KR20140061331A - Housing, barrel and camera module with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a barrel in which a lens is provided; and a housing having a hollow portion raised to an optical axis direction in which the barrel is inserted to the hollow portion, wherein a diameter of the barrel can be changed at least twice. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a clear image, like an initial stage of the camera module, can be taken even though the frequency of use of the camera module increases.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION [0002] HOUSING, BARREL AND CAMERA MODULE WITH THE SAME [0003]

The present invention relates to a camera module, and more particularly, to a housing, a barrel and a camera module having the housing, the barrel and the camera module.

The camera module includes a housing having a hollow portion communicating with the outside, a filter disposed inside the housing for blocking infrared rays, and a housing coupled to the housing so as to be exposed to the outside through the hollow portion, An image sensor, and a barrel slidably coupled to an inner wall of the housing in an optical axis direction.

The camera module has an auto focusing function to adjust the distance between the barrel and the image sensor so that the subject is clearly photographed on the image sensor.

When the camera module implements the auto-focus function, the position of the subject photographed by the image sensor changes depending on the position of the subject. That is, the position where the image is formed changes depending on the distance between the subject and the barrel. At this time, in order to realize a clear image on the image sensor, the barrel has a relatively moving structure.

Since the barrel moves up and down in the housing, a space is formed between the barrel and the housing so as to prevent friction and impact between the barrel and the housing, foreign matter enters between the spaces and is introduced into the filter or the image sensor.

Thereby, the image sensor causes a problem such as a shadow caused by a foreign substance, not an image of the actually photographed subject.

The present invention provides a housing, a barrel, and a camera module having the housing, the barrel, and the camera module, which can reduce the inflow of foreign substances into a filter or an image sensor.

A camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a barrel having a lens; And a housing into which the barrel is inserted, wherein the barrel has a diameter at least twice.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to attach a foreign substance to a filter or an image sensor before the foreign object is introduced into the camera, thereby reducing the generation of shadows caused by the foreign substance, have.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a perspective view illustrating a barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a front view of a barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a perspective view illustrating a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a sectional view showing a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Hereinafter, embodiments of a housing, a barrel, and a camera module having the housing and the barrel according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements And redundant explanations thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a housing 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a housing 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a housing 100 includes a lower member 110 and a upper member 120. A barrel 200 (see FIG. 6) may be inserted into the housing 100.

The lower member 110 and the upper member 120 will be separately described for the sake of understanding and explanation. The lower member 110 and the upper member 120 may be integrally injection-molded.

The lower member 110 and the upper member 120 may be formed as one rectangular parallelepiped, and the hollow portions inside the rectangular parallelepiped may be divided into upper and lower portions having different widths. It is possible to achieve a step-down in which the widths of the two are different from each other.

The lower member 110 is formed with a first hollow portion 111 having a first width. The lower member 110 includes a lower trap 113 and an upper trap 115.

The housing 100 having an external rectangular parallelepiped shape is formed on the upper end of the lower member 110 where the upper member 120 and the lower member 110 are bent when the inner member is bent from the upper member 120 to the lower member 110 An upper trap 115 may be formed. The lower end of the lower member 110 may be bent inwardly to support the barrel 200, and a lower trap 113 may be formed at a region where the lower member 110 is bent at a step.

For example, the filter 311 is defined as a dust inflow prohibiting region. The lower trap 113 and the upper trap 115 may be coated with a sticky material so that the foreign matter adheres before the dust is introduced into the dust inflow prohibiting area. Alternatively, the lower trap 113 and the upper trap 115 may be attached with a film having adhesion.

The lower trap 113 is recessed at the lower end of the lower member 110 which is a gap lower part formed between the lower trap 113 and the barrel 200 so as to collect dust. Adhesive material may be formed on the lower trap 113 along the concave peripheral surface.

