KR20140144888A - Lens module - Google Patents

Abstract

A lens module of the present invention may include: a first housing; a lens barrel which is installed in the first housing as being able to move, in order to be able to change the distance from an image sensor unit; and a second housing which is installed in the first housing, and forms a buffer space between the image sensor unit and the lens barrel.

Description

A lens module {Lens module}

The present invention relates to a lens module, and more particularly, to a lens module having a structure capable of effectively reducing or absorbing an impact between a lens barrel and a housing due to an external impact.

A lens module capable of auto focus (AF) can move the lens barrel inside the housing. That is, the lens barrel can freely move along the height direction of the housing according to the current signal.

However, such a lens module can not firmly support the lens barrel stopped at an arbitrary position. Therefore, when the lens barrel receives an impact from the outside, the lens barrel collides with the housing or the image sensor.

Particularly, frequent collision between the lens barrel and the housing causes distortion of the lens barrel or deformation of the housing, thereby deteriorating the performance and resolution of the lens module.

Prior arts for solving such problems are Patent Documents 1 and 2. Patent Document 1 discloses a cushioning portion 40 for preventing collision of the lens barrel 10 and Patent Document 2 introduces a skirt portion 21 for absorbing the impact of the lens barrel 60.

However, in Patent Document 1, it is troublesome to attach a plurality of buffer portions 40 to the lens barrel 10 one by one. In addition, in Patent Document 2, not only the housing 20 and the skirt portion 21 are easily coupled but also a problem that the light is introduced into the gap between the housing 20 and the skirt portion 21.

KR 2011-0011192 A KR 2011-0010357 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a lens module capable of reducing direct collision between a lens barrel and a housing or an image sensor unit due to an external impact.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lens module comprising: a first housing; A lens barrel movably mounted on the first housing so that the distance from the image sensor unit can be changed; And a second housing mounted on the first housing and defining a buffer space between the image sensor unit and the lens barrel.

In the lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention, the buffer spaces may be plural, and may be spaced apart from each other along the height direction of the second housing.

In the lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention, an infrared cut filter may be mounted on the second housing.

In the lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention, the lens barrel may have a protrusion protruding toward the image sensor unit.

In the lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention, the impact absorbing member may be filled in the buffer space.

In the lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention, the impact absorbing member may be a foamable resin.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lens module including: a first housing having a flange portion extending in a vertical direction of an optical axis; A lens barrel movably installed in the first housing so that the distance from the image sensor unit can be changed; And a second housing mounted on the first housing, the second housing forming a buffer space on one side of the flange portion.

In the lens module according to another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of the buffer spaces may be formed and spaced along the height direction of the second housing.

In the lens module according to another embodiment of the present invention, the second housing may be equipped with an infrared cut filter.

In the lens module according to another embodiment of the present invention, the lens barrel may include a protrusion protruding toward the image sensor unit.

In the lens module according to another embodiment of the present invention, the shock absorbing member may be filled in the buffer space.

In the lens module according to another embodiment of the present invention, the shock absorbing member may be a foamable resin.

The present invention can minimize the collision between the lens barrel and the housing or the image sensor unit, thereby improving the reliability of lens module performance.

In addition, since the present invention can prevent a collision between the lens barrel and the image sensor unit or the IR cut filter in advance, it is possible to minimize damage and damage to the image sensor unit or the IR cut filter.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is an assembled cross-sectional view of the lens module shown in FIG. 1,
3 is a view for explaining a shock absorbing structure of the lens module shown in Fig. 2,
4 and 5 are views showing another embodiment of the second housing shown in Fig. 2,
6 is an exploded perspective view of a lens module according to another embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 7 is an assembled cross-sectional view of the lens module shown in FIG. 6,
8 is a view for explaining a shock absorbing structure of the lens module shown in Fig. 7,
9 and 10 are views showing another embodiment of the second housing shown in Fig.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In describing the present invention, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the present invention only and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.

In addition, throughout the specification, a configuration is referred to as being 'connected' to another configuration, including not only when the configurations are directly connected to each other, but also when they are indirectly connected with each other . Also, to "include" an element means that it may include other elements, rather than excluding other elements, unless specifically stated otherwise.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an assembled cross-sectional view of the lens module shown in FIG. 1, 6 is a perspective view illustrating a lens module according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the lens module shown in FIG. 6, 8 is a view for explaining the impact absorbing structure of the lens module shown in Fig. 7, and Figs. 9 and 10 are views showing another embodiment of the second housing shown in Fig.

