KR100752712B1 - Position sensing apparatus and camera module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a position sensing device using a sensor provided with a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit, and a camera module including the same.

The position sensing device of the present invention, the sensor is mounted on one side of the lens barrel inside the camera module, the sensor in which the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are arranged side by side on the same plane of one side; A reflection plate disposed parallel to one surface of the sensor, the reflecting plate reflecting or absorbing light emitted from the light emitting unit of the sensor and the reflecting plate divided into two and symmetrically formed to each other; and comprising a collision between the damage and the lens barrel of the actuator. In addition, there is an advantage in that the damage to the member due to the structure can be prevented, and the voltage difference generated by the variable reflection area of the reflector allows easy identification of the intermediate position of the lens barrel and the lens barrel driving direction at that position. There is an advantage.

Camera module, base plate, guide member, lens barrel, actuator, sensor, light emitting part, light receiving part, reflecting plate, reflecting surface, absorbing surface

Description

POSITION SENSING APPARATUS AND CAMERA MODULE}

1 is a perspective view of a conventional position detection device mounted inside the camera module.

Figure 2 is a graph showing the relationship of the moving distance to the voltage generated in the conventional position sensing device.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main portion of the camera module with a position sensor according to the present invention.

4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a position sensor according to the present invention.

5 is a front view of the reflector plate employed in the position sensor according to the present invention.

6 to 8 are operational configuration diagrams of the position detection apparatus according to the present invention,

6 is a view when the reflection area of the reflector is maximum;

7 is a diagram when the reflection area and the absorption area are the same,

8 is a diagram when the reflection area of the reflection surface is minimum.

9 is a graph showing the relationship of the movement distance to the voltage generated in the position sensing apparatus according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

10. Camera Module 11. Base Plate

12. Guide member 13. Lens barrel

14. Actuator 20. Sensor

21. Light emitting part 22. Light receiving part

30. Reflector 31. Reflective surface

32. Absorbent surface

The present invention relates to a position sensing device using a sensor provided with a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit, and a camera module including the same. The present invention relates to a camera module equipped with a lens position sensing device, which is built therein so as to determine a driving direction and a position of a lens by using a voltage difference according to the amount of light reflected through the reflector.

In recent years, portable terminal products in which a camera is integrated into a portable terminal such as a mobile phone or a PDA have been mainly released, and consumers are mainly looking for terminals equipped with an integrated camera having a higher pixel and various functions. The cameras with built-in terminals are configured to attach a lens to an imaging device such as a CCD or a CMOS to photograph a subject, and to photograph the photographed subject data through a predetermined recording medium.

In recent years, portable terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs are being used for multi-convergence with music, movies, TV, and games as well as simple telephone functions with the development of the technology. As a camera module (CAMERA MODULE) is the most representative. The camera module is changed from the existing 300,000 pixels (VGA level) to the high pixel center of the current 7 million pixels, and at the same time it is changed to a structure that can implement various additional functions such as an auto focus function (AF) and an optical zoom (OPTICAL ZOOM). have.

In particular, in the case of a portable terminal equipped with a camera module to which an auto focus function (AUTO FOCUS: AF) is added, the demand is rapidly increasing in that it is possible to provide high quality images with focusing regardless of the focal length of the subject. I am doing it.

Camera module that implements the above auto focus function is driven up and down by a lens barrel in which a plurality of lenses are stacked and the lenses therein are driven in various forms using an electromagnetic motor or a piezoelectric element. Since the focus is adjusted regardless of the distance of the subject, the actuator is driven by a position sensing device that sets an initial position for accurate focus adjustment of the lens.

1 is a perspective view of a conventional position sensing device mounted inside the camera module, and FIG. 2 is a graph showing a relationship of a moving distance with respect to a voltage generated in a conventional position sensing device. The sensor 1 is formed on one side of the camera module (not shown) to form a body in which the light receiving unit 2 and the light emitting unit 3 correspond to each other, and the light receiving unit 2 and the light emitting unit of the sensor 1 ( 3) The blocking plate 5 is inserted in between.

