CN114666462B

CN114666462B - Telescopic camera module and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN114666462B
Application number: CN202011531365.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王明珠; 梅哲文; 陈飞帆
Original assignee: Ningbo Sunny Opotech Co Ltd
Current assignee: Ningbo Sunny Opotech Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-22
Filing date: 2020-12-22
Publication date: 2023-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2040-12-22
Also published as: CN114666462A

Abstract

A retractable camera module and an electronic device are disclosed. The optical lens in the telescopic camera module is telescopic relative to the photosensitive chip thereof so as to be switched between an operating state and a non-operating state, wherein in the operating state, the optical lens of the telescopic camera module is extended for imaging, and in the non-operating state, the optical lens of the telescopic camera module is retracted so as to reduce the overall height dimension of the telescopic camera module.

Description

Telescopic camera module and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of camera modules, in particular to a miniaturized telescopic camera module for terminal equipment and electronic equipment.

Background

With the popularity of mobile electronic devices, related technologies applied to camera modules of mobile electronic devices for helping users acquire images (e.g., videos or images) have been rapidly developed and advanced. Currently, in the market, a camera module configured in a mobile electronic device (for example, a smart phone) needs to implement a multi-zoom shooting function.

In order to achieve multi-zoom photographing, at least one tele camera module (here, the tele camera module refers to a camera module with a larger effective focal length) needs to be configured. And along with the increase of zoom multiple, the total focal length of the long-focus camera module can be increased, so that the overall height dimension of the camera module is increased continuously, and the development trend of light and thin electronic equipment is difficult to adapt.

In order to solve the technical contradiction between the high design of the camera module and the high-power zoom shooting function, most manufacturers adopt periscope type camera modules to replace the traditional vertical camera modules. Compared with the traditional vertical camera module, the periscope type camera module is provided with the light turning element (such as a prism, a reflecting mirror and the like) to change the imaging optical path, so that the reduction of the overall height dimension of the camera module is realized, and meanwhile, the optical design requirement with a larger effective focal length is met.

However, periscope type camera modules have relatively more complex structures, which on the one hand lead to an increase in cost thereof and on the other hand also directly lead to an increase in process difficulty thereof. In terms of optical performance, although the periscope type camera module has a relatively large effective focal length, the effective focal length is a fixed value, that is, the periscope type camera module has relatively poor adjustability in optical performance. In order to meet the diversified demands of consumers on the camera modules, a plurality of camera modules are generally required to be configured for the electronic equipment, namely, a plurality of camera modules are configured for the electronic equipment, which not only brings about the sharp increase of cost, but also further aggravates the process difficulty.

Therefore, a new camera module solution is needed.

Disclosure of Invention

An advantage of the present application is to provide a retractable camera module and an electronic device, wherein, the optical lens in the retractable camera module is retractable relative to the photosensitive chip thereof, so as to switch between an operating state and a non-operating state, wherein, in the operating state, the optical lens of the retractable camera module is extended for imaging, and in the non-operating state, the optical lens of the retractable camera module is retracted to reduce the overall height dimension of the retractable camera module, in this way, the technical contradiction between the height design and the larger effective focal length of the traditional upright camera module is solved.

Another advantage of the present application is to provide a retractable camera module and an electronic device, wherein a distance between the optical lens and the photosensitive chip in the retractable camera module is adjustable by a retractable assembly, so that an optical performance of the retractable camera module has better adjustability to adapt to different imaging requirements.

Another advantage of the present application is to provide a retractable camera module and an electronic device, wherein a telescopic assembly for adjusting a distance between the optical lens and the photosensitive chip is integrally configured in the retractable camera module, that is, the retractable camera module has an integrated compact structure.

Other advantages and features of the present application will become apparent from the following description, and may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.

To achieve at least one of the above advantages, the present application provides a retractable camera module, which includes:

a photosensitive assembly, comprising: the circuit board and the photosensitive chip are electrically connected to the circuit board;

a telescoping sleeve assembly;

an optical lens held by the telescopic sleeve assembly to be disposed on a photosensitive path of the photosensitive chip; and

the telescopic component is configured to adjust the relative position relationship between the optical lens and the photosensitive chip;

wherein, flexible subassembly includes:

a driving element arranged at the side part of the photosensitive chip;

a telescopic device which is connected with the driving element in a transmission way, one end of the telescopic device acts on the upper end part of the telescopic sleeve assembly, so that the optical lens can move telescopically relative to the photosensitive chip through the telescopic device to switch between a first state and a second state;

when the telescopic sleeve assembly is in a first state, the telescopic sleeve assembly is driven by the driving element and the telescopic device to extend upwards relative to the photosensitive chip so as to drive the optical lens to move upwards relative to the photosensitive chip, and therefore the distance between the optical lens and the photosensitive chip is increased; when in the second state, the telescopic sleeve assembly is driven by the driving element and the telescopic device to be retracted downwards relative to the photosensitive chip so as to drive the optical lens to move downwards relative to the photosensitive chip, thereby reducing the distance between the optical lens and the photosensitive chip.

In the retractable camera module according to the present application, the optical lens is fixed to an upper end portion of the retractable sleeve.

In the telescopic camera module according to the application, the telescopic sleeve assembly comprises a plurality of telescopic sleeve monomers nested inside and outside, and a longitudinally extending guide groove is arranged between every two adjacent telescopic sleeve monomers, so that the telescopic camera module is configured by the following structure: when the sleeve monomer at the innermost layer is upwards extended, the sleeve monomer at the outer layer is upwards extended layer by layer under the guidance of the guide groove; and when the innermost sleeve monomer is retracted downwards, the sleeve monomer positioned on the outer layer is retracted downwards layer by layer under the guidance of the guide groove.

In the retractable camera module according to the present application, the sleeve monomer of the innermost layer forms an upper end portion of the retractable sleeve.

In the retractable camera module according to the present application, the photosensitive assembly includes a mounting substrate, and the lower end portion of the retractable sleeve assembly is mounted on the mounting substrate.

In the telescopic camera module according to the present application, the sleeve unit of the outermost layer forms a lower end portion of the telescopic sleeve assembly.

In the retractable camera module according to the application, the upper surface of the circuit board is formed on the mounting substrate.

In the retractable camera module according to the present application, the photosensitive assembly further includes a reinforcing plate stacked on the lower surface of the circuit board, and the region of the reinforcing plate protruding from the circuit board forms the mounting substrate.

In the telescopic camera module according to the application, the telescopic state comprises a base, a transmission assembly and a telescopic piece, wherein the driving element is installed on the base, driving force generated by the driving element is transmitted to the telescopic piece through the transmission assembly, one end of the telescopic piece is coupled to the transmission assembly, and the other end of the telescopic piece is fixed to the upper end portion of the telescopic camera module.

In the telescopic camera module according to the present application, the telescopic member includes a plurality of connecting rods, a plurality of hinge points are formed by hinging each other between the plurality of connecting rods, wherein the connecting rod located at the uppermost side is fixed at the upper end portion of the telescopic sleeve assembly, and the connecting rod located at the lowermost side is coupled to the transmission assembly.

In the telescopic camera module according to the application, the plurality of hinge points are respectively fixed on the multi-section sleeve monomers.

In the telescopic camera module according to the present application, the transmission assembly includes a gear set, a screw rod and a slider, wherein the gear set is coupled to an output end of the driving element, and is used for transmitting and steering the acting force generated by the driving element, the screw rod is installed on the base and connected to the gear set, the slider is sleeved on the screw rod, and a connecting rod located at the lowest side is coupled to the slider.

In the telescopic camera module, when in the first state, the driving element is suitable for generating a driving force in a first direction, the driving force is transmitted to the sliding block through the transmission assembly and drives the sliding block to slide in the first direction, wherein the sliding block is suitable for driving the plurality of connecting rods of the telescopic piece to perform pivoting motion so as to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly to extend upwards, and the distance between the optical lens and the photosensitive chip is increased; when in the second state, the driving force generates driving force opposite to the first direction, the driving force is transmitted to the sliding block through the transmission assembly and drives the sliding block to slide in the direction opposite to the first direction, and the sliding block can drive the plurality of connecting rods of the telescopic piece to do pivoting motion so as to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly and the optical lens to retract downwards.

