JP2012155337A - Lens unit and camera module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lens unit and a camera module in which sealing performance can be confirmed after assembly.SOLUTION: A lens unit 1 includes: a barrel 2; a lens group 3 comprising lenses 31 to 34 held by a reception part of the barrel 2; a sealing member 4 interposed between the barrel 2 and the lens 31; and a sealing member 5 interposed between the barrel 2 and the lens 34. The barrel 2 has a through hole 25 which is formed so as to pass through the wall of the barrel 2 and located between the sealing member 4 and the sealing member 5. The through hole 25 is closed by a closing member 6 after the sealing performance is confirmed through the through hole 25. The lenses 32 to 34 are made of plastic, and in each of the lenses 32 to 34, a gate mark formed on the outer peripheral surface when the lens is injection-molded is left at a part of the outer peripheral surface. The lenses 32 to 34 are arranged so that the gate marks face the through hole 25.

Description

  The present invention relates to a lens unit and a camera module used for a camera.

Due to the high performance and low cost of imaging elements and lenses that constitute a part of the camera, the use of the camera has expanded, and the camera has been incorporated into, for example, an outdoor monitoring device or an in-vehicle camera device.
As this outdoor monitoring device, for example, it is a system that records and monitors the movement of people and cars in parks, roads, etc., and due to the increased awareness of crime prevention, many outdoor monitoring devices have been installed in the city. It is coming.
The in-vehicle camera device is, for example, a system in which an in-vehicle camera is attached to the side of the passenger seat, which is a blind spot from the driver's seat, behind the vehicle seat, and the like, and can be confirmed on a monitor screen in the vehicle. There is also an in-vehicle camera device that has an image recognition function and is used for purposes other than visual assistance. That is, the system detects the white line of the road with an in-vehicle camera, accurately determines the position of the car, and prevents a collision accident. As described above, a plurality of in-vehicle cameras are provided for each vehicle.

Since a camera mounted on such a system may be installed in an environment where the lens surface is exposed to rain and wind, heat resistance and moisture resistance are required. In order to meet such demands, various structures have been proposed in the past (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1 discloses a camera in which the surface of a lens or a protective plate that is in contact with the outside is not condensed even when the CCD or a mounting board on which the CCD is mounted generates heat and the internal temperature rises. . Specifically, four lenses are arranged along the optical axis direction by a lens barrel, an O-ring is disposed between the first lens and the lens barrel, and the space between the fourth lens and the lens barrel. An O-ring is placed on the second lens, a space between the first lens and the second lens, a space between the second lens and the third lens, and a third lens and a fourth lens. A configuration is disclosed in which a space is formed between the two spaces so that air does not move between these spaces.

JP 2005-266276 A

  Here, in order to ensure the quality of the product, it is necessary to inspect whether the lens portion of the manufactured camera is securely sealed. However, the conventional configuration does not have a structure that can be inspected after being assembled.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a lens unit and a camera module capable of confirming sealing performance after assembly.

  For this purpose, a lens unit to which the present invention is applied includes a plurality of lenses for forming an image of an object, a holder formed in a cylindrical shape and having a receiving portion for receiving the plurality of lenses, and the plurality of lenses. A first seal portion for sealing with a seal member interposed between the object-side lens located closest to the object side of the lens and the receiving portion of the holder; and the seal member of the first seal portion Formed between the first seal portion and the second seal portion of the holder, which is located on the image side of the holder with respect to the image position of the holder and sealed between the first seal portion and the second seal portion. And a communicating path that communicates the receiving part with each other, and the lens facing the communicating path has an outer circumferential surface formed in a substantially circular shape and a part of the outer circumferential surface. It is away portion is formed, and in which the notch is characterized in that it is arranged so as to face the communicating path.

  Here, the plurality of lenses, except for the lens closest to the object side, have an outer peripheral surface formed in a substantially circular shape, a notch is formed in a part of the outer peripheral surface, and the notch It can be characterized by being arranged so that the directions are aligned. Further, the lens closest to the object among the plurality of lenses may be a glass lens, and the other lenses may be plastic lenses. Further, the receiving part of the holder may have a shape part having an inner peripheral surface formed in a polygonal shape and receiving a lens. The communication path may be provided on the image side with respect to a seal position between the lens unit and an external case to which the lens unit is attached. The seal position between the outer case and the outer case may be located on the image side of the object side lens surface of the most object side lens among the plurality of lenses in the optical axis direction. In addition, it may further include a closing member that closes the communication path of the holder.

