A camera module

Abstract

The present invention relates to a camera module, comprising: a lens, including a lens barrel; an upper shell, one side of which is provided with a lens barrel mounting hole, and the upper shell has a bottom wall and a side wall; a circuit board, used to set a photosensitive chip, electronic components and connectors, and a lower shell, one side of the lower shell is opposite to the other side of the upper shell except for the side provided with the lens barrel mounting hole, thereby forming a cavity for accommodating a part of the lens, the circuit board, the photosensitive chip, the electronic components and the connectors, the lens barrel mounting hole of the upper shell forms a hole-axis fit with the lens barrel, the lens barrel and the upper shell are made of metal material, and a flange portion is provided on the side of the lens barrel, the diameter of the flange portion is larger than the diameter of the lens barrel mounting hole, and at least a portion of the flange portion is connected to at least a portion of the bottom wall of the upper shell by laser welding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of camera modules represented by vehicle-mounted camera modules, and in particular to a laser welding fixation and sealing structure of a metal lens and a metal shell of a camera module represented by a vehicle-mounted camera module. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the automotive industry, the application technology of vehicle-mounted cameras is becoming more and more mature. As one of the advanced driving assistance means, a camera module is usually installed on the car, especially a forward-looking automatic driving camera module. The lens of the camera module is made of metal to ensure that the image quality is within a controllable range when the temperature changes; and the sealing requirements of the camera module are very high. In addition, the power consumption of high-pixel camera modules is getting higher and higher, so the modules with high heat dissipation requirements are all made of metal shells.

[0003] At present, metal lenses and metal shells are usually fixed and sealed by sealing rings and threaded locking. As described in Patent Document 1, a waterproof camera for rear-mounted vehicles has an outer thread for fixing the lens to the shell on the outer periphery of the shell; the shell has an annular trapezoidal groove on the rear side of the lens, the trapezoidal groove has an inclined surface relative to the rear end face of the lens, and an O-type rubber sealing ring is provided in the trapezoidal annular groove; and a sealing rubber layer is also provided between the lens and the shell.

[0004] The main disadvantage of sealing based on sealing rings is that during assembly, the entry of foreign matter or dust will affect the sealing effect. The misalignment of the sealing ring during assembly will also cause the sealing to fail. The sealing ring is also prone to hardening over time and cause sealing failure. When the threads are rotated for assembly, dust generated by friction may fall into the housing, causing image stains. There is also a risk of loosening of the thread fixation, resulting in poor camera sealing or poor image quality.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent document 1: CN203573070U Summary of the invention

[0008] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0009] The present invention is a camera module proposed to solve the problems in the prior art, comprising:

[0010] A lens, including a lens barrel;

[0011] An upper shell, one side of which is provided with a lens barrel mounting hole, and the upper shell has a bottom wall and a side wall; a circuit board, for arranging a photosensitive chip, electronic components and connectors, and

[0012] A lower shell, one side of the lower shell is opposite to the other side of the upper shell except for the side provided with the lens barrel mounting hole, so as to form a cavity for accommodating a part of the lens, the circuit board, the photosensitive chip, the electronic components and the connector,

[0013] The lens barrel mounting hole of the upper shell forms a hole-axis match with the lens barrel,

[0014] The lens barrel and the upper shell are made of metal material.

[0015] A flange portion is provided on the side of the lens barrel, the diameter of the flange portion is larger than the diameter of the lens barrel mounting hole, and at least a portion of the flange portion is connected to at least a portion of the bottom wall of the upper shell by laser welding.

[0016] In addition, preferably, a first annular boss is provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the upper shell.

[0017] The outer diameter of the first annular boss is the same as the outer diameter of the flange portion,

[0018] At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between the lower surface of the flange portion and the upper surface of the first annular boss constitutes a laser welded portion.

[0019] In addition, preferably, a first annular groove is provided on the first annular boss, and the first annular groove divides the first annular boss into an inner annular convex portion and an outer annular convex portion, and a first annular convex portion corresponding to the first annular groove is provided on the flange portion.