In the telescopic camera module according to the application, when the telescopic sleeve assembly is in the first state and reaches the maximum height, at least part of the telescopic sleeve units in the multi-section telescopic sleeve units are upwards elongated to be consistent in height.

In the telescopic camera module according to the present application, the maximum height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly when in the first state ranges from 18.6mm to 28.6mm.

In the telescopic camera module according to the present application, the minimum height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly ranges from 6mm to 9mm when in the second state.

In the retractable camera module according to the present application, when the retractable camera module is in the second state, the minimum height dimension of the retractable camera module ranges from 8mm to 12mm.

In the retractable camera module according to the present application, when the retractable camera module is in the first state, the maximum height dimension of the retractable camera module ranges from 23mm to 31mm.

In the retractable camera module according to the present application, the retractable camera module further includes a guide sleeve extending retractably between the photosensitive chip and an upper end portion of the retractable sleeve assembly, the guide sleeve having a through hole corresponding to the optical lens and the photosensitive chip.

In the retractable camera module according to the present application, the retractable camera module further includes a focusing mechanism for driving the photosensitive chip.

According to another aspect of the present application, there is also provided an electronic device, including: the telescopic camera module is as described above.

In the electronic device according to the application, the minimum height dimension of the telescopic camera module is smaller than or equal to the thickness dimension of the electronic device.

Further objects and advantages of the present application will become fully apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present application will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

Drawings

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments of the present application, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the application and not constitute a limitation to the application. In the drawings, like reference numerals generally refer to like parts or steps.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a retractable camera module in an operating state thereof according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of the retractable camera module in its non-working state according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of the retractable camera module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a telescoping assembly of the telescoping camera module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 illustrates yet another block diagram of the telescopic structure of the telescopic camera module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 illustrates a perspective view of one specific example of the telescopic assembly of the telescopic camera module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective exploded view of the telescoping assembly illustrated in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of another specific example of the telescopic assembly of the telescopic camera module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of yet another specific example of the telescopic assembly of the telescopic camera module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10A illustrates a schematic view of the telescoping assembly illustrated in fig. 9 in an operational state.

Fig. 10B illustrates a schematic view of the telescoping assembly illustrated in fig. 9 in a non-operational state.

Fig. 11 illustrates a schematic diagram of yet another specific example of the telescopic assembly of the telescopic camera module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 12A illustrates a schematic view of the telescoping assembly illustrated in fig. 11 in an operational state.

Fig. 12B illustrates the telescopic assembly illustrated in fig. 11 in a non-operative state.

Fig. 13 illustrates a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 14 illustrates another schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 15 illustrates another schematic diagram of the electronic device illustrated in fig. 14.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, example embodiments according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be apparent that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application and not all of the embodiments of the present application, and it should be understood that the present application is not limited by the example embodiments described herein.

Exemplary retractable Camera Module

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, a retractable camera module according to an embodiment of the present application is illustrated, wherein the retractable camera module 100 includes: a photosensitive member 10, an optical lens 20 held on a photosensitive path of the photosensitive member 10, and a telescopic member 30 for adjusting a relative positional relationship between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive member 10.

More specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the optical lens 20 includes a lens barrel 21 and at least one optical lens 22 mounted in the lens barrel 21. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the resolution of the optical lens 20 is proportional to the number of optical lenses 22, i.e., the higher the resolution, the greater the number of optical lenses 22. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the optical lens 20 preferably includes a plurality of optical lenses 22, for example, 4, 5, or 6 optical lenses 22.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the optical lens 20 has a larger effective focal length, so that the telescopic camera module 100 can be applied as a tele camera module. More specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the effective focal length of the optical lens 20 ranges from 19mm to 29mm. For example, when the retractable camera module 100 is used to achieve 5 times optical zoom, the effective focal length of the optical lens 20 ranges from 19mm to 23mm, and preferably, the effective focal length of the optical lens 20 ranges from 20mm to 22mm. For another example, when the retractable camera module 100 is used to implement 10 times optical zoom, the effective focal length of the optical lens 20 ranges from 26mm to 30mm, and preferably, the effective focal length of the optical lens 20 ranges from 27mm to 29mm.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the type of the optical lens 20 is not limited to the present application, and may be implemented as a single-piece optical lens or as a split-piece optical lens. Specifically, when the optical lens 20 is implemented as an integrated optical lens, the lens barrel 21 has an integrated structure, and a plurality of the optical lenses 22 are assembled in the lens barrel 21. When the optical lens 20 is implemented as a split lens, the lens barrel 21 includes at least two cylinder units in which a plurality of the optical lenses 22 are assembled to form a plurality of lens units, respectively, which are assembled together by active alignment to form the optical lens 20.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, in an embodiment of the present application, the photosensitive assembly 10 includes: the light-sensitive module comprises a circuit board 11, a light-sensitive chip 12, a bracket 13 and a light-filtering element 14, wherein the circuit board 11 is used as a mounting substrate of the light-sensitive module 10. In this embodiment, the photosensitive chip 12 is electrically connected to the circuit board 11 (for example, the photosensitive chip 12 is electrically connected to the circuit board 11 through a lead), so that the circuit board 11 provides the control circuit and the electric energy required for the operation of the photosensitive chip 12. The bracket 13 is disposed on the wiring board 11 for supporting other components, wherein the bracket 13 has an optical window 130 corresponding to at least a photosensitive region of the photosensitive chip 12. For example, in some specific examples of the present application, the optical filter element 14 may be mounted on the support 13, so that the optical filter element 14 is held on the photosensitive path of the photosensitive chip 12, so that, during the process of passing the external light through the optical filter element 14 to reach the photosensitive chip 12, the stray light in the external light can be filtered by the optical filter element 14, so as to improve the imaging quality.

It is worth mentioning that in other examples of the present application the filter element 14 can also be mounted on the support 13 in other ways, for example, a filter element support is provided on the support 13 first, and the filter element 14 is mounted on the filter element support, i.e. in this example, the filter element 14 can be mounted indirectly on the support 13 via other supports. Of course, in other examples of the present application, the filter element 14 can also be mounted at other positions of the retractable camera module 100, for example, the filter element 14 may be implemented as a filter film and attached to a surface of a certain optical lens 22 of the optical lens 20, which is not limited in this application.

In order to increase the bottom strength of the photosensitive assembly 10, in some examples of the present application, the photosensitive assembly 10 further includes a reinforcing plate 15 disposed on the lower surface of the circuit board 11, for example, a steel plate may be disposed on the lower surface of the circuit board 11 to reinforce the strength of the circuit board 11 through the steel plate. Accordingly, the reinforcing plate 15 may be configured to have a shape and size consistent with those of the circuit board 11 to reinforce the whole of the circuit board 11 after being stacked on the lower surface of the circuit board 11. Of course, in some examples of the present application, the size of the reinforcing plate 15 may be smaller than the circuit board 11 to reinforce a part of the circuit board 11. Of course, in other examples of the present application, the reinforcing plate 15 may be larger in size than the wiring board 11 such that, after being stacked on the back of the wiring board 11, a partial region of the reinforcing plate 15 protrudes from the side of the wiring board 11, wherein the region of the reinforcing plate 15 protruding from the wiring board 11 forms a new mounting substrate.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, in the embodiment of the present application, the telescopic assembly 30 includes: a driving element 31, a transmission mechanism 32 and a telescopic sleeve assembly 33, wherein the driving element 31, the transmission mechanism 32 and the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 are matched to realize adjustment of the phase position relationship between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive assembly 10.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present application, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is mounted on the mounting substrate of the photosensitive assembly 10, for example, may be mounted on the circuit board 11, or may be mounted on a region of the reinforcing plate 15 protruding from the circuit board 11. Preferably, in the embodiment of the present application, the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is mounted on the area of the reinforcing plate 15 protruding from the circuit board 11, so as to provide a flat and strong mounting base surface for providing the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 through the reinforcing plate 15. Also, when the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is mounted to the reinforcing plate 15, the central axis of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is preferably aligned with the central axis of the photosensitive chip 12, that is, preferably, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is also held on the photosensitive path of the photosensitive chip 12 after being mounted to the mounting substrate of the photosensitive assembly 10.

