KR101629258B1 - Camera module and portable terminal having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image sensing apparatus which includes an image sensor for sensing image sensing information photographed by a camera lens, a camera body having an internal space for accommodating the camera lens and the image sensor and having an opening formed in at least one portion thereof, And a sealing film sealing the opening to prevent dust from penetrating into the opening, wherein the sealing film is formed of a thermally compressible material which is compressed and adhered to the camera body when heat is applied thereto. Module and a portable terminal having the same.

Description

[0001] CAMERA MODULE AND PORTABLE TERMINAL HAVING THE SAME [0002]

The present invention relates to a camera module to which a structure for preventing dust penetration is applied, and a portable terminal having the camera module.

A portable terminal is a portable device that is portable and has one or more functions such as voice and video call function, information input / output function, and data storing function.

As the functions of the portable terminal are diversified, for example, the portable terminal has complicated functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, and is implemented as a multimedia device .

In order to implement complex functions in multimedia devices, various new attempts have been made in terms of hardware or software. For example, a user interface environment is provided for a user to easily and conveniently search for or select a function.

As the portable terminal is implemented as a multimedia device, a camera module for photographing pictures and moving pictures is applied to the portable terminal. In recent years, since a camera module applied to a mobile terminal has a pixel or a function equivalent to that of a digital camera, various attempts have been made to prevent degradation of the camera module performance and deterioration in image quality that may occur depending on use of the camera module have.

The present invention is to provide a structure for preventing dust from penetrating into a camera module for a portable terminal, and to provide a novel structure for preventing dust penetration and a manufacturing method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image sensing apparatus comprising an image sensor for sensing image sensing information photographed by a camera lens, a camera having an internal space for accommodating the camera lens and the image sensor, And a sealing film attached to the camera body and sealing the opening to prevent dust from penetrating into the opening, wherein the sealing film is a thermally compressible material that is compressed as heat is applied to the camera body, And a portable terminal having the camera module.

The sealing film may be compressed and attached to the camera body in a state where the sealing film is arranged to surround the outer periphery of the camera body.

The opening may be formed on a side surface of the camera body, and the sealing film may be attached to the camera body so as to surround the outer circumferential surface of the camera body.

A printed circuit board electrically connected to the image sensor is connected to a lower portion of the camera body, and the opening portion is a space for disposing the connection portion.

The camera module may further include a cover mounted on the main body so as to cover the inner space of the camera body, and the sealing film may be attached to the camera body and the cover so as to seal a gap between the camera body and the cover .

The present invention is advantageous in that foreign matter inside or outside the mobile phone can be effectively prevented from penetrating into the camera body by attaching a heat-sealing sealing film to the outside of the camera body.

In addition, the bonding method using a film made of a thermally compressible material is excellent in adhesion strength because it is excellent in adhesion strength by adhesion with an adhesive.

In addition, it is possible to automate the manufacturing process by not attaching the sealing film to the body of the camera by human hands, and it is possible to save manufacturing time and manufacturing cost by simplifying the manufacturing process of the camera module.

Hereinafter, a portable terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention as viewed from the front.

The portable terminal of the present invention includes a first body 110 and a second body 120 that is slidable along at least one direction on the first body 110.

The first body 110 may be referred to as a closed configuration in which the first body 110 and the second body 120 are overlapped with each other and the first body 110 may be referred to as a second body 120 ) May be referred to as an open configuration.

The mobile terminal operates mainly in the standby mode in the closed state, but the standby mode is also released by the user's operation. The portable terminal operates mainly in the communication mode in the open state, but is also switched to the standby mode by the operation of the user or a predetermined period of time.

The casing (housing, housing, cover, etc.) constituting the outer appearance of the first body 110 is formed by the front case 111 and the rear case 112. Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed by the front case 111 and the rear case 112.

At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 111 and the rear case 112.

The cases may be formed by injection molding a synthetic resin, or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti) or the like.

The display unit 113, the first sound output unit 114, the first image input unit 115, or the first operation unit 116 may be disposed in the first body 110, specifically, the front case 111. [

The display unit 113 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) module, etc. that visually express information, and the display unit 113 further includes a touch screen, It may also be possible to input information.

The first image output unit 114 may be implemented as a receiver or a speaker. The first image input unit 115 may be implemented as a camera module for capturing an image or a moving image of a user Can be implemented.

The first operation unit 116 receives a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The front case 121 and the rear case 122 may form the case of the second body 120, as in the case of the first body 110. [ The second operation unit 123 may be disposed on the front surface of the second body 120, specifically, the front case 121.

At least one of the front case 121 and the rear case 122 may include a third operating unit 124, an acoustical input unit 125, and an interface 126.

