KR20150090661A - Camera - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides the camera. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the camera comprises: a lens barrel including a first recess part and a second recess part, wherein the first recess part has a hollow part and is formed on the front surface of the lens barrel to allow a first O-ring to be placed thereon, and the second recess part is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the lens barrel to allow a second O-ring to be placed thereon; a lens part including a front lens arranged on the front surface of the lens barrel and at least one lens arranged on the hollow part of the lens barrel; and a retainer fixing the front lens, having an inner circumferential surface thereof coupled with the outer circumferential surface of the lens barrel, and including a mount groove formed on the outer circumferential surface of the retainer to allow a third O-ring to be placed thereon. The camera has an integral structure to prevent foreign substances or moisture from permeating into the camera, thereby improving environmental reliability, durability, and stability.

Description

Camera {Camera}

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a vehicle camera with an improved structure.

Nowadays, cars are equipped with a camera that allows the driver to monitor the rear of the vehicle through the screen.

Unlike conventional home appliances, such a car camera is always exposed to the outside of the vehicle, so it is important to prevent degradation in performance due to changes in the external environment. For example, structural design is necessary to prevent rain and snow infiltration and to prevent product deterioration due to climate change.

However, in the vehicle camera, a plurality of parts are fastened, and there is a gap in the fastening area, and various foreign matter and moisture can be penetrated through the gap. Therefore, there is a need for a design that can prevent water and foreign matter from penetrating into the camera.

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a camera which has an integral structure in which no foreign matter or moisture can penetrate into the interior, thereby improving the environmental reliability, durability and stability.

A lens barrel according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a lens barrel having a hollow portion formed on a front surface thereof, the lens barrel including a first concave portion on which a first O-ring is seated and a second concave portion on an outer circumferential surface, A lens unit including a front lens disposed on a front surface of the lens barrel and including at least one lens disposed in a hollow portion of the lens barrel; And a retainer fixed to the front lens and having an inner circumferential surface coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the lens barrel, and a seating groove formed on an outer circumferential surface of the outer circumferential surface to seat the third O-ring.

The apparatus may further include a fixing rim protruding from an outer surface of the first recessed portion and fixing the outer circumferential surface of the front lens.

Further, the front lens may have a stepped portion between the front surface and the outer circumferential surface, and the retainer may be formed with a bent portion bent in the optical axis direction from the front surface and coupled to the stepped portion

A projection may be formed on the inner circumferential surface of the seating groove.

The first O-ring or the second O-ring may have at least two seating protrusions formed on the outer circumferential surface at regular intervals.

In addition, the third O-ring may be formed to have a rectangular or square cross section, and at least one protrusion may be formed on the outer surface.

In addition, the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel and the inner peripheral surface of the retainer may be threaded and formed with corresponding threads.

A front cover coupled to the lens barrel and having an opening through which the front lens is exposed; And a substrate disposed under the front cover and having an image sensor mounted thereon.

A rear cover coupled to the front cover and having a through hole at one side thereof; A cable unit coupled to the through hole of the rear cover and electrically connected to the board; And a fourth O-ring disposed between the front cover and the rear cover.

In addition, the upper outer circumferential surface of the second recessed portion of the lens barrel and the inner surface of the front cover may be formed with threaded threads corresponding to each other.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to improve a sealing structure between a front cover exposed to the outside and a lens portion disposed on the front cover, thereby realizing a vehicle camera having improved environmental reliability, durability and stability.

1 is a perspective view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is an exploded perspective view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a view showing a state of engagement of a lens unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a side cross-sectional view of a lens portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a side cross-sectional view of an O-ring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein are the same as the generic meanings of the terms understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, and where the terms used herein contradict the general meaning of the term, they follow the definitions used herein.

It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Hereinafter, the camera of the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, a camera according to an embodiment includes a lens unit 100 and may include a lens barrel 110, a lens unit 120, and a retainer 130. The embodiment further includes a front cover 220, a first screw 260, a second screw 270, an image sensor 230, a substrate 240, or an EMI shield can 280 as a front portion 200 And may further include a rear cover 310 as a rear portion 300, a cable unit 320, a third screw 330 or a cable holder 340 and the like.

The front cover 220 accommodates the substrate 240 and the gasket 40 and may be formed with an opening through which the front lens 121 to be described later is exposed. The front lens 121, which will be described later, can be exposed by this opening.

The lens barrel 110 receives the lens unit 120 and is fastened to the retainer 130 (see FIG. 3). The retainer 130 can be engaged with the front cover 220.

An image sensor 230 for converting an optical signal of an object incident through the lens unit 120 into an electrical signal is disposed on the lower side of the front cover 220. The image sensor 230 is mounted on the substrate 240 Can be mounted.