Further, as shown in fig. 1 to 3, in the present embodiment, the optical lens 20 is mounted within the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to be held on the photosensitive path of the photosensitive chip 12, that is, in the present embodiment, the optical lens 20 is structurally associated with the telescopic sleeve assembly 33. Specifically, in the example illustrated in fig. 1 to 3, the optical lens 20 is mounted to the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 such that the optical lens 20 mounted in the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 can follow the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to adjust the relative positional relationship between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 when the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is driven to move telescopically with respect to the photosensitive chip 12.

It should be noted that, in other examples of the present application, the optical lens 20 may be mounted at other positions of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, for example, at a position adjacent to the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, or at a middle position of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, which is not limited in this application. Also, in some examples of the present application, in order to reduce the lateral size of the retractable camera module 100, the barrel 21 may not be configured for the optical lens 20, but a barrel body of the retractable sleeve assembly 33 may be selected as the barrel 21 of the at least one optical lens 22, which is not limited in this application.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the optical lens 20 can be telescopically moved relative to the photosensitive chip 12 by the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to switch between a first state and a second state, wherein, when in the first state, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is driven to move upward relative to the photosensitive chip 12 to drive the optical lens 20 to move upward relative to the photosensitive chip 12 to increase the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12, as shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 2, when in the second state, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is driven to be moved downward with respect to the photosensitive chip 12 to drive the optical lens 20 to be moved downward with respect to the photosensitive chip 12, so as to reduce the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12. It should be understood that the first state is an operating state of the retractable camera module 100, and the second state is a non-operating state of the retractable camera module 100.

That is, in the embodiment of the present application, compared to the conventional upright camera module, the retractable camera module 100 has two states: an operating state and a non-operating state in which, when in the operating state, the optical lens 20 is extended as the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is extended upward so that a distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 meets a photographing requirement (here, the photographing requirement means that a total optical length between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 meets the photographing requirement); when in the non-working state, the optical lens 20 is retracted as the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is retracted downward, so that the overall height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100 is reduced, thereby meeting the dimension requirement of assembling the telescopic camera module 100 to a terminal device. That is, in the working state and the non-working state, the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 is adjusted by the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, so that in the working state, the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 meets the shooting requirement, and in the non-working state, the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 is shortened as much as possible, so that the overall height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100 is reduced as much as possible.

More specifically, when the telescopic camera module 100 is in an operating state, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is driven to be protruded upward in a direction away from the photosensitive chip 12, at which time the overall height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100 is gradually increased, and accordingly, when the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is completely protruded, the overall height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100 reaches a maximum value, which is defined as a maximum height dimension for convenience of description, and the height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100 represents a distance between the top surface of the telescopic camera module 100 and the bottom surface thereof.

Accordingly, when the telescopic camera module 100 is in the non-operating state, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is driven to be retracted downward in a direction approaching the photosensitive chip 12, at which time the overall height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100 is gradually reduced, and accordingly, when the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is completely retracted, the overall height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100 reaches a minimum value, which is defined as a minimum height dimension for convenience of description, and the height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100 represents a distance between the top surface of the telescopic camera module 100 and the bottom surface thereof.

Specifically, when the retractable camera module 100 is configured as a rear camera module of a terminal device, that is, when the retractable camera module 100 is mounted on the back of the terminal device, the minimum height dimension substantially coincides with the thickness dimension of the terminal device. Here, the minimum height dimension substantially coincides with the thickness dimension of the terminal device means that the upper end surface of the retractable camera module 100 is flush with or slightly lower than the rear surface of the terminal device when the retractable camera module is mounted to the terminal device. Of course, according to practical requirements, the upper end surface of the retractable camera module 100 may be higher than the back surface of the terminal device, but generally, for aesthetic purposes, the protruding height cannot be too large, and can be controlled between 0mm and 5 mm.

Accordingly, when the retractable camera module 100 is configured as a rear camera module of a terminal device, the optical lens 20 of the retractable camera module 100 is extended when in a working state, so that the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 meets the requirement of zoom shooting on an optical back focal value, and the imaging quality can be ensured. As shown in fig. 1, the height of the retractable camera module 100 is significantly greater than the thickness of the terminal device when in an operating state. It will be appreciated that in a particular implementation, the maximum height dimension and the minimum height dimension depend on the requirements of the terminal device for optical zoom magnification.

Specifically, taking the telescopic statue module for realizing 5 times optical zoom as an example, the range of the minimum height dimension is 8mm-11mm, and preferably, the range of the minimum height dimension is 9mm-10mm; the maximum height dimension ranges from 23mm to 26mm, preferably the maximum height dimension ranges from 24mm to 25mm. Taking the telescopic statue module for realizing 10 times optical zoom as an example, the range of the minimum height dimension is 9mm-12mm, and preferably, the range of the minimum height dimension is 10mm-11mm; the maximum height dimension ranges from 28mm to 32mm, preferably the maximum height dimension ranges from 29mm to 31mm.

In addition, the optical back focal value of the telescopic camera module 100 is maximum when in the working state, and the optical back focal value of the telescopic camera module 100 is minimum when in the non-working state. More specifically, taking the example that the retractable camera module 100 is used for 5-fold optical zoom, the range of the optical back focal value of the retractable camera module 100 is 13mm to 17mm, preferably 14 to 16mm when in the working state; the optical back focus value of the retractable camera module 100 ranges from 1mm to 3mm, preferably from 1.5mm to 2.5mm, when in the inactive state.

In addition, the mechanism back focus of the retractable camera module 100 is maximum when in the working state, and the mechanism back focus of the retractable camera module 100 is minimum when in the non-working state. Here, the mechanical back focus of the retractable camera module 100 represents the distance from the tangential plane of the lower surface of the last optical lens 22 in the optical lens 20 to the image plane. The value of the back focus of the mechanism is relatively close to the optical back focus value of the telescopic camera module 100, and is basically reduced by about 0.5mm on the basis of the optical back focus value.

Further, it should be understood that when the telescopic camera module 100 is in the operating state, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is driven to be protruded upward in a direction away from the photosensitive chip 12, and at this time, the overall height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is gradually increased, and accordingly, when the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is completely protruded, the overall height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 reaches a maximum value. Accordingly, when the telescopic camera module 100 is in the non-operating state, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is driven to be retracted downward in a direction approaching the photosensitive chip 12, and at this time, the overall height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is gradually reduced, and accordingly, when the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is completely retracted, the overall height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly reaches a minimum value. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the minimum height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 ranges from 6mm to 9mm, and the maximum height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 ranges from 18.6mm to 28.6mm.

In order to enable the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to be telescopically moved relative to the photosensitive chip 12, a driving force is required to be provided to the telescopic sleeve assembly 33. As shown in fig. 3, in the present embodiment, the driving force of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is provided by the driving element 31, that is, in the present embodiment, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 itself is a passive member, and an external driving force is required to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly to move.

As shown in fig. 3, it should be noted that in the present embodiment, the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 on which the optical lens 20 is mounted corresponds to the photosensitive chip 12, and an imaging path needs to be kept clear between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12, that is, no other components can be provided between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, it is preferable that the driving element 31 is disposed at a side portion of the photosensitive chip 12, that is, the driving element 31 is disposed at a position on a side of the photosensitive chip 12, for example, the driving element 31 is mounted on the circuit board 11 at a position on a side of the photosensitive chip 12. In order to secure the stability of the driving element 31, it is more preferable that the driving element 31 is mounted on the area of the reinforcing plate 15 protruding from the wiring board 11.

And, consider that: on the one hand, the telescopic camera module 100 has a limited internal space, and on the other hand, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is provided with sensitive and fragile elements such as the photosensitive chip 12 and the filter element 14, so that the driving element 31 is more preferably mounted on the outer side of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33. It should be appreciated that when the drive element 31 is mounted outside the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, the deployment position of the drive assembly is also laterally of the photosensitive chip 12 and relatively further away from the photosensitive chip 12.

It should be noted that, when the driving element 31 is mounted on one side of the photosensitive chip 12 or on the outer side of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, the driving element 31 is located in the inner space of the telescopic camera module 100, and thus, the telescopic camera module 100 according to the embodiment of the present application has a compact structure.

It will be appreciated that the drive element 31 is operative to provide a driving force for driving the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 into and out of engagement. In an embodiment, the force provided by the driving element 31 may directly act on the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to perform telescopic motion relative to the photosensitive chip 12, as shown in fig. 4.

