface and the light emergent surface of the light emergent lens; and/or

7. An electronic device, comprising a cover and the time-of-flight assembly of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cover is provided with a through hole, and the time-of-flight assembly corresponds to the through hole.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a housing coupled to the cover and collectively forming a receiving space, the through-hole communicating with the receiving space, the time-of-flight module further comprising a first substrate assembly on which the optical transmitter and the optical receiver are disposed, the optical transmitter and the optical receiver being mounted in the receiving space and exposed from the through-hole, the first substrate assembly being mounted on the housing.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising a motherboard mounted on the chassis,

the first substrate assembly is carried on the motherboard; or

10. The electronic device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the housing is any one of a front housing, a rear housing and a middle frame of the electronic device.

11. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the bracket and the cover are of an integrally molded structure.

12. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising a dual-camera module, wherein the dual-camera module comprises a main camera and a sub-camera, and centers of the light receiver, the light emitter, the main camera, and the sub-camera are located on a same straight line.