The substrate 240 includes a sensor PCB 241 on which the image sensor 230 is mounted, an ISP (Image Signal Processing) PCB 242 for processing an image incident on the image sensor 230, and / And a power PCB 243 for power supply.

In addition, although not shown, a filter (not shown) may be further disposed on the front cover 220. Since the image sensor 230, which is an image pickup device, can detect the near-infrared wavelength and the infrared wavelength band unlike the human eye, the screen color tends to be reddish when the image is picked up. You can.

The filter may be mounted on the rear side of the through hole formed at the center of the front cover 220, and may include an infrared ray filter. The filter may be formed of, for example, a film material or a glass material, and an infrared blocking coating material or the like may be disposed on a plate-shaped optical filter such as a cover glass for protecting an image sensing surface or a cover glass. Alternatively, the filter may not be disposed according to design specifications.

The EMI shield can 280 may be fastened to the substrate 240 to protect the substrate 240 and various devices. Further, the gasket 40 is disposed on the mating surface of the front cover 220 and the rear cover 310, which will be described later, to prevent moisture or foreign matter from penetrating from the outside.

The rear cover 310 is coupled to the front cover 220 and has a through hole formed at one side thereof. The cable unit 320 is coupled to the through hole of the rear cover 310, . A fifth O-ring (not shown) or a cable holder 340 may be provided between the cable unit 320 and the through-hole to prevent moisture or foreign matter from penetrating the cable unit.

Such a camera may be fastened with the first screw 260 and / or the second screw 330, or a fastening method such as an adhesive, molding or the like may be used. In addition, the camera of the embodiment may be a vehicle camera, and the camera may be a back view camera capable of monitoring the rear of the vehicle.

Here, the camera of the embodiment may be installed in the vehicle such that a part or all of the front cover 220 is exposed to the outside of the vehicle.

Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention includes a structure that can prevent moisture or foreign matter from penetrating into the camera exposed to the outside of the vehicle, and will be described in detail as follows.

4 is a side sectional view of a lens unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of an O-ring according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. to be.

3 to 5, the embodiment may include principal technical considerations in the shape of the front lens 121, the lens barrel 110, the retainer 130, and the O-rings 10 and 20.

Specifically, the lens barrel 110 includes a hollow portion 113, a first incision portion 111 formed on the front surface and on which the first O-ring 10 is seated, and / And a second recessed portion 112 on which the O-ring 20 is seated.

Here, the front surface means a direction in which the image of the object enters the lens unit 120, which can be used in the same direction throughout the specification.

That is, the lens barrel 110 includes a first incision 111 in which a first O-ring 10 can be disposed between a front surface and a front lens 121 to be described later, A second recessed portion 112 in which a second O-ring 20 can be disposed is formed between the lens barrel 110 and the front cover 220 to provide excellent moisture or foreign matter penetration into the lens barrel 110 .

The outer circumferential surface of the lens barrel 110 and the inner circumferential surface of the retainer 130 may have threads corresponding to each other and may be threadably engaged. In addition, even when the threads are bonded, an adhesive can be applied to secure a firm connection.

The outer circumferential surface of the second recessed portion 112 of the lens barrel 110 and the inner surface of the front cover 220 are formed with threads corresponding to each other and threadably engaged with each other. You may. In addition, even when the threads are bonded, an adhesive can be applied to secure a firm connection. Here, the thread formed on the lens barrel 110 is formed on the upper outer circumferential surface of the second recessed part 112 to prevent the penetration of moisture or foreign matter through the threads, and secondarily the second O- 20 to prevent the penetration of moisture or foreign matter.

In addition, the lower portion of the lens barrel 110 may be coupled with the front cover 220, and in this case, thread engagement may be performed. Threads may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the lower portion of the lens barrel and threads may be formed on the inner circumferential surface of the front cover at the corresponding positions to be coupled with each other. In addition, it may be bonded using an adhesive material such as epoxy, or may be bonding bonded by adding an adhesive material after thread bonding.

5, the first O-ring 10 and / or the second O-ring 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes at least one seating projection 10a, 20a formed on the outer circumferential surface at equal intervals, The first recessed portion 111 and the second recessed portion 112 can be stably positioned, and when an even number (for example, two) of recessed portions are formed, they can be stably positioned. This stable configuration of the O-ring arrangement can further improve the reliability of the camera during product assembly. Therefore, the third to fifth O-rings 50, the gaskets 40 and the like other than the first O-ring 10 or the second O-ring 20 may have this shape.