Further, in consideration of the relative positional relationship between the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 and the driving member 31, the telescopic assembly 30 further includes the transmission mechanism 32 provided between the driving member 31 and the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to transmit and act on the driving force generated by the driving member 31 through the transmission mechanism 32 to the telescopic sleeve assembly 33.

Accordingly, the transmission mechanism 32 includes a power receiving end 321 and a power output end 322, wherein the power receiving end 321 is coupled to the driving element 31 to receive the driving force generated by the driving element 31, and the power output end 322 is configured to output the driving force received by the power receiving end 321.

In some examples of the present application, the power output end 322 may act on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, that is, the driving force generated by the driving element 31 is transmitted through the transmission mechanism 32 and acts on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, so as to drive the upper end 331 to drive the other part of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to move, so as to achieve the purpose of driving the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to perform telescopic motion relative to the photosensitive chip 12.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the optical lens 20 is mounted on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, so that when the power output end 322 of the transmission mechanism 32 acts on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, the telescopic movement of the optical lens 20 and the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is relatively smoother and smoother.

In particular, in these examples, since the driving element 31 is provided at the side of the photosensitive chip 12, the power output end 322 of the transmission mechanism 32 acts on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 (the upper end 331 corresponds to the photosensitive chip 12), and in such a positional relationship, it is preferable that the transmission mechanism 32 further includes a steering element 323 for steering the driving force generated by the driving element 31, the steering element 323 being provided between the driving element 31 and the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33. It will be appreciated that by configuring the steering element 323, the driving force generated by the driving element 31 can be more smoothly transferred to the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33. In particular implementations, the steering element 323 includes, but is not limited to, pulleys, gears, crank links, and the like.

In other examples of the present application, the power output end 322 may also act on the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, that is, the driving force generated by the driving element 31 is transmitted through the transmission mechanism 32 and acts on the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, so as to drive the lower end 332 to drive the other part of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to move, so as to achieve the purpose of driving the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to perform telescopic motion relative to the photosensitive chip 12.

Of course, in other examples of the application, the power output end 322 may also act on other positions of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, for example, a middle position, a middle-upper position, a middle-lower position, etc. of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, which is not limited in this application. It should be noted that, in other examples of the present application, the power output end 322 may also directly act on the optical lens 20, that is, the power output end 322 may directly act on the optical lens 20 mounted on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33.

It is also worth mentioning that in other examples of the present application, the driving element 31 can also drive the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 in other ways for telescopic movement with respect to the photosensitive chip 12. For example, in some examples of the present application, the telescopic assembly 30 further includes an elastic return member 34 disposed between the photosensitive chip 12 and the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, and one end of the elastic return member 34 abuts against the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, where the elastic return member 34 will spring upwards due to its own elasticity in a natural state, so as to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to perform an extending movement away from the photosensitive chip 12. Accordingly, in these examples, the drive element 31 may act on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 or the optical lens 20 via the transmission mechanism 32 (e.g., a lead wire) to provide a driving force to pull back the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 or the optical lens 20. Accordingly, in the process of pulling back the elastic restoring member 34 by the driving mechanism, the elastic restoring member 34 is compressed and the driving force applied to the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 or the optical lens 20 by the driving mechanism is balanced with the elastic force of the elastic restoring member 34, so that the optical lens 20 can be pulled back and held in the non-operating state. That is, in these examples, the driving element 31 acts directly on the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 (or the optical lens 20) to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to perform the retracting movement with respect to the photosensitive chip 12, whereas the extending movement of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 with respect to the photosensitive chip 12 is driven by the elastic restoring member 34 instead of being directly driven by the driving element 31.

Accordingly, in these examples, the driving element 31 is disposed at a side of the photosensitive chip 12, and the power output end 322 of the transmission mechanism 32 acts on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 (the upper end 331 corresponds to the photosensitive chip 12). In such a positional relationship, it is preferable that the transmission mechanism 32 further includes a steering element 323 for steering the driving force generated by the driving element 31, the steering element 323 being disposed between the driving element 31 and the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve. It will be appreciated that by configuring the steering element 323, the driving force generated by the driving element 31 can be more smoothly transferred to the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33. In particular implementations, the steering element 323 includes, but is not limited to, pulleys, gears, crank links, and the like.

Further, in these examples, to enable the retractable camera module 100 to be held in a non-operational state, the retractable assembly 30 may further include a limiting element, wherein the limiting element may prevent the retractable sleeve assembly 33 from bouncing back by the elastic return 34 by limiting the transmission mechanism 32 (e.g., a rope) when the optical lens 20 is pulled back by the driving element 31. In practice, the limiting element may be embodied as the driving element 31 itself, i.e. when in the inactive state, the driving element 31 is still able to provide a force preventing the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 from being rebounded. Of course, the limiting element may be an element disposed outside the driving element 31, which is not limited in this application.

It should be noted that, when the retractable camera module 100 is in the working state, the optical lens 20 is separated from the photosensitive chip 12 under the action of the retractable sleeve assembly 33, so that the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 meets the shooting requirement. Accordingly, since the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 is increased, the imaging optical path between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 is lengthened, resulting in that external stray light is more likely to enter the photosensitive chip 12 to affect imaging quality.

To address the problem of stray light affecting imaging, in some examples of the present application, the retractable camera module 100 further includes a guide sleeve 40 that extends telescopically between the light-sensing chip 12 and the upper end 331 of the retractable sleeve assembly 33, the guide sleeve 40 having through holes corresponding to the optical lens 20 and the light-sensing chip 12. It should be appreciated that the guiding sleeve 40, which is disposed between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12, can be designed in its own shape and size to constrain, on the one hand, the imaging light from the optical lens 20 and, on the other hand, isolate stray light from outside the conducting sleeve from entering the photosensitive chip 12.

In one specific example of the present application, as shown in fig. 3, one end of the guiding sleeve 40 is fixed to the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, and the other end thereof is fixed above the photosensitive chip 12 (for example, fixed to the bracket 13), wherein, when in the first state, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is driven to move upward relative to the photosensitive chip 12 to cause the guiding sleeve 40 to be elongated upward relative to the photosensitive chip 12; when in the second state, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is driven to be moved downward with respect to the photosensitive chip 12 to bring the guide sleeve 40 to be shortened downward with respect to the photosensitive chip 12. That is, in this particular example, the pass-through sleeve is capable of telescoping movement with the telescoping sleeve assembly 33.

In order to ensure that enough imaging light enters the photosensitive chip 12, in the embodiment of the present application, preferably, the inner diameter of the guide sleeve 40 gradually increases from top to bottom, and the lower end surface of the guide sleeve 40 covers the photosensitive area of the photosensitive chip 12 in the projection area of the photosensitive chip 12. That is, the lower end surface of the guide sleeve 40 can completely cover the photosensitive area of the photosensitive chip 12, so that the imaging light entering the photosensitive chip 12 through the guide sleeve 40 can completely cover the imaging area of the photosensitive chip 12.

Further, as shown in fig. 1 to 3, in the embodiment of the present application, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 has a multi-joint structure, that is, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 includes a plurality of joint nested sleeve units 333. Wherein the multi-stage sleeve units 333 can interact with each other to be capable of extending movement relative to the photosensitive chip 12 or retracting movement relative to the photosensitive chip 12 after driving. Here, the interaction between the multi-segment sleeve monomers 333 can mean that there is a force conduction or direct contact between the multi-segment sleeve monomers 333. Preferably, in the embodiment of the present application, two adjacent sections of the sleeve units 333 of the multi-section sleeve units 333 are in contact with each other, for example, arranged in a manner of nesting layer by layer inside and outside, so as to form the telescopic sleeve assembly 33.

For example, in some specific examples of the present application, the multiple sleeve units 333 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 are sleeved with each other, and a guide groove 330A (for example, as shown in fig. 6) is provided between two adjacent sleeve units 333, where the guide groove 330A allows telescopic movement between the inner and outer sleeve units 333 in the optical axis direction. In other examples of the present application, the multiple sleeve units 333 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 are sleeved with each other, and a guide rail 330B (for example, as shown in fig. 3) is disposed between two adjacent sleeve units 333, where the guide rail 330B allows a spiral telescopic motion between the inner and outer sleeve units 333 in the optical axis direction, that is, the sleeve unit 333 located in the inner layer can perform a spiral ascending motion or a spiral descending motion under the action of the sleeve unit 333 located in the outer layer.