The first to third operating portions 116, 123, and 124 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

For example, the operation unit may be implemented by a dome switch or a touch screen, a touch pad, or a wheel, a jog type, a joystick, or the like, As shown in FIG.

In terms of functions, the first operation unit 116 is for inputting commands such as start, end, and scrolling, and the second operation unit 123 is for inputting numbers, characters, symbols, and the like. In addition, the third operation unit 124 may operate as a hot-key for performing a special function such as activation of the first image input unit 15 or the like.

The sound input unit 125 may be implemented in the form of a microphone, for example, in order to receive voice, sound, etc. of the user.

The interface 126 is a path through which the portable terminal related to the present invention can exchange data with an external device. For example, the interface 126 may be a wired or wireless connection terminal for connecting to an earphone, a port for short range communication (for example, an IrDA port, a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN port a wireless Lan port), or power supply terminals for supplying power to the portable terminal.

The interface 126 may be a card socket that accepts an external card such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) or a user identity module (UIM), a memory card for information storage, and the like.

A power supply 127 for supplying power to the portable terminal is mounted on the rear case 122 side. The power supply 127 may be detachably coupled, for example, for charging, as a rechargeable battery, for example.

2 is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, a second image input unit 128 may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the rear case 122 of the second body 120. The second image input unit 128 may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first image input unit 115 (see FIG. 1), and may be a camera having different pixels from the first image input unit 115.

For example, the first image input unit 115 has low pixels so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the second image input unit 128 photographs a general object, It is preferable to have a high pixel because it is often not transmitted.

A flash 129 and a mirror 130 are further disposed adjacent to the second image input unit 128. The flash 129 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the second image input unit 128. The mirror unit 130 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to take a picture of himself / herself (self-photographing) using the second image input unit 128.

And the second sound output unit 131 may be further disposed in the rear case 122. [

The second sound output unit 131 may implement a stereo function together with the first sound output unit 114 (see FIG. 1), and may be used for talking in a speakerphone mode.

Further, on one side of the rear case 122, a broadcast signal receiving antenna 132 may be disposed in addition to an antenna for communication. The antenna 132 may be installed to be detachable from the second body 120.

A part of the slide module 140 that slidably connects the first body 110 and the second body 120 is disposed on the rear case 112 side of the first body 110. [

The other part of the slide module 140 may be disposed on the front case 121 side of the second body 120 and may not be exposed to the outside as in this figure.

In the above description, the second image input unit 128 and the like are disposed in the second body 120, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, at least one of the configurations 128 to 132 described as being arranged in the rear case 122, such as the second image input unit 128, is connected to the first body 110, mainly the rear case 112 It is also possible to mount it. In such a case, there is an advantage that the configuration (s) disposed in the rear case 112 in the closed state is protected by the second body 120. Further, the first image input unit 115 may be rotatably formed so that the second image input unit 128 can be photographed up to the second image input unit 128, even if the second image input unit 128 is not separately provided.

Hereinafter, a configuration of a camera module that implements at least one of the first and second image input units 115 and 128 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the camera module shown in FIG.

3 and 4, the camera module 200 includes a camera body 210, a camera lens 220, and the like.

The camera body 210 constitutes an appearance of the camera module 200 and may be referred to as a camera case (casing, housing, etc.). The camera body 210 has an internal space, and a camera lens 220 is mounted in the internal space. The light receiving unit of the camera lens 220 is disposed to be exposed to the outside of the camera body 210. The camera lens 220 may be exposed through the upper surface of the camera body 210.

An image sensor for sensing image sensing information taken by the camera lens 220 and an actuator for moving the camera lens 220 so as to adjust the focus of the camera lens 220 are mounted in an internal space of the camera body 210 .

At least a portion of the camera body 210 is formed with an opening 215 for communicating the inside and the outside of the camera body 210. According to the present embodiment, the opening 215 is implemented as a space for arranging the connection portion 242 for connection with the printed circuit board 240.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the opening 215 can be formed by various causes, purposes, configurations, and the like. For example, when the camera body 210 is implemented by a plurality of cases coupled to each other, the opening 251 may be an assembly gap between these cases. In addition, the opening 215 may be used as an arrangement space for mounting components other than the connection terminal.

As described above, since the opening 215 is formed in the camera body 210, dust, foreign matter, and the like may penetrate through the opening 215. Such infiltration of dust, foreign matter, or the like causes a problem that image quality is bad when the camera module 250 is operated.

In order to solve this problem, a sealing film 250 is attached to the camera body 210 to prevent dust from penetrating into the opening 215. The sealing film 250 may be formed in the form of a band, and the opening 215 is attached to the sealed surface so as to seal the opening 215.