The lens module 100 according to the present embodiment includes a first housing 110, a lens barrel 120, a second housing 130, an image sensor unit 140, an actuator 200, and a buffer space 300 can do. In addition, the lens module 100 may further include an infrared cut filter 150.

The first housing 110 may have a rectangular frame shape. In other words, the first housing 110 may be configured to support the combined lens barrel 120 and the actuator 200. For example, the first housing 110 may have a coupling structure that can receive at least a portion of the actuator 200 or engage with at least a portion of the actuator 200. For reference, in the present embodiment, the first housing 110 can be coupled to the actuator 200 via a plurality of column members projecting upward.

The lens barrel 120 may include one or more lenses. In other words, the lens barrel 120 may include one or more lenses for projecting the light reflected from the subject to the image sensor unit 140. [ Here, the optical characteristics of the lens may be determined according to the type of the lens module 100. For example, the high-resolution lens module 100 may include four or more lenses, and the low-resolution lens module 100 may include three or fewer lenses.

The lens barrel 120 may further include a stop for adjusting the amount of incident light. In addition, the lens barrel 120 may further include a gap holding member (not shown) that maintains a constant gap between the lens and the lens. For reference, the diaphragm and spacing member may be omitted depending on the type of lens module 100.

The inner surface of the lens barrel 120 may be coated with an antireflection material or a light shielding material. Such a configuration can reduce the phenomenon that unnecessary light is reflected on the inner surface of the lens barrel 120 and is incident on the image sensor unit, thereby improving the resolution of the lens module 100.

The second housing 130 can be engaged with the first housing 110. The second housing 130 can be mounted on the first housing 110 and the upper portion (in the reference direction of FIG. 1) to support the combined body of the lens barrel 120 and the actuator 200.

A plurality of flange portions 132 and 134 and an opening portion 138 may be formed in the second housing 130. The plurality of flange portions 132 and 134 extend in the vertical direction with respect to the optical axis direction (up and down direction in FIG. 2) as shown in FIG. 2, and the buffer space 300 can be formed therein. Here, the height h of the buffer space 300 may be changed according to the lens barrel 120. For example, when the mass of the lens barrel 120 is large, the height h of the buffer space 300 can be increased. When the mass of the lens barrel 120 is relatively small, It is possible to reduce the height h. The cushioning space 300 thus formed can absorb and reduce the impact applied to the flange portion 132. The opening 138 may be formed at the center of the second housing 130. The opening 138 may serve as a passage for adjusting the amount of light incident through the lens barrel 120.

The image sensor unit 140 may include an image sensor 142 and a substrate 144. In addition, the image sensor unit 140 may further include one or more electronic components (for example, passive elements) necessary for driving the image sensor 142.

The image sensor 142 may be an electronic component of CCD or CMOS type. However, the image sensor 142 is not limited to the above-described types of electronic components, and may be changed to other types of electronic components as needed.

The substrate 144 may include a circuit pattern that allows electrical connection of the image sensor 142 and passive components. In addition, the substrate 144 may further include other electronic components that facilitate the operation of the image sensor 142 in addition to passive components. Meanwhile, the image sensor 142 and the passive elements may be integrally formed on the substrate 144. For example, the image sensor 142 and the passive device may be fabricated in the form of a CSP (Chip Scale Package).

The actuator 200 directly or indirectly couples with the lens barrel 120 and can transfer the lens barrel 120 in the optical axis direction. In other words, the actuator 200 can house the lens barrel 120 and can transfer the lens barrel 120 accommodated therein. To this end, the actuator 200 may include a permanent magnet 210, a coil 220, and a bracket 230.

The permanent magnet 210 may be attached to the lens barrel 120. In other words, the permanent magnet 210 is attached to at least one side of the lens barrel 120 and can generate a magnetic force of a predetermined magnitude. The coil 220 may be formed on the bracket 230. The coil 220 may be formed on the inner side of the bracket 230 facing the permanent magnet 210 to generate a magnetic field necessary for moving the lens barrel 120 together with the permanent magnet 210 can do. The bracket 230 may receive the coil 220 and may receive a circuit pattern or a circuit board for supplying a current signal to the coil 220. In addition, the bracket 230 may include sensing means (e.g., a hall sensor) for sensing the position of the lens barrel 120. Although the permanent magnet 210 is formed on the lens barrel 120 and the coil 220 is formed on the bracket 230 in the above description, the positions of the permanent magnets 210 and the coils 220 are It can be reversed if necessary.