[0020] At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between the lower surface of the flange portion and the upper surface of the outer annular protrusion portion constitutes the laser welded portion.

[0021] In addition, preferably, a second annular groove is provided on the flange portion, and the second annular groove divides the flange portion into an inner annular convex portion and an outer annular convex portion, and a second annular convex portion corresponding to the second annular groove is provided on the first annular boss.

[0022] At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between an upper surface of the first annular boss and a lower surface of the outer annular protrusion constitutes the laser welded portion.

[0023] In addition, preferably, a first recessed portion is provided on the upper surface of the first annular boss near the outer side of the lens barrel.

[0024] At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between a lower surface of the flange portion and an upper surface of a portion of the first annular boss excluding the first recessed portion constitutes the laser welded portion.

[0025] In addition, preferably, a first protrusion is provided on the upper surface of the first annular boss near the outer side of the lens barrel.

[0026] At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between a lower surface of the flange portion and an upper surface of a portion of the first annular boss excluding the first protruding portion constitutes the laser welded portion.

[0027] In addition, preferably, a second annular boss and a third annular boss are provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the upper shell, the second annular boss and the third annular boss are integrally formed, and the second annular boss is located on the inner side of the third annular boss.

[0028] The height of the third annular boss is higher than that of the second annular boss, and the height difference between the third annular boss and the second annular boss is substantially the same as the thickness of the flange portion, and the inner diameter of the third annular boss is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the flange portion.

[0029] At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between the side surface of the flange portion and the inner side surface of the third annular boss constitutes the laser welded portion.

[0030] In addition, preferably, a third annular groove is provided on the second annular boss, and a third annular protrusion corresponding to the third annular groove is provided on the flange portion.

[0031] In addition, preferably, a fourth annular groove is provided on the flange portion, and a fourth annular protrusion corresponding to the fourth annular groove is provided on the second annular boss.

[0032] Furthermore, preferably,

[0033] An art seam capable of accommodating a welding molten zone is arranged at the laser welding portion.

[0034] The present invention also provides a method for installing a camera module, which is characterized in that:

[0035] The installation method of the camera module comprises the following steps:

[0036] Installing the other side of the upper shell except the side provided with the lens barrel mounting hole opposite to the one side of the lower shell;

[0037] Installing the lens barrel in the lens barrel installation hole of the upper shell;

[0038] And at least a portion of the flange portion is connected to at least a portion of the bottom wall of the upper shell by laser welding.

[0039] Effects of the Invention

[0040] As a beneficial effect of the present invention, the metal lens and the metal shell are fixed by laser welding, without the risk of loosening, the reliability is improved, and the image quality of the camera module is guaranteed; the metal lens and the metal shell are fixed by laser welding, the lens assembly has no rotating threads, and there is no dust risk, which reduces the risk of image stains in the camera module; the metal lens and the metal shell are sealed by laser welding, which reduces the sealing ring material and improves the sealing performance of the shell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0042] Figure 1 It is an axial cross-sectional view of the camera module of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 2 It is a top view of the welding structure of the camera module of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 3a and Figure 3b This is the first embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel and the upper shell of the camera module of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 4a and Figure 4b It is a variation of the first embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel and the upper shell of the camera module of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 5a and Figure 5b It is a variation of the first embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel and the upper shell of the camera module of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 6a and Figure 6b This is the second embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel and the upper shell of the camera module of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 7a and Figure 7b It is a variation of the second embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel and the upper shell of the camera module of the present invention.

[0049] Description of Reference Numerals

[0050] Camera module 1; lens 2; lens barrel 21; upper shell 3; bottom wall 31; side wall 32; photosensitive chip 4; circuit board 5; lower shell 6; cavity 7; laser welding parts 8, 81, 82; welding molten zone 9; art seam 10; flange part 211; first annular boss 311; second annular boss 312; third annular boss 313; first annular groove 3111; second annular groove 2112; third annular groove 3121; fourth annular groove 2116; first annular raised portion 2111; second annular raised portion 3114; third annular raised portion 2115; fourth annular raised portion 3122; inner raised portions 3112, 2113; outer raised portions 3113, 2114; first recessed portion 3115; first raised portion 3116.