The opening 215 is formed on the side surface of the camera body 210 and the sealing film 250 is attached to the side surface of the camera body 210. In this embodiment, The sealing film 250 is formed to surround the outer circumferential surface of the camera body 210. In this case, even if a plurality of openings 215 are formed on the plurality of side surfaces of the camera body 210, .

The sealing film 250 related to the present invention is formed of a thermally compressible material which is compressed as heat is applied. The sealing film 250 is compressed at a specific temperature or higher and attached to the side surface of the camera body 210.

A printed circuit board 240 is mounted on the lower surface of the camera body 210. The printed circuit board 240 is electrically connected to components inside the camera body 210 such as an image sensor. The printed circuit board 240 processes the photographing information applied by the image sensor or the like and applies the processed photographing information to the controller 180 of the portable terminal. The printed circuit board 240 is electrically connected to the main board of the portable terminal by the flexible circuit board 245 (FPCB).

The printed circuit board 240 is connected to electronic components (for example, image sensors, actuators, etc.) inside the camera body 210 by a connection portion 242. The connection 242 can be implemented in the form of a soldering or connection terminal. As described above, the opening of the camera body 210 can be used as an arrangement space for the connection portion 242. [

A cover 230 may be additionally attached to the camera body 210. The cover 230 covers the inner space of the camera body 210 and can be formed of a metal material. According to the present embodiment, the cover 230 is configured to cover the upper surface and the side surfaces of the main body 210. A through hole 231 for exposing the camera lens 220 is formed on the upper surface of the cover 230. The camera body 210 is inserted into the open portion of the cover 230 and is coupled to the cover 230.

A latching protrusion 213 is formed on a side surface of the camera body 210 and a latching hole 233 is formed on a side surface of the cover 230 for latching the latching protrusion 213. Slits 232 are formed on the side surface of the cover 230 for easily deforming the portion where the latching hole 233 is formed. The locking protrusion 213 is caught by the locking hole 233 and the camera body 210 and the cover 230 are engaged with each other, (230) are fixed.

Since the dust can be introduced into the camera body 210 through the slits 232, the sealing film 250 is attached to the camera body 210 and the cover 230 so as to prevent the dust from entering the camera body 210 . The sealing film 250 seals not only the slits 232 but also various kinds of gaps that may occur between the camera body 210 and the cover 230.

The sealing film 250 may be attached on the outer circumferential surface of the cover 230. [ In this case, the camera body 210 is exposed through the slit 232, and the exposed surface is attached to the sealing film 250. The sealing film 250 not only seals the opening 215 but also functions to seal a gap between the camera body 210 and the cover 230. [

5A and 5B are top views of a camera module showing a method of attaching a sealing film to a camera body.

According to this embodiment, the sealing film 250 may have a ring-shaped cross section. The sealing film 250 has a material which is compressed as heat is applied and is deformed into a semi-cured state.

5A, the inner space of the sealing film 250 is formed to have a larger area than the end face of the camera body 210 or the cover 230. If the inner circumferential surface of the sealing film 250 is positioned so as to surround the outer periphery of the camera body 210 and heat is applied at a certain temperature (for example, 80 ° C.), the sealing film 250 is compressed, do.

As the sealing film 250 is compressed as shown in FIG. 5B, the inner circumferential surface of the sealing film 250 comes into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the camera body 210. When the camera module 200 is dried after lowering the temperature in this state, the sealing film 250 is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the camera body 210 or the cover 230 as the sealing film 250 changes to a hardened state .

Such a bonding method is advantageous in that the sealing effect is also improved since the bonding strength is excellent due to adhesion by bonding using an adhesive. In addition, since the sealing film 250 is not required to be attached to the camera body 210, it is possible to automate the manufacturing process, thereby saving the manufacturing time and manufacturing cost of the camera module 200 .

6 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to the present invention.

6, a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a wireless communication module 181, operation units 116, 123 and 124, image input units 115 and 128, an acoustic input unit 125, a display unit 113, A sensing unit 186, an interface 126, a broadcast receiving module 185, a memory 184, a power supply unit 127, and a control unit 180.

The control unit 180 typically controls the overall operation of the portable terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like.

The wireless communication module 181 transmits / receives a wireless signal to / from a mobile communication base station through an antenna. A transmission unit 182 for transmitting and receiving voice data, character data, image data, and control data under the control of the control unit 180 and for modulating and transmitting a signal to be transmitted for this purpose; 183).

The operation units 116, 123, and 124 are configured as shown in FIG. 1, and provide the control unit 180 with key input data that the user inputs for controlling the operation of the terminal. The operation units 116, 123, and 124 include a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The image input units 115 and 128 process image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame is converted into image data that can be displayed on the display unit 113 and output to the display unit 113.