  From another point of view, a camera module to which the present invention is applied includes a plurality of lenses for forming an image of an object, a holder formed in a cylindrical shape and having a receiving portion that receives the plurality of lenses, A first seal portion that seals by inserting a seal member between an object side lens positioned closest to the object side among the plurality of lenses and the receiving portion of the holder, and the seal of the first seal portion Formed between the first seal portion and the second seal portion in the holder, the second seal portion that is positioned and sealed on the image side of the holder with respect to the seal position by the member, A lens unit including a communication path that communicates the outside and the receiving portion with each other; an outer case that covers the lens unit; and an object side of the communication path, the lens unit A seal member is inserted between the outer peripheral surface and the outer case to seal and a third seal portion is disposed inside the outer case, at a position for receiving an image formed by the lens unit. In the camera module including the package sensor, an outer peripheral surface of the lens facing the communication path is formed in a substantially circular shape, and a notch is formed in a part of the outer peripheral surface. The notch is arranged so as to face the communication path.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to check the sealing performance after assembly.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the lens unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is an exploded view of a lens unit. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 showing a positional relationship between a lens barrel and a lens. It is a figure explaining the test | inspection apparatus which test | inspects the airtight state of a lens unit. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of a camera module. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the lens unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the lens unit which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a lens unit 1 according to the first embodiment.
A lens unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 is for forming an image of an object on the image side, and is, for example, a wide-angle lens used in an in-vehicle camera. The lens unit 1 includes a lens barrel (holder, barrel) 2 that forms a main body of the lens unit 1 and a lens group 3 that is held by the lens barrel 2 and forms an optical system.

  In addition, the lens unit 1 has a predetermined aperture, and diaphragm members 11 and 12 disposed in the lens group 3 and a seal member (object-side seal) interposed between the lens barrel 2 and the lens group 3. A member, a first seal member) 4 and a seal member (another seal member, a second seal member) 5. The diaphragm members 11 and 12 are disk-shaped light shielding sheets that are fixed by upper and lower lenses to limit the range of light passing therethrough. Main materials of the diaphragm members 11 and 12 are a plastic material such as PET (stretched polyester) and carbon black.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the lens unit 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lens barrel 2 is a cylindrical member having openings at both ends. That is, the lens barrel 2 has an opening 21 at the end (one end) on the object side (outside, incident side), and the opening 22 at the end (other end) on the image side (inside, emission side). Have Further, an end portion on the image side of the lens barrel 2 has a reduced diameter portion 23 formed so as to narrow the opening 22. The end face 23a of the reduced diameter portion 23 is formed in a shape that fulfills the aperture function. The opening 22 is narrower than the opening 21.

The lens barrel 2 has a receiving portion 24 defined by the inner peripheral surface 2a. The receiving portion 24 is for forming a space for receiving the lens group 3, and is formed in a plurality of steps so that the lens group 3 can be positioned and held. More specifically, the receiving portion 24 is configured by a circular inner peripheral surface, and has a circular portion 24 a that receives the lens 31. In addition, the receiving portion 24 is configured by an inner peripheral surface of a polygonal shape having eight or more corners, and is configured by a polygonal shape portion 24b that receives the lens 32 and an inner peripheral surface of a polygonal shape having eight or more corners, and receives the lens 33. (A part of a holder that accommodates another lens) 24 c and a polygonal portion 24 d that is configured by a polygonal inner peripheral surface of eight or more corners and receives the lens 34.
When the lens group 3 is inserted into the receiving portion 24 of the lens barrel 2 and attached, desired optical characteristics can be obtained. The lens barrel 2 is made of a mixture of polycarbonate resin, glass fiber, and black pigment such as carbon black.