In the embodiment of the present application, the lower end 332 of the outermost sleeve unit 333 of the multi-stage sleeve unit 333 forms the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, and the upper end 331 of the innermost sleeve unit 333 of the multi-stage sleeve unit 333 forms the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, that is, in the embodiment of the present application, the optical lens 20 is mounted on the sleeve unit 333 located at the innermost stage, and the sleeve unit 333 at the outermost stage is mounted on the mounting substrate of the photosensitive assembly 10.

Accordingly, when the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is operated such that the outer-most sleeve units 333 are fixed, the inner-most sleeve units 333 are protruded upward one by one to move away from the photosensitive chip 12, so that the optical total length between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 can be increased to meet the photographing requirement.

In a specific implementation, the structural configuration between the multi-section sleeve cells 333 is determined based on the driving mode of the telescopic assembly 30. Specifically, as mentioned above, in some examples, in the working state, the power output end 322 of the transmission mechanism 32 in the telescopic assembly 30 directly acts on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, and under the action of the power output end 322, the sleeve unit 333 located at the innermost layer is lifted upwards to bring the sleeve unit 333 located at the outer layer of the telescopic assembly up, so that the optical lens 20 is far away from the photosensitive chip 12. In this driving mode, the multi-stage sleeve units 333 may adopt: the inner and outer nested arrangement and the up and down sliding arrangement between two adjacent sleeve units 333.

Specifically, as mentioned above, in other examples, in the working state, the power output end 322 of the transmission mechanism 32 in the telescopic assembly 30 directly acts on the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, and under the action of the power output end 322, the sleeve unit 333 located at the outermost layer is rotated to bring the sleeve unit 333 located at the outer layer into a rotating upward movement layer by layer, in such a way that the optical lens 20 is driven away from the photosensitive chip 12. In this driving mode, the multi-stage sleeve units 333 may adopt: the inner and outer nested arrangement and the spiral sliding arrangement between two adjacent sleeve units 333.

It should be noted that, as mentioned above, in the embodiment of the present application, the minimum height of the telescopic camera module 100 should meet the preset requirement, and therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the height of each of the plurality of sleeve units 333 is not higher than the required height of the telescopic camera module 100. For example, when the height of the retractable camera module 100 is 9.5mm, the height of each section of the sleeve unit 333 is 9.5mm or less. Preferably, in the embodiment of the present application, each of the multiple sleeve units 333 has a uniform height dimension between the sleeve units 333.

Also, it should be readily understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the highest height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100 is determined by the height dimension of each of the multi-stage sleeve units 333 and the total number of stages of the multi-stage sleeve units 333. That is, the maximum height of the telescopic camera module 100 can be controlled to a certain extent by controlling the number of the joints of the multi-joint sleeve unit 333. That is, in the present embodiment, the number of knots of the multi-segmented sleeve element 333 is determined based on the quotient of the maximum height dimension of the telescoping sleeve assembly 33 and the height of the sleeve element 333.

For example, in one specific example, the height dimension of the sleeve units 333 is equal to the minimum height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, the sleeve units 333 of the multi-section sleeve units 333 have consistent height dimensions, and the maximum height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is equal to the sum of the height dimensions of the multi-section sleeve units 333.

To better understand the design of the height and number of segments of the single segment sleeve element 333 of the telescoping sleeve assembly 33, a specific example is provided.

In this specific example, the height requirement of the terminal device for the retractable camera module 100 is 9.5mm, the effective focal length of the optical lens 20 of the retractable camera module 100 is 21mm, the total optical length of the retractable camera module 100 is 21mm, and the height retardation of the optical lens 20 is 7.3-7.5mm. In this specific example, when in the working state, the height requirement from the optical lens 20 to the photosensitive chip 12 is 24mm, the height requirement from the optical lens 20 is 7.3mm, and the required height dimension of the retractable camera module 100 is 9.5mm, so the retractable assembly 30 must be provided for the optical lens 20, so that the optical lens 20 is in a position with a corresponding height in the working state, so that the TTL meets the requirement, and the retractable camera module 100 can normally shoot.

In this particular example, the outermost sleeve element 333 of the telescoping sleeve assembly 33 is secured to the circuit board 11 or other securing member (e.g., the reinforcing plate 15 described above), and the overall extension of the telescoping sleeve assembly 33 is approximately 24mm. In order to enable the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to be fully retracted within the telescopic camera module 100, the height of each of the sleeve units 333 is less than 9.5mm (it should be noted that, since the heights of the circuit board 11 and other elements are also present, the heights of each of the sleeve units 333 may need to be further controlled), and therefore, the number of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is at least three.

Further, in the embodiment of the present application, since the motion control precision of the telescopic assembly 30 is limited, and the relative positional relationship between the telescopic camera module 100 and the subject is not the same in the specific shooting process, when shooting with the telescopic camera module 100, it is preferable that the telescopic camera module 100 is further required to be focused, so as to improve the shooting quality. That is, in the embodiment of the present application, the retractable camera module 100 further includes a focusing mechanism 50.

In one specific example of the present application, the focusing mechanism 50 is disposed between the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 and the optical lens 20, and is configured to drive the optical lens 20 to fine-tune the relative positional relationship between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 for optical focusing. Specifically, the focusing mechanism 50 includes, but is not limited to, a voice coil motor, piezoceramics, and the like.

In another specific example of the present application, the focusing mechanism 50 may be disposed to act on a certain position of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, for example, on the innermost sleeve unit 333 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, to perform optical focusing by driving the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 and the optical lens 20 as a whole.

In yet another specific example of the present application, the focusing mechanism 50 may be configured to act on the photosensitive chip 12, that is, the focusing mechanism 50 may perform optical focusing by driving the photosensitive chip 12 to move to fine-tune the distance between the photosensitive chip 12 and the optical lens 20.

In summary, the retractable image capturing module 100 according to the embodiment of the present application is illustrated, wherein the optical lens 20 in the retractable image capturing module 100 is retractable with respect to the photosensitive chip 12 thereof to switch between an operating state in which the optical lens 20 of the retractable image capturing module 100 is extended for imaging and a non-operating state in which the optical lens 20 of the retractable image capturing module 100 is retracted to reduce the overall height dimension of the retractable image capturing module 100, in this way, the technical contradiction between the height design and the larger effective focal length of the conventional upright image capturing module is solved.

Exemplary telescoping Assembly1

Fig. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a specific example of the telescopic assembly 30 of the telescopic camera module 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective exploded view of the telescoping assembly 30 illustrated in fig. 6. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, in this particular example, the telescopic assembly 30 comprises: a driving element 31, a transmission mechanism 32 and an elastic return 34, wherein the driving element 31, the transmission mechanism 32 and the elastic return 34 cooperate to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to switch between an operating state and a non-operating state.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, in this specific example, the driving element 31 is provided at a side portion of the photosensitive chip 12, for example, the driving element 31 is mounted at a position on the wiring board 11 on one side of the photosensitive chip 12. In order to improve the mounting stability of the driving element 31, in other examples of the present application the driving element 31 may be mounted on the area of the reinforcing plate 15 protruding from the circuit board 11. In some specific examples, the driving element 31 is located outside the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 when the driving element 31 is mounted on the area of the reinforcing plate 15 protruding from the circuit board 11.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, in this specific example, the transmission mechanism 32 includes a lead 320A, one end of the lead 320A is connected to the driving element 31 for transmitting the force generated by the driving element 31, and the other end of the lead 320A is fixed to the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 or to the optical lens 20 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33. Preferably, when the other end of the lead wire 320A is fixed to the telescopic sleeve assembly, the other end of the lead wire 320A is fixed to the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33. That is, in this example, the power output end 322 of the transmission mechanism 32 acts on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 or the optical lens 20.

Accordingly, when the retractable camera module 100 is switched from the active state to the inactive state, the driving element 31 may be activated to generate a force pulling the lead 320A to pull the retractable sleeve assembly 33 or the optical lens 20 to retract downward to the inactive state.

Further, in order to enable the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to return to its operating state, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, in this particular example, the telescopic assembly 30 further comprises the elastic return 34 arranged between the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 and the circuit board 11. The elastic return 34 may be embodied as a spring, leaf spring or the like having elasticity.