Next, a shock absorbing structure of the lens module 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The lens module 100 having an auto focus adjustment function is capable of moving the lens barrel 120 as shown in FIG. The lens barrel 120 may bounce toward the image sensor unit 140 and collide with the image sensor 142 or the like if the lens barrel 120 is greatly shocked or shaken abruptly. In addition, such a collision may cause a failure of the image sensor 142 and a breakage of the lens barrel 120, thus greatly degrading the performance and operational reliability of the lens module 100.

The lens module 100 according to the present embodiment solves the above-described problems and is capable of preventing collision between the lens barrel 120 and the image sensor unit 140 and reducing the impact applied to the lens barrel 120 have. In other words, when the lens barrel 120 is blown out to the image sensor unit 140 by an external impact, the lens barrel 120 collides with the flange portion 132 of the second housing 130. Then, the impact generated by the collision between the lens barrel 120 and the flange portion 132 is consumed primarily as the energy for vibrating the air in the cushioning space 300, and secondarily the flange portion 132 is elastically deformed It is consumed as energy. That is, the abrupt movement of the lens barrel 120 and the resulting impact energy are both absorbed or reduced by the buffer space 300 and the flange portion 132.

Therefore, the lens module 100 according to the present embodiment can effectively block or reduce the collision between the lens barrel 120 and the image sensor unit 140 due to an external impact and the damage of the lens barrel 120. [ In addition, since the lens module 100 can absorb impact energy due to abrupt movement of the lens barrel 120, it is possible to effectively reduce the damage or damage of the infrared cut filter 150 due to an external impact .

Meanwhile, the second housing 130 may have three or more flange portions 132, 134 and 136 as shown in FIG. 4, and a plurality of buffer spaces 300 may be formed therethrough. As shown in FIG. 5, the shock absorbing member 310 such as a foamed resin may be filled in the cushioning space 300 of the second housing 130. Such a modified configuration may be effective in absorbing and alleviating the impact energy resulting from the abrupt movement of the lens barrel 120.

In addition, the lens barrel 120 may have a protrusion 122 formed thereon. In other words, the protrusion 122 can be extended downward (in the reference direction in FIG. 4) from the lens barrel 120. The projected portion 122 formed in this manner can specify the impact point between the lens barrel 120 and the second housing 130 to maximize impact absorbing and reducing effect through the buffer space 300 and the flange portions 132 and 134 have.

Hereinafter, a lens module according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. For reference, the same constituent elements as those of the above-described embodiment use the same reference numerals as those of the above-described embodiment, and a detailed description of these constituent elements is omitted.

The lens module 100 according to the present embodiment can be distinguished from the above-described embodiment in the engagement position of the second housing 130. [ In addition, in this embodiment, the first housing 110 may have a flange portion 112 similar to the second housing 130, and the buffer space 300 may have a flange portion 112 similar to the second housing 130, 110 may be formed between the flange portion 112 of the second housing 130 and the flange portion 132 of the second housing 130.

8, the flange portion 112 of the first housing 110 is bent into the cushioning space 300, thereby reducing the impact energy of the lens barrel 120 .

In the lens module 100 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of buffer spaces 300 may be formed below the flange portion 112, and an impact absorbing member 310 to be filled in the buffer space 300 may be further provided. .

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 inventions And various modifications may be made.

100 lens module
110 first housing 112 flange portion
120 lens barrel 122 protrusion
130 second housing 132 flange portion
140 Image sensor unit
142 image sensor 144 substrate
150 Infrared cut filter
200 Actuator
300 buffer space
310 shock absorber

Claims (12)

A first housing;
A lens barrel movably mounted on the first housing so that the distance from the image sensor unit can be changed; And
A second housing mounted on the first housing and defining a buffer space between the image sensor unit and the lens barrel;
≪ / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of buffer spaces are formed with a plurality of spaced intervals along a height direction of the second housing. The method according to claim 1,
And an infrared cut filter is mounted on the second housing. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the lens barrel has a protrusion protruding toward the image sensor unit. The method according to claim 1,
And the shock absorbing member is filled in the buffer space. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the shock absorbing member is a foamable resin. A first housing having a flange portion extending in the vertical direction of the optical axis;
A lens barrel movably installed in the first housing so that the distance from the image sensor unit can be changed; And
A second housing mounted on the first housing, the second housing forming a cushioning space on one side of the flange;
≪ / RTI > 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the plurality of buffer spaces are formed with a plurality of spaced intervals along a height direction of the second housing. 8. The method of claim 7,
And an infrared cut filter is mounted on the second housing. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the lens barrel has a protrusion protruding toward the image sensor unit. 8. The method of claim 7,
And the shock absorbing member is filled in the buffer space. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the shock absorbing member is a foamable resin.

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