[0051] It should be understood that the size of each component shown in the accompanying drawings is not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. In addition, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure and its application or use. The present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure thorough and complete and to fully express the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise stated, the relative arrangement of the components and steps, the composition of the materials, the numerical expressions and the numerical values, etc., described in these embodiments should be interpreted as being merely exemplary and not as limiting.

[0053] The words "include" or "comprises" and the like used in this disclosure mean that the elements before the word include the elements listed after the word, and do not exclude the possibility of also including other elements. "Up", "down", "left", "right", "horizontal", "vertical" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0054] All terms (including technical terms or scientific terms) used in the present disclosure have the same meanings as those understood by ordinary technicians in the field to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or extremely formal sense, unless explicitly defined in this article.

[0055] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered as part of the specification.

[0056] The embodiment of the present invention discloses a camera module 1, such as Figure 1 As shown, the camera module 1 includes a lens 2, an upper shell 3, a lower shell 6 and a circuit board 5, etc.

[0057] The lens 2 includes a lens barrel 21, which is roughly cylindrical. Although not specifically shown in the figure, a plurality of lenses are assembled in the lens barrel 21. The lens barrel 21 is made of metal materials such as aluminum alloy, copper, stainless steel, etc. A flange portion 211 for assembling the lens barrel 2 to the upper shell 3 is provided on the side of the lens barrel 21. The details of the flange portion 211 will be described later. In the installed state, at least a portion of the lens barrel 21 is exposed outside the upper shell 3.

[0058] The upper shell 3 has a bottom wall 31 and a side wall 32, and a lens barrel mounting hole for mounting the lens barrel 21 is provided on one side thereof, and the other side is opposite to one side of the lower shell 6. The upper shell 3 can be set to any shape such as a cylinder or a square cylinder according to the application scenario, and there is no special limitation on its shape. The lens barrel mounting hole of the upper shell 3 forms a hole-axis match with the lens barrel 21. Through the hole-axis match, the lens 2 and the upper shell 3 can obtain a high concentricity and form a vertical fit. At the same time, a part of the hole-axis match can act as a limiting structure and a foreign matter blocking structure, thereby ensuring the high consistency between the lens and the upper shell 3 before and after welding, and also ensuring that foreign matter will not fall into the shell during welding. The upper shell 3 is made of metal materials such as aluminum alloy, copper, and stainless steel. Specifically, foreign matter generated during welding refers to welding shavings, dust, etc.

[0059] The circuit board 5 is used to set the photosensitive chip 4, electronic components and connectors.

[0060] One side of the lower shell 6 is opposite to the other side of the upper shell 3 except for the side provided with the lens barrel mounting hole, thereby forming a cavity 7 for accommodating a part of the lens 2, the circuit board 5, the photosensitive chip 4, the electronic components and the connector.

[0061] The shell of the lens barrel 2, the upper shell 3 and the lower shell 6 are collectively referred to as the shell.

[0062] like Figure 2 As shown, laser full-circle welding is adopted at the joint part of the lens barrel 21 and the bottom wall 31 of the upper shell 3, so as to realize the connection and fixation of the lens 2 and the upper shell 3, and also play a sealing role between the lens 2 and the upper shell 3. In this embodiment, the laser welding part 8 of the lens barrel 2 and the upper shell 3 is a circular structure, so that the laser welding has continuity, and the circular lens barrel is also convenient for lathe processing. However, the welding of the lens barrel 2 and the upper shell 3 is not limited to a circular shape, and the structure of the welding part of the lens barrel 2 and the upper shell 3 can be made into a square or other special-shaped structure as needed.

