Camera module and electronic device

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of camera modules, and specifically discloses a camera module and an electronic device. The camera module includes a lens assembly, a rigid circuit board, and a flexible circuit board; the lens assembly is mounted on the rigid circuit board and electrically connected to the rigid circuit board; the flexible circuit board is detachably electrically connected to the rigid circuit board. The present invention provides a camera module and an electronic device, which can effectively improve the commonality rate of components and thus reduce production costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of camera modules, and particularly to a camera module and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of smart phones, camera modules are more and more widely used. The circuit structures of camera modules in different mobile phones vary greatly and cannot be universal. Therefore, when a mobile phone is updated, a new camera module also needs to be replaced.

[0003] Generally, a camera module includes a lens assembly and a flexible-rigid printed circuit board electrically connected to the lens assembly. The traditional lens assembly and flexible-rigid printed circuit board are of an integral structure and cannot be disassembled. Therefore, when replacing a new camera module, it is necessary to replace both the lens assembly and the flexible-rigid printed circuit board, and the common use rate of components is relatively low.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing camera module to solve the problem of its relatively low common use rate of components. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a camera module and an electronic device, which can effectively improve the common use rate of components and thus reduce the production cost.

[0006] To achieve the above object, on the one hand, the present invention provides a camera module, including a lens assembly, a rigid circuit board, and a flexible circuit board;

[0007] The lens assembly is mounted on the rigid circuit board and electrically connected to the rigid circuit board;

[0008] The flexible circuit board is provided with a camera module control circuit, and the flexible circuit board is detachably electrically connected to the rigid circuit board.

[0009] Optionally, the rigid circuit board and the flexible circuit board are electrically connected through a pad assembly;

[0010] The pad assembly includes a first pad group and a second pad group, and the first pad group and the second pad group are connected by soldering or connected by a conductive adhesive.

[0011] Optionally, the first pad group includes a set of first pad arrays, the second pad group includes a set of second pad arrays, and the electrical connection functions of the second pad arrays are adapted to those of the first pad arrays;

[0012] Alternatively, the first pad group includes two sets of first pad arrays arranged oppositely and having different electrical connection functions, the second pad group includes two sets of second pad arrays arranged oppositely, and the electrical connection functions of each set of second pad arrays are adapted to those of the corresponding first pad arrays.

[0013] Optionally, the first pad group includes four groups of first pad arrays arranged in a square, wherein two adjacent first pad arrays form a first array group, and the other two adjacent first pad arrays form a second array group; the first pad arrays belonging to the same array group have the same electrical connection function, and the first pad arrays belonging to different array groups have different electrical connection functions;

[0014] The second pad group includes two groups of second pad arrays arranged oppositely; wherein, one of the second pad arrays is electrically connected to any one of the first pad arrays in the first array group, and at the same time, the other second pad array is electrically connected to a first pad array in the second array group corresponding in position.

[0015] Optionally, each of the first pad arrays and the second pad arrays includes a plurality of strip-shaped pads arranged at equal intervals, or a plurality of circular pads arranged in an equilateral triangle.

[0016] Optionally, one of the strip-shaped pads in the first pad array is a mark pad, and the length of the mark pad is greater than the lengths of the other strip-shaped pads.

[0017] Optionally, an identification mark is provided at a non-diagonal intersection position of the first pad group.

[0018] Optionally, the first pad group is fixed on the rigid circuit board, and the second pad group is fixed on the flexible circuit board;

[0019] Or,

[0020] The second pad group is fixed on the rigid circuit board, and the first pad group is fixed on the flexible circuit board.

[0021] Optionally, an extension boss for fixing the corresponding first pad group or second pad group is provided at an edge position of the rigid circuit board.

[0022] An electronic device includes a main board and the camera module described in any one of the above, and is characterized in that a connector interface for electrically connecting to the main board is further provided on the flexible circuit board.