The lens barrel 2 has a through hole (a communication path, a hole for confirming an airtight state) 25 formed through the wall of the lens barrel 2. The through hole 25 extends in a direction different from the direction of the optical axis. In other words, the through hole 25 penetrates the inner peripheral surface 2a side and the outer peripheral surface 2b side so as to connect the receiving portion 24 and the outside of the barrel 2 to each other. That is, the receiving portion 24 communicates with the outside of the lens barrel 2 through the through hole 25 without passing through the openings 21 and 22. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the blocking member 6 is inserted into the through hole 25. As the material of the closing member 6, it is conceivable to use a rubber material, an adhesive, or an ultraviolet curable resin. When the ultraviolet curable resin is used, the work of closing the through hole 25 can be easily and reliably performed.
The through hole 25 is positioned in the middle of seal members 4 and 5 described later in the lens barrel 2 in the direction of the optical axis. In other words, the through hole 25 is formed at a position sandwiched between the seal members 4 and 5. Further, since the through hole 25 is located on the image side with respect to the seal member 203 with the camera case, the through hole 25 is not exposed to the outside without providing a member that hides the through hole 25. Moreover, since it is sealed by the sealing member and the camera case to be extrapolated, it is not directly exposed to wind and rain.
If the position of the seal member 203 is fixed using the flange portion 27 as in this embodiment, it is not necessary to separately provide positioning means for the seal member 203 in the lens barrel 2.

  The lens barrel 2 has a male screw 26 screwed to the outer peripheral surface 2b at the end on the image side. The male screw 26 is used to attach to a mount 202 (see FIG. 5) described later. Further, the lens barrel 2 is formed to protrude from the outer peripheral surface 2b of the end portion on the object side, and is formed in a concave shape in the flange portion 27 for the alignment with the case member. A turning portion 28 that can be engaged with a tool (not shown) to be attached is provided.

  The lens group 3 includes a plurality of lenses. That is, the lens group 3 includes a lens (object-side lens, first lens) 31, a lens (other lens) 32, a lens (other lens) 33, and a lens (predetermined lens, second lens) 34. Has been. These lens 31, lens 32, lens 33, and lens 34 are arranged in order from the object side. That is, the lens 31 is an object side lens closest to the object side, and the lens 34 is an image side lens closest to the image side. The lens 32 and the lens 33 are intermediate lenses positioned between the lens 31 and the lens 34.

  The lens 31 is made of glass and is therefore resistant to scratches and heat. The lens 31 has a recess 31 a formed on the peripheral edge on the side close to the adjacent lens 32. The recess 31a is for forming a space in which the incident side seal member 4 is disposed. In other words, a heat caulking portion K (see FIG. 1) for locking the outer peripheral portion of the lens 31 is formed on the opening 21 side of the lens barrel 2. The lenses 31, 32, 33, 34 and the diaphragm members 11, 12 are fixed to the receiving portion 24 of the lens barrel 2 by the heat crimping portion K.

The lenses 32, 33, and 34 are plastic lenses made of an amorphous polyolefin resin, a polycarbonate resin, or an acrylic resin and manufactured by injection molding. The lenses 32, 33, and 34 have a circular outer periphery, and gate trace portions 32 b, 33 b, and 34 b formed on the outer peripheral surface when injection molded are left on a part of the outer peripheral surface.
The lens 34 has a concave portion 34 a formed on the peripheral edge on the side close to the adjacent reduced diameter portion 23. The recess 34a is for forming a space in which the exit-side seal member 5 is disposed.

  The seal members 4 and 5 are O-ring members. Examples of the material include NBR (nitrile rubber), EPDM (ethylene propylene rubber), FKM (fluorine rubber), CR (chloroprene rubber), and VMQ (silicone). Any of rubber, UR (polyurethane rubber), NR (natural rubber), and ACM (acrylic rubber) may be used.

