KR20150089681A - Camera shutter and camera module including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a camera shutter comprises: a first shutter layer including a first electrochromic layer divided into a plurality of first sectors; a second shutter layer including a second electrochromic layer arranged on the first shutter layer and divided into a plurality of second sectors. The first sectors are gradually discolored from an opaque state to a transparent state when the shutter is operated, and the second sectors are gradually discolored from a transparent state to an opaque state when the shutter is operated.

Description

[0001] CAMERA SHUTTER AND CAMERA MODULE INCLUDING THE SAME [0002]

The present invention relates to a camera shutter and a camera module including the camera shutter, and more particularly, to a camera shutter and a camera module including the camera shutter.

The camera shutter is a device that adjusts the amount of light received by the sensor through the lens.

The camera shutter can be divided into a mechanical shutter for mechanically controlling the shutter speed and an electronic shutter for electrically controlling the shutter speed.

The electronic shutter blocks the signal within the sensor. As a result, there is a problem that the occurrence frequency of noise is high and the sharpness of a picture is deteriorated. On the other hand, the mechanical shutter can completely block the light received by the sensor, thereby reducing the noise and enhancing the sharpness of the photograph.

Recently, as the demand for mobile devices equipped with a camera is increasing, researches on mobile cameras are being actively carried out. The mobile camera is limited in size on the characteristics of the mobile device. Accordingly, a relatively small size electronic shutter is used instead of a relatively large mechanical shutter for a mobile camera.

Therefore, in order to improve the image quality of the mobile camera, it is necessary to develop a camera shutter which can solve the problem of the electronic shutter and reduce the noise generation and improve the image sharpness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera shutter for improving image quality and a camera module including the camera shutter.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a camera shutter includes a first shutter layer including a first electrochromic layer divided into a first plurality of sectors, and a second shutter layer disposed on the first shutter layer, And a second shutter layer including a second electrochromic layer that is separated from the first electrochromic layer, wherein the plurality of first sectors are sequentially shifted from an opaque state to a transparent state during a shutter operation, In operation, the color transition proceeds from the transparent state to the opaque state sequentially.

In the camera shutter, the first sector and the plurality of second sectors may be color-shifted in the same direction during the shutter operation.

In the camera shutter, the first sector and the plurality of second sectors may undergo color transition from the edge to the center.

In the camera shutter, color shifting may proceed from one side to the other side of the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors.

Wherein in the camera shutter, the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors are color-shifted with a time difference.

In the camera shutter, color shifting of the plurality of first sectors may be faster than that of the plurality of second sectors.

In the camera shutter, the first shutter layer further includes a plurality of first conductive layers disposed with the first electrochromic layer interposed therebetween, and the second shutter layer sandwiches the second electrochromic layer therebetween Wherein the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors are divided by electrode patterns of the plurality of first conductive layers and the plurality of second conductive layers .

Wherein in the camera shutter, the first shutter layer further comprises a first electrolyte layer disposed between the plurality of first conductive layers, and the second shutter layer includes a second shutter layer disposed between the plurality of second conductive layers, And may further include an electrolyte layer.

A camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a sensor substrate, an image sensor disposed on the sensor substrate, a lens module disposed on the image sensor, and a plurality of A first shutter layer including a first electrochromic layer divided into a first sector and a second shutter layer disposed on the first shutter layer and including a second electrochromic layer divided into a plurality of second sectors, Wherein the plurality of first sectors are sequentially shifted from an opaque state to a transparent state during a shutter operation, and the plurality of second sectors are sequentially moved from a transparent state to an opaque state The color variation can proceed.

In the camera module, the first sector and the plurality of second sectors may be color-shifted in the same direction during a shutter operation.

In the camera module, the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors may undergo color transition with a time difference.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, by implementing the camera shutter including the front curtain and the rear curtain using the electrochromic device, it is possible to completely block the light received by the image sensor and to improve the shutter speed. It is possible to prevent noise from occurring due to the same time when the center and surrounding sensors are exposed to light.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a camera shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an electrochromic device constituting a camera shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 and 4 show examples of electrode patterns according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 and 6 are views for explaining the operation of the camera shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a camera module to which a camera shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated and described in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terms including ordinal, such as second, first, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited to these terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the second component may be referred to as a first component, and similarly, the first component may also be referred to as a second component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

In addition, the suffix "module" and " part "for constituent elements used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

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.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a camera shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an electrochromic device constituting a camera shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate examples of electrode patterns according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate operations of a camera shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a camera shutter 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of shutter layers 110 and 120. Hereinafter, the plurality of shutter layers 110 and 120 will be referred to as a front curtain shutter layer 110 and a thick-film shutter layer 120, respectively, for convenience of explanation, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Each of the shutter layers 110 and 120 may be formed of an electrochromic device.

