KR101474221B1 - Aligning and assembling apparatus for camera module providing reinforced the light axis alignment after heating and the method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are an aligning and assembling apparatus for a camera module providing reinforced lens light axis alignment after heating and a method of aligning and assembling a lens light axis using the same. In the aligning and assembling apparatus for a camera module providing reinforced lens light axis alignment, the camera module includes a substrate on which an image sensor is installed as a support block in which a camera module is set; the support block including a lens barrel in which the lens is installed and a lens holder coupled between the substrate and the lens barrel, the lens barrel is coupled with the lens hold through adhesives cured by heating; a displacement sensor to generate tilting information by sensing a tilting state of the lens barrel; and a controller to control the support block according to the tilting information in order to compensate the tilting state of the lens barrel. In accordance with then aligning and assembling apparatus for a camera module providing reinforced lens light axis alignment after heating and a method of aligning and assembling a lens light axis using the same of the present invention, light axis alignment of the camera module after heating is significantly reinforced.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lens optical axis alignment and assembly apparatus for a camera module having enhanced optical axis alignment after heating, and a lens optical axis alignment and assembly method using the same,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for assembling a camera module used for front-and-rear surveillance of a vehicle or for monitoring an automatic running, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for aligning and assembling a lens optical axis of a camera module .

In recent years, cameras are often mounted on vehicles for parking guides and peripheral surveillance. In addition, there is an increasing demand for cameras for monitoring to perform automatic driving functions such as whether to maintain lanes while driving or to recognize signs.

In this case, a camera mounted on a vehicle is generally provided as a module in which an image sensor and a lens are assembled. If the optical axis between the lens and the image sensor is not precisely aligned, it's difficult.

That is, when the image is captured by the camera, the light of the object taken in through the lens must be formed at the correct position on the image sensor so that a clear and clear image can be taken. If the optical axis is not aligned properly, The received image information becomes inaccurate, and therefore the reliability of the camera is greatly reduced.

Usually, the camera module includes a circuit board with an image sensor, a lens holder to be fastened to the circuit board, and a lens barrel which is mounted on the lens holder and is coupled to the lens holder. At this time, the lens holder and the lens barrel heat the adhesive between them to finally cure.

On the other hand, there are various factors that cause the optical axis to be distorted. However, although the optical axis of the camera module is aligned before the adhesive heating, the optical axis of the camera module often becomes distorted after curing.

Therefore, in order to realize a camera module having high reliability and high performance, there is a demand for an apparatus and method for aligning and assembling the lens optical axis of the camera module for enhancing alignment of the optical axis after heating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for aligning and aligning a lens optical axis of a camera module having enhanced optical axis alignment after heating.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for aligning and aligning a lens optical axis of a camera module. The camera module includes a substrate on which an image sensor is mounted, a lens barrel on which a lens is installed, and a lens barrel which is coupled between the substrate and the lens barrel The support block including a lens holder, the lens barrel being coupled to the lens holder through an adhesive cured by heating; A displacement sensor for detecting a tilting state of the lens barrel and generating tilting information; And a controller which is driven to control the support block by the tilting information to correct the tilting state of the lens barrel.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of aligning and assembling a lens optical axis of a camera module. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of aligning and assembling a lens optical axis of a camera module, the module having a lens barrel, Wherein the lens barrel is coupled to the lens holder through an adhesive that is cured by heating; A supporting block setting step of setting the heated camera module to a supporting block; A tilting correction step of correcting tilting of the lens barrel of the camera module which is heated, wherein tilting information is generated by measuring a plurality of points on the end of the heated lens barrel with a displacement sensor, The tilting correction step being driven to control the support block; And a determination step of determining whether the optical axis of the camera module is defective through the discrimination image after the tilting correction step is performed, wherein the discrimination image is an image of a test chart sensed by the image sensor, Respectively.

According to the lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus and assembling method of the camera module having the above-described configuration, the alignment of the optical axis of the camera module after heating is significantly enhanced.

A brief description of each drawing used in the present invention is provided.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a camera module adjusted by a lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus according to the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are views showing the overall configuration of a lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus of the camera module of FIG. 1. FIG.
3A and 3B are views for explaining a process of measuring and correcting a tilting state of a lens barrel after adhesive heating by a displacement sensor in a lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus of the camera module shown in Figs. 2A and 2B.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a test chart system of the lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus of the camera module shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are views for explaining a process of aligning the center point of the lens barrel in the lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus of the camera module shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B to the reference point of the image sensor.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are views for explaining a process of determining whether a camera module is defective by measuring a test chart with an image sensor among lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatuses of the camera module shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG.
FIGS. 7A to 7D are views showing a process of installing a lens barrel in a lens holder by the lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus of the camera module shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.
8 is a flow chart showing a lens optical axis alignment and assembling method of the camera module of the present invention.