More specifically, the seal member 4 is engaged with the receiving portion 24 of the lens barrel 2 and the lens 31 to eliminate a gap between the two, thereby forming an airtight state of the receiving portion 24 with respect to the outside on the object side. It is. The seal member 5 is engaged with the receiving portion 24 and the lens 34 of the lens barrel 2 so as to eliminate a gap between the two, thereby forming an airtight state of the receiving portion 24 with respect to the outside on the image side. .
That is, the region sandwiched between the seal members 4 and 5 in the receiving portion 24 is airtight with the outside on the object side and the outside on the image side. More specifically, the lens chamber L, which is a space defined by the lenses 31 and 34, the inner peripheral surface 2a of the lens barrel 2 and the seal members 4 and 5, is formed outside the lens unit 1 only through the through hole 25. Communicated with. When the through hole 25 is closed with the closing member 6, an airtight state between the lens chamber L and the outside of the lens unit 1 is established. Thereby, it is possible to more reliably prevent condensation on the inner surface of the lens group 3, particularly the inner surface of the lens 31 (surface close to the lens 32). Further, by increasing the volume of the lens chamber L, it is possible to provide a heat insulating effect, and to suppress the influence of external temperature changes on the inside of the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 showing the positional relationship between the lens barrel 2 and the lens 33. Since the positional relationship between the lens barrel 2 and the lenses 32, 33, and 34 is the same, as a representative example, the positional relationship between the lens barrel 2 and the lens 33 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the inner peripheral surface of the polygonal portion 24 c of the lens barrel 2 and the circular outer peripheral surface 33 c of the lens 33 are in press contact with the press contact portions P and P ′. In this way, the lens 33 is held by the lens barrel 2 by pressing the outer peripheral surface 33c of the lens 33 against the inner peripheral surface of the polygonal portion 24c.

  Further, the gate trace portion 33 b formed on a part of the outer peripheral surface 33 c of the lens 33 is located closer to the center of the lens 33 than the outer peripheral surface 33 c of the lens 33. For this reason, the gate trace part 33b is not pressed against the polygonal part 24c.

  More specifically, the press contact portions P ′ located on both sides of the gate trace portion 33b among the plurality of press contact portions P are in the vicinity of the gate trace portion 33b with the reference line B connecting the center position C and the optical axis in the gate trace portion 33b as the center. And on both the left and right sides. Further, the gap (notch portion) G in the gate trace portion 33b is larger than the maximum separation distance between the outer peripheral surface 33c of the lens 33 and the inner peripheral surface of the polygonal portion 24c. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the optical axis from being biased toward the gate trace portion 33b due to a decrease in roundness due to expansion and contraction due to a change in temperature and humidity.

  Further, the lens 33 is arranged so that the gate trace portion 33 b faces the through hole 25. In other words, the gap G of the lens 33 is close to the through hole 25. For this reason, when sealing the through hole 25 with the closing member 6 after the airtight inspection described later, even if a larger amount of the closing member 6 is injected into the through hole 25, the closing member 6 enters the lens chamber L and adversely affects the optical path. Is reduced.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an inspection apparatus 100 that inspects the airtight state of the lens unit 1.
The inspection apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 4 has a cradle 101 for receiving the lens unit 1, an attachment member 102 for attaching the lens unit 1 to the cradle 101, and nitrogen (N2) or dry air is applied to the cradle 101 in a predetermined manner. And a pipe 103 for supplying with pressure. In addition, the inspection apparatus 100 includes a pressure gauge 104 and a leak inspection device (leak detector) 105 disposed in the middle of the pipe 103. Further, the inspection apparatus 100 includes seal members 106 and 107 that are inserted between the cradle 101 and the lens unit 1.

  The cradle 101 includes a receiving portion 101a formed so as to receive the lens unit 1, a connecting portion 101b for connecting the receiving portion 101a and the pipe 103 to each other, and a female screw portion 101c. The attachment member 102 has a male screw portion 102c formed so as to be capable of screwing with the female screw portion 101c of the cradle 101.

  The pressure gauge 104 is a device for displaying the pressure of air or the like supplied to the receiving portion 101 a of the receiving base 101 through the pipe 103. The leak tester 105 is a device for detecting leakage of air supplied to the receiving portion 101a at a predetermined pressure, that is, a gas flow.

  The inspection method performed using the inspection apparatus 100 is performed as follows. First, the lens unit 1 is inserted into the receiving portion 101 a of the receiving base 101 with the seal members 106 and 107 interposed therebetween, and then the mounting member 102 is screwed to the receiving base 101. Accordingly, the flange portion 27 of the lens unit 1 is fixed by the interaction between the cradle 101 and the mounting member 102.

  When the lens unit 1 is fixed in this manner, a space A is defined by the receiving portion 101a, the seal member 106, the seal member 107, and the outer peripheral surface 2b of the lens unit 1. The space A communicates with the connection portion 101 b of the cradle 101 and also communicates with the through hole 25 of the lens unit 1. For this reason, air or the like supplied at a predetermined pressure through the pipe 103 is sent to the through hole 25 via the connection portion 101 b and the space A, and finally reaches the lens chamber L of the receiving portion 24. If the lens chamber L is not airtight, air leaks and can be detected by the leak tester 105.