[0023] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: A camera module and an electronic device are provided. In the camera module provided in this embodiment, the lens assembly and the rigid circuit board form an integral body and become a standard component that can be commonly used for different models. The camera module control circuit matching different models is located on the flexible circuit board, and the flexible circuit board and the rigid circuit board are detachable. Therefore, after the electronic device is updated, only the new flexible circuit board needs to be replaced, and the original lens assembly and rigid circuit board can be applied to the updated product without modification. Therefore, the camera module and the electronic device provided in this embodiment can effectively improve the common use rate of components and thus reduce the production cost. Description of the Drawings

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and those of ordinary skill in the art can also obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0025] Figure 1 Front view schematic diagram of the camera module provided in Embodiment 1;

[0026] Figure 2 For Figure 1 Partial enlarged schematic diagram at A in

[0027] Figure 3 Side view schematic diagram of the standard component provided in Embodiment 1;

[0028] Figure 4 Structural schematic diagram of the flexible circuit board provided in Embodiment 1;

[0029] Figure 5 Front view schematic diagram of the camera module provided in Embodiment 2;

[0030] Figure 6 For Figure 5 Partial enlarged schematic diagram at B in

[0031] Figure 7 Structural schematic diagram of the rigid circuit board with a double first pad array provided in Embodiment 2;

[0032] Figure 8 Structural schematic diagram of the flexible circuit board with a double second pad array provided in Embodiment 2;

[0033] Figure 9 Structural schematic diagram of the rigid circuit board with a quadruple first pad array provided in Embodiment 3;

[0034] Figure 10Side schematic view of the standard part provided for the fourth embodiment;

[0035] Figure 11 Structural schematic view of the rigid circuit board with a double first pad array provided for the fourth embodiment;

[0036] Figure 12 Structural schematic view of the rigid circuit board with a quadruple first pad array provided for the fifth embodiment.

[0037] In the figure:

[0038] 1. Lens assembly; 101. Bracket; 102. Lens body; 103. Focusing motor;

[0039] 2. Rigid circuit board; 201. Epitaxial boss; 202. Identification mark;

[0040] 3. Flexible circuit board; 301. Exposed copper patch; 302. Connector interface;

[0041] 4. Reinforcing steel sheet;

[0042] 5. First pad group; 501. First pad array; 5011. Strip-shaped pad; 5012. Marking pad; 5013. Circular pad; 502. First array group; 503. Second array group;

[0043] 6. Second pad group;

[0044] 7. Conductive medium. Detailed implementation manners

[0045] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0046] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that when a component is considered to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "disposed on" another component, it can be directly disposed on the other component or there may be an intermediate component.

[0047] In addition, terms such as "long", "short", "inner", "outer", etc. indicating orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have this specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0048] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and through specific embodiments.

[0049] Embodiment 1

[0050] This embodiment provides an electronic device, including a main board and a camera module.

[0051] See Figures 1 to 4 , the camera module includes a lens assembly 1, a rigid circuit board 2, and a flexible circuit board 3. The lens assembly 1 is mounted on the rigid circuit board 2 and is electrically connected to the rigid circuit board 2. A camera module control circuit matching the current device model is provided on the flexible circuit board 3, and the flexible circuit board 3 is detachably electrically connected to the rigid circuit board 2. A connector interface 302 for electrically connecting to the main board is further provided on the flexible circuit board 3 to achieve the electrical connection between the flexible circuit board 3 and the main board.

[0052] Furthermore, a copper flashing 301 for grounding is provided on the flexible circuit board 3.

[0053] Optionally, a reinforcing steel sheet 4 is fixedly provided on the side of the flexible circuit board 3 away from the connector interface 302.

[0054] It should be noted that the electronic device provided in this embodiment can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, a notebook, a code scanning device, a digital camera, a personal digital assistant, a wearable device, a laptop computer, etc., and this embodiment does not make any limitations thereto.

[0055] It can be understood that for the camera module provided in this embodiment, the lens assembly 1 and the rigid circuit board 2 form an integral body and become a standard part that can be used in different models (for the convenience of description, the lens assembly 1 and the rigid circuit board 2 fixedly assembled into one body are collectively referred to as the standard part hereinafter). The camera module control circuit matching different models is located on the flexible circuit board 3 (the physical interfaces between the rigid circuit board 2 and different flexible circuit boards 3 are the same), and the flexible circuit board 3 and the rigid circuit board 2 are detachable. Therefore, when the electronic device is updated, only the new flexible circuit board 3 needs to be replaced, and the original lens assembly 1 and rigid circuit board 2 do not need to be modified to be applicable to the updated product. Therefore, the camera module provided in this embodiment can effectively improve the general utilization rate of components and thus reduce the production cost.