Specifically, in the example illustrated in fig. 6 and 7, one end of the elastic restoring member 34 is fixed to the wiring board 11, and the other end thereof is fixed to the upper end portion 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, in such a manner that the elastic restoring member 34 is disposed between the upper end portion 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 and the wiring board 11.

Accordingly, when the retractable camera module 100 is in the inactive state, the driving element 31 drives the retractable sleeve assembly 33 (or the optical lens 20) to move downward through the lead 320A as the transmission mechanism 32, wherein, during the downward movement, the elastic restoring member 34 is compressed and after waiting for the corresponding position, the driving element 31 applies a force so that the elastic restoring member 34 is kept in the compressed state. When the retractable camera module 100 is in the working state, the acting force applied by the driving element 31 to the lead 320A is reduced or eliminated, so that the retractable sleeve assembly 33 extends upwards under the action of the elastic force of the elastic return 34, so as to drive the optical lens 20 mounted on the retractable sleeve assembly 33 to extend upwards, thereby increasing the total optical length of the retractable camera module 100. That is, when the retractable camera module 100 is switched from the inactive state to the active state, the compressed elastic return member 34 is rebounded upward to drive the retractable sleeve assembly 33 to extend upward, so that the optical lens 20 is away from the photosensitive chip 12, so as to meet the shooting requirement.

It should be noted that, in this specific example, it is preferable that the elastic restoring member 34 and the lead wire 320A are disposed below the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, that is, below the optical lens 20, and by such a position setting, the elastic restoring member 34 and the lead wire 320A are reasonably disposed in the space set by the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, so as to improve the utilization of the module interior and effectively control the overall size (particularly, the size in the height direction) of the telescopic camera module 100.

It should be noted that, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, in this specific example, the optical lens 20 is mounted on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 and corresponds to the photosensitive chip 12, and the driving element 31 is located on one side of the photosensitive chip 12, that is, there is a certain lateral distance between the optical lens 20 (the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33) and the driving element 31. To facilitate the placement of the lead wire 320A, in the present embodiment, the transmission mechanism 32 further includes at least one pulley 3230 as a diverting element 323 to reduce the module interior space occupied by the lead wire 320A by the at least one pulley 3230.

In this specific example, the at least one pulley 3230 is disposed between the driving element 31 and the photosensitive chip 12, and preferably, the at least one pulley 3230 has the same installation height as the driving element 31. For example, when the driving member 31 is mounted on the circuit board 11 or the reinforcing plate 15 in a region protruding from the circuit board 11, the at least one pulley 3230 is mounted on the circuit board 11 such that the at least one pulley 3230 has approximately the same mounting height as the driving member 31, and thus the lead wire 320A between the driving member 31 and the at least one pulley 3230 is maintained approximately horizontally, so that the transmission of the force is smoother.

In this specific example, the number of the at least one pulley 3230 corresponds to the number of the wires 320A, that is, preferably, each of the wires 320A is changed in direction by the corresponding pulley 3230, wherein the number of the wires 320A is 1 or more, for example, 2, 3, or 4. When the number of the leads 320A is greater than 1, it is preferable that the arrangement of the leads 320A be uniformly arranged with respect to the optical axis of the retractable camera module 100. In addition, the number of the leads 320A cannot be too large, and the excessive leads 320A occupy a larger module space, which is not beneficial to miniaturization of the module.

Further, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, in the embodiment of the present application, the multiple sleeve units 333 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 are sleeved with each other, and a guide groove 330A is provided between two adjacent sleeve units 333, and the guide groove 330A allows telescopic movement between the inner and outer sleeve units 333 in the optical axis direction.

In particular, in this example, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 has a trapezoidal section, the size of which increases progressively from its upper end 331 to its lower end 332. Preferably, in this particular example, the shape of the elastic return 34 matches the shape of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, i.e. in this particular example, the elastic return 34 has a structure with a small top and a large bottom. Here, the matching of the shape of the elastic restoring member 34 with the shape of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 does not mean that the shape of the elastic restoring member 34 corresponds to the shape of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, but only that the elastic restoring member 34 has a structure of a large upper and small lower. For example, in the example shown in fig. 6, the elastic restoring member 34 extends vertically downward from top to bottom and then extends outward and downward, so that the elastic restoring member 34 has a structure with a large upper portion and a small lower portion.

It should be noted that, in order to enable the telescopic camera module 100 to be kept in the inactive state, the telescopic assembly 30 may further include a limiting element, wherein, when the optical lens 20 is pulled back by the driving element 31 through the lead 320A, the limiting element can prevent the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 from being rebounded by the elastic restoring member 34 by limiting the lead 320A. In practice, the limiting element may be embodied as the driving element 31 itself, i.e. when in the inactive state, the driving element 31 is still able to provide a force preventing the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 from being rebounded. Of course, the limiting element may be an element disposed outside the driving element 31, which is not limited in this application.

In summary, the telescopic assembly 30 according to this specific example of the present application is illustrated, which is configured to implement the switching of the telescopic camera module 100 between the operating state and the non-operating state thereof by the cooperation of the driving element 31, the transmission mechanism 32 and the elastic return 34. In addition, since the elastic restoring member 34 can rebound faster, the retractable camera module 100 can be switched to the operating state at a faster speed, so as to improve the operating efficiency.

Exemplary retraction Assembly 2

Fig. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of another specific example of the telescopic assembly 30 of the telescopic camera module 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. In this particular example, the telescoping assembly 30 includes: a drive element 31 and a transmission 32, wherein the transmission 32 comprises a gear 325 and a transmission 326.

Specifically, the driving element 31 is provided at a side portion of the photosensitive chip 12, for example, the driving element 31 is mounted at a position on the wiring board 11 on one side of the photosensitive chip 12. In order to improve the mounting stability of the driving element 31, in other examples of the present application the driving element 31 may be mounted on the area of the reinforcing plate 15 protruding from the circuit board 11. In some specific examples, the driving element 31 is located outside the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 when the driving element 31 is mounted on the area of the reinforcing plate 15 protruding from the circuit board 11.

One end of the transmission 326 is fixed to the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 (for example, an upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33), and the other end thereof is drivingly connected to the driving element 31 through the gear 325. That is, in this particular example, the output of the transmission 32 acts on the telescoping sleeve assembly 33, for example, the upper end 331 of the telescoping sleeve assembly 33. The gear 325 acts as a steering element 323 which acts to steer the force generated by the driving element 31 to drive the transmission 326 in its transmission direction. It will be appreciated that the relative positional arrangement of the drive element 31 and the transfer element 326 is made more free by the gear 325 to more fully utilize the module interior space.

It should be noted that, in other examples of the present application, the other end of the transmission member may also be directly fixed to the optical lens 20, which is not limited to the present application.

It should be noted that in this particular example, the transfer member 326 extends approximately perpendicularly between the upper end 331 of the telescoping sleeve assembly 33 and the circuit board 11. Accordingly, when the conveying member 326 is actuated, the conveying member 326 can drive the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to perform telescopic movement relative to the photosensitive chip 12 along the driving direction of the conveying member 326, so as to achieve the purpose of moving the optical lens 20 away from or towards the photosensitive chip 12. That is, in the present embodiment, the power output end 322 of the transmission mechanism 32 acts on the upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 or the optical lens 20.

Further, as shown in fig. 8, in the embodiment of the present application, the multiple sleeve units 333 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 are sleeved with each other, and a guide groove 330A is provided between two adjacent sleeve units 333, and the guide groove 330A allows telescopic movement between the inner and outer sleeve units 333 in the optical axis direction. In this example, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 has a trapezoidal cross section, which increases in size gradually from its upper end 331 to its lower end 332.

Specifically, when the retractable camera module 100 is in the working state, the driving element 31 generates a driving force in a first direction to drive the transmission member 326 to move upwards through the gear 325, so as to drive the upper end 331 of the retractable sleeve assembly 33 or the optical lens 20 to move upwards, so as to enlarge the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12, so as to meet the shooting requirement. When the retractable camera module 100 is in the non-working state, the driving element 31 generates a driving force opposite to the first direction to drive the conveying member 326 to move downward through the gear 325, so as to drive the upper end 331 of the retractable sleeve assembly 33 or the optical lens 20 to move downward, so as to reduce the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the overall height dimension of the retractable camera module 100.

