KR20180060522A - Camera module - Google Patents

Abstract

One embodiment of a camera module may include a lens barrel including a lens part; a front body for mounting the lens barrel; a substrate part disposed on one side of the front body so as to face the lens part in an optical axis direction; and a pad which is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the front body, is disposed between the lens barrel and the substrate, has one side in contact with the substrate, and is made of a flexible material. It is possible to effectively suppress the formation of water droplets in the lens part.

Description

Camera module {Camera module}

The embodiment relates to a camera module having a structure capable of effectively suppressing the occurrence of water droplets in the lens portion.

The contents described in this section merely provide background information on the embodiment and do not constitute the prior art.

An automobile may be equipped with a camera module for various purposes. For example, when parking a car, a camera module capable of ensuring a rear view can be mounted on the rear portion of the car.

In addition, in the case of a black box for a vehicle, which is very useful for tracking an accident, a cause of an accident, and the like in the event of a traffic accident, a camera module can be used. In addition, a camera module is increasingly used as a recognition device for clearly and easily grasping the situation of a blind spot, which is difficult for a driver or a passenger of a car to visually recognize.

In recent years, a so-called smart car, that is, a collision warning system that detects the possibility of collision between front and rear at the time of driving of the vehicle in advance and prepares it, a collision warning system in which the control device And a collision avoidance system that can directly avoid the collision avoidance system, and the development of related technology is increasing.

As the use of the camera module as an external situation recognition means of the smart car is increasing, the production and technology development of the camera module for the automobile are also increasing.

The embodiment relates to a camera module having a structure capable of effectively suppressing the occurrence of water droplets in the lens portion.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

One embodiment of the camera module comprises: a lens barrel including a lens portion; A front body on which the lens barrel is mounted; A substrate unit disposed on one side of the front body so as to face the lens unit in an optical axis direction; And a pad which is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the front body and is disposed between the lens barrel and the substrate and has one side in contact with the substrate and is made of a flexible material.

The lens unit may include: a first lens having one side exposed to the outside; And a second lens disposed on the other side of the first lens.

And a space portion may be formed between the first lens and the second lens.

The pad may receive heat generated from the substrate portion.

The front body may receive heat from the pad and discharge it to the outside.

One embodiment of the camera module may further comprise a rear body for receiving the substrate portion and engaging the front body.

The pad may be formed of a material that is elastically deformable at a portion in contact with the substrate portion.

The pad may be formed of a material including silicone.

The pad may have a hollow formed at a portion where the lens portion and the image sensor mounted on the substrate portion are opposed to each other.

The pad may include a projection protruding in the direction of the optical axis, and the front body may be formed in the optical axis direction and include an insertion groove into which the projection is inserted.

Another embodiment of the camera module includes a first lens having one side exposed to the outside, a second lens disposed on the other side of the first lens, and a lens including a space formed between the first lens and the second lens, A lens barrel to which the lens barrel is attached; A front body on which the lens barrel is mounted; A substrate unit disposed on one side of the front body so as to face the lens unit in an optical axis direction; And a pad which is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the front body and is disposed between the lens barrel and the substrate and has one side in contact with the substrate and is made of a flexible material, And the front body may receive heat from the pad and discharge the heat to the outside.

Another embodiment of the camera module includes a lens barrel including a lens portion; A front body on which the lens barrel is mounted; And a substrate unit disposed on one side of the front body so as to face the lens unit in the direction of an optical axis, wherein the lens barrel is formed of a material containing aluminum, receives heat generated from the substrate unit, It may be to transfer heat to the bottom.

The lens unit may be configured such that heat emitted from the substrate unit is transferred to the lens unit by convection or radiation to be heated, and heat is transferred by conduction from the lens barrel.

In the embodiment, by arranging the pads in contact with the front body to reduce the temperature difference between the internal temperature of the lens part and the outside air, it is possible to effectively prevent the water droplet from being generated in the lens part due to such temperature difference, It is possible to effectively suppress degradation of the image quality of an image photographed by the camera module.

In this embodiment, by forming the lens barrel from a material containing aluminum excellent in thermal conductivity, it is possible to effectively heat the lens portion, and therefore, by reducing the temperature difference between the internal temperature of the lens portion and the outside air, It is possible to effectively suppress the formation of water droplets generated in the camera module, thereby effectively suppressing the deterioration of the image quality of the image captured by the camera module due to the formation of water droplets.