[0056] In this embodiment, the lens assembly 1 can adopt existing products on the market. For example, the lens assembly 1 includes a bracket 101, a lens body 102 located inside the bracket 101, and a focusing motor 103 for focusing. It should be noted that the specific structure of the lens assembly 1 is not the focus of this embodiment, so it will not be elaborated.

[0057] The rigid circuit board 2 and the flexible circuit board 3 are electrically connected through a pad assembly. The pad assembly includes a first pad group 5 and a second pad group 6, and the first pad group 5 and the second pad group 6 are electrically connected through a conductive medium 7, for example, connected by soldering with solder paste or connected by a conductive adhesive. Of course, other conductive media 7 can also be used. Preferably, the conductive adhesive is an anisotropic conductive adhesive to prevent short circuits between adjacent pads. When it is necessary to disassemble the rigid circuit board 2 and the flexible circuit board 3, the solder paste or the conductive adhesive can be melted. Of course, in some other embodiments, plug-in or other methods can also be used to achieve the detachable electrical connection between the rigid circuit board 2 and the flexible circuit board 3.

[0058] In this embodiment, referring to Figure 2 the partial enlarged view of point A in Figure 1 shown, the first pad group 5 is fixed on the rigid circuit board 2, the second pad group 6 is fixed on the flexible circuit board 3, and the first pad group 5 and the second pad group 6 are electrically connected through a conductive medium 7. Of course, in some other embodiments, the positions of the first pad group 5 and the second pad group 6 can also be interchanged, that is, the second pad group 6 is fixed on the rigid circuit board 2, and the first pad group 5 is fixed on the flexible circuit board 3. The following will detail the case where the first pad group 5 is fixed on the rigid circuit board 2 and the second pad group 6 is fixed on the flexible circuit board 3.

[0059] Generally, referring to Figure 3 the side view of the standard part shown and Figure 4 the structural diagram of the flexible circuit board 3 shown, when the number of lines to be connected is small, the first pad group 5 includes only one group of first pad arrays 501. Correspondingly, the second pad group 6 also includes one group of second pad arrays. Specifically, both the first pad array 501 and the second pad array include a plurality of strip-shaped pads 5011 arranged at equal intervals.

[0060] In this embodiment, since the first pad group 5 including only one group of first pad arrays 501 occupies a small area, an extension boss 201 can be provided at the edge position of the rigid circuit board 2, and the first pad group 5 is fixed on the extension boss 201. At this time, the second pad group 6 on the flexible circuit board 3 is electrically connected to the first pad group 5 on the extension boss 201 through a conductive medium 7.

[0061] Of course, in the embodiment where the positions of the first pad group 5 and the second pad group 6 are swapped, the second pad group 6 is fixed on the epitaxial boss 201, and the first pad group 5 is fixed on the flexible circuit board 3.

[0062] For the camera module and the electronic device provided in this embodiment, by enabling the detachable electrical connection between the flexible circuit board 3 and the rigid circuit board 2, the lens assembly 1 and the rigid circuit board 2 can be reused, the utilization rate of the lens assembly 1 and the rigid circuit board 2 is improved, and it is beneficial to reduce the risk of inventory backlog and manufacturing costs.

[0063] Embodiment Two

[0064] This embodiment provides another camera module, which can be applied to the electronic device provided in Embodiment One. The difference from Embodiment One lies in the structural design and layout position of the first pad group 5, and it is applicable to application scenarios with a relatively large number of lines to be connected.

[0065] Refer to Figures 5 to 8 , the first pad group 5 includes two sets of first pad arrays 501 that are oppositely arranged and have different electrical connection functions. Correspondingly, the second pad group 6 also includes two sets of second pad arrays that are oppositely arranged, and each set of second pad arrays is adapted to the electrical connection function of the corresponding first pad array 501.