In this way, the lens unit 1 is attached to the inspection apparatus 100, and air or the like is pressurized with a predetermined pressure. At that time, the presence or absence of sealing failure in the lens chamber L is confirmed by detecting leakage of air or the like. be able to. If there is no sealing failure of the lens chamber L, the lens unit 1 is removed from the inspection apparatus 100, and the closing member 6 is inserted into the through hole 25 of the lens unit 1. For example, if the closing member 6 is an ultraviolet curable resin, Curing by UV irradiation. Thereby, the lens chamber L in the lens unit 1 that has been subjected to the airtightness inspection can be sealed. By performing such an airtight inspection on all the products of the lens unit 1 before shipment, defective products can be detected, and high-quality products can be provided.
In addition, although the test | inspection apparatus 100 employ | adopts the form to pressurize, it can also consider employ | adopting the form to reduce pressure. In this embodiment, the cradle 101 and the mounting member 102 are fitted by screw fitting of the male screw portion 102c and the female screw portion 101c. However, the mounting member 102 is fixed to the cradle 101 with a constant force. It may be pressed against.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the camera module 200.
A camera module 200 shown in FIG. 5 includes the lens unit 1. That is, the camera module 200 includes an upper case (camera case) 201 that is an exterior component, and a mount (flange, pedestal) 202 that holds the lens unit 1. The camera module 200 also includes a seal member 203 and a package sensor (imaging device) 204.

  The upper case 201 is a member that exposes the end of the lens unit 1 on the opening 21 side and covers other parts. The mount 202 is disposed inside the upper case 201 and has a female screw 202 a that is screwed into the male screw 26 of the lens unit 1. The seal member 203 is a member interposed between the inner surface of the upper case 201 and the outer peripheral surface 2 b of the lens unit 1, and is a member for maintaining the airtightness inside the upper case 201.

  The package sensor 204 is disposed inside the upper case 201 and is disposed at a position for receiving an image of an object formed by the lens unit 1. The package sensor 204 includes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor), and the like, and converts the light that is collected through the lens unit 1 and arrives into an electrical signal. The converted electric signal is converted into analog data or digital data which is a component of image data photographed by the camera.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a lens unit 1 ′ according to the second embodiment. Since the basic configuration of the lens unit 1 ′ is the same as that of the lens unit 1, the same reference numerals are used for common parts and members, and the description thereof may be omitted.
A lens unit 1 ′ shown in FIG. 6 includes a lens 34 ′ instead of the lens 34 (see FIG. 1) of the lens group 3 in the first embodiment. That is, the lens 34 ′ does not have the recess 34 a (see FIG. 2) that the lens 34 has. For this reason, manufacture of lens 34 'becomes easy.

  A lens unit 1 ′ shown in FIG. 6 includes a flat plate-like seal member 5 ′ instead of the seal member 5 (see FIG. 1) in the first embodiment. The seal member 5 ′ is located between the image side surface of the lens 34 ′ and the inner surface 23 b of the reduced diameter portion 23. The same material as the seal members 4 and 5 is used.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a lens unit 7 according to the third embodiment. Since the lens unit 7 has the same basic configuration as the lens unit 1, the same reference numerals are used for common parts and members, and the description thereof may be omitted.
The lens unit 7 shown in FIG. 7 includes a lens barrel 8, a lens group 9 that is held by the lens barrel 8 and forms an optical system, diaphragm members 11 and 12, and seal members 4 and 5.

  The lens barrel 8 is a member corresponding to the lens barrel 2 in the first embodiment. More specifically, the lens barrel 8 has a through hole 85 formed through the wall of the lens barrel 8. This through hole 85 is formed at a position closer to the object side than to the image side in the direction of the optical axis. That is, the position of the through hole 85 is closer to the seal member 4 than the position of the through hole 25 of the lens barrel 2. Further, the through hole 85 is located on the object side with respect to the flange portion 27. However, the closing member 6 is not directly exposed to the wind and rain because it is located on the image side of the seal member 203 of the camera case.

