KR20150019854A - Subminiature infrared camera module and portable device adopting the module - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a subminiature infrared camera module and to a portable device including the same. The subminiature infrared camera module of the present invention includes: an infrared lens which penetrates an infrared ray which is emitted from a subject; a lens barrel which fixes the infrared lens; a sensor unit which senses the temperature of the subject from the infrared ray penetrated through the infrared lens and outputs the variation of corresponding physical property (analog signal); and a housing which is equipped with the sensor unit, is combined with the lens barrel and forms the entirely one camera module. According to the present invention, the present invention has an advantage of checking health by periodic temperature measurement of the body and securing a visual field in a dark street or a parking lot, etc. by applying the subminiature infrared camera module to a smartphone, a tablet PC, etc.

Description

[0001] Description [0002] Subminiature infrared camera module and portable device adopting the same [0003]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a micro-infrared camera module and a portable device employing the micro-infrared camera module, and more particularly, to a micro-infrared camera module and a portable device using the same, which can provide more various functions by using an infrared-

Today, mobile phones that provide functions to exchange calls and exchange data are rapidly becoming popularized as smartphones and tablet PCs since the iPhone, and are recognized as essential necessities to carry around all the time. Therefore, in consideration of portability, trends toward miniaturization, slimness, and light weight have become popular, but they are now moving toward multimedia that can seek various functions.

Especially, the rapid development of wireless communication technology and Internet technology, and the rapid spread of smart devices that provide high performance and communication functions such as smart phones and tablet PCs, give the network real time, and are used for social, multifunctional and versatile , And adapted to various multimedia environments or internet environments.

The currently used portable terminal has various additional functions in addition to a function of exchanging various information in order to meet the demands of users who demand more various functions. Among these additional functions, there is a function of photographing and storing an image of a desired subject equipped with a camera or transmitting an image of a photographed subject. Attempts to expand the value of portable terminals have continued.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0040408 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-050359

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems. The present invention can be applied to a portable terminal or the like, so that health can be checked by periodic temperature measurement of the body, and visual field can be ensured in dark alleyways, And it is an object of the present invention to provide a miniature infrared camera module and a portable device employing the same.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a micro-infrared camera module,

An infrared lens that transmits infrared rays emitted from a subject;

A lens barrel for fixing the infrared lens;

A sensor unit for sensing a temperature of a subject from infrared rays transmitted through the infrared lens and outputting a corresponding physical characteristic change (analog signal); And

And a housing which houses the sensor unit and is combined with the lens barrel to constitute one camera module as a whole,

The infrared lens is characterized by being composed of a single lens having a view angle of 50 to 70 ° and a TTL (Total Track Length) of 3.5 to 6.0 mm.

Here, preferably, an infrared ray transmitting window for protecting the lens may be further provided in front of the infrared ray lens.

At this time, the transparent window may be made of a material such as CaF 2, BaF 2, or polyethylene.

In addition, a PGM (Precision Glass Molding) lens made of chalcogenide glass may be used as the infrared lens.

Also, a microbolometer may be used as the sensor unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable device using a micro-infrared camera module,

An infrared lens that transmits infrared rays emitted from a subject,

A lens barrel for fixing the infrared lens,

A sensor unit for sensing a temperature of a subject from infrared rays transmitted through the infrared lens and outputting a corresponding physical characteristic change (analog signal)

A miniature infrared camera module including the sensor unit and a housing which is combined with the lens barrel and constitutes one camera module as a whole;

A controller for receiving a physical characteristic change (analog signal) output from the sensor unit and converting the physical characteristic change into digital data and outputting the digital data; And

And a display unit for displaying the data converted by the control unit in an image form.

Here, an infrared ray transmitting window for protecting the lens may be further provided in front of the infrared ray lens.

At this time, the infrared transmitting window may be made of a material such as CaF 2, BaF 2, or polyethylene.

In addition, a PGM (Precision Glass Molding) lens made of chalcogenide glass may be used as the infrared lens.

Also, a microbolometer may be used as the sensor unit.

In addition,

An analog-to-digital converter for converting an analog signal into digital data;

A non-uniform correction unit for uniformly correcting each pixel of the sensor unit; And

And a temperature compensation circuit unit for maintaining the sensor unit at a constant temperature.

