KR102416242B1 - Camera module - Google Patents

Abstract

The camera module of the present invention is located above the base, the OIS body is movable in the horizontal direction and includes a first circuit for the operation of the camera module, and between the OIS body and the base to provide horizontal restoring force of the OIS body. It includes a plurality of wire springs provided in, the wire springs are each electrically separated, one end is connected to the first circuit, the other end can be connected to an external device.

Description

Camera Module {CAMERA MODULE}

The present invention relates to a small camera module, and more particularly, to a camera module capable of forming a camera shake correction function and circuit configuration in a more compact structure than in the prior art.

A camera module with an auto focusing (AF) function that automatically adjusts the focus of a lens when photographing a subject is widely used in general digital cameras as well as mobile devices such as cell phones and tablet PCs.

Recently, the camera module is not limited to the auto-focusing (AF) function and employs an anti-shake function. The anti-shake method can be divided into an electronic type and an optical type. Electronic Image Stabilizer (EIS) is a method of processing an image signal output from an image sensor by correcting it with a program. On the other hand, the optical image stabilization method (OIS: Optical Image Stabilizer) is a method of mechanically adjusting the position or angle of an image sensor or a lens optical system.

A camera module equipped with an OIS device has a complex structure and a large volume, so it is difficult to be adopted for a mobile device. For example, Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2007-0065195 discloses an apparatus for correcting image skew, but structurally, it cannot be applied to a mobile device such as a smart phone.

However, as it is possible to miniaturize the OIS device, a camera module that is compact while including an OIS function as in Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2011-0097122 has been developed. However, the camera module is equipped with four magnets on four sides of the module for AF and OIS functions.

Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0059997 (published on March 3, 2015) also discloses an optical control device. The optical control device sequentially mounts a base, an OIS driving unit, an AF driving unit, and a lens barrel, providing a plurality of ball bearings between the base and the OIS driving unit, and providing a plurality of ball bearings also between the OIS driving unit and the AF driving unit do it with However, since many electrical connection devices and driving units are provided between the base and the OIS driving unit in the optical control device, it is very difficult to reduce the thickness, and there are many unresolved parts in the electrical connection.

The present invention provides a camera module capable of implementing both an auto focus and an image stabilization function while implementing an OIS module that moves horizontally in a circuit configuration.

The present invention provides a camera module capable of simplifying the assembly sequence and minimizing interference between the driving units in configuring the driving unit of the coil and magnet combination.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above-described objects of the present invention, the camera module according to this embodiment is located above the base, the base, is movable in the horizontal direction, and is a first for the operation of the camera module. An OIS body including one circuit, and a plurality of wire springs provided between the OIS body and the base to provide horizontal restoring force of the OIS body, wherein the wire springs are electrically separated from each other, and one end of the first circuit and connected, and the other end may be connected to an external device.

Although the wire springs are physically separated, they can act on one OIS body to make the OIS body move to its original position or provide a certain restoring force. It can also function as a delivery means for delivering

The wire spring includes a first fixing piece fixed to the OIS body corresponding to one end, a first wave extending from the first fixing piece, a second fixing piece fixed to the base corresponding to the other end, and a second fixing piece extending from the second fixing piece. A second wave that intersects and is connected to the first wave may be included.

The wire spring is intended to provide a restoring force in the horizontal direction of the OIS body, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, and may have fluidity for forward, backward, left, and right movements rather than vertical movement. To this end, each of the first wave and the second wave may be formed to have a width of about 60 to 120 μm and a thickness of about 30 to 50 μm. Although the width of each wave may be provided as a cross section of a rectangle larger than the thickness, it may have fluidity in the horizontal direction in the front, back, left, and right directions because of its relatively small dimension.

In addition, to this end, each of the first wave and the second wave may include a bent portion that is bent at least twice or more by 90 degrees or more.

Additionally, the camera module may include a lens carrier provided in the central space of the OIS body to move in the optical axis direction, and an AF driving unit provided between the OIS body and the lens carrier, and the first circuit may control the operation of the AF driving unit. can

It may further include a cover for the OIS body and the lens carrier positioned above the base, an OIS driving unit for moving the OIS body perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens carrier, and a first ball bearing interposed between the cover and the OIS body. Since the first ball bearing is supported while in direct contact with the inner ceiling of the cover and the upper surface of the OIS body, the overall thickness of the module can be made thinner than that of the structure in which the ball bearing is provided under the OIS body.

