JP6847744B2 - The camera module - Google Patents

Description

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 62/32009 filed on April 8, 2017 and Taiwan Patent Application No. 106108888 filed on March 17, 2017. All of these are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a camera module, and more particularly to a camera module having a bottom including a metal member.

Some electronic devices are provided with a drive module that drives the components to move a predetermined distance. For example, a camera lens drive usually includes a drive module that generates power. One or more optical lens units of the lens drive are powered and move along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, facilitating image stabilization.

Conventional drive modules typically include a flexible printed circuit board that electrically connects external circuits to internal electronic components. However, in order to maintain the flatness of the flexible printed circuit board, the flexible printed circuit board must be placed on the bottom made of plastic. Due to restrictions on the use of plastics in manufacturing, the bottom must have a certain thickness, making it difficult to reduce the volume of the drive module. Also, when assembling or moving the electronic device, the flexible printed circuit board may be curved, which may reduce the flatness of the drive module.

On the other hand, an alignment error between the flexible circuit board and the bottom may occur at the time of joining, which may reduce the yield. Also, the joining process is usually time consuming, making it difficult to increase capacity.

JP 2011-65140

Provided is a camera module having a bottom including a metal member.

To solve the shortcomings of the prior art, one task of the present invention is to provide a microlens drive module that drives the lens assembly to move along a direction perpendicular to or parallel to the optical axis.

Based on some embodiments of the invention, the camera module includes a bottom, an electromagnetically driven assembly, and a lens assembly. The bottom includes a metal member, a first insulating layer formed on the metal member, and a first conductive layer formed on the first insulating layer. The first conductive layer is electrically connected to the electromagnetically driven assembly. The electromagnetically driven assembly can be driven so that the lens assembly moves relative to the bottom.

In the above-described embodiment, the thickness of the metal member exceeds the total thickness of the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer.

In the above-described embodiment, the thickness of the metal member is 0.10 mm to 0.35 mm.

In the embodiments described above, the bottom further comprises a second insulating layer and a second conductive layer. The second insulating layer is formed on the metal member. The first insulating layer and the second insulating layer are formed on the facing surfaces of the metal members. The second conductive layer is formed on the second insulating layer.

In the above embodiment, the camera module further includes an image sensor, and the second conductive layer is electrically connected to the image sensor.

In the embodiments described above, the conductive layer is patterned over the insulating layer by using molded circuit components. The insulating layer also contains a thermoplastic that can be activated by a laser.

In the above embodiment, the first conductive layer is formed on the first insulating layer by coating.

In the embodiments described above, the bottom further comprises an external insulating layer and a protective layer. The external insulating layer is arranged on the first conductive layer, and the protective layer is arranged on the external insulating layer. The first insulating layer and the external insulating layer are non-conductive adhesives.

In the embodiments described above, the camera module encloses an electromagnetically driven assembly, further including a housing containing metal, the housing and the bottom being joined to each other by welding.

In the above-described embodiment, the metal member and the first conductive layer have the same coefficient of thermal expansion.

In the embodiments described above, the electromagnetically driven assembly further includes a lens holder, an upper elastic sheet, and a lower elastic sheet. The lens holder has a passage and the lens assembly is arranged in the passage. The upper elastic sheet and the lower elastic sheet are arranged on both sides of the lens holder, respectively. The drive coil is electrically connected to the first conductive layer via the upper elastic sheet and the lower elastic sheet.

In the embodiments described above, the camera module further includes a top elastic sheet and a plurality of suspension wires bonded to the bottom.

In the above-described embodiment, the metal member has a rectangular structure. The suspension wire is extended through each of the four corners of the metal member 121. The plurality of joining members are arranged on the lower surface of the metal member and are used to join the suspension wires.

The invention can be more fully understood by examining the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention with the accompanying drawings.
It is an exploded view of the lens drive module which concerns on some embodiments of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the bottom which concerns on some embodiments of this invention. It is a side view of the lens drive module along the diagonal line which concerns on some embodiments of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the bottom which concerns on some embodiments of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the bottom which concerns on some embodiments of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the camera module which concerns on some embodiments of this invention.

In order to gain a more detailed understanding of the purpose, features, and effects of the invention, the technical matters of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to suitable examples and accompanying drawings. The arrangement of each component in the embodiment is for illustration purposes only and is not intended to limit the present invention. Also, the use of similar numbers and / or corresponding numbers is for clarity of explanation and does not imply a correlation between different embodiments. In addition, in order to clearly explain the size and positional relationship of the members shown in each diagram, it may be enlarged and not drawn according to the scale.