[0066] Specifically, since the number of lines to be connected is relatively large, the first pad group 5 requires a relatively large occupied space. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first pad group 5 is fixed on the side of the rigid circuit board 2 away from the lens assembly 1 to utilize the back space of the rigid circuit board 2 as the installation space for the first pad group 5.

[0067] It can be understood that in other embodiments, when the pad group adopts a design of two sets of pad arrays, these two sets of pad arrays can also adopt any other arrangement methods except the opposite arrangement method, and can be specifically designed according to the actual product requirements, as long as the first pad group 5 is adapted to the second pad group 6.

[0068] In addition, the pad blank area on the back of the rigid circuit board 2 (that is, the area other than the area where the first pad group 5 is arranged) can be covered with non-conductive adhesive to ensure the bonding strength between the rigid circuit board 2 and the flexible circuit board 3.

[0069] Embodiment Three

[0070] This embodiment provides yet another camera module. The difference from Embodiment Two lies in the structural design of the first pad group 5, and it is also applicable to application scenarios with a relatively large number of lines to be connected.

[0071] After some electronic devices are replaced, on the premise that the installation position of the flexible circuit board 3 remains unchanged, the standard component needs to be rotated 90 degrees as a whole from its original installation position before it can be used; in this case, if Figure 7 the double-row pad structure design of the first pad group 5 shown is still adopted, since the relative positions of the pads of the first pad group 5 and the second pad group 6 change after rotation, it is difficult for the rigid circuit board 2 of the standard component to maintain electrical connection with the flexible circuit board 3.

[0072] To solve this problem, referring to Figure 9 , the first pad group 5 provided in this embodiment includes four groups of first pad arrays 501 arranged in a square. These four groups of first pad arrays 501 can be further divided into a first array group M and a second array group N. The first array group M is composed of two adjacent first pad arrays 501, and the second array group N is composed of the other two adjacent first pad arrays 501. Moreover, the electrical connection functions of the first pad arrays 501 belonging to the same array group are the same, and the electrical connection functions of the first pad arrays 501 belonging to different array groups are different.

[0073] As Figure 8 shown, the second pad group 6 still includes two sets of second pad arrays arranged oppositely, and each set of second pad arrays is adapted to the electrical connection function of the corresponding first array group M / second array group N. That is, for each set of second pad arrays, it can be normally electrically connected to any one of the two first pad arrays 501 in the corresponding array group.

[0074] Specifically, when the standard component is in the initial installation position, the first pad group 5 and the second pad group 6 are in a first relative position. At this time, one second pad array is electrically connected to a first pad array 501 in the first array group M, and the other second pad array is electrically connected to a first pad array 501 in the second array group N.

[0075] After the electronic device rotates the standard component 90 degrees for installation due to replacement, the first pad group 5 and the second pad group 6 are adjusted to a second relative position. At this time, one second pad array can be electrically connected to another first pad array 501 in the first array group M, and the other second pad array can be electrically connected to another first pad array 501 in the second array group N.

[0076] In this embodiment, each of the first pad arrays 501 and the second pad arrays includes a plurality of strip-shaped pads 5011 arranged at equal intervals.

[0077] Since the outer shapes of the first array group M and the second array group N are exactly the same, it is impossible for the staff to visually identify the difference in the electrical connection functions between the two. Therefore, in order to help the staff identify the electrical connection functions of each array group and facilitate the staff to quickly and accurately perform the electrical connection operation between the first pad group 5 and the second pad group 6, an anti-fooling structure design is also carried out in this embodiment. Exemplarily, one of the strip pads 5011 in the first pad array 501 with the first electrical connection function is preset as a mark pad 5012, and the length of the mark pad 5012 is greater than the lengths of other strip pads 5011; based on this, the staff can identify the first pad array 501 with the first electrical connection function according to the pad length, and then perform an electrical connection operation with the adapted second pad array. In this way, the misoperation of electrically connecting the first pad array 501 with an inappropriate electrical connection function to the second pad array can be effectively avoided.

[0078] In summary, the camera module provided in this embodiment is provided with four groups of first pad arrays 501, so that the first pad group 5 and the second pad group 6 can still achieve stable and reliable electrical connection after rotating 90 degrees relative to each other, further improving the universality of the lens assembly 1 and the rigid circuit board 2.