The OIS body may have a tendency to adhere to the inner ceiling of the cover. This may use a combination of a magnet and a yoke, which will be described later, but in addition to this, various methods using a spring or the like may be used. In this regard, the OIS driving unit includes a first magnet mounted on the upper surface of the OIS body, a first coil mounted on the inner ceiling of the cover corresponding to the first magnet, and a first yoke interposed between the first coil and the cover The first coil may move the OIS body in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens carrier in response to the first magnet, and the first yoke may correspond to the first magnet to bring the OIS body into close contact with the cover.

A pocket portion for accommodating the first ball bearing may be formed on the inner ceiling of the cover, and an upper surface of the OIS body corresponding to the pocket portion may be provided as a flat surface. When the camera module has a rectangular flat surface, the pocket portion and the first ball bearing may be provided at four corners, and the space of the four corners may be efficiently used in correspondence with the central circular lens carrier.

The OIS driver includes a first flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) provided between the first coil and the cover, the first flexible printed circuit board is electrically connected to the first coil, and the first end of the first flexible printed circuit board has a cover The first terminal may be formed at the first end of the first flexible printed circuit board, extending downward along the inner surface of the circuit board to be exposed around the base.

It may further include a second flexible circuit board provided on the base and providing a second end exposed to the periphery of the base, and a Hall sensor mounted on the upper surface of the second flexible printed circuit board, the second flexible printed circuit board of the second flexible printed circuit board. A second terminal is formed at the end, and the hall sensor is located under the first magnet to detect the position of the OIS body by using the movement of the first magnet.

The AF driving unit may include a second coil mounted on the inner surface of the central space of the OIS body and a second magnet mounted on the side of the lens carrier corresponding to the second coil, wherein the first circuit is electrically connected to the second coil can be connected to The central space of the OIS body may be formed within the thickness of the OIS body without vertical extension.

The AF driver may include a third flexible circuit board for connecting the second coil and an external circuit, and the above-described first circuit may be formed on the third flexible circuit board.

The wire spring may include a third terminal that is bent from the second fixing piece and exposed to the periphery of the base, and the wire spring is formed by extending and bending from the first fixing piece and is electrically connected to the first circuit. It may further include a terminal.

The second fixing piece may be formed in an L-shape and be fixed across two sides of the base.

The camera module of the present invention can present a circuit solution that can implement autofocus on the horizontally moving OIS part in implementing both the autofocus and the handshake correction function.

In the camera module of the present invention, in assembling the camera module, electrical wiring and physical mounting can be completed at the same time.

The camera module of the present invention implements electrical connection of various parts differently from the prior art, but may be mounted on a substrate like a single chip.

1 is a view for explaining a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view for explaining an exploded structure of the camera module of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a view for explaining in detail a base and a wire spring in the camera module of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a planar structure of a wire spring in the camera module of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a cross section AA of the camera module of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a cross-section BB of the camera module of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a process of assembling the OIS body to the cover in the camera module of FIG. 1 .
8 is a view for explaining a process of assembling the OIS body to the cover and further assembling the base in the camera module of FIG. 1 .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited or limited by the embodiments. For reference, in the present description, the same numbers refer to substantially the same elements, and contents described in other drawings under the above rules may be cited and described, and contents determined to be obvious to those skilled in the art or repeated may be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view for explaining an exploded structure of the camera module of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a base and a base in the camera module of FIG. It is a view for explaining the wire spring in detail, Fig. 4 is a view for explaining the planar structure of the wire spring in the camera module of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a view for explaining the cross section A-A of the camera module of Fig. 1, FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a cross section B-B of the camera module of FIG. 1 , FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a process of assembling the OIS body to the cover in the camera module of FIG. 1 , and FIG. 8 is the camera module of FIG. It is a drawing for explaining the process of assembling the OIS body to the cover and further assembling the base.

1 to 8 , the camera module 100 includes a cover 110 , a base 120 coupled to the cover 110 , and a lens carrier 130 provided between the cover 110 and the base 120 . , the slim OIS body 140 provided inside the cover 110, four first ball bearings 150 interposed between the cover 110 and the slim OIS body 140, the OIS body 140 and The AF driving unit 160 provided between the lens carriers 130 and the OIS driving unit 170 for moving the OIS body 140 perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens carrier 130 may be included.

For reference, in this embodiment, the camera module 100 may be mounted on a conventional substrate (not shown) on which a conventional image sensor (not shown) is mounted, and a lens or a lens group provided in the lens carrier 130 . It is possible to adjust the image formed on the image sensor using However, in another embodiment, an image sensor may also be included in the camera module.