It should be noted that the components or devices of the drawings of the present disclosure may be present in any form or configuration known to those of skill in the art. Also, "overlying component", "component is placed above the other component", "component is on the other component". Expressions such as "placed in" and "a component is placed above another component" not only refer to the component being in direct contact with the other component. It can also be pointed out that a component does not come into direct contact with another component and that there is one or more intermediate components placed between the component and the other component.

In addition, related expressions are used in this specification. For example, "lower," "bottom," "higher," or "top" are used to describe the position of one component with respect to the other. It should be understood that if the device is turned upside down, the "lower" component will be the "higher" component.

The terms "about" and "mostly" generally mean +/- 20% of a predetermined value, more generally +/- 10% of a predetermined value, and even more generally, a predetermined value. It means +/- 5% of the value. The predetermined value of the present disclosure is an approximate value. Unless otherwise specified, a given value includes the meaning of "about" or "mostly".

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the lens drive module 1 according to some embodiments of the present invention. The lens drive module 1 includes an electromagnetic drive assembly 2, a lens assembly 3, a housing 10, and a bottom 12. The electromagnetically driven assembly 2 supports the lens assembly 3 and is arranged so that the lens assembly 3 is driven so as to move with respect to the bottom 12. Based on some embodiments of the present invention, the electromagnetically driven assembly 2 includes a sensor 14, a coil plate 16, and a moving part 18. The members of the electromagnetically driven assembly 230 can be added or omitted as needed and are not limited to this embodiment.

The housing 10 is made of metal and includes an upper shell 101 and a side shell 102. The upper shell 101 has a rectangular structure, and the side shell 102 extends from the peripheral edge of the upper shell 101 to the bottom 12. The side shell 102 can be joined to the bottom 12 by welding. The interior space is defined by the housing 10 and the bottom 12 and is used to accommodate the other members of the electromagnetically driven assembly 2. Since the housing 10 is joined to the bottom portion 12 by welding, the joining strength thereof can be improved.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the bottom portion 12. In some embodiments, the bottom 12 comprises a metal member 121, a first insulating layer 123, and a first conductive layer 125. The shape of the metal member 121 corresponds to the shape of the upper shell 101. The opening 120 is formed in the center of the metal member 121. The plurality of recesses 122 are formed on the peripheral edge of the opening 120, and each recess 122 has at least one conductive contact. In some embodiments, the thickness of the metal member 121 in the direction parallel to the optical axis O is 0.10 mm to 0.35 mm. The metal member 121 may include aluminum, copper, or an alloy thereof.

The first insulating layer 123 is formed on the metal member 121. In some embodiments, the first insulating layer 123 is joined to the metal member 121 by nanomolding technology (NMT). The first insulating layer 123 can include a thermoplastic that can be activated by a laser. The thermoplastic can be polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).

The first conductive layer 125 is formed on the first insulating layer 123. In this embodiment, the first conductive layer 125 uses a molded circuit component (MID), for example, laser direct structuring (LDS), microscopic integrated printing technology; IMPTEC. ), Laser induced metallization (LIM), laser restoration printing (LRP), aerosol jet process, or two-shot molding. It is patterned on the insulating layer 123 of 1. In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 125 can be formed on top of the first insulating layer 123 by coating. The first conductive layer 125 is exposed on the outer surface of the bottom portion 12 and faces the movable portion 18. In some embodiments, a portion of the first conductive layer 125 is formed on the inner wall of the recess 122 and a portion of the first conductive layer 125 is formed at the four corners of the metal member 121. ..

The structure of the bottom as described above can reduce the height of the lens drive module 1 as compared to the conventional bottom where the plastic plate and coil, or wire is placed on or embedded therein.

It should be noted that the thickness of the metal member 121 in the direction parallel to the optical axis O exceeds the total thickness of the first conductive layer 125 and the first insulating layer 123 in the direction parallel to the optical axis O. That's what it means. Therefore, the bottom portion 12 has sufficient strength and sufficient flatness, and can prevent the lens assembly 3 from tilting when the lens drive module 1 is assembled. The bottom surface of the metal member 121 is exposed without being covered, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the bottom portion 12 can be improved. In this embodiment, the metal member 121 and the first conductive layer 125 can have the same coefficient of thermal expansion and are relative to the metal member 121 and the first conductive layer 125 when the bottom 12 is heated. No displacement occurs.