The image frames processed by the image input units 115 and 128 are stored in the memory 184 under the control of the control unit 180 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication module 181. [

The sound input unit 125 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, and the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data is converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station via the wireless communication module 181 in the communication mode, and is output to the wireless communication module 181. In the record mode, the processed voice data is output to be stored in the memory 184. [

The sound input unit 125 may be implemented with various noise reduction algorithms for eliminating noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The display unit 113 displays and outputs information processed in the portable terminal. For example, when the portable terminal is in the call mode, the control unit 180 displays a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with the call. If the portable terminal is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the control unit 180 displays and displays the photographed image, the UI, and the GUI. When the display unit 113 includes a touch screen, the display unit 113 is used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The sound output units 114 and 131 receive sound data received from the wireless communication module 181 under control of the control unit 180 in a call signal reception mode, a communication mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, Converts the stored sound data and outputs it to the outside.

In addition, the sound output units 114 and 131 output sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the portable terminal. The sound output units 114 and 131 include a speaker, a receiver, a buzzer, and the like.

The sensing unit 186 senses the current state of the portable terminal, such as the open / close state of the portable terminal, the position of the portable terminal, whether or not the user touches the portable terminal, and generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the portable terminal. For example, if the portable terminal is in the form of a slide phone, it senses whether the slide phone is opened or closed, and outputs the sensing result to the controller 180 so that the operation of the terminal is controlled. And a sensing function related to whether or not the power supply 127 is powered on, whether the interface 126 is coupled to an external device, and the like.

The interface 126 may be any type of interface card such as a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a card socket (e.g. a memory card, a SIM / UIM card) It serves as an interface with the device. The interface 126 receives data from an external device or receives power from the external device, transfers the data to each component in the portable terminal, or transmits data in the portable terminal to an external device.

The memory 184 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 180 and may have a function for temporarily storing input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, .

A program for controlling the operation of the portable terminal related to the present invention is stored in the memory 184

Such memory 184 includes the concept of a generally known hard disk, card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), flash memory, RAM, ROM, and the like.

The broadcast receiving module 185 receives broadcast signals transmitted through satellite or terrestrial waves and converts the received broadcast signals into broadcast data types that can be output to the sound output units 114 and 131 and the display unit 113 and outputs the broadcast data formats to the controller 180. In addition, the broadcast receiving module 185 receives additional data (e.g., EPG (Electric Program Guide), channel list, etc.) related to broadcasting. The broadcast data and the additional data converted by the broadcast receiving module 185 may be stored in the memory 184. [

The power supply unit 127 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The above-described camera module and the portable terminal having the camera module are not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above, but all or a part of the embodiments may be selectively combined to be variously modified. .

1 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a rear perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a perspective view of a camera module associated with an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is an exploded perspective view of the camera module shown in Fig.

5A and 5B are top plan views of a camera module illustrating a method of attaching a sealing film to a camera body.

6 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Claims (6)

An image sensor for sensing photographic information photographed by a camera lens; A camera body having an internal space for accommodating the camera lens and the image sensor, and having an opening formed in at least a part of a side surface thereof; A cover mounted on the camera body so as to cover an inner space of the camera body and having a slit formed on at least a part of a side surface thereof; And And a sealing film attached to the cover and sealing the slit to prevent dust from penetrating into the slit, In the opening, Wherein a connection portion for electrically connecting the image sensor to a printed circuit board disposed outside the camera body is disposed, Wherein the sealing film comprises: And a thermally compressible material which is compressed and adhered to a side surface of the cover when heat is applied thereto in a state of enclosing the outer periphery of the cover, Wherein the connecting portion is formed in a band shape having a predetermined width so as to seal the slit in a state that the connecting portion is exposed to the outside. delete delete delete delete Terminal body; And a camera module mounted on the terminal body for photographing a subject, The camera module includes: An image sensor for sensing photographic information photographed by a camera lens; A camera body having an internal space for accommodating the camera lens and the image sensor, and having an opening formed in at least a part of a side surface thereof; A cover mounted on the camera body so as to cover an inner space of the camera body and having a slit formed in at least a part thereof; And And a sealing film attached to the cover, the sealing film sealing the slit to prevent dust from penetrating into the slit, In the opening, Wherein a connection portion for electrically connecting the image sensor to a printed circuit board disposed outside the camera body is disposed, Wherein the sealing film comprises: And a thermally compressible material which is compressed and adhered to the side surface of the cover when heat is applied in a state where the cover is wrapped around the cover, Wherein the connecting portion is formed in a band shape having a predetermined width so as to seal the slit in a state in which the connecting portion is exposed to the outside.

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