For a better understanding of the present invention and its operational advantages, and the objects attained by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and the accompanying drawings. In understanding each of the figures, it should be noted that like parts are denoted by the same reference numerals whenever possible. Also, in the following description, numerous specific details, such as specific processing flows, are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. Further, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations that may be unnecessarily obscured by the gist of the present invention are omitted.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are being provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In the drawings, the length, width, thickness, etc. may be enlarged and / or reduced to clearly represent the various elements. The entire description will be described from the point of view of the observer.

First, the lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus of the camera module of this embodiment assembles the camera module 10 as shown in FIG. The camera module 10 includes a substrate 15 to which an image sensor 14 is attached and a lens holder 13 and a lens barrel 11.

Preferably, the substrate 15 is a circuit board wired to transmit signals, data, information, and the like. The lens holder 13 is fastened to the substrate 15 such that the active area 14a of the image sensor 14 is exposed through the holder hole 13a. The lens barrel 11 is fitted to the lens holder 13 with the lens 12 mounted thereon.

The image sensor 14 may be attached to the substrate 15 through a conductive adhesive agent (not shown), and the lens holder 13 may be fastened to the substrate 15 by various methods such as bolts 16. [ have. The lens barrel 11 is bonded to the lens holder 13 by applying an adhesive to one surface of the lens holder 13.

If the optical axis of the assembled camera module 10 is perfectly aligned, the focus of the lens is focused at the correct position on the image sensor. However, if the optical axis is distorted or the optical axis is misaligned, The focus is on the wrong place. In this case, a serious problem may arise in implementing a precise parking guide and an automatic driving function.

The lens optical axis aligning and assembling device of the camera module of the present invention is an apparatus for assembling a camera module while correcting an optical axis alignment error.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the overall configuration of the apparatus for aligning and aligning the lens axis of the present embodiment. Here, FIG. 2A shows a situation where a fish-eye lens is mounted on the camera module 10, and FIG. 2B shows a situation when a standard lens is mounted.

The apparatus for aligning and aligning the lens optical axis of the camera module of the present invention includes a support block 800, a displacement sensor 200, and a controller 900.

The support block 800 is set in the camera module 10. At this time, the support block 800 can control tilting, rotation, and shift. 1, the camera module 10 includes a substrate 15 on which an image sensor 14 is mounted, a lens barrel 11 on which a lens 12 is mounted, And a lens holder 13 coupled between the lens barrel 11 and the lens barrel 11.

The lens holder 13 is fastened to the substrate 15 such that the active area 14a of the image sensor 14 is exposed through the holder hole 13a.

The lens barrel 11 is coupled with the lens holder 13 through an adhesive cured by heating. Hereinafter, the process in which the lens barrel 11 is engaged with the lens holder 13 will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the displacement sensor 200 detects the tilting state of the lens barrel 11 after heating the adhesive, and generates tilting information IFTL.

At this time, the displacement sensor 200 measures displacement of a plurality of points 11b on the surface of the end portion 11a of the lens barrel 11 on the side of the displacement sensor 200, The tilt state is detected.

Preferably, the displacement sensor 200 is a non-contact type sensor, and is a confocal displacement sensor that precisely measures a displacement using a wavelength band of light.

However, the displacement sensor 200 may be implemented as a two-dimensional or three-dimensional displacement sensor that measures a displacement while moving along a line or an entire surface at a predetermined speed.

3B, the controller 900 automatically controls the tilting state of the lens barrel 11 after heating of the adhesive by the tilting information IFTL, And ultimately to tilting the lens barrel 11. In this way,

2A and 2B, the apparatus for aligning and aligning the lens optical axis of the camera module according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention further includes a test chart system 100 and a vision camera 210. FIG.

In the test chart system 100, a test chart 110 having a test pattern 111 to be sensed by the image sensor 14 is installed as shown in FIG.

The vision camera 210 confirms the vision image IMVS (see FIG. 5B) through the lens 12 after heating the adhesive, as shown in FIG. 5A. At this time, the vision image IMVS is an image of the lens 12 after heating the adhesive.

In this case, the controller 900 controls the vision camera 210 (see FIG. 5A) to match the reference point P12 (FIG. 5A) of the lens with the reference point P110 (Ultimately the lens 12) or the test chart 110 by the vision image IMVS identified by the vision image IMVS.