[0079] Embodiment 4

[0080] This embodiment provides a camera module, which can be applied to the electronic device provided in Embodiment 1, and the difference from Embodiments 1 to 3 lies in the shape and arrangement of the pads.

[0081] See Figure 10 and Figure 11 , each of the first pad arrays 501 and the second pad arrays includes a plurality of circular pads 5013 arranged in an equilateral triangle.

[0082] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the strip pads 5011 are replaced with circular pads 5013, and the circular pads 5013 are arranged in a triangular shape, so that more pads can be arranged within a limited area, thereby improving the space utilization rate of the epitaxial boss 201.

[0083] Embodiment 5

[0084] This embodiment provides a camera module, and the difference from Embodiment 3 lies in the anti-fooling structure design.

[0085] See Figure 12 , each of the first pad arrays 501 and the second pad arrays includes a plurality of circular pads 5013 arranged at equal intervals, and an identification mark 202 is provided at a non-diagonal intersection position of the first pad group 5.

[0086] It can be understood that based on the identification mark 202, the staff can identify the arrangement order of the four groups of first pad arrays 501 of the first pad group 5, so as to distinguish the electrical connection functions of the respective first pad arrays 501.

[0087] For example, if the identification mark 202 is pre-set at the upper left corner position adjacent to the horizontally arranged first pad array 501 with the first electrical connection function, then the subsequent staff can identify that the first pad array 501 horizontally arranged adjacent to it realizes the first electrical connection function according to the identification mark 202.

[0088] Optionally, the identification mark 202 is a visual mark such as a through hole or an inkjet pattern.

[0089] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than limiting it; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An imaging module, characterized in that, It includes a lens assembly, a rigid circuit board, and a flexible circuit board; The lens assembly is mounted on the rigid circuit board and electrically connected to the rigid circuit board; A camera module control circuit is provided on the flexible circuit board, and the flexible circuit board is detachably electrically connected to the rigid circuit board; The rigid circuit board and the flexible circuit board are electrically connected through a pad assembly; The pad assembly includes a first pad group and a second pad group; The first pad group includes four groups of first pad arrays arranged in a square pattern. Among them, two adjacent groups of the first pad arrays form a first array group, and the other two adjacent groups of the first pad arrays form a second array group; The electrical connection functions of the first pad arrays belonging to the same array group are the same, and the electrical connection functions of the first pad arrays belonging to different array groups are different; The second pad group includes two groups of second pad arrays arranged oppositely; Among them, one of the second pad arrays is electrically connected to any one of the first pad arrays in the first array group, and at the same time, the other second pad array is electrically connected to one of the first pad arrays in the corresponding second array group; The first pad group includes a group of first pad arrays, the second pad group includes a group of second pad arrays, and the electrical connection functions of the second pad arrays and the first pad arrays are adapted to each other; Alternatively, the first pad group includes two groups of first pad arrays arranged oppositely and having different electrical connection functions, and the second pad group includes two groups of second pad arrays arranged oppositely. Each group of second pad arrays is adapted to the electrical connection function of the corresponding first pad array.

2. The imaging module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first pad group and the second pad group are connected by soldering or connected by conductive adhesive.

3. The imaging module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the first pad arrays and the second pad arrays includes a plurality of strip-shaped pads arranged at equal intervals, or a plurality of circular pads arranged in an equilateral triangle pattern.

4. The imaging module according to claim 3, characterized in that, One of the strip-shaped pads in the first pad array is a mark pad, and the length of the mark pad is greater than the lengths of other strip-shaped pads.

5. The imaging module according to claim 1, characterized in that, An identification mark is provided at a non-diagonal intersection position of the first pad group.

6. The imaging module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first pad group is fixed on the rigid circuit board, and the second pad group is fixed on the flexible circuit board; Or, The second pad group is fixed on the rigid circuit board, and the first pad group is fixed on the flexible circuit board.

7. The imaging module according to claim 6, characterized in that, An extension boss for fixing the corresponding first pad group or second pad group is provided at the edge position of the rigid circuit board.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes a main board and the camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a connector interface for electrically connecting to the main board is further provided on the flexible circuit board.

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