The sensor 1 is mounted on the lens barrel (not shown) side of the camera module or the barrel driving part by the plurality of supports 4, and one end is separated on both sides, so that the light receiving part is disposed on the opposite surface of each separation body. 2) and the light emitting portion 3 is provided.

The sensor 1 is the light emitted from the light emitting unit 3 is introduced into the light receiving unit 2, the drive of the actuator for transferring the lens by the light entering the light receiving unit 2 is made. In this case, the light receiving and blocking of the light received by the light receiving unit 2 of the sensor 1 is made by the blocking plate 5 mounted on the light receiving unit 2 and the light emitting unit 3 so as to be vertically transported. Due to the voltage generated by light conversion of the light receiving unit 2 and the light emitting unit 3 by the up and down transfer of (5) and alternating light, the actuator transfers the lens by driving.

At this time, when the lens reaches the initial position, the blocking plate 5 between the light emitting unit 3 and the light receiving unit 2 covers the entire area of the light emitting unit 3 and the light receiving unit 2 and is exchanged at both sides. By blocking the light entirely, the initial position of the lens in a state where no voltage is applied can be detected.

In addition, when the blocking plate 5 is moved upward between the light emitting part 3 and the light receiving part 2 and the flow of light is started to the light emitting part 3 and the light receiving part 2, the actuator for transferring the lens is fixed. A voltage is applied to drive the actuator continuously.

Therefore, in the conventional position sensor, although the initial position of the lens can be detected relatively accurately, the position of the lens is determined in a state where the blocking plate 5 is positioned at an arbitrary point between the light receiving portion 2 and the light emitting portion 3. This impossibility of measuring how much the actuator can be reached to the initial position is generated a problem that is impossible.

In addition, when the blocking plate 5 is located in a state where the light exchange is possible between the light receiving unit 2 and the light emitting unit 3, when the lens is physically transferred to move the lens to the initial position, it is different from the lens. There is a disadvantage that the lens and the actuator may be damaged by the collision of the member.

That is, as shown in Figure 2, the voltage applied to the actuator for transferring the lens is applied by the alternating current and blocking of light using the blocking plate 5 between the light receiving portion 2 and the light emitting portion (3) Since it is only possible to know whether or not to transfer the lens stepwise, there is a problem that the failure rate of the actuator is increased by the rapid feeding of the actuator.

Accordingly, the present invention was devised to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages and problems in the conventional position sensing apparatus and the camera module, and the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged side by side in the camera module in which the actuator for auto focusing is incorporated. The camera is equipped with a sensor and a reflector plate, and the light emitted from the light emitter is reflected on the reflector to allow the actuator to be driven by the voltage difference generated by the light incident on the light receiver. It is an object of the invention to provide a module.

In addition, another object of the present invention is that the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit is arranged side by side on the surface of the sensor and the reflecting plate arranged in parallel with a predetermined interval spaced apart from the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit is divided into a diagonal reflecting surface and the absorption surface, The position sensor of the lens is provided so that the position information of the lens can be easily grasped as the voltage output by the horizontal transfer of the reflector is varied.

The object of the present invention, the sensor is mounted inside the housing of the camera module, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit is arranged side by side on one surface, parallel to one surface of the sensor is spaced apart a predetermined interval and the reflective surface and the absorption surface is oblique It is achieved by a position sensing device including a reflecting plate which is divided about a boundary of the shape and formed symmetrically with each other.

In addition, another object of the present invention is a sensor having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit arranged side by side on one side is coupled on the inner wall surface of the housing, the reflecting plate provided with a reflective surface and the absorption surface on a surface corresponding to one surface of the sensor It is achieved by a camera module structure mounted on one side of the lens barrel to be moved up and down along the guide member in the housing.

The sensor is mounted vertically on the inner wall of the housing constituting the exterior of the camera module so that the light receiving unit and the light emitting unit arranged side by side on the same plane of the sensor are arranged up and down.

In addition, a general optical sensor (PI) may be used as the sensor, and the sensor emits infrared rays through the light emitting part and at the same time, the sensor is provided on the reflecting plate through a light receiving part disposed at an adjacent position on the same plane as the light emitting part. The infrared rays reflected by the light are received.