According to the present invention, the micro-infrared camera module can be applied to a smart device such as a smart phone or a tablet PC, so that health can be checked by periodic temperature measurement of the body, and a view can be secured in dark alleyways, .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a micro-infrared camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
2 is a view schematically showing a system configuration of a portable device employing the ultra-small infrared camera module of the present invention as described above.
3 is a view illustrating a process of thermal imaging by a portable device employing a micro-infrared camera module according to the present invention.

The terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary terms and the inventor can properly define the concept of the term to describe its invention in the best way Should be construed in accordance with the principles and meanings and concepts consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise. Also, the terms " part, "" module, "and" device " Lt; / RTI >

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a micro-infrared camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a micro-infrared camera module 100 according to the present invention includes an infrared lens 101, a lens barrel 102, a sensor unit 103, and a housing 104.

The infrared lens 101 transmits infrared rays emitted from a subject. As such an infrared lens 101, a lens made of a precision glass molding (PGM) material of chalcogenide glass may be used. At this time, the infrared lens 101 may be composed of a single lens having an angle of view of 50 to 70 degrees and a total track length (TTL) of 3.5 to 6.0 mm.

Further, preferably, an infrared ray transmitting window 105 for protecting the lens may be further provided in front of the infrared ray lens 101. At this time, the infrared transmission window 105 may be made of a material such as CaF2, BaF2, or polyethylene.

The lens barrel 102 seats and fixes the infrared lens 101. The lens barrel 102 may have a structure similar to that of a lens barrel of a camera module used in a general cellular phone or the like.

The sensor unit 103 senses the temperature of the subject from infrared rays transmitted through the infrared lens 101 and outputs a corresponding physical characteristic change (analog signal). The sensor unit 103 may be a microbolometer.

The housing 104 houses the sensor unit 103 and is combined with the lens barrel 102 to form one camera module as a whole. The lower end of the housing 104 serves as a base for supporting and fixing the sensor unit 103 and electrically connects the sensor unit 103 to the outside, The PCB 106 that dissipates can be further installed.

2 is a schematic view showing a system configuration of a portable device employing the ultra-small infrared camera module according to the present invention.

2, the portable device 200 employing the ultra-small infrared camera module according to the present invention includes the infrared camera module 100, the control unit 210, and the display unit 220 .

The infrared camera module 100 includes an infrared lens 101 for transmitting infrared rays emitted from an object, a lens barrel 102 for fixing the infrared lens 101, and an infrared lens 101 A sensor unit 103 and a sensor unit 103 for sensing the temperature of the subject from the transmitted infrared rays and outputting a corresponding change in physical characteristic (analog signal), and a sensor unit 103. The sensor unit 103 is integrated with the lens barrel 102, And a housing 104 constituting a camera module of the camera module.

Here, an infrared ray transmitting window 105 for protecting the lens may be further provided in front of the infrared ray lens 101. At this time, the infrared transmitting window 105 may be made of a material such as CaF2, BaF2, or polyethylene. The infrared lens 101 may be a precision glass molding (PGM) lens made of chalcogenide glass. The sensor unit 103 may be a thermal sensor that detects a microbolometer or a far infrared ray (for example, a far-infrared ray having a wavelength in a range of 8 to 14 mu m) and converts the infrared ray into a resistance.

The control unit 210 receives the physical characteristic change (analog signal) output from the sensor unit 103, converts the physical characteristic change into digital data, and outputs the digital data. Here, the controller 210 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 211 for converting an analog signal into digital data; A non-uniformity correction (NUC) 212 for uniformly correcting each pixel of the sensor unit 103; And a temperature compensation circuit unit 213 for maintaining the sensor unit 103 at a constant temperature.

Also, a ROIC (Read-Out IC) may be used for the controller 210 as described above. The control unit 210 may be installed on the PCB 106 installed at the lower end of the housing 104 or may be connected to the control unit 210 of the portable device (for example, a smart phone) to which the infrared camera module 100 is applied. .

The display unit 220 displays the data converted by the controller 210 in the form of an image. The display unit 220 may be an LCD. Here, the display unit 220 may be replaced with a display unit of a portable device (for example, a smart phone) to which the infrared camera module 100 is applied.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a process of thermal imaging by a portable device employing the ultra-small infrared camera module according to the present invention having the above-described structure.