The lens group 9 corresponds to the lens group 3 in the first embodiment. More specifically, the lens group 9 includes a lens 31, a lens (predetermined lens, second lens) 92, a lens (other lens) 33, and a lens 94 arranged in order from the object side.
That is, the lens group 9 includes the lenses 31 and 33 of the lens group 3, and includes lenses 92 and 94 instead of the lenses 32 and 34 of the lens group 3. The lenses 92 and 94 are made of plastic like the lenses 32 and 34, and have the same optical characteristics as the lenses 32 and 34.

The lens 92 has a concave portion 92 a formed on the peripheral edge on the side close to the adjacent lens 31. The recess 92a is for forming a space in which the seal member 4 is disposed. That is, in the lens unit 7, the separation distance between the seal member 4 and the seal member 5 in the direction of the optical axis is smaller than that in the lens unit 1.
As described above, in the present embodiment, each of the adjacent lenses 31 and 92 is sealed with the seal members 4 and 5, so that versatility can be provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1 ', 7 ... Lens unit, 11, 12 ... Diaphragm member, 2, 8 ... Lens barrel, 2a ... Inner peripheral surface, 2b ... Outer peripheral surface, 21,22 ... Opening, 23 ... Reduced diameter portion, 23a ... End face, 23b ... inner face, 24 ... receiving part, 24a ... circular part, 24b, 24c, 24d ... polygonal part, 25, 85 ... through hole, 26 ... male screw, 27 ... flange part, 28 ... turning part, 3, 9 ... lens group 31, 32, 33, 34, 34 ', 92, 94 ... lens, 31a, 34a, 92a ... concave portion, 32b, 33b, 34b ... gate trace portion, 33c ... outer peripheral surface, 4, 5, 5' ... Sealing member, 6 ... Closure member, B ... Reference line, C ... Center position, G ... Gap, K ... Thermal caulking part, L ... Lens chamber, P, P '... Pressure contact part

Claims (8)

A plurality of lenses for forming an image of the object;
A holder formed in a cylindrical shape and having a receiving portion for receiving the plurality of lenses;
A first seal part that seals by inserting a seal member between the object side lens located on the most object side among the plurality of lenses and the receiving part of the holder;
A second seal portion that seals on the image side of the holder from a seal position by the seal member of the first seal portion; and
A communication path formed between the first seal portion and the second seal portion in the holder and communicating the outside of the holder and the receiving portion with each other;
In a lens unit including
The lens facing the communication path has an outer peripheral surface formed in a substantially circular shape, a notch is formed in a part of the outer peripheral surface, and the notch is opposed to the communication path. A lens unit that is arranged.   The plurality of lenses, except for the lens closest to the object side, have an outer peripheral surface formed in a substantially circular shape, a cutout portion formed in a part of the outer peripheral surface, and the orientation of the cutout portion aligned. The lens unit according to claim 1, wherein the lens unit is arranged as described above.   3. The lens unit according to claim 2, wherein a lens closest to the object among the plurality of lenses is a glass lens, and the other lenses are plastic lenses.   The lens unit according to claim 1, wherein the receiving portion of the holder has a shape portion having an inner peripheral surface formed in a polygonal shape and receiving a lens.   The lens unit according to claim 1, wherein the communication path is provided on the image side from a sealing position between the communication path and an outer case to which the lens unit is attached.   6. The lens according to claim 5, wherein the seal position between the outer case and the outer case is located on the image side with respect to the object side lens surface of the lens closest to the object in the optical axis direction. unit.   The lens unit according to claim 1, further comprising a closing member that closes the communication path of the holder. A plurality of lenses for forming an image of the object;
A holder formed in a cylindrical shape and having a receiving portion for receiving the plurality of lenses;
A first seal part that seals by inserting a seal member between the object side lens located on the most object side among the plurality of lenses and the receiving part of the holder;
A second seal portion that seals on the image side of the holder from a seal position by the seal member of the first seal portion; and
A lens unit including a communication path formed between the first seal portion and the second seal portion in the holder and communicating between the outside of the holder and the receiving portion;
An outer case covering the lens unit;
A third seal portion which is on the object side of the communication path and seals with a seal member interposed between an outer peripheral surface of the lens unit and the outer case;
In the camera module, including a package sensor disposed in a position for receiving an image formed by the lens unit inside the outer case,
The lens facing the communication path has an outer peripheral surface formed in a substantially circular shape, a notch is formed in a part of the outer peripheral surface, and the notch is opposed to the communication path. A camera module characterized by being arranged.

Images