The reference point P12 of the lens 12 is a center point of the lens 12 and the reference point P110 of the test chart 110 is a center point of the test chart.

6A, the image sensor 14 confirms the discrimination image IMDT (see FIG. 6B) through the lens 12 after heating the adhesive. The discrimination image IMDT is an image of the test chart 110 sensed by the image sensor 14 after passing through the lens 12 after heating of the adhesive.

In this case, the controller 900 determines whether the optical axis of the camera module 10 is defective through the discrimination image IMDT, as shown in FIG. 6B.

In this case, whether or not the optical axis of the camera module 10 is defective may be determined by comparing the discrimination image IMDT with a predetermined reference image. Also, the optical axis measurement values of the discrimination image IMDT may be divided into predetermined optical axis reference values And may be determined by various other methods.

2A and 2B, reference numeral 300 denotes a lens clamper 300 for clamping and flowing a lens barrel 11 provided with a lens 12 therein.

Reference numeral 700 denotes a collimator lens that reduces the focal length of the lens 12 so that the camera module 10 on the support block 800 and the pattern 101 of the test chart system installed in close proximity are in focus. If the lens 12 is a standard lens, the collimator lens 700 is used in this case since the focal length is reduced to focus on the pattern 101 of the test chart system.

However, when the lens 12 is a fisheye lens, it is preferable to exclude the use of the collimator lens 700 because the focal length thereof is extremely short and the distortion rate is high.

Reference numeral 500 denotes a dispenser for applying an adhesive to one surface of the lens holder 13 in order to attach the lens barrel 11 to the lens holder 13. Reference numeral 510 denotes a dispenser for applying ultraviolet rays to the adhesive, Gt; UV < / RTI >

Reference numeral 600 denotes an LED illuminator that illuminates the camera module 10 mounted on the support block 800 with uniform illumination so that the visual state such as contamination or crack defect of the lens 12 can be easily confirmed. In addition, by the LED illuminator 600, the shading and the optical axis can be tested together with the confirmation of the visual state.

A method of aligning and assembling the lens optical axis of a camera module for performing an active alignment process for enhancing alignment of the optical axis after heating using a lens optical axis alignment and assembling device of the camera module of the present invention is described.

7A to 7D, a lens barrel 11 provided with a lens 12 is coupled to a lens holder 13 before a lens optical axis alignment and assembling method of a camera module according to the present invention is described. The process is described.

First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the dispenser 500 is operated to apply the adhesive 2 to one surface of the lens holder 13. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the lens barrel 11 is fitted and bonded to the bonding surface of the lens holder 13. At this time, the operation of inserting the lens barrel 11 into the lens holder 13 can be performed automatically or manually. After inserting the lens barrel 11, ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the UV irradiator 510 as shown in FIG. 2).

After the LED barrel 13 is coupled to the lens barrel 13, the LED illuminator 600 is turned on to check the surface visual state of the lens 12. In addition, by the LED illuminator 600, the shading and the optical axis can be tested together with the confirmation of the visual state.

Then, the test chart system 100 is operated to directly shoot the test pattern 101 with the image sensor 14. [

Here, as shown in FIG. 2A, the test chart system 100 is provided with one chart arranged in the horizontal direction at the center and four charts arranged in the vertical direction around the chart, Is used for testing the camera module 10, and the vertical chart is used together with the horizontal chart when testing the camera module 10 equipped with a fisheye lens which is a very wide angle lens. That is, in the case of a fisheye lens, the focal length of the fisheye lens itself is very short, so that a wide angle image is captured without the aid of the collimator lens 700, so that not only a horizontal chart but also a vertical chart can be photographed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2A, both the horizontal chart and the vertical chart are entered and the photographing is continued.

On the other hand, in the case of a standard lens, since the focal length is relatively long, focus can be achieved by interposing the collimator lens 700 between the camera module 10 and the test chart system 100. It is also possible to shoot only horizontal charts and vertical charts. Therefore, at this time, only the horizontal chart is entered as shown in FIG. 2B.

If it is confirmed that the optical axis is not properly aligned during the photographing of the test pattern 101, the lens barrel 11 is clamped by the lens clamper 300 and is caused to flow at a minute distance on the coupling surface of the lens holder 13, Adjust the error.