The electrochromic device can reversibly change the optical characteristics of the material by electrochemical oxidation and reduction reactions. When an electric voltage is applied to the electrochromic device, the optical property can be reversibly changed by injection and extraction of the electric charge induced by the voltage. That is, the electrochromic device does not display a color when an electric field is not applied, but can display a color when an electric field is applied. Alternatively, when an electric field is not applied, a color is displayed. Property.

2 shows an example of an electrochromic device constituting a shutter layer, which is exemplified by a front curtain shutter layer 110 as an example. The thick film shutter layer 120 is formed of an electrochromic device having the same structure as that of the front film shutter layer 110, and thus the description of the electrochromic device constituting the thick film shutter layer 120 will be omitted below.

2, the leadscreen shutter layer 110 includes two conductive layers 10 and 20 and an electrolyte layer 30 and an electrochromic layer 40 disposed between the two conductive layers 10 and 20, .

Each of the conductive layers 10 and 20 may have a structure in which the electrode layers 12 and 22 are disposed on one surface of the base material 11 and 21. The base materials 11 and 21 constituting the conductive layers 10 and 20 are spaced apart from each other and the electrode layers 12 and 22 may be respectively formed on the opposite surfaces.

The base material 11, 21 may be a glass or transparent resin as a transparent base material through which light is transmitted. As the transparent resin, polyethersulphone (PES), polyacrylate (PAR), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethyeleneterephthalate (PET) Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyallylate, polyimide, polycarbonate (PC), cellulose triacetate (TAC), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) or A combination of these may be used.

In order to prevent the sodium in the glass substrate from diffusing into the electrode layers 12 and 22 when the substrates 11 and 21 are formed of glass, Silicon oxide (SiO2) may also be coated.

Each of the electrode layers 12 and 22 may be a transparent electrode layer made of a transparent conductive material.

Each of the electrode layers 12 and 22 may be formed by coating a transparent conductive material on the substrates 11 and 21 by sputtering, electron beam evaporation, chemical vapor deposition, sol-gel coating, or the like.

Examples of the conductive material constituting the electrode layers 12 and 22 include ITO (indium doped tin oxide), ATO (antimony doped tin oxide), FTO (fluorine doped tin oxide), IZO (indium doped zinc oxide) , ZO (Zinc Oxide), ZnO, IO (Indium Tin), TiO (Titanium Oxide), and the like. As the conductive material constituting the electrode layers 12 and 22, a material such as a carbon nanotube (CNT), a metal nanowire, or a conductive polymer may be used.

The electrolyte layer 30 and the electrochromic layer 40 may be disposed between the electrode layers 12 and 22.

The electrolyte layer 30 may be disposed between the lower conductive layer 10 and the electrochromic layer 40.

The electrolyte layer 30 may include an electrolyte 31 for ion conduction and a sealing portion 32 for sealing the electrolyte 31.

The electrolyte 31 may be any one selected from the group consisting of a liquid electrolyte in which an electrolytic salt is dissolved, a gel electrolyte, a solid electrolyte, and a polymer electrolyte.

For example, the electrolyte 31 may be formed of a dielectric material such as silica (SiO), lithium fluoride (LiF) or the like, or a mixture of propylene carbonate (PC) and propylene ethyleneglycol An organic electrolyte in which lithium perchlorate (LiClO 4) is dissolved, and an inorganic electrolyte such as lithium iodide (LiI), lithium nitride (Li 3 N) and the like may be used. As the solid electrolyte, a polymer may be used.

The electrochromic layer 40 includes an electrochromic material. The electrochromic layer 40 varies in color depending on the voltage applied by the electrode layers 12 and 22, thereby varying the light transmittance.

The electrochromic material constituting the electrochromic layer 40 is changed to a colorless state upon an oxidation (or reduction) reaction to make the electrochromic layer 40 transparent, and a color (for example, black It is possible to make the changed electrochromic layer 40 opaque.

As the electrochromic material constituting the electrochromic layer 40, an organic electrochromic material, an inorganic EC material or an organic-inorganic hybrid electrochromic material is used, and the electrodes 12 and 22 ) May be used without limitation as long as it is a colorless or black-colored material.

The organic electrochromic material forming the electrochromic layer 40 may include a polyaniline, a polythiophene derivative, a viologen derivative, and the like.