1 is a perspective view showing a camera module according to an embodiment.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a camera module according to an embodiment.
3 is an exploded perspective view showing a camera module of one embodiment.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a camera module according to another embodiment.
5 is a perspective view showing a substrate portion of one embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a view of the shield member removed in FIG. 5; FIG.
Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6. Fig.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are to be considered in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not limited thereto. It is to be understood, however, that the embodiments are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but are to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the embodiments.

The terms " first ", " second ", and the like can be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. In addition, terms specifically defined in consideration of the constitution and operation of the embodiment are only intended to illustrate the embodiments and do not limit the scope of the embodiments.

In the description of the embodiments, when it is described as being formed on the "upper" or "on or under" of each element, the upper or lower (on or under Quot; includes both that the two elements are in direct contact with each other or that one or more other elements are indirectly formed between the two elements. Also, when expressed as "on" or "on or under", it may include not only an upward direction but also a downward direction with respect to one element.

It is also to be understood that the terms "top / top / top" and "bottom / bottom / bottom", as used below, do not necessarily imply nor imply any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements, And may be used to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element.

Further, in the drawings, an orthogonal coordinate system (x, y, z) can be used. In the drawing, the x axis and y axis mean a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. For convenience, the optical axis direction (z axis direction) can be referred to as a first direction, the x axis direction as a second direction, and the y axis direction as a third direction .

1 is a perspective view showing a camera module according to an embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a camera module according to an embodiment. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a camera module of one embodiment. The camera module of the embodiment may include a lens barrel 100, a front body 200, a base part 300, a pad 400 and a rear body 500.

The lens barrel 100 is mounted on the lens unit 110 and can be coupled to the front body 200. The lens barrel 100 can be coupled to the front body 200 by a method such as screwing or gluing. The lens barrel 100 may have a hollow for mounting the lens unit 110 therein.

The lens unit 110 is mounted in the hollow of the lens barrel 100 and can be coupled to the lens barrel 100 with an adhesive or the like. The lens unit 110 may be provided such that a plurality of lenses are aligned in the optical axis direction, i.e., in the first direction.

At this time, the lens unit 110 may be arranged to face the image sensor 301 mounted on the substrate unit 300 in the first direction. The light incident through the lens unit 110 passes through the lens unit 110 and is incident on the image sensor 301. In the image sensor 301, an image may be imaged.

2, the lens unit 110 includes a first lens 111 having one side exposed to the outside and a second side of the first lens 111, And a second lens 112 disposed on the opposite side of the second lens 112.

At this time, a space SP may be formed between the first lens 111 and the second lens 112. If the external temperature and the internal temperature of the camera module differ from each other by a predetermined temperature or more, water droplets may be formed on the surface of the first lens 111 forming the space SP.

Such water droplet condensation may degrade the image quality of the image captured by the camera module. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the formation of such water droplets, which can be solved by mounting the pad 400 on the camera module. The pad 400 will be described in detail below.

The lens barrel 100 may be mounted on the front body 200. The lens barrel 100 may be mounted on the front portion of the front body 200. For this purpose, a hollow for mounting the lens barrel 100 may be formed in the front body 200.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front body 200 and the lens barrel 100 can be coupled to each other by, for example, a screw connection. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in another embodiment, the front body 200 and the lens barrel 100 may be bonded to each other with an adhesive, or may be combined with an adhesive.

As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate unit 300 may be disposed on one side of the front body 200 so as to face the lens unit 110 in the optical axis direction.

The board unit 300 is accommodated in the rear body 500 and may include a plurality of printed circuit boards. The substrate portion 300 may be disposed apart from the lens portion 110 in the optical axis direction, as shown in FIG.

The substrate unit 300 may include an image sensor 301 for receiving light having passed through the lens unit 110 and converting incident light into an image. The image sensor 301 may be mounted on the first substrate 310 of the substrate unit 300 facing the lens unit 110 so as to face the lens unit 110. The substrate unit 300 will be described in detail below.

The rear body 500 can receive the substrate unit 300 and can engage with the front body 200. Accordingly, the rear body 500 may have an internal space for accommodating the substrate unit 300. The rear body 500 and the front body 200 can be coupled to each other by, for example, an adhesive.