The lower trap 113 may be formed along the first inner diameter R1 around the first width when the lower member 110 is cylindrical. The lower trap 113 may be formed in a ring shape, and foreign matter introduced into the dust inflow prohibiting region can be shielded from all sides. The shape of the lower trap 113 is not limited to the ring shape. The shape of the closed square or the shape of the ellipse may be formed in addition to the shape of the ring.

The upper trap 115 is recessed downward at the upper end of the gap lower member 110 formed between the upper trap 115 and the barrel 200 to collect dust. The upper trap 115 may be formed with an adhesive material along the concave peripheral surface.

The upper trap 115 may be formed along a second inner diameter R2 around the second width when the lower member 110 is cylindrical. The upper trap 115 may be formed in a ring shape, and foreign substances introduced into the dust inflow prohibiting region may be shielded from all sides. The shape of the upper trap 115 is not limited to the ring shape. The shape of the closed square or the shape of the ellipse may be formed in addition to the shape of the ring.

The upper trap 115 may be formed with a projection 116 so that the dust trapped in the upper trap 115 does not move to the lower member 110. The protrusion 116 will be described later.

The upper member 120 is formed so that the second hollow portion 121 having the second inner diameter R2 formed to be larger than the first inner diameter R1 is stepped with the first hollow portion 111. [ A first hollow portion 111 having a first inner diameter R1 is formed in a lower portion of the housing 100 and a second hollow portion 111 having a second inner diameter R2 is formed on the lower portion of the housing 100, (121) is formed.

The structure of the housing 100 according to one aspect of the present invention has been described above, and the structure of the barrel 200 according to one aspect of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a barrel 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating a barrel 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 and 4, the barrel 200 includes a lower end member 210 and an upper end member 220. As shown in FIG.

The barrel 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may have one or more lenses fixed therein. The barrel 200 allows the light source through the lens to be incident on the image sensor described below. It is necessary to prevent dust from entering into the dust inflow prohibited area because foreign matter enters into the dust inflow prohibited area and there arises a problem such as a shadow. The barrel 200 may be stepped so as to prevent dust from entering the dust inflow prohibiting area. This is described below.

The lower member 210 has a lens therein. The lower member 210 may have a cylindrical shape. The lower member 210 may have a shape in which a plastic or glass lens is supported from the outside by the plastic injection molding.

The upper member 220 is provided at an upper portion of the lower member 210. The upper member 220 has a width larger than the width of the lower member 210 and is formed to be stepped. The upper member 220 may form a stepped portion with the lower member 210 to form an eave shape. The upper member 220 and the lower member 210 may be separated from each other when the dust is introduced from the upper portion of the upper member 220 so that the inflow of dust into the lower inner side of the upper member 220 may be blocked.

The upper member 220 may be inclined to have a larger width as it goes downward. The upper member 220 may have the shape of a disk whose outer circumferential surface is inclined.

The structure of the housing 100 and the barrel 200 according to one aspect of the present invention has been described. The structure of the camera module 300 according to one aspect of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a camera module 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a camera module 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the overlapping description of the same constituent elements having the same functions as those of the housing 100 and the barrel 200 described above will be omitted. Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the camera module 300 includes a filter 311, a barrel 200, and a housing 100.

The camera module 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a printed circuit board (not shown). The printed circuit board is electrically connected to a main board (not shown), and an image sensor (not shown) is connected to the top of the printed circuit board by wire bonding to package the printed circuit board and the image sensor.

A filter 311 may be mounted on the upper portion of the image sensor.

The filter 311 is provided on a path from the lens to the image sensor to remove unnecessary noise among the light sources that enter the image sensor. The filter 311 may be disposed on the upper portion of the image sensor, which is the inner lower end of the housing 100. The filter 311 may be coupled to the housing 100 by an adhesive or the like.

A barrel 200 is disposed above the filter 311. The barrel 200 includes a lower member 210 and an upper member 220. The upper member 220 may form a stepped portion with the lower member 210 to form an eave shape. The upper member 220 and the lower member 210 may be separated from each other when the dust is introduced from the upper portion of the upper member 220 so that the inflow of dust into the lower inner side of the upper member 220 may be blocked.