[0063] Figure 3a and Figure 3b This is the first embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel 21 and the upper shell 3 of the camera module 1 of the present invention, which will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0064] The side of the lens barrel 21 has a flange 211, and a continuous first annular boss 311 is provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall 31 of the upper shell 3. The outer diameter of the first annular boss 311 is the same as the outer diameter of the flange 211, and the inner diameter of the first annular boss 311 is the same as the inner diameter of the lens barrel mounting hole of the upper shell 3. Thus, the reliability of the hole-axis structure of the lens barrel 21 and the upper shell 3 can be further improved, and at least a part of the seam formed by the lower surface of the flange 211 and the upper surface of the first annular boss 311 can be used to form the laser welding part 81.

[0065] Figure 3a and Figure 3b The difference between the two embodiments is that Figure 3a In the embodiment, the laser welding portion 81 is provided with an art seam 10 which can accommodate the welding molten zone 9 (not shown in the figure), so that the welding product is more beautiful.

[0066] Figure 4a and Figure 4b This is a variation of the first embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel 21 and the upper shell 3 of the camera module 1 of the present invention, which will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0067] like Figure 4a As shown, a first annular groove 3111 is provided on the first annular boss 311, and the first annular groove 3111 separates the first annular boss 311 into an inner annular protrusion 3112 and an outer annular protrusion 3113, and a first annular protrusion 2111 corresponding to the first annular groove 3111 is provided on the flange portion 211, and at least a part of the joint formed by the lower surface of the flange portion 211 and the upper surface of the outer annular protrusion 3113 constitutes the laser welding portion 81.

[0068] A gap may be provided between the first annular groove 3111 and the first annular protrusion 2111 , and the gap may accommodate foreign matter and thus prevent the foreign matter from entering the interior of the housing.

[0069] like Figure 4bAs shown, a second annular groove 2112 is provided on the flange portion 211, and the annular groove 2112 separates the flange portion 211 into an inner annular protrusion 2113 and an outer annular protrusion 2114, and a second annular protrusion 3114 corresponding to the second annular groove 2112 is provided on the first annular boss 311, and at least a part of the joint formed by the upper surface of the first annular boss 311 and the lower surface of the outer annular protrusion 2114 constitutes the laser welding portion 81.

[0070] Figure 4a and Figure 4b The laser welding portion 81 of the embodiment may be provided with an art seam 10 (not shown in the figure) for accommodating the welding molten zone 9.

[0071] Figure 5a and Figure 5b This is also a variation of the first embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel 21 and the upper shell 3 of the camera module 1 of the present invention, which will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0072] like Figure 5a As shown, a first recessed portion 3115 is provided on the upper surface of the first annular boss 311 near the outer side of the lens barrel 21, and at least a portion of a joint formed by connecting the lower surface of the flange portion 211 and the upper surface of the first annular boss 311 excluding the first recessed portion 3115 constitutes a laser welding portion 81.

[0073] like Figure 5b As shown, a first protrusion 3116 is provided on the upper surface of the first annular boss 311 near the outer side of the lens barrel 21, and at least a part of the joint formed by connecting the lower surface of the flange portion 211 and the upper surface of the first annular boss 311 excluding the first protrusion 3116 constitutes a laser welding portion 81.

[0074] Figure 5a and Figure 5b The laser welding portion 81 of the embodiment may be provided with an art seam 10 (not shown in the figure) for accommodating the welding molten zone 9.

[0075] Figure 6a and Figure 6b This is the second embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel 21 and the upper shell 3 of the camera module 1 of the present invention, which will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0076] like Figure 6aAs shown, a second annular boss 312 and a third annular boss 313 are provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall 31 of the upper shell 3, the second annular boss 312 and the third annular boss 313 are integrally formed, and the second annular boss 312 is located on the inner side of the third annular boss 313, and the inner diameter of the second annular boss 312 is the same as the inner diameter of the lens barrel mounting hole of the upper shell 3. In addition, the height of the third annular boss 313 is higher than the height of the second annular boss 312, and the height difference between the third annular boss 313 and the second annular boss 312 is substantially the same as the thickness of the flange portion 211, the inner diameter of the third annular boss 313 is the same as the outer diameter of the flange portion 211, and at least a portion of the joint formed by the outer side surface of the flange portion 211 and the inner side surface of the third annular boss 313 is connected to form a laser welding portion 82. The contact position between the lower surface of the flange portion 211 and the upper surface of the second annular boss 312 can serve as a limiting structure and a baffle. The limiting structure can ensure that the height of the metal tube and the upper shell are consistent before and after welding. The role of the baffle is specifically to play a fixing role, which can minimize the displacement of the upper shell lens barrel.