In some embodiments, the first conductive layer 125 and the metal member 121 contain different materials, the metal member 121 has a high hardness material, and the first conductive layer 125 is highly conductive and highly conductive. It has a thermally conductive material. Therefore, the hardness of the first conductive layer 125 is lower than the hardness of the metal member 121, and the conductivity and thermal conductivity of the first conductive layer 125 exceed the conductivity and thermal conductivity of the metal member 121.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor 14 is arranged so as to detect a change in the magnetic field generated by the magnetic member 30. In some embodiments, the sensor 14 is placed on top of the metal member 121 and is electrically connected to the first conductive layer 125. The sensor 14 can be a hall sensor.

The coil plate 16 is located on the bottom 12 and includes a base 161 and a plurality of drive coils (eg, two drive coils 162 and two drive coils 164). The opening 160 is formed in the center of the base 161. A plurality of recesses 166 are formed on the peripheral edge of the opening 160, and each recess 166 has at least one conductive contact. The number and position of the recesses 166 correspond to these recesses 122. When the coil plate 16 is joined to the bottom 12, the conductive material is coated over each recess 166 to electrically connect the coil plate 16 to the first conductive layer 125 of the bottom 12.

The drive coils 162 and 164 are placed on the base 161 and bonded to the first conductive layer 125 by the conductive material described above. In some embodiments, the two drive coils 162 are adjacent to each side of the bottom 12 in the X-axis direction. Further, the two drive coils 164 are adjacent to each other on both sides of the bottom portion 12 in the Y-axis direction.

The movable portion 18 is arranged to support the lens assembly 3 so that the lens assembly 3 can move with respect to the bottom portion 12. In some embodiments, the movable portion 18 includes a frame 20, an upper elastic sheet 22, a lower elastic sheet 24, a lens holder 26, a drive coil 28, a plurality of magnetic members (eg, four magnetic members 30), and a plurality of magnetic members. Includes suspension wires (eg, four suspension wires 32).

The frame 20 includes four side shells 201 joined to each other around the optical axis O. Each side shell 201 has a containment recess 202. The frame 20 surrounds the lens holder 26. The passing portion 261 is stretched through the lens holder 26, and the lens assembly 3 is arranged in the passing portion 261. In some embodiments, the upper elastic sheet 22 and the lower elastic sheet 24 are arranged on both sides of the frame 20 and the lens holder 26 in a direction parallel to the optical axis O, respectively. Therefore, the lens holder 26 can move with respect to the frame 20 along a vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each suspension wire 32 is connected to a movable portion 18 and a bottom portion 12, and the movable portion 18 can move with respect to the bottom portion 12 along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis O. it can. In some embodiments, one end of the suspension wire 32 is joined to the upper elastic sheet 22 of the movable portion 18 and the other end of the suspension wire 32 is connected to the bottom 12 of the first conductive layer 125 (FIGS. 1 and 1 and). It is electrically connected to Fig. 2). In some embodiments, the suspension wire 32 is stretched through one of the corners of the metal member 121, and one end of the suspension wire 32 is the lower surface of the bottom 12 (ie, the first insulation) by the joining member 34. It is fixed to the lower surface of the metal member 121 on both sides of the surface forming the layer 123).

As shown in FIG. 1, the drive coil 28 has an annular structure surrounding the outer surface of the lens holder 26. The current can flow through the drive coil 28 and the electric field is formed to drive the lens holder 26 to move relative to the bottom 12. In some embodiments, the drive coil 28 is electrically connected to the upper elastic sheet 22, and external current can flow through the drive coil 28 by the suspension wire 32 and the upper elastic sheet 22.

For clarity, the drive coil 28 is referred to as the "focus adjustment drive coil" and the drive coils 162 and 164 are referred to as the "optical camera shake correction (OIS) drive coil" in the following description.

The four magnetic members 30 are magnets and are arranged in the accommodating recesses 202 of the side shell 201, respectively. The four magnetic members 30 are positioned by the frame 20, and the magnetic members 30 can correspond to the drive coil 28 and the OIS drive coils 162 and 164. The magnetic pole (eg, N pole) of the magnetic member 30 faces the lens holder 26, and the other magnetic pole (eg, S pole) of the magnetic member 30 faces the side shell 102.

When the electromagnetic drive assembly 2 is activated, the control module (not shown) can provide current to the OIS drive coils 162 and 164. Therefore, the movable portion 18 can move with respect to the bottom portion 12 along the direction perpendicular to the optical axis O due to the magnetic effect between the OIS drive coils 162 and 164 and the magnetic member 30. On the other hand, when the user wants to adjust the focal position of the lens assembly 3, a control module (not shown) can provide a drive current to the focus adjustment drive coil 28. Therefore, the lens holder 26 can move with respect to the bottom portion 12 along the direction parallel to the optical axis O due to the magnetic effect between the focus adjustment drive coil 28 and the magnetic member 30.