In this case, the amount of reflected light incident on the light receiving unit by the reflector varies depending on the position of the reflector, because the reflector is formed by symmetrically forming the reflecting surface and the absorbing surface, and the boundary surface is divided diagonally.

The reflecting plate is mounted on one side of the lens barrel so that the forming surface of the reflecting surface and the absorbing surface correspond to the light receiving portion and the light emitting portion forming surface of the sensor, and the reflecting plate is moved by the lens barrel up and down along the guide member. Up and down flow from the front of the.

Here, the reflective surface of the reflector may be any material of a white series including paper, the absorption surface is absorbed by the infrared light emitted from the light emitting unit by using a blue filter (Blue Filter).

As described above, when the infrared light emitted through the light emitting part of the sensor is reflected through the reflecting surface in front of the sensor, the reflected light amount is changed and the reflecting area is varied along the diagonal dividing line formed on the reflecting surface. As the voltage difference is generated while the light is converted through the light receiving unit, a linear voltage change amount can be obtained and the position information and the transfer direction of the lens barrel with the reflecting plate can be grasped by the voltage change amount.

Details of the effects of the lens position sensing device of the present invention, including the technical configuration for the above object of the camera module including the same will be clearly understood by the following detailed description with reference to the drawings showing preferred embodiments of the present invention. .

Camera Module Structure

First, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main portion of the camera module with a position sensor according to the present invention.

As shown, the camera module 10 according to the present invention is transported up and down by the guide member 12 on the base plate 11 and the base plate 11 and a plurality of lenses are laminated and coupled therein. And a housing (not shown) covered on the upper portion of the module configuration member including the lens barrel 13 and the lens barrel 13 and the actuator 14 for conveying the lens barrel 13.

In addition, the camera module 10 is equipped with a reflector 30 on one side of the cylindrical lens barrel 13, the sensor 20 for detecting the position of the lens barrel 13 in front of the reflector 30 Combined. The sensor 20 is mainly used a photointerrupter (PI) element for light conversion, and is fixed on the inner wall of the housing at a position corresponding to the reflective plate 30 and one surface thereof to face the opposite surface.

The reflective plate 30 mounted on one side of the lens barrel 13 of the camera module 10 is moved up and down integrally with the lens barrel 13 to adjust the amount of reflected light of light emitted from the sensor 20. . The light reflected through the reflector 30 is again introduced into the sensor 20 to perform light conversion, and the voltage generated by the light conversion of the sensor 20 is applied to the actuator 14 to actuate the actuator 14. By vertical transfer of the lens barrel 13 by driving, the current driving position including the initial position of the lens barrel 13 can be grasped by measuring the voltage generation amount of the sensor 20.

At this time, the distance between the opposite surface of the sensor 20 and the reflecting plate 30 in the camera module 10 is maintained to about 1mm, the sensor 20 and the reflecting plate 30 are parallel so that the opposite surface corresponding to each other. To be placed. In addition, the reflector 30 has a size determined according to the focal movement range of the lens barrel 13 and the size of the sensor 20, and the sensor 20 has the lens barrel 13 in approximately 10 μm units. The displacement of the voltage is measured by the amount of light reflected through the reflector 30 transferred along.

Here, when the amount of light through the reflecting plate 30 is small, the generated voltage by light conversion of the sensor 20 is maximum, and when the amount of light through the reflecting plate 30 is large, the light conversion of the sensor 20 is applied. The generated voltage is minimized.

A more detailed technical configuration of the position sensor attached to the camera module in the camera module structure configured as described above will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings shown below.

Position sensing device

Next, Figure 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a position sensor according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a front view of a reflecting plate employed in the position sensor according to the present invention.

As shown, the position detecting sensor according to the present invention is composed of a sensor 20 and a reflecting plate 30 provided with a light emitting unit 21 and the light receiving unit 22, the reflecting plate 30 is the sensor 20 The reflection surface 31 and the absorption surface 32 for reflecting or absorbing light emitted from the light emitting portion 21 are divided into two to be symmetrical to each other.