Referring to FIG. 3, when an object, such as a hand, is photographed using a portable device incorporating a micro-infrared camera module according to the present invention, infrared rays emitted from a hand are transmitted through an infrared ray transmission window 105 to an infrared lens 101 ). Then, the infrared lens 101 refracts and transmits the incident infrared rays according to the refractive index of the curved surface of the lens, so that the infrared rays are focused on the sensor unit 103. When the infrared ray is incident, the sensor unit 103 converts the infrared ray into a resistance and outputs it as a corresponding analog signal. Then, the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 211 of the controller 210 converts the input analog signal into digital data. The nonuniformity correction unit (NUC) 212 uniformly corrects the column (infrared) sensitivity of each pixel of the sensor unit 103. The temperature compensation circuit unit 213 performs a temperature compensation function to maintain the sensor unit 103 at a constant temperature. Thus, heat is discharged to the outside through the PCB 106 (see FIG. 2).

When the processing for the signal received from the sensor unit 103 is completed by the control unit 210 as described above, the display unit 220 displays the processed data in the form of an image. At this time, as shown in the figure, the images are displayed in different colors according to the temperature distribution, so that the user can effectively check the health state of his or her body parts.

As described above, the micro-infrared camera module according to the present invention senses infrared rays emitted from objects and displays the images in different colors according to the temperature distribution. Therefore, the micro-infrared camera module can be applied to a smart phone, When applied to a device, the health can be checked by measuring the periodic temperature of the body, and there is an advantage that a view can be secured in a dark alley or a parking lot.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but many variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Be clear to the technician. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of the same should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

101 ... Infrared lens 102 ... lens barrel
103 ... sensor part 104 ... housing
105 ... Infrared transmission window 106 ... PCB
210 ... control unit 211 ... analog-digital conversion unit
212 ... non-uniformity correction unit 213 ... temperature compensation circuit unit
220 ... display portion

Claims (12)

An infrared lens that transmits infrared rays emitted from a subject;
A lens barrel for fixing the infrared lens;
A sensor unit for sensing a temperature of a subject from infrared rays transmitted through the infrared lens and outputting a corresponding physical characteristic change (analog signal); And
And a housing which houses the sensor unit and is combined with the lens barrel to constitute one camera module as a whole,
Wherein the infrared lens comprises a single lens having an angle of view of 50 to 70 ° and a total track length (TTL) of 3.5 to 6.0 mm.
The method according to claim 1,
And an infrared ray transmission window for protecting the lens is further provided in front of the infrared ray lens.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the transparent window is made of any one of CaF2, BaF2, and polyethylene. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the infrared lens is a precision glass molding (PGM) lens of a chalcogenide glass material.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensor unit comprises a microbolometer.
The method according to claim 1,
And a PCB is provided at a lower end of the housing to serve as a base for supporting and fixing the sensor unit and electrically connecting the sensor unit to the outside and dissipating heat generated from the sensor unit.
An infrared lens that transmits infrared rays emitted from a subject,
A lens barrel for fixing the infrared lens,
A sensor unit for sensing a temperature of a subject from infrared rays transmitted through the infrared lens and outputting a corresponding physical characteristic change (analog signal)
An ultra-small infrared camera module including the sensor unit and a housing which is combined with the lens barrel and constitutes one camera module as a whole;
A controller for receiving a physical characteristic change (analog signal) output from the sensor unit and converting the physical characteristic change into digital data and outputting the digital data; And
And a display unit for displaying the converted data by the control unit in the form of an image.
8. The method of claim 7,
And an infrared ray transmission window for protecting the lens is further provided in front of the infrared ray lens.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the infrared transmitting window is made of a material selected from the group consisting of CaF2, BaF2, and polyethylene.
8. The method of claim 7,
The infrared lens is a precision glass molding (PGM) lens made of chalcogenide glass, and is a portable device employing an ultra-small infrared camera module.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the sensor unit comprises a microbolometer, and the portable unit employs a micro-infrared camera module.
8. The apparatus of claim 7,
An analog-to-digital converter for converting an analog signal into digital data;
A non-uniform correction unit for uniformly correcting each pixel of the sensor unit; And
And a temperature compensation circuit unit for maintaining the sensor unit at a constant temperature.

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