In addition, the 'optical axis' may be understood as a line corresponding to the center of the lens, and may be understood as a vertical line passing through the centers of the cover 110 and the base 120 in the drawings. Accordingly, the 'optical axis direction' may be understood as a direction coincident with the optical axis, parallel to, or substantially parallel to the optical axis. Accordingly, the 'horizontal direction' may be understood as a direction perpendicular to or substantially perpendicular to the optical axis. For example, assuming a coordinate system constituting an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, if the z-axis is an optical axis, the x-axis and y-axis as well as a direction in which only (x, y) is expressed may be referred to as a horizontal direction.

As shown, the camera module 100 according to the present embodiment may be provided in a flat box shape as a whole, and the OIS body 140 accommodated therein is also provided in a flat square box shape as a whole, and the center space can be provided. A lens, a lens group, a filter, and the like may be further provided in the cylindrical space of the lens carrier 130 .

The four first ball bearings 150 may be provided on the upper surface corners of the OIS body 140 , respectively, and may directly contact the inner ceiling of the cover 110 and the upper surface of the OIS body 140 . This structure may be advantageous in forming the overall thickness of the module thinner than a structure in which a ball bearing is provided under the OIS body.

As shown in FIG. 5 , a central hole 112 is formed in the center of the ceiling of the cover 110 , and a first ball bearing 150 is installed inside the central hole 112 , that is, on the inner ceiling of the cover 110 . Four pockets 114 for accommodating may be formed. And the upper surface of the OIS body 140 corresponding to the pocket portion 114 may be provided as a flat surface. Since the camera module 100 is formed in a rectangular shape as a whole, the pocket portion 114 and the first ball bearing 150 may be provided at four corners on the OIS body 140 , and the lens carrier 130 in the center is periphery. Correspondingly, the space of the four corners can be used efficiently.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 7, the first ball bearing 150 is positioned in the pocket portion 114 of the cover 110, and the OIS body 140 and the lens carrier 130 pulled by magnetic force are mounted. Ball bearings can be easily assembled with simple operations. This advantage can further limit the use of lubricants, so that control difficulties due to contamination or damping of the module and changes in movement characteristics due to changes in physical properties can be solved together.

In this embodiment, the OIS driving unit 170 may be provided between the cover 110 and the OIS body 140 . Specifically, the OIS driving unit 170 is mounted on the inner ceiling of the cover 110 in correspondence to two sets of first magnets 171 and the first magnets 171 that are embedded in two corners of the upper surface of the OIS body 140 . Two first coils 172 to be, a first yoke 173 interposed between the first coil 172 and the cover 110, and two first coils 172 from the rear of the first yoke 173 and a first flexible circuit board 175 electrically connected to the circuit board.

The first coil 172 can move the OIS body 140 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis (z-axis) of the lens carrier 130 in response to the first magnet 171 , that is, in the horizontal x and y-axis directions. In addition, the first yoke 173 located at the rear of the first coil 172 may function to attach the OIS body 140 to the cover 110 by using the attractive force with the first magnet 171 . In other prior art, the magnet for adhering the OIS body and the base may be provided separately from the magnet of the OIS driving unit.

The first flexible circuit board 175 is in close contact with the inner ceiling of the cover 110 , and is electrically connected to the first coil 172 to transmit an electrical signal for OIS control. To this end, the first end 176 of the first flexible printed circuit board 175 may extend to both sides, and may extend downward along the inner surface of the cover 110 , around the base 120 , preferably The first terminal 177 , the second terminal 187 , and the third terminal 197 may be intensively formed at one location to be exposed adjacent to each other. In addition, a first terminal 177 for connection to the outside may be formed at the first end 176 of the first flexible printed circuit board 175 .

Unlike this embodiment, in another embodiment, the positions of the first coil and the first magnet may be reversed. For example, the OIS driving unit includes a first magnet mounted on the inner ceiling of the cover, a first coil mounted on the upper surface of the OIS body in response to the first magnet, and a first yoke interposed between the first coil and the OIS body. may include

2 and 3 , a second flexible printed circuit board 185 for controlling the Hall sensor 180 and the like may be provided on the base 120 . The second flexible circuit board 185 may provide a second end 186 that extends downwardly around the base 120 , and the second end 186 has an electrical signal to/from the Hall sensor 180 . A second terminal 187 may be provided for

A Hall sensor 180 may be provided on the upper surface of the second flexible circuit board 185 to correspond to the first magnet 171 of the OIS body 140 , respectively. The Hall sensor 180 may detect the movement of the first magnet 171 fixed to the OIS body 140 and provide information to be used for controlling the OIS driver 170 .