In implementations, the conveyor 326 may be implemented as a conveyor chain or belt. It should be noted that in this particular example, a support member may also be provided for the belt, as the belt is not necessarily strong enough to support the optical lens 20 for telescopic movement. Accordingly, the driving belt is mounted on the support to prevent the driving belt from being deformed by the support, thereby ensuring that the optical lens 20 can be extended and retracted to a corresponding height.

It should be noted that, in order to enable the telescopic camera module 100 to be kept in the inactive state, the telescopic assembly 30 may further include a limiting element, where the limiting element is used to limit the movement of the conveying member 326. In a specific implementation, the limiting element may be implemented as the driving element 31 itself, i.e. it is able to limit the movement of the conveyor 326 when in the inactive state. Of course, the limiting element may be an element disposed outside the driving element 31, which is not limited in this application.

In summary, the telescopic assembly 30 according to this specific example of the present application is illustrated, which is configured to implement the switching of the telescopic camera module 100 between the operating state and the non-operating state thereof by the cooperation of the driving element 31, the gear 325 and the transmission member 326.

Exemplary retraction Assembly 3

Fig. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram of yet another specific example of the telescopic assembly 30 of the telescopic camera module 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 9, in this particular example, the telescopic assembly 30 includes: a drive element 31 and a transmission 32.

In particular, as shown in fig. 9, the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 includes a plurality of sleeve units 333, the sleeve units 333 are nested with each other and a spiral guide rail 330B is provided between two adjacent sleeve units 333, and by such a structural configuration that when the sleeve unit 333 of the outermost layer is driven to rotate in a first direction (for example, the first direction is clockwise), the sleeve unit 333 of the inner layer is spirally moved upward under the guide of the guide rail 330B; and when the outermost sleeve unit 333 is driven to rotate in a second direction (e.g., the second direction is clockwise), the sleeve unit 333 positioned at the inner layer is spirally moved downward under the guide of the guide rail 330B.

As shown in fig. 9, in this specific example, the driving element 31 is provided at a side portion of the photosensitive chip 12, for example, the driving element 31 is mounted at a position on the wiring board 11 on a side of the photosensitive chip 12. In order to improve the mounting stability of the driving element 31, the driving element 31 may be preferably mounted on the region of the reinforcing plate 15 protruding from the circuit board 11. In some specific examples, the drive element 31 is located outside of the telescoping sleeve assembly 33 when the drive element 31 is mounted on the reinforcing plate 15 in the area that extends beyond the circuit board 11.

As shown in fig. 9, in this specific example, the transmission mechanism 32 is provided between the driving element 31 and the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 so as to apply the driving force generated by the driving element 31 to the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 through the transmission mechanism. In this particular example, the transmission 32 is embodied as a gear transmission with which the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is engaged, i.e. in this particular example, the transmission 32 forms the power output 322 of the transmission 32, the power output 322 acting on the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33.

Specifically, when the telescopic camera module 100 is in an operating state, the driving element 31 generates a driving force in a first direction to act on the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 through the gear transmission mechanism. Accordingly, under the action of the driving force, the outer-most sleeve unit 333 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 rotates in a first direction to drive the inner-layer sleeve unit 333 to move upwards spirally, so as to drive the optical lens 20 away from the photosensitive chip 12, so as to meet the shooting requirement, as shown in fig. 10A.

When the telescopic camera module 100 is in the inactive state, the driving element 31 generates a driving force opposite to the first direction to act on the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 through the gear transmission mechanism. Accordingly, under the action of the driving force, the outer-most sleeve unit 333 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 rotates in a direction opposite to the first direction, so as to drive the inner-layer sleeve unit 333 to move downward in a spiral manner, thereby driving the optical lens 20 to approach the photosensitive chip 12 so as to reduce the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12, and achieving the purpose of reducing the overall height dimension of the telescopic camera module 100, as shown in fig. 10B.

It should be noted that, in this specific example, due to the small size of the gear mechanism, the diameter of the lower end 332 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 that is correspondingly engaged is large, which may result in a transmission ratio greater than 1, that is, the rotation speed of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is slow, which affects the working efficiency of the telescopic camera module 100.

In some variant implementations of this specific example, the transmission mechanism 32 may be adapted to a gear 325 and worm structure, i.e. the driving element 31 drives the gear 325 in rotation, the gear 325 in turn driving a worm in motion, the worm acting on the upper end 331 of the optical lens 20 or the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, to increase the working efficiency by means of such a transmission mechanism 32.

In summary, the telescopic assembly 30 according to this specific example of the present application is illustrated, which is configured to implement the switching of the telescopic camera module 100 between the operating state and the non-operating state thereof by the cooperation of the driving element 31, the gear 325 and the guide rail 330B provided on the telescopic sleeve assembly 33.

Exemplary retraction Assembly 4

Fig. 11 illustrates a schematic diagram of yet another specific example of the telescopic assembly 30 of the telescopic camera module 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 11, in this particular example, the telescopic assembly 30 includes: a drive element 31 and a transmission 32.

As shown in fig. 11, in this specific example, the transmission mechanism 32 is a telescopic device 327, and the telescopic device 327 is disposed on the mounting substrate of the photosensitive assembly 10, where one end of the telescopic assembly 30 is connected to the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 (for example, an upper end 331 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33). Under the action of the driving element 31, the telescopic device 327 can perform telescopic motion to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to perform telescopic motion, so as to achieve the technical purpose of moving away from or approaching the optical lens 20 to the photosensitive chip 12.

As shown in fig. 11, in this specific example, the telescopic device 327 includes a base 3271 mounted on a mounting substrate of the photosensitive assembly 10, and the driving element 31 is mounted on the base 3271. Further, the telescopic device 327 further includes a transmission assembly 3272 and a telescopic member 3273, the transmission assembly 3272 is configured to transmit the driving force generated by the driving element 31 to the telescopic member 3273, one end of the telescopic member 3273 is coupled to the transmission assembly 3272 to receive the driving force from the transmission assembly 3272, and the telescopic member 3273 is configured to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to perform telescopic motion.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 11, in this specific example, the transmission assembly 3272 includes a gear set 3274, a screw rod 3275, and a slider 3276, where the gear set 3274 is connected to an output end of the driving element 31 and is used to transmit and steer a force generated by the driving element 31, the screw rod 3275 is mounted on the base 3271 and is connected to the gear set 3274, the slider 3276 is sleeved on the screw rod 3275, and one end of the telescopic member 3273 is connected to the slider 3276, so that, when the driving element 31 is started and begins to operate, the driving element 31 can transmit the force generated by the driving element 31 to the telescopic member 3273 through the gear set 3274, the screw rod 3275 and the slider 3276, so as to drive the telescopic member 3273 to perform telescopic motion, thereby driving the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to perform telescopic motion, so as to achieve the purpose of adjusting the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12.

Accordingly, as shown in fig. 11, in this specific example, the expansion member 3273 includes a plurality of connection rods 3277 hinged to each other, wherein the plurality of connection rods 3277 are hinged to each other to form a plurality of hinge points 3278, wherein the connection rod 3277 located at the uppermost side is fixed to the upper end 331 of the expansion sleeve assembly 33, and the connection rod 3277 located at the lowermost side is fixed to the slider 3276.

Accordingly, when in the working state, the driving element 31 generates a driving force in the first direction, the driving force is transmitted through the transmission assembly 3272 and drives the sliding block 3276 to slide in the first direction, wherein the sliding block 3276 can drive the plurality of connecting rods 3277 of the telescopic member 3273 to perform a pivoting motion, so as to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 to extend upwards, so that the distance between the optical lens 20 and the photosensitive chip 12 is increased to meet the shooting requirement, as shown in fig. 12A. When in the non-working state, the driving force is generated by the driving force opposite to the first direction, and the driving force propagates through the transmission assembly 3272 and drives the sliding block 3276 to slide in the direction opposite to the first direction, wherein the sliding block 3276 can drive the plurality of connecting rods 3277 of the telescopic member 3273 to perform a pivoting motion so as to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 and the optical lens 20 to retract downwards, so that the overall height dimension of the telescopic camera module is reduced, as shown in fig. 12B.