As described above, the sensor 20 has the light emitting part 21 and the light receiving part 22 having the same size arranged side by side on one surface thereof so that the light emitting part 21 and the light receiving part 22 are vertically disposed upward and downward. Tightly coupled to the inner wall of the housing.

The light emitting unit 21 of the sensor 20 forms a light source and emits infrared rays of a specific wavelength band, and the infrared rays emitted from the light emitting unit 21 are irradiated toward the reflecting plate 30 at the front at a predetermined angle. At this time, the reflecting plate 30 allows the reflected light to be irradiated to the light receiving unit 22 formed on one side of the light emitting unit 21 at the same angle as the irradiation angle from the light emitting unit 21, the light receiving unit 22 is The light reflected through the reflector 30 is received to allow light conversion.

Meanwhile, the reflector 30 is mounted in parallel so that one surface of the sensor 20 having the light emitter 21 and the light receiver 22 is formed so as to correspond to the reflective surface, and the infrared light emitted from the light emitter 21 The reflecting surface 31 and the absorbing surface 32 are symmetrically formed about a diagonal boundary line so that the reflecting area can be varied.

Accordingly, the reflecting plate 30 may have a narrow or wide reflective area depending on the direction in which the reflecting plate 31 and the absorbing surface 32 are moved up and down along the lens barrel 13. Can be.

In this case, the reflective surface 31 of the reflective plate 30 may be used any material that can reflect the general light, preferably a white-based paper that can be easily reflected by the infrared ray is applied. In addition, the absorbing surface 32 of the reflector 30 is a blue filter of a material that effectively absorbs the infrared radiation emitted through the light emitting portion 21 is used.

The position sensor of the present invention having the structure as described above is reflected as the reflecting plate 30 mounted on the lens barrel 13 in the camera module 10 flows up and down as the lens barrel 13 moves. The operation structure of the position sensing device in which light is converted by light to generate a voltage difference for each position is briefly described as follows.

Position sensing device

6 to 8 are operational configuration diagrams of the position sensing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a view when the reflection area of the reflector is maximum, and FIG. 7 is a view when the reflection area and the absorption area are the same. 8 is a diagram when the reflection area of the reflection surface is minimum.

As shown, the position detecting sensor of the present invention is composed of a sensor 20 and a reflecting plate 30 that are vertically installed in the housing of the camera module 10, respectively, of the light emitting portion 21 and the light receiving portion 22 The sensor 20 and the reflecting plate 30 are installed in parallel so that the forming surface and the reflecting surface 31 correspond to each other, and the reflecting plate 30 is upward and downward with respect to the sensor 20 fixed to the inner wall of the housing. It is mounted to be transportable.

As shown in FIG. 6A, when the position of the reflector 30 is moved upward from the position of the sensor 20, the infrared rays emitted from the light emitter 21 of the sensor 20 are lower than the position of the reflector 30. That is, the reflection surface 31 is reflected at the point "A" of FIG. 6B having the largest area, so that the maximum amount of reflected light from the reflection plate 30 is incident on the light receiving portion 22 at the same angle as the irradiation angle. In addition, the light receiving unit 22 generates a minimum voltage by light conversion of the reflected light amount, and at this time, the voltage generates a voltage of about 0.3 to 0.4V.

In addition, when the reflecting plate 30 mounted on the lens barrel 13 is positioned to correspond to the front surface of the sensor 20 as shown in FIG. 7A by the vertical transfer of the lens barrel 13, The amount of light emitted from the light emitting portion 21 is concentrated at the point “B” where the reflecting surface 31 and the absorbing surface 32 have the same area, and the amount of light emitted through the light emitting portion 21 of the sensor 20. The same reflected light amount and absorbed light amount are generated, and since the area of the reflecting surface 31 becomes smaller than the reflecting area in FIG. 6, the generated voltage is formed higher than the generated voltage in the above-described embodiment.