The pad 400 may contact the inner circumferential surface of the front body 200 and may be disposed between the lens barrel 100 and the substrate unit 300.

The pad 400 may be hollowed in a region where the lens unit 110 and the image sensor 301 mounted on the substrate unit 300 face each other. This is to prevent the light passing through the lens unit 110 from entering the image sensor 301 so that the pad 400 is not disturbed.

The pad 400 may receive heat generated from the substrate unit 300. The front body 200 is provided to be in contact with the pad 400 to receive heat from the pad 400 by thermal conduction and to discharge the transferred heat to the outside .

The image sensor 301 and the various elements 302 disposed in the substrate unit 300 generate heat and the heat generated in the substrate unit 300 is reflected by the lens 300. [ And may be transferred to the portion 110 by convection or radiation.

The air charged in the second lens 112 and the space SP is heated by the heat transmitted from the substrate unit 300 while the outer exposed surface 111a of the first lens 111 is heated by the cold outside air Can be cooled.

Accordingly, a temperature difference may be generated between the external exposed surface 111a of the first lens 111 and the space SP, and the water vapor contained in the air filled in the space SP, Condensed and adheres to the inner surface 111b of the first lens 111 so that water droplets may be formed on the inner surface 111b of the first lens 111. [

Accordingly, in the embodiment, the pad 400 partially blocks the heat transfer from the substrate 300 to the second lens 112, thereby suppressing the occurrence of water droplet condensation.

That is, a part of the heat generated from the substrate unit 300 is transmitted to the pad 400. Heat transmitted to the pad 400 is transmitted to the front body 200 contacting the pad 400, Since the outer periphery of the front body 200 is exposed to the outside air, the heat transmitted from the pad 400 can be discharged to the outside.

Due to such a structure, heat transferred from the substrate portion 300 to the first lens 111 and the space portion SP can be significantly reduced in quantity.

Therefore, the heat transmitted to the space SP and the first lens 111 from the substrate 300 is remarkably reduced due to the arrangement of the pads 400 on the camera module, The temperature difference between the outer exposed surface 111a and the space SP is significantly reduced so that generation of water droplets on the inner surface 111b of the first lens 111 due to such temperature difference can be effectively suppressed have.

One side of the pad 400 is in contact with the substrate 300 and may be formed of a flexible material. At this time, the contact portion between the pad 400 and the substrate portion 300 is a portion of the substrate 300 except for the image sensor 301. More specifically, May be a device 302 mounted on a surface on which the substrate 301 is mounted.

The pad 400 is in direct contact with the substrate portion 300 so that heat generated in the substrate portion 300 can be efficiently transferred to the pad 400 by heat conduction. In addition, since the pad 400 is provided in direct contact with the substrate portion 300, the space occupied by the pad 400 among the internal space of the camera module can be reduced.

The pad 400 may be formed of a flexible material such as a metal material such as silicon nitride or silicon nitride so that the substrate 302 is not damaged even if the pad 400 directly contacts the substrate 300, 300 in contact with the surface of the substrate.

For example, the pad 400 may be formed of a material including silicone so that the pad 400 is flexible and elastically deformable.

However, the higher the silicon content in the pad 400, the higher the flexibility, but the lower the thermal conductivity due to the physical properties of silicon. Therefore, the content of silicon can be appropriately selected in consideration of the flexibility and heat conductivity of the pad 400.

For example, the silicon content of the pad 400 may be selected such that the thermal conductivity of the pad 400 is about 1.0 W / mK. At this time, the content of the material other than silicon constituting the pad 400 can be appropriately selected in consideration of the flexibility of the pad 400 and the thermal conductivity.

On the other hand, for example, it may be appropriate to select the content of materials other than silicon and silicon in the pad 400 so that the heat capacity of the pad 400 is about 1.0 J / gK.

The pad 400 includes a protrusion 410 protruding in the optical axis direction and the front body 200 may include an insertion groove 210 into which the protrusion 410 is inserted, have.

The protrusion 410 is inserted into the insertion groove 210 so that the pad 400 can be stably mounted in the camera module. In addition, the protruding portion 410 can enlarge an area of contact between the pad 400 and the front body 200 to facilitate heat transfer from the front body 200 to the pad 400 by heat conduction.