In particular, the Hall sensor 180 may be separated with the first coil 172 and the first magnet 171 interposed therebetween, and may block the influence from changes in the electromagnetic field according to the current flowing in the first coil 172 . .

As described above, the first terminal 177 from the first flexible circuit board 175 and the second terminal 187 of the second flexible circuit board 185 are connected to wire springs 190-1 to 190-4 to be described later. ) and the third terminals 197-1 to 197-4 are arranged adjacent to each other and can be connected from the outside as if they were formed on a single board. This may provide very useful convenience in the process of connecting the camera module 100 to an external circuit or board.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the AF driving unit 160 may correspond to the OIS driving unit 170 disposed at two corners, and may be located on the opposite side. In addition, the AF driving unit 160 is provided between the OIS body 140 and the lens carrier 130, and specifically, the second coil 162 and the second coil ( A second magnet 161 mounted on the side of the lens carrier 130 may be included in correspondence with the 162 .

Specifically, the AF driving unit 160 may further include a hall sensor, a yoke, and the like, and further include a second ball bearing moving along guide rails perpendicular to both sides of the second coil 162 and the second magnet 161 . can do.

As shown, the lens carrier 130 may also be provided with a thickness substantially similar to that of the OIS body 140 , and the central space of the OIS body 140 may also be formed within the thickness of the OIS body 140 without a vertical extension structure. have. Thanks to the above-described structures, it is possible to form the OIS body 140 and the lens carrier 130 slim as in the present embodiment.

A plurality of wire springs 190-1 to 190-4 may be physically separated between the OIS body 140 and the base 120 in order to provide a horizontal restoring force of the OIS body 140 . In this embodiment, the wire springs 190-1 to 190-4 are physically separated, but act on one OIS body 140 to make the OIS body 140 move to its original position, or It can provide a certain restoring force for horizontal movement.

In addition, each of the wire springs 190-1 to 190-4 may function as a transmission medium for transmitting a current or an electrical signal to the AF driving unit 160 mounted on the moving OIS body 140 . To this end, one end of each of the wire springs 190-1 to 190-4 may be circuitly connected to the AF driving unit 160, and the other end thereof is exposed around the base 120 like the other terminals to the third terminal ( 197-1 to 197-4) can be formed.

When describing one wire spring 190-1 among the four wire springs as a reference, the wire spring 190-1 is a first fixing piece 191-1 fixed to the bottom surface of the OIS body 140 in correspondence with one end. ), a first wave 192-1 extending from the first fixing piece 191-1, a second fixing piece 194-1 fixed to the base 120 and the cover 110 corresponding to the other end, and It may include a second wave 193-1 extending from the second fixing piece 194-1 and vertically connected to the first wave 192-1. And the third terminal 197-1 is bent down from the second fixing piece 194-1, and is in the seating groove 126 for the third terminals 197-1 to 197-4 of the base 120. can be adhered to. Another seating groove 128 for the first end 176 may be further provided adjacent to the third terminals 197-1 to 197-4, and manufactured together with the cover 110 in the assembly process of FIG. The first end 176 of the flexible printed circuit board 175 may be positioned in the last seating groove 128 .

The wire spring 190-1 may have fluidity with respect to a forward, backward, left, and right movement rather than a vertical movement. To this end, each of the first wave 192-1 and the second wave 193-1 may be formed to have a width of about 60 to 120 μm and a thickness of about 30 to 50 μm, and the width of each wave is greater than the thickness. It may be provided with a rectangular cross section. As indicated by a circular dotted line in FIG. 4 , the waves 192 , -1 , and 193 - 1 of the present embodiment may be bent at least four times by about 180 degrees. In addition to this, it may include a bent portion that is bent at least twice or more by 90 degrees or more in one wave, through which it can be seen that the wire spring is for controlling horizontal movement rather than vertical movement.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 8 , a protrusion 146 for binding with the first fixing pieces 191-1 to 191-4 may be formed on the bottom surface of the OIS body 140 , and the OIS body 140 . The first fixing pieces 191-1 to 191-4 of the wire springs 190-1 to 190-4 can be physically fixed through the projection 146 of the.