Preferably, in this particular example, the number of hinge points 3278 of the telescoping member 3273 corresponds to the number of segments of the sleeve element 333 of the telescoping sleeve assembly 33. More preferably, the plurality of hinge points 3278 are respectively connected to the respective corresponding sleeve units 333. Taking the example that the telescopic member 3273 includes 3 hinge points 3278 and the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 includes 3 sleeve units 333, wherein the 3 hinge points 3278 are fixed to the 3 sleeve units 333 of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33, respectively.

In summary, the telescopic assembly 30 according to this specific example of the present application is illustrated, which is configured to implement the switching of the telescopic camera module 100 between the operating state and the non-operating state thereof by the cooperation of the driving element 31 and the telescopic assembly 30.

Exemplary electronic device

According to another aspect of the present application, an electronic device is also provided.

Fig. 13 illustrates a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 13, the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment of the present application includes an electronic device body 210 and the above-described retractable camera module 100 assembled to the electronic device body 210. In particular, the minimum height dimension of the telescopic sleeve assembly 33 is less than or equal to the thickness dimension of the electronic device 200.

In an implementation, the retractable camera module 100 may be disposed on the back of the electronic device body 210, so as to be applied as a rear camera module. Of course, it may also be provided as a front portion of the electronic device body 210 to be applied as a front camera module. The specific installation position of the retractable camera module 100 in the electronic device body 210 is not limited in this application.

In particular, compared to the conventional upright camera module, the retractable camera module 100 can extend the optical lens 20 in its working state to increase the total optical length until the shooting requirement is met.

Fig. 14 illustrates another schematic diagram of an electronic device 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 13, the electronic device 200 according to the embodiment of the present application includes an electronic device body 210, the above-described retractable camera module 100 assembled to the electronic device body 210, and a second camera module 220 assembled to the electronic device body 210. In particular, the second camera module 220 has a relatively smaller effective focal length than the retractable camera module 100.

That is, in the electronic apparatus 200 as illustrated in fig. 14, the electronic apparatus 200 is configured with a multi-shot camera module, that is, the retractable camera module 100 is applied to an image sensor that is the electronic apparatus 200 together with an existing short-focus camera module. In operation, the retractable camera module 100 and the second camera module 220 can cooperate with each other to provide a richer imaging function.

Fig. 15 illustrates another schematic diagram of the electronic device 200 illustrated in fig. 14. As shown in fig. 15, in the working process, the retractable camera module 100 can extend its optical lens 20 to increase its total optical length until the shooting requirement is met.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention described above and shown in the drawings are by way of example only and are not limiting. The objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively achieved. The functional and structural principles of the present invention have been shown and described in the examples and embodiments of the invention may be modified or practiced without departing from the principles described.

Claims

1. A retractable camera module, comprising:

a telescoping sleeve assembly;

an optical lens held by the telescopic sleeve assembly to be disposed on a photosensitive path of the photosensitive chip; and a telescopic assembly configured to adjust a relative positional relationship between the optical lens and the photosensitive chip;

wherein, flexible subassembly includes:

A driving element arranged at the side part of the photosensitive chip;

when the telescopic sleeve assembly is in a first state, the telescopic sleeve assembly is driven by the driving element and the telescopic device to extend upwards relative to the photosensitive chip so as to drive the optical lens to move upwards relative to the photosensitive chip, and therefore the distance between the optical lens and the photosensitive chip is increased; when in the second state, the telescopic sleeve assembly is driven by the driving element and the telescopic device to be retracted downwards relative to the photosensitive chip so as to drive the optical lens to move downwards relative to the photosensitive chip, thereby reducing the distance between the optical lens and the photosensitive chip;

the photosensitive assembly comprises a mounting substrate, and the lower end part of the telescopic sleeve assembly is mounted on the mounting substrate;

when the telescopic camera module is arranged at the back of the terminal equipment and is in a non-working state, the overall height reaches the minimum, and the upper end face of the telescopic camera module is flush with or higher than the back of the terminal equipment by 0mm to 5mm.

2. The retractable camera module of claim 1, wherein said optical lens is secured to an upper end of said retractable sleeve assembly.

3. The retractable camera module of claim 2, wherein said retractable sleeve assembly comprises a plurality of sleeve elements nested inside and outside, and a longitudinally extending guide slot is provided between two adjacent sleeve elements, configured such that: when the sleeve monomer at the innermost layer is upwards extended, the sleeve monomer at the outer layer is upwards extended layer by layer under the guidance of the guide groove; and when the innermost sleeve monomer is retracted downwards, the sleeve monomer positioned on the outer layer is retracted downwards layer by layer under the guidance of the guide groove.

4. A telescopic camera module according to claim 3, wherein the innermost sleeve element forms an upper end of the telescopic sleeve assembly.

5. A telescopic camera module according to claim 3, wherein the outermost sleeve element forms a lower end of the telescopic sleeve assembly.

6. The retractable camera module of claim 1, wherein an upper surface of said circuit board is formed on said mounting substrate.

7. The retractable camera module of claim 1, wherein said photosensitive assembly further comprises a stiffener plate overlying a lower surface of said circuit board, an area of said stiffener plate protruding from said circuit board forming said mounting substrate.

8. A telescopic camera module according to claim 3, wherein the telescopic device comprises a base, a transmission assembly and a telescopic member, wherein the driving element is mounted on the base, the driving force generated by the driving element is transmitted to the telescopic member through the transmission assembly, one end of the telescopic member is coupled to the transmission assembly, and the other end of the telescopic member is fixed to the upper end of the telescopic camera module.

9. The retractable camera module of claim 8, wherein said telescoping member includes a plurality of connecting rods hinged to each other to form a plurality of hinge points, wherein a connecting rod located at an uppermost side is fixed to an upper end of said retractable sleeve assembly, and a connecting rod located at a lowermost side is coupled to said transmission assembly.

10. The retractable camera module of claim 9, wherein said plurality of hinge points are secured to said multi-segment sleeve cells, respectively.

11. The retractable camera module of claim 10, wherein said transmission assembly includes a gear set, a lead screw and a slider, wherein said gear set is coupled to an output end of said driving element for transmitting and steering a force generated by said driving element, said lead screw is mounted to said base and connected to said gear set, said slider is sleeved on said lead screw, and a connecting rod located at a lowermost side is coupled to said slider, by a structural configuration such that said driving element is adapted to transmit a force generated by said driving element to said telescoping member through said gear set, said lead screw and said slider.

12. The retractable camera module of claim 11, wherein when in a first state, said driving element is adapted to generate a driving force in a first direction, which is transmitted to said slider through said transmission assembly and drives said slider to slide in the first direction, wherein said sliding slider is adapted to drive a plurality of connecting rods of said retractable member to perform a pivoting motion to drive said retractable sleeve assembly to extend upward such that a distance between said optical lens and said photosensitive chip is increased; when in the second state, the driving force generates driving force opposite to the first direction, the driving force is transmitted to the sliding block through the transmission assembly and drives the sliding block to slide in the direction opposite to the first direction, and the sliding block can drive the plurality of connecting rods of the telescopic piece to do pivoting motion so as to drive the telescopic sleeve assembly and the optical lens to retract downwards.

13. A telescopic camera module according to claim 3, wherein at least some of the multi-section sleeve elements have a uniform height extending upwardly when in the first state and the telescopic sleeve assembly reaches a maximum height dimension.

14. The retractable camera module of claim 1, wherein, when in said first state, said retractable sleeve assembly has a maximum height dimension in the range of 18.6mm to 28.6mm.

15. The retractable camera module of claim 1, wherein said minimum height dimension of said retractable sleeve assembly ranges from 6mm to 9mm when in the second state.

16. The retractable camera module of claim 1, wherein a minimum height dimension of said retractable camera module ranges from 8mm to 12mm when said retractable camera module is in the second state.

17. The retractable camera module of claim 1, wherein a maximum height dimension of said retractable camera module ranges from 23mm to 31mm when said retractable camera module is in the first state.

18. The retractable camera module of claim 1, further comprising a guide sleeve extending telescopically between said light sensing chip and an upper end of said retractable sleeve assembly, said guide sleeve having through holes corresponding to said optical lens and said light sensing chip.

19. The retractable camera module of claim 1, further comprising a focusing mechanism for driving said light sensitive chip.

20. An electronic device, comprising: a retractable camera module as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein a minimum height dimension of the retractable camera module is less than or equal to a thickness dimension of the electronic device.