The inorganic electrochromic material forming the electrochromic layer 40 may be at least one selected from the group consisting of tungsten (W), nickel (Ni), niobium (Nb), vanadium (V), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al) At least one oxide of a metal such as zirconium (Zr), cerium (Ce), zinc (Zn), and yttrium (Y)

When the electrochromic layer 40 is formed of an inorganic electrochromic material, the ions in the electrolyte layer 40 move toward the electrochromic layer 40 because the color changes due to the oxidation-ion reaction, that is, A counter electrode layer (not shown) capable of storing ions in the counter electrode. The counter electrode layer may be disposed between the electrolyte layer 30 and the lower electrode layer 12.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the camera shutter 100 includes the front curtain shutter layer 110 and the thick film shutter layer 120, which function as an electrochromic device, as described above, It can operate as a focal plane shutter that adjusts the light received by the image sensor of the camera module (refer to reference numeral 200 in FIG. 7 described later) by the opening and closing operation of the shutter layer 120. Here, the opening and closing operations of the respective shutter layers 110 and 120 can be performed by the color change of the electrochromic layer 40 constituting each of the shutter layers 110 and 120. For example, the opening operation of each of the shutter layers 110 and 120 is performed by changing the electrochromic layer 40 to be transparent, and the operation of closing each of the shutter layers 110 and 120 is performed when the electrochromic layer 40 is opaque . ≪ / RTI >

Each of the shutter layers 110 and 120 is divided into a plurality of sectors and can be designed to control discoloration independently for each sector. In order to individually control a plurality of sectors constituting each of the shutter layers 110 and 120, a pattern of the electrode layers 12 and 22 may be formed so as to control discoloration of each sector.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show examples of forming the electrode layers 12 and 13 of the respective shutter layers 110 and 120. FIG. 3 shows a case where the shutter layers 110 and 120 are provided in a circular shape And FIG. 4 shows a case where the shutter layers 110 and 120 are provided in a rectangular shape.

3, the electrode layers 12 and 22 constituting the respective shutter layers 110 and 120 are formed by circular electrode patterns 111 to 114 and 121 to 124 in a plurality of Sectors 115 to 119 and 125 to 129, respectively.

4, the electrode layers 12 and 22 constituting the respective shutter layers 110 and 120 are sequentially arranged from left to right by the linear electrode patterns 111 to 114 and 121 to 124. [ And a plurality of sectors 115 to 119 and 125 to 129, respectively.

In the camera module, the corresponding sectors 115 to 119 and 125 to 129 can be controlled to be opaque or transparent by applying or interrupting a voltage for each of the electrode patterns 111 to 114 and 121 to 124.

5 and 6 illustrate examples in which the camera shutter is operated by driving the electrode layers 12 and 22 constituting the respective shutter layers 110 and 120. FIG.

5, in the initial state of the camera shutter, all sectors of the front curtain shutter layer 110 are black and all of the front curtain shutter curtain 120 are black, as shown in FIG. 5 (a) The sector remains transparent. Accordingly, the camera shutter 100 is kept in an opaque state as a whole.

Thereafter, when the camera shutter 100 is operated, the front curtain shutter layer 110 is sequentially transparent from the edge sector to the center direction as shown in FIGS. 5B to 5C, It becomes transparent. On the other hand, the thick-film shutter layer 120 becomes sequentially opaque from the edge sector to the center as shown in (c) to (f) of FIG. 5, and finally all the sectors become opaque.

6, in the initial state of the camera shutter, all the sectors of the front curtain shutter layer 110 are black and all of the front curtain shutter curtain 120 are black, as shown in FIG. 6 (a) The sector remains transparent. Accordingly, the camera shutter 100 is kept in an opaque state as a whole.

Thereafter, when the camera shutter 100 is operated, the front curtain shutter layer 110 becomes sequentially transparent in the left direction as shown in (b) to (c) of FIG. 6, and finally all the sectors become transparent. On the other hand, the thick film shutter layer 120 becomes sequentially opaque in the leftward direction as shown in (c) to (g) of FIG. 6, and finally all the sectors become opaque.

In FIG. 6, the color shifting direction of the front curtain shutter layer 110 and the thick film shutter layer 120 is shown as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. When the camera shutter 100 is implemented as a quadrangle, the direction in which the color shift of the front curtain shutter layer 110 and the thick curtain shutter curtain 120 proceeds may be progressed in all directions from one side to the other side as in the left direction.

Meanwhile, the shutter speed of the camera shutter 100 can be improved by providing a time difference in color change between the front curtain shutter layer 110 and the thick film shutter layer 120.

5, for example, the edge sectors (refer to reference numerals 115 and 125 in FIG. 3) of the leading film shutter layer 110 and the thick film shutter layer 120 are caused to differ in the time at which the color variation occurs, The color variation time difference is automatically generated in the sectors.