A filter 311, an image sensor, and a printed circuit board are mounted on an inner lower end of the housing 100 and a barrel 200 can be accommodated in an upper portion of a filter 311 which is an upper end of the housing 100.

The housing 100 includes a lower member 110 and a upper member 120. The lower member 110 is formed with a first hollow portion 111 having a first inner diameter R1. The upper member 120 is formed so that the second hollow portion 121 having the second inner diameter R2 formed to be larger than the first inner diameter R1 is stepped with the first hollow portion.

On the inside of the lower member 110 and the upper member 120, the barrel 200 is held so as to be movable up and down in the optical axis direction. This is because the barrel 200 is slid inside the housing 100 so that the barrel 200 is focused. Thereby, the image that is incident on the image sensor is automatically focused to be clear without blurring.

In order to realize the auto focus function, for example, a voice coil motor (VCM) or the like may be used as a separate driving source. In addition, various modifications such as a piezoelectric actuator and the like are possible.

When the barrel 200 is formed in a circular shape, the inside of the housing 100 accommodating the barrel 200 is also formed with a circular hollow corresponding thereto.

Meanwhile, a gap is formed between the barrel 200 and the housing 100 to prevent the movement of the barrel 200 from the inside of the housing 100. A foreign substance may be introduced into the filter 311 or the image sensor through the gap, and a shadow due to a foreign substance may be formed on an image actually photographed.

The housing 100 is provided with an upper trap 115 and a lower trap 113 in which an adhesive is formed to adhere foreign substances to the filter 311 or the image sensor before the foreign substances are introduced into the filter 311 or the image sensor, .

The upper trap 115 is formed in the gap between the barrel 200 and the lower member 110 so as to collect dust and is formed to be concave downward at the upper end of the lower member 110. The lower trap 113 is formed in a gap between the lower trap 113 and the barrel 200 so as to collect dust. The lower trap 113 is recessed at the lower end of the lower member 110.

The diameter of the upper trap 115 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the lower trap 113. In the upper part, the lower trap 113 is formed inside the upper trap 115. The upper trap 115 and the lower trap 113 are disposed on the upper and lower sides, respectively, and have different widths on the left and right sides.

When the dust moves from the upper trap 115 to the lower trap 113, the upper trap 115 is formed on the outer side of the lower trap 113, so it must be bent inward from the upper trap 115 and then moved downward. As a result, the movement path of the dust has a shape that is bent like an "S" Particularly, since the movement path of the dust is blocked by the protrusion 116, this is not easy.

The protrusion 116 is formed along the inner peripheral surface of the upper trap 115 and can be bent toward the inner direction of the upper trap 115 in the direction of the barrel 200. The protrusion 116 may be located on the inner side of the outer periphery of the upper member 220. As a result, the path through which the dust can move is blocked, so that the inflow of dust can be reduced.

A shield S covering the housing 100 may be further provided at the outer upper end of the housing 100. An opening may be formed in the shield S so that the light source is incident on the barrel 200. [ The housing 100 can be received and installed in the shield S.

The housing, the barrel, and the camera module having the housing, the barrel, and the camera module according to the present invention can reduce the occurrence of shadows caused by foreign substances on the image sensor by attaching foreign substances to the upper and lower traps before the foreign substances are introduced into the image sensor. Accordingly, even when the frequency of use of the camera module is increased, a clear image can be taken as in the initial stage of use.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be understood that the invention may be varied and varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Many embodiments other than the above-described embodiments are within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

100: Housing
110: lower member
111: first hollow portion
113: Lower trap
115: upper trap
120:
121: second hollow portion
200: Barrel
210: lower member
220: upper member
300: camera module
311: Filter

Claims (1)

A barrel equipped with a lens; And
And a housing having a stepped hollow portion in the direction of the optical axis and into which the barrel is inserted,
Wherein the barrel is at least twice the diameter.

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