The lens barrel 110 further includes a fixing rim 114 protruding from the outer surface of the first recessed portion 111 to fix the outer circumferential surface of the front lens 121, It is possible to firmly fix the lens barrel 110 and to prevent moisture or foreign matter from penetrating into the lens barrel 110. [

The lens unit 120 includes a front lens 121 disposed on the front surface of the lens barrel 110 and includes at least one lens disposed in the hollow portion 113 of the lens barrel 110 can do. The lenses of the lens unit 120 are disposed inside the lens barrel 110 and can be supported by a cap 140 fastened to the rear surface of the lens barrel 110.

A step 121a is formed between the front surface and the outer surface of the front lens 121 so that the lens barrel 110 and the retainer 130 are screwed together by the bent portion 132 of the retainer 130, It can be pressed and fixed in the direction of the lens barrel 110.

The retainer 130 includes a seating groove 131 in which the front lens 121 is fixed and an inner circumferential surface thereof is coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the lens barrel 110 and a third O- can do. The seating groove 131 has a protruding portion 131a formed on an inner circumferential surface thereof to push the third O-ring 30 outwardly. By this structural configuration, the front cover 220 and the retainer 130 are separated from each other 3 O-rings 30 to seal more firmly.

The third O-ring 30 may be formed in the same shape as the first O-ring 10, but may be formed to have a rectangular or square cross-section as shown in the figure, and at least one protrusion 30a May be formed. As shown in the figure, if the third O-ring 30 includes two protrusions 30a, the third O-ring 30 has two contact surfaces with the front cover 220, so that a more rigid seal can be achieved . The shape of the third O-ring 30 is also applicable to the first O-ring 10 to the fifth O-ring 50.

Also, as described above, the retainer 130 may be formed with a bent portion 132 that is bent in the direction of the optical axis on the front surface and coupled to the step portion 121a. When the lens barrel 110 and the retainer 130 are engaged with each other, the bent portion 132 presses the step 121a of the front lens 121 to fix the front lens 121, The first o-ring 10 disposed in the first recessed portion 111 is pressed to seal the space between the lens barrel 110 and the front lens 121.

In the description of embodiments of the present invention, the adhesive may be embodied as a thermosetting epoxy or UV epoxy and cured by exposure to heat or UV. However, if a thermosetting epoxy is used, it is cured by moving to an oven or by applying heat directly. When UV (ultraviolet) epoxy is used, the adhesive is cured by applying UV (ultraviolet rays).

In addition, the adhesive may be an epoxy which can be mixed with thermosetting and UV (ultraviolet ray) curing, and may be thermosetting or UV (ultraviolet) curing. The adhesive is not limited to the epoxy but can be replaced with any substance that can be bonded.

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 by the appended claims. Range and its equivalent range.

10: first o-ring 10a:
20: second o-ring 20a:
30: Third O-ring 30a:
40: Gasket
100: lens unit 110: lens barrel
111: first incision part 112: second incision part
113: hollow part 114: fixed rim
120: lens unit 121: front lens
121a: step portion 130: retainer
131: seat part 132:
140: cap 200: front part
220: Front cover
230: image sensor 240: substrate
250: gasket 300: rear portion
310: Rear cover 320: Cable unit

Claims (10)

A lens barrel including a hollow portion formed on a front surface thereof and including a first recessed portion on which a first O-ring is seated, and a second recessed portion formed on an outer circumferential surface and on which a second O-ring is seated;
A lens unit including a front lens disposed on a front surface of the lens barrel and including at least one lens disposed in a hollow portion of the lens barrel; And
And a retainer fixed to the front lens, the retainer having an inner circumferential surface coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the lens barrel, and a seating groove formed on an outer circumferential surface to receive a third O-ring.
The method according to claim 1,
And a fixing rim protruding from an outer surface of the first recess to fix an outer circumferential surface of the front lens.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the front lens has a stepped portion between a front surface and an outer circumferential surface, and the retainer has a bending portion bent in a direction of an optical axis on a front surface thereof and coupled to the stepped portion.
The method according to claim 1,
And a projecting portion is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the seating groove.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first O-ring or the second O-ring has at least two seating protrusions formed on the outer circumferential surface at regular intervals.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the third O-ring is formed to have a rectangular or square cross-section, and at least one protrusion is formed on the outer side.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein an outer circumferential surface of the lens barrel and an inner circumferential surface of the retainer are threadedly formed to correspond to each other.
The method according to claim 1,
A front cover coupled to the lens barrel and having an opening through which the front lens is exposed; And
And a substrate disposed under the front cover and having an image sensor mounted thereon.
9. The method of claim 8,
A rear cover coupled to the front cover and having a through hole at one side thereof;
A cable unit coupled to the through hole of the rear cover and electrically connected to the board; And
And a fourth O-ring disposed between the front cover and the rear cover.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein an upper outer circumferential surface of the second recessed portion of the lens barrel and an inner surface of the front cover are formed with threads corresponding to each other and threadably engaged with each other.

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