The pad 400 contacting the front body 200 may be disposed to reduce the temperature difference between the internal temperature of the lens unit 110 and the external air to cause the lens unit 110 It is possible to effectively suppress degradation of the image quality of the image captured by the camera module due to the formation of water droplets.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a camera module according to another embodiment. In the camera module of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the lens barrel 100 may be formed of a material containing aluminum.

At this time, the lens barrel 100 may receive heat generated from the substrate unit 300. Since the lens unit 110 is mounted in contact with a part of the inner circumferential surface of the lens barrel 100, the lens unit 110 can receive heat from the lens barrel 100.

The outer circumferential surface of the first lens 111 and the outer circumferential surface of the second lens 112 come into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the lens barrel 100 and thus the first lens 111 and the second lens 112 are separated from the lens barrel 100, Heat can be transferred to the lens portion 110 including the lens 112 and the space portion SP.

Since the lens barrel 100 includes aluminum, the thermal conductivity is excellent. Therefore, the lens barrel 100 can effectively transmit heat from the substrate unit 300 to the lens unit 110 again.

The heat emitted from the substrate unit 300 is transmitted to the lens unit 110 by convection or radiation and the heat is transferred from the lens barrel 100 to the lens unit 110 Can be heated.

Due to such a structure, since the first lens 111 is heated effectively, the temperature difference between the first lens 111 and the space SP can be remarkably reduced even if the temperature of the outside air is low. It is possible to effectively prevent the water droplet from being formed on the inner surface 111b of the first lens 111 due to the temperature difference between the outer surface 111a of the first lens 111 and the space SP.

The lens barrel 100 can be effectively heated by forming the lens barrel 100 from a material containing aluminum having a high thermal conductivity so that the temperature difference between the inner temperature of the lens portion 110 and the outside air By reducing the temperature difference, it is possible to effectively suppress the formation of water droplets generated in the lens unit 110 due to such a temperature difference, thereby effectively suppressing the deterioration of the image quality of the image captured by the camera module due to the formation of water droplets.

5 is a perspective view showing the substrate unit 300 of one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a view showing the shield member 350 removed in FIG. Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6. Fig.

The substrate unit 300 may further include a first substrate 310, a second substrate 320, a third substrate 330, a connection unit 340, and a shield member 350. Although the first substrate 310 to the third substrate 330 are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the optical axis, for example, three substrates are shown in total, the substrates may be one, two, or four or more .

The first substrate 310 may be disposed to face the lens unit 110. The third substrate 330 may be spaced apart from the first substrate 310 in the optical axis direction. The second substrate 320 may be spaced apart from the first substrate 310 and the third substrate 330 between the first substrate 310 and the third substrate 330.

The first substrate 310 may be disposed adjacent to the lens unit 110 and may be disposed adjacent to the lens unit 110 such that the image sensor 301 And an electromagnetic circuit including other various elements 302 may be formed.

The light incident through the lens unit 110 is sensed by the image sensor 301. The first substrate 310 converts the sensed image into an electrical signal and transmits the sensed image to an external image storage device or an image reproducing device can do. However, turning the sensed image into an electrical signal can also be performed on other substrates.

The second substrate 320 is disposed between the first substrate 310 and the third substrate 330 and is electrically connected to the first substrate 310 and the third substrate 330, .

The second substrate 320 may serve as an electrical path for supplying electric power to the first substrate 310 and may transmit an electrical signal of the sensed image transmitted from the first substrate 310 to an external image To the storage device or the image reproducing device.

For example, the second substrate 320 may convert the sensed image transmitted from the first substrate 310 into an electrical signal and transmit the electrical signal to an external image storage device or an image reproducing device, And then transferring the rectified power to the first substrate 310.

That is, the second substrate 320 is disposed between the first substrate 310 and the third substrate 330 to partially perform the functions of the first substrate 310 and the third substrate 330 It is possible.

The third substrate 330 is disposed behind the second substrate 320 and electrically connected to the second substrate 320 to form an electromagnetic circuit.

The third substrate 330 mainly receives power required for the operation of the camera module from the outside and sends the power to the first substrate 310 and the second substrate 320. The first substrate 310 and the second substrate 320 320 to the external image storage device or the image reproducing device.