When the electromagnetically driven assembly 2 is activated, the sensor 14 detects a change in the magnetic field generated by the magnetic member 30 and controls the position information of the movable portion 18 and / or the lens holder 26 with respect to the bottom portion 12 (not shown). Not). The control module can be calculated based on the above information and closed loop control can be formed.

It should be noted that the structure of the bottom 12 is not limited to the embodiments described above. The following exemplary embodiments provide various bottoms of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bottom portion 12a. The same features in the embodiments of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 use the same numbers and are not restated for the sake of brevity.

The bottom 12a according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a metal member 121, a first insulating layer 123a, an external insulating layer 124a, a first conductive layer 125a, and a protective layer 127a. The first insulating layer 123a and the external insulating layer 124a can be non-conductive adhesives. The first conductive layer 125a is fixed to the metal member 121 by the first insulating layer 123a, and the protective layer 127a is fixed to the first conductive layer 125a by the external insulating layer 124a. The protective layer 127a can have one or more openings, and the first conductive layer 125a can be exposed at the openings to form an electrical connection.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bottom portion 12b. The same features in the embodiments of FIGS. 1, 2, and 5 use the same numbers and are not restated for the sake of brevity.

The bottom portion 12b according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a metal member 121, a first insulating layer 123b, a second insulating layer 123b', two external insulating layers 124b, a first conductive layer 125b, and a second. Includes a conductive layer 126b, and two protective layers 127b and 128b. The first insulating layer 123b and the second insulating layer 123b'are formed on the facing surfaces of the metal member 121, respectively. The first insulating layer 123b, the second insulating layer 123b', and the external insulating layer 124b can be non-conductive adhesives. The first conductive layer 125b is fixed to the upper surface of the metal member 121 by the first insulating layer 123b, and the protective layer 127b is fixed to the first conductive layer 125b by the external insulating layer 124b. Further, the second conductive layer 126b is fixed on the lower surface of the metal member 121 by the second insulating layer 123b', and the protective layer 128b is fixed to the second conductive layer 126b by the external insulating layer 124b. The protective layers 127b and 128b can have one or more openings, and the first and second conductive layers 125b and 126b can be exposed at the openings to form an electrical connection.

Similarly, the first conductive layer 125b and the second conductive layer 126b are placed on the first insulating layer 123b and the second insulating layer 123b'by using a molded circuit component or by using a coating. Each can be formed, and the first conductive layer 125b, the second conductive layer 126b, and the metal member 121 can have the same coefficient of thermal expansion.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the camera module 5 according to some embodiments of the present invention. The camera module 5 according to some embodiments of the present invention includes any one of the lens drive module 1, the circuit board 6, and the image sensor 7 described above.

In some embodiments, the image sensor 7 is located on the circuit board 6. The image sensor 7 can be, for example, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. The lens drive module 1 is arranged on the circuit board 6, the optical axis O of the lens assembly 3 is aligned with the image sensor 7, and the bottom 12 directly faces the circuit board 6. In some embodiments, the bottom 12 and the circuit board 6 are fixed to each other by an adhesive 8. The adhesive 8 comes into direct contact with the metal member of the bottom 12 and the circuit board 6. It should be noted that when the camera module 5 includes the bottom 12b shown in FIG. 5, the second conductive layer 126b can be electrically connected to the image sensor 7 on the circuit board 6.

In some embodiments, when the camera module 5 includes the bottom 12b shown in FIG. 5, the circuit board 6 can be omitted and the image sensor 7 is mounted directly underneath the bottom 12b. , The height of the camera module 5 can be reduced.

Compared to prior art, the embodiments described above offer various advantages. For example, in various embodiments of the invention, the camera module may include a bottom with a metal member used to replace the bottom of conventional plastic, reducing the overall height of the camera module. , The structural strength of the bottom can be improved.

Also, in some embodiments of the present invention, the flexible printed circuit board of the conventional drive module is removed from the camera module, so that the leads are formed directly on the bottom and the number of members of the camera module is reduced. Can be Therefore, the time required to assemble the suspension wire on the bottom of the present invention can be reduced and the yield can be improved as compared with the time required to assemble the suspension wire on the conventional flexible printed circuit board. it can. Further, since the bottom portion includes a metal member, the flatness of the bottom portion can be improved, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the bottom portion can be improved.