In addition, FIG. 8 shows that the infrared rays irradiated from the light emitting part 21 of the sensor 20 are reflected when the position of the reflecting plate 30 is moved to the lower side than the position of the sensor 20 fixed on the inner wall of the housing. As the absorption surface 32 is reflected at the upper portion of the surface 30, that is, the absorption surface 32 at the point “C” of FIG. 8B having the largest area, the minimum amount of reflected light in the reflection plate 30 and the irradiation angle The light receiving part 22 is incident on the light receiving part 22 at the same angle, and the light receiving part 22 generates a maximum voltage by light conversion with respect to the reflected light amount, and the voltage is generated at a voltage of approximately 2.4 to 2.7 V.

Therefore, the voltage generated by the light conversion through the light receiving unit 22 of the sensor 20 is linearly varied according to the transport distance of the lens barrel 13 to which the reflector 30 is attached as shown in FIG. 9, The random position including the initial position of the lens barrel 13 can be grasped based on the generated voltage and the voltage difference due to the voltage change amount in the adjacent position. The conveying direction is known.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for the purpose of illustration, and various substitutions, modifications, and changes within the scope without departing from the spirit of the present invention for those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It will be possible, but such substitutions, changes and the like should be regarded as belonging to the following claims.

As described above, the lens position sensing device of the present invention and the camera module to which the device is attached are applied to a voltage generated by a sensor in which the light emitting part and the light receiving part are arranged side by side in the camera module and a reflecting plate disposed in parallel therewith. This allows the lens barrel to be driven to the correct initial position, thereby preventing the damage of the actuator and the damage of the structural member due to the collision of the mechanism of the lens barrel, and the voltage generated by the variable reflecting area of the reflector. By the difference, there is an advantage in that it is easy to grasp the intermediate position of the lens barrel and the driving direction of the lens barrel at the position.

Claims (11)

It is mounted on one side of the lens barrel inside the camera module. A sensor in which the light emitting part and the light receiving part are arranged side by side on the same plane of one side; And And a reflecting plate disposed in parallel with one surface of the sensor, the reflecting plate having a reflection surface for absorbing or absorbing light emitted from the light emitting part of the sensor, and the absorbing surface being bi-symmetrically formed. The reflecting plate is a position detection, characterized in that the reflection area is variable with respect to the amount of light emitted through the light emitting portion of the sensor by the direction of the up and down movement along the lens barrel by the symmetrical structure of the reflective surface and the absorption surface. Device. The method of claim 1, The sensor is a position sensing device, characterized in that the infrared rays (Infrared rays) are emitted through the light emitting unit. The method of claim 1, Positioning device, characterized in that the reflective surface and the absorbing surface of the reflecting plate is divided based on the boundary line connecting the diagonal. delete The method of claim 1, The reflection surface of the reflector is a position sensing device, characterized in that applied to the branch of a white series that can easily reflect infrared rays. The method of claim 1, Position absorbing device, characterized in that the absorbing surface of the reflector is used a blue filter of a material that effectively absorbs infrared rays. The light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged side by side on the same plane on one side, and the reflective surface and the absorption surface that is disposed parallel to one surface of the sensor to reflect or absorb the light emitted from the light emitting portion of the sensor is divided into two A position sensing device formed of a reflecting plate which is symmetrical with each other and whose reflection area is changed according to a moving direction; A lens barrel which is guided to a vertical guide member and is moved up and down and is laminated with a plurality of lenses stacked therein so that the reflecting plate is attached to one side of an outer circumference thereof; An actuator driven by application of an electrical signal to move the lens barrel up and down; A housing coupled to an upper portion of the module barrel such as the lens barrel and the actuator, and having the sensor closely coupled to the reflecting plate on an inner wall thereof; And A base plate on which the lens barrel and the module member such as the guide member and the actuator are supported, and the peripheral portion of the housing is closely coupled; Camera module comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein The sensor is a camera module, characterized in that the infrared rays (Infrared rays) are emitted through the light emitting unit. The method of claim 7, wherein The reflecting surface and the absorbing surface of the reflecting plate is characterized in that the camera module is divided based on the boundary line connecting the diagonal. The method of claim 7, wherein The reflection surface of the reflector is a camera module, characterized in that the application of a white-based feeder that can be easily reflected by infrared rays. The method of claim 7, wherein The absorbing surface of the reflector is a camera module, characterized in that a blue filter (Blue Filter) is used to effectively absorb infrared light.

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