Accordingly, the third substrate 330 may be equipped with a device such as a capacitor, a rectifier, and a transformer for supplying power having a proper voltage and current necessary for operation of the camera module.

6 and 7, a connector 331 may be provided on the third substrate 330 for electrical connection with an external image storage device, an image reproducing device, a camera module control device, or the like. The connector 331 may be electrically connected to an external cable (not shown).

The connection portion 340 electrically connects the substrates to each other and may be formed of a flexible material. That is, the connection unit 340 electrically connects the first substrate 310, the second substrate 320, and the third substrate 330 to each other, so that the number of the connection units 340 may be less than the number of the substrates have.

The connection part 340 connects the first substrate 310 and the second substrate 320 and connects the second substrate 320 and the third substrate 330 to each other, A total of two can be provided.

Considering that it is necessary to absorb such impact and vibration so as to prevent breakage of impacts and vibrations externally applied to the camera module, it is preferable that the connection part 340 is made of a flexible material proper. As such, the connection portion 340 may be formed of a flexible circuit board.

The shield member 350 may be provided to surround the substrate unit 300 and prevent the substrate unit 300 from being damaged by collision with the inner wall of the rear body 500. The shield member 350 may be made of a conductive material, And can shield electromagnetic noise generated from the substrate unit 300 or the outside.

In addition, the shield member 350 may serve to separate the first substrate 310, the second substrate 320, and the third substrate 330 from each other at a predetermined interval. In the embodiment, the shield members 350 are provided in a pair, and each of the shield members 350 can be coupled to each other.

While only a few have been described above with respect to the embodiments, various other forms of implementation are possible. The technical contents of the embodiments described above may be combined in various forms other than the mutually incompatible technologies, and may be implemented in a new embodiment through the same.

100: lens barrel
110:
200: Front body
210: insertion groove
300:
310: first substrate
320: second substrate
330: Third substrate
340:
350: shield member
400: pad
410:
500: rear body

Claims (13)

A lens barrel including a lens portion;
A front body on which the lens barrel is mounted;
A substrate unit disposed on one side of the front body so as to face the lens unit in an optical axis direction; And
And a pad disposed in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the front body and disposed between the lens barrel and the base plate, one side of which is in contact with the base plate and is made of a flexible material,
. The method according to claim 1,
The lens unit includes:
A first lens having one side exposed to the outside; And
A second lens disposed on the other side of the first lens,
. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein a space portion is formed between the first lens and the second lens. The method according to claim 1,
The pad includes:
And the heat generated from the substrate portion is transmitted. 5. The method of claim 4,
The front body includes:
And heat is transferred from the pad to the outside. The method according to claim 1,
And a rear body for receiving the base portion and engaging with the front body. The method according to claim 1,
The pad includes:
Wherein the camera module is formed of a material that is elastically deformable at a portion in contact with the substrate portion. 8. The method of claim 7,
The pad includes:
A camera module formed from a material comprising silicone. The method according to claim 1,
The pad includes:
Wherein a hollow is formed in a portion where the lens portion and the image sensor mounted on the substrate portion are opposed to each other. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the pad includes a protrusion protruding in the optical axis direction,
Wherein the front body is formed in an optical axis direction and includes an insertion groove into which the protrusion is inserted. A lens barrel to which a lens unit including a first lens having one side exposed to the outside, a second lens disposed on the other side of the first lens, and a space part formed between the first lens and the second lens is mounted;
A front body on which the lens barrel is mounted;
A substrate unit disposed on one side of the front body so as to face the lens unit in an optical axis direction; And
And a pad disposed in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the front body and disposed between the lens barrel and the base plate, one side of which is in contact with the base plate and is made of a flexible material,
Lt; / RTI >
The pad receives heat generated from the substrate portion,
Wherein the front body receives heat from the pad and discharges the heat to the outside. A lens barrel including a lens portion;
A front body on which the lens barrel is mounted; And
And a base body disposed on one side of the front body so as to face the lens unit in an optical axis direction,
Lt; / RTI >
The lens barrel includes:
The camera module is made of a material containing aluminum and receives heat generated from the substrate unit and transfers heat to the lens unit. 13. The method of claim 12,
The lens unit includes:
Heat emitted from the substrate portion is transferred to the lens portion by convection or radiation to be heated,
And the heat is transferred from the lens barrel by conduction and heated.

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