7D, the camera module 10 is heated by the heater 520 so that the adhesive 2 between the lens holder 13 and the lens barrel 11 is completely cured. The heater 520 may be installed adjacent to the support block 800 or may be installed in a separate space. In the latter case, the camera module 10 is moved to a separate space prepared by the heater 520 to operate.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of aligning and assembling a lens optical axis of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 together with FIGS. 1 through 6B, a lens optical axis alignment and assembly method of a camera module of the present invention includes a module heating step S5, a support block setting step S10, and a tilt correction step S20 , Preferably a reference alignment step S30 and a discrimination step S40.
In the module heating step S5, the camera module 10 is heated. The camera module 10 includes a substrate 15 on which an image sensor 14 is mounted, a lens barrel 11 on which a lens 12 is mounted, and a lens barrel 11 coupled between the substrate 15 and the lens barrel 11. And a holder (13). At this time, the lens holder 13 is fastened to the substrate 15 such that the active area 14a of the image sensor 14 is exposed through the holder hole 13a, and the lens barrel 11 is fastened And is coupled with the lens holder 13 through the adhesive 2 to be hardened.

In the supporting block setting step S10, the heated camera module 10 is set in the supporting block 800. [

The tilting correction step S20 is a step for correcting the tilting of the lens barrel 11 of the camera module 10 that has been heated.
In the tilt correction step S20, a plurality of points 11b on the end of the lens barrel 11 on the side of the displacement sensor 200 are measured by the displacement sensor 200 and tilting information IFTL is generated do. In order to correct the tilting of the lens barrel 11, the controller 900 is driven to control the support block 800 on the tilting information IFTL.
Preferably, the displacement sensor 200 is a non-contact type sensor, and is a confocal displacement sensor that precisely measures a displacement using a wavelength band of light.

In order to align the reference point P110 of the test chart 110 and the reference point P12 of the lens 12 in the reference alignment step S30, The block 900 or the test chart 110 is shifted. In this case, the vision image IMVS is the image of the lens 12 after heating of the adhesive, which is confirmed by the vision camera 210, as described above.

It is preferable that the reference point P12 of the lens 12 is a center point of the lens 12 and the reference point P110 of the test chart 110 is a center point of the test chart 110. [

In the determination step performed after the reference alignment step S30 is performed, the controller 900 determines whether the optical axis of the camera module 10 is defective through the discrimination image IMDT. The discrimination image IMDT is an image of the test chart 110 sensed by the image sensor 14.

The tilt error of the lens 12 is adjusted under the control of the controller 900 and the correct alignment is finally confirmed so that the optical axis between the lens 12 and the image sensor 14 can be quickly .

Therefore, according to the lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus and assembling method of the camera module as described above, the optical axis of the lens can be assembled while adjusting the optical axis precisely. Therefore, Can be implemented.

Particularly, according to the lens optical axis aligning and assembling apparatus and assembling method of the camera module of the present invention, the alignment of the optical axis of the camera module after heating is remarkably enhanced.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

10 ... camera module 11 ... lens barrel
12 ... Lens 13 ... Lens holder
14 ... image sensor 15 ... substrate
100 ... test chart system 200 ... displacement sensor
300 ... Lens clamper
500 ... Dispenser 600 ... LED illuminator
700 ... collimator lens 800 ... support block

Claims (11)

delete delete delete delete delete delete delete And a lens holder coupled between the substrate and the lens barrel, wherein the lens barrel is mounted on the lens barrel, and the lens barrel is mounted on the lens barrel, Said module heating step being coupled with said lens holder through an adhesive cured by said module holder;
A supporting block setting step of setting the heated camera module to a supporting block;
A tilting correction step of correcting tilting of the lens barrel of the camera module which is heated, wherein tilting information is generated by measuring a plurality of points on the end of the heated lens barrel with a displacement sensor, The tilting correction step being driven to control the support block; And
Determining whether the optical axis of the camera module is defective through the discrimination image after the tilting correction step is performed, wherein the discrimination image comprises the discrimination step as the image of the test chart sensed by the image sensor And aligning the optical axis of the camera module.
The method of claim 8, wherein the lens optical axis alignment and assembly of the camera module
A reference alignment step performed before the tilting correction step is performed and before the discrimination step is performed, wherein in order to match the reference point of the test chart with the reference point of the lens, the controller causes the support block or the test chart Wherein the reference image is an image of the lens after heating of the adhesive as identified by the vision camera. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > [0002] < / RTI & Assembly method.
10. The method of claim 9,
The reference point of the lens is a center point of the lens,
Wherein the reference point of the test chart is a center point of the test chart.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the displacement sensor
Wherein the sensor is a co-axial displacement sensor.

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