Further, when the metal member is the lowermost surface of the lens drive module, the bonding strength between the metal member and the adhesive is higher than the bonding strength between the plastic and the adhesive, so that the lens drive module is strong against the circuit board of the camera module. Can be joined to. Further, the suspension wire can be firmly connected to the bottom by the connecting member. Therefore, the reliability of the camera module can be improved.

Further, the electromagnetic wave that has entered the camera module or is emitted from the camera module can be reduced by the bottom having the metal member, and the electromagnetic interference can be reduced. Further, the conductive layer (metal member, the first conductive layer, the second conductive layer) and the non-conductive layer (the first insulating layer, the second insulating layer) at the bottom are arranged in a staggered pattern, and are arranged at the metal boundary. The number is increased. Therefore, the boundary effect can be improved and the electromagnetic interference can be reduced again.

It should be understood that different embodiments can provide different benefits, not all benefits apply and certain benefits are not required for all embodiments.

Although the present invention has been described by methods of examples and preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Conversely, those skilled in the art will cover various modifications and similar arrangements that are self-evident. Thus, the appended claims are given the broadest interpretation and should include all such changes and similar arrangements.

1 Lens drive module 2 Electromagnetic drive assembly 3 Lens assembly 5 Camera module 6 Circuit board 7 Image sensor 8 Adhesive 10 Housing 101 Top shell 102 Side shell 12, 12a, 12b Bottom 120 Opening 121 Metal member 122 Recess 123, 123a, 123b First insulating layer 123b'Second insulating layer 124a, 124b External insulating layers 125, 125a, 125b First conductive layer 126a Second conductive layer 127a, 127b Protective layer 128b Protective layer 14 Sensor 16 Coil plate 160 Opening 161 Base 162 Drive Coil (OIS Drive Coil)
164 Drive coil (OIS drive coil)
166 Recessed part 18 Movable part 20 Frame 201 Side shell 22 Upper elastic sheet 24 Lower elastic sheet 26 Lens holder 261 Passing part
28 Drive coil 30 Magnetic member 32 Suspension wire 34 Joint member O Optical axis

Claims (20)

Electromagnetic drive assembly,
A lens assembly placed on top of the electromagnetically driven assembly, and
A metal member having an aperture corresponding to the lens assembly and
A first insulating layer formed on the metal member and
A bottom comprising a first conductive layer formed on the first insulating layer and electrically connected to the electromagnetically driven assembly.
At least a part of the surface of the metal member opposite to the surface on which the first insulating layer is formed is exposed.
The electromagnetically driven assembly is a camera module capable of driving the lens assembly to move relative to the bottom. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the metal member exceeds the total thickness of the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the metal member is 0.10 mm to 0.35 mm. The bottom is
A second insulating layer formed on the metal member and on a surface opposite to the surface on which the first insulating layer is formed, and a second insulating layer formed on the second insulating layer. The camera module according to claim 1, further comprising the conductive layer of 2. The camera module according to claim 4 , wherein the camera module further includes an image sensor, and the second conductive layer is electrically connected to the image sensor. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer is patterned on the first insulating layer by using a molded circuit component. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer is formed on the first insulating layer by coating. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the first insulating layer contains a thermoplastic that can be activated by a laser. The bottom portion further includes an external insulating layer and a protective layer, the external insulating layer is arranged on the first conductive layer, and the protective layer is arranged on the external insulating layer. The camera module described in. The camera module according to claim 9, wherein the first insulating layer and the external insulating layer are non-conductive adhesives. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the camera module surrounds the electromagnetically driven assembly and further includes a metal-containing housing. The camera module according to claim 11, wherein the housing and the bottom are joined to each other by welding. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the metal member and the first conductive layer have the same coefficient of thermal expansion. The electromagnetically driven assembly
The electromagnetically driven assembly further comprises a lens holder having a passage portion and the lens assembly arranged in the passage portion, and an upper elastic sheet and a lower elastic sheet arranged on both sides of the lens holder, respectively. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the camera module is electrically connected to the first conductive layer via an elastic sheet or the lower elastic sheet. The camera module according to claim 14, wherein the camera module further includes the upper elastic sheet and a plurality of suspension wires bonded to the bottom portion. The metal member has a rectangular structure, the suspension wire is stretched through four corners of the metal member, and a plurality of joining members are arranged on the lower surface of the metal member to join the suspension wire. The camera module according to claim 15. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer and the metal member have different materials. The camera module according to claim 17, wherein the conductivity of the first conductive layer exceeds the conductivity of the metal member. The camera module according to claim 17, wherein the hardness of the first conductive layer is lower than the hardness of the metal member. The camera module according to claim 17, wherein the thermal conductivity of the first conductive layer exceeds the thermal conductivity of the metal member.

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