In addition, the second fixing pieces 194-1 to 194-4 located on the opposite side of the wire springs 190-1 to 190-4 are supported on the step 122 of the base 120, and are approximately L-shaped or It is formed in an L-shape and may be fixed to span two sides of the base 120 . And a plurality of protrusions 116 and 117 corresponding to the second fixing pieces 194-1 to 194-4 may be formed on the cover 110, and the protrusions 116 and 117 of the cover 110 are first 2 The other ends of the wire springs (190-1 to 190-4) are physically fixed between the cover 110 and the base 120 by passing and fixing the holes formed on both sides of the fixing pieces (194-1 to 194-4). can make it

The AF driving unit 160 may further include a third flexible circuit board 165 electrically connected to the second coil 162 , and the wire springs 190-1 to 190-4 include the first fixing piece 191 . -1 to 191-4) extending and bending, and may include fourth terminals 198-1 to 198-4 electrically connected to the terminals 166 and 167 of the third flexible circuit board 165 have.

As described above, although described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art can variously modify and change the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand that it can be done.

100: camera module 110: cover
120: base 130: lens carrier
140: OIS body 150: first ball bearing
160: AF driver 170: OIS driver
171: first magnet 172: first coil
173: first yoke 175: first flexible circuit board
180: Hall sensor 180: second flexible circuit board
190-1~190-4: wire spring

Claims (15)

In the camera module,
Base;
an OIS body positioned above the base, movable in the horizontal direction, and including a first circuit for operating the camera module;
a plurality of wire springs provided between the OIS body and the base to provide a horizontal restoring force of the OIS body;
a lens carrier provided in the central space of the OIS body and moving in the optical axis direction;
an AF driver provided between the OIS body and the lens carrier;
a cover for covering the OIS body and the lens carrier;
an OIS driver provided between the cover and the OIS body to move the OIS body perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens carrier; and
Includes; a first ball bearing interposed between the cover and the OIS body;
The wire springs are electrically separated from each other, and one end is connected to the first circuit and the other end is connected to an external device. According to claim 1,
The wire spring includes a first fixing piece fixed to the OIS body corresponding to the one end, a first wave extending from the first fixing piece, a second fixing piece fixed to the base corresponding to the other end, and the second 2 The camera module comprising a second wave extending from the fixing piece and intersecting the first wave and connected thereto. 3. The method of claim 2,
The camera module, characterized in that each of the first wave and the second wave is formed to have a width of 60 ~ 120㎛ and a thickness of 30 ~ 50㎛. 3. The method of claim 2,
Each of the first wave and the second wave includes a bent portion that is bent at least twice or more by 90 degrees or more. delete delete According to claim 1,
The OIS driving unit includes a first magnet mounted on the upper surface of the OIS body, a first coil mounted on the inner ceiling of the cover corresponding to the first magnet, and a first yoke interposed between the first coil and the cover. includes,
The first coil moves the OIS body in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens carrier in response to the first magnet, and the first yoke corresponds to the first magnet to bring the OIS body into close contact with the cover A camera module, characterized in that. 8. The method of claim 7,
A pocket portion for accommodating the first ball bearing is formed in the inner ceiling of the cover, and an upper surface of the OIS body corresponding to the pocket portion is provided as a flat camera module. 8. The method of claim 7,
The OIS driver includes a first flexible circuit board (FPCB) provided between the first coil and the cover, the first flexible circuit board being electrically connected to the first coil, and the first flexible circuit board being electrically connected to the first coil. a first end of the cover is extended downward along the inner surface of the cover to be exposed around the base, and a first terminal is formed at the first end of the first flexible circuit board. 8. The method of claim 7,
A second flexible printed circuit board provided on the base and provided with a second end exposed to the periphery of the base, and a Hall sensor mounted on an upper surface of the second flexible printed circuit board,
a second terminal is formed at the second end of the second flexible circuit board;
The hall sensor is located under the first magnet, the camera module, characterized in that for detecting the position of the OIS body using the movement of the first magnet. According to claim 1,
The AF driving unit includes a second coil mounted on an inner surface of the central space of the OIS body and a second magnet mounted on a side surface of the lens carrier corresponding to the second coil, wherein the first circuit includes the second A camera module, characterized in that electrically connected to the coil. 12. The method of claim 11,
The AF driving unit camera module, characterized in that it further comprises a third flexible circuit board including the first circuit. 3. The method of claim 2,
The wire spring is bent from the second fixing piece and the camera module, characterized in that it comprises a third terminal exposed to the periphery of the base. 14. The method of claim 13,
The wire spring is formed by extending and bending from the first fixing piece, the camera module characterized in that it comprises a fourth terminal electrically connected to the first circuit. 3. The method of claim 2,
The second fixing piece is formed in an L-shape and is fixed over two sides of the base.

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