6, the rightmost sector (refer to reference numerals 115 and 125 in FIG. 4) of the front curtain shutter layer 110 and the thick-film shutter layer 120 are caused to have different color shift times, The color variation time difference is automatically generated also in the sectors causing the variation.

On the other hand, the shutter speed can be adjusted slowly or quickly depending on how the color shift time difference between the corresponding sectors in the front curtain shutter layer 110 and the thick film shutter layer 120 is set. For example, compared to the case where the front curtain shutter layer 110 and the thick-film shutter layer 120 undergo color shifting with a time difference of one sector, when the color shift occurs with a time difference of two sectors, the shutter speed is slow can do.

The camera shutter 100 having the above structure has the front curtain shutter layer 110 and the thick film shutter layer 120 respectively and drives the shutter using the discoloration time difference between the two shutter layers 110 and 120, A plane shutter can be implemented. The camera shutter 100 having such a structure is capable of completely blocking light received by the image sensor (refer to reference numeral 200 in FIG. 7 described later) in an opaque state, and is capable of blocking a relatively fast shutter speed And the time at which the center and surrounding sensors are exposed to light is the same.

In addition, the camera shutter 100 having the above-described structure can effectively control the shutter speed by adjusting the color shift time difference between the two shutter layers 110 and 120.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a camera module to which a camera shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 7, a camera module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a camera shutter 100, an image sensor 200, a sensor substrate 300, and a lens module 400. In addition, a camera shutter 100 may be disposed between the image sensor 200 and the lens module 400.

The components shown in Fig. 7 are not essential, so that the camera module may be provided to include more or fewer components.

The sensor substrate 300 includes a circuit pattern electrically connected to the image sensor 200.

The image sensor 200 may be disposed on the sensor substrate 300.

The image sensor 200 receives light corresponding to image information of an object through the lens module 400 and converts the light into an electric signal.

The image sensor 200 may include, but is not limited to, a metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS), a charge coupled device (CCD), and the like.

A lens module 400 may be disposed on the image sensor 200.

The lens module 400 receives light corresponding to the image information of the object and transmits the light to the sensor surface of the image sensor 200.

The lens module 400 may include at least one lens sequentially disposed along an optical axis. A straight line connecting the center of curvature of both surfaces of the single lens in the lens module 400 is an optical axis of each single lens and a straight line connecting the optical axes of the respective lenses corresponds to the optical axis of the lens module 400.

A camera shutter 100 may be disposed between the image sensor 200 and the lens module 400.

The camera shutter 100 includes a front curtain shutter layer 110 and a thick film shutter layer 120 respectively and drives the shutter using the discoloration time difference between the two shutter layers 110 and 120. Meanwhile, the position of the camera shutter 100 shown in FIG. 7 is for illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, and the position of the camera shutter 100 can be varied.

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 present invention as defined by the following claims It can be understood that

Claims (11)

A first shutter layer including a first electrochromic layer divided into a plurality of first sectors, and
And a second shutter layer disposed on the first shutter layer and including a second electrochromic layer divided into a plurality of second sectors,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors are sequentially shifted from an opaque state to a transparent state during a shutter operation,
Wherein the plurality of second sectors are sequentially shifted from a transparent state to an opaque state during a shutter operation.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors have color shifts in the same direction in a shutter operation.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors are color shifted from an edge to a center direction.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors are color shifted from one side to the other side.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors are color-shifted with a time difference.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors move faster than the plurality of second sectors.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first shutter layer further comprises a plurality of first conductive layers disposed with the first electrochromic layer therebetween,
Wherein the second shutter layer further comprises a plurality of second conductive layers disposed with the second electrochromic layer therebetween,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors are divided by the electrode patterns of the plurality of first conductive layers and the plurality of second conductive layers.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the first shutter layer further comprises a first electrolyte layer disposed between the plurality of first conductive layers,
Wherein the second shutter layer further comprises a second electrolyte layer disposed between the plurality of second conductive layers.
Sensor substrate,
An image sensor disposed on the sensor substrate,
A lens module disposed on the image sensor, and
A first shutter layer disposed between the image sensor and the lens module, the first shutter layer including a first electrochromic layer divided into a plurality of first sectors, and a second shutter layer disposed on the first shutter layer, A camera shutter including a second shutter layer including a second electrochromic layer that is separated,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors are sequentially shifted from an opaque state to a transparent state during a shutter operation,
Wherein the plurality of second sectors are sequentially shifted from a transparent state to an opaque state during a shutter operation.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors are color-shifted in the same direction during a shutter operation.
10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the plurality of first sectors and the plurality of second sectors are color-shifted with a time difference.

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