[0077] Figure 6a and Figure 6b The difference between the two embodiments is Figure 6a The laser welding portion 82 of the embodiment is provided with an art seam 10 which can accommodate the welding molten zone 9, thus making the welding product more beautiful.

[0078] Figure 7a and Figure 7b This is a variation of the second embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel and the upper shell of the camera module of the present invention, which is described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0079] like Figure 7a As shown, a third annular groove 3121 is provided on the second annular boss 312, and a third annular protrusion 2115 corresponding to the third annular groove 3121 is provided on the flange portion 211. A gap may be provided between the third annular groove 3121 and the third annular protrusion 2115, and the gap may accommodate foreign matter, thereby preventing the foreign matter from entering the interior of the housing.

[0080] like Figure 7b As shown, a fourth annular groove 2116 is provided on the flange portion 211 , and a fourth annular protrusion 3122 corresponding to the fourth annular groove 2116 is provided on the second annular boss 312 .

[0081] As Figure 5a and Figure 5b According to another variation of the second embodiment of the welding structure of the lens barrel 21 and the upper shell 3 of the camera module 1, a structure corresponding to the above-mentioned groove and the protrusion can be set at the position where the side of the flange portion 211 and the inner side of the third annular boss 313 are connected, except for the position of the laser welding portion.

[0082] As a beneficial effect of the present invention, the metal lens and the metal shell are fixed by laser welding, without the risk of loosening, the reliability is improved, and the image quality of the camera module is guaranteed; the metal lens and the metal shell are fixed by laser welding, the lens assembly has no rotating threads, and there is no dust risk, which reduces the risk of image stains in the camera module; the metal lens and the metal shell are sealed by laser welding, which reduces the sealing ring material and improves the sealing performance of the shell.

[0083] The present invention also provides a method for installing a camera module 1, comprising the following steps:

[0084] Remove the side of the upper shell 3 where the lens barrel mounting hole is provided and install it opposite to the side of the lower shell 6.

[0085] The flange part 21 is installed in the lens barrel installation hole of the upper shell 3.

[0086] At least a portion of the flange portion 21 is connected to at least a portion of the upper shell 3 by laser welding.

[0087] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described above are only used to explain the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes according to the technical solutions and inventive concepts of the present invention within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A camera module, comprising: A lens, including a lens barrel; An upper shell, one side of which is provided with a lens barrel mounting hole, and the upper shell has a bottom wall and a side wall; Circuit board, used to set photosensitive chips, electronic components and connectors, and A lower shell, one side of the lower shell is opposite to the other side of the upper shell except for the side provided with the lens barrel mounting hole, so as to form a cavity for accommodating a part of the lens, the circuit board, the photosensitive chip, the electronic components and the connector, The lens barrel mounting hole of the upper shell forms a hole-axis match with the lens barrel, The lens barrel and the upper shell are made of metal material. A flange portion is provided on the side of the lens barrel, the diameter of the flange portion is larger than the diameter of the lens barrel mounting hole, and at least a portion of the flange portion is connected to at least a portion of the bottom wall of the upper shell by laser welding. A first annular boss is provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the upper shell. The outer diameter of the first annular boss is the same as the outer diameter of the flange portion, At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between the lower surface of the flange portion and the upper surface of the first annular boss constitutes a laser welded portion.

2. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first annular groove is provided on the first annular boss, and the first annular groove divides the first annular boss into an inner annular convex portion and an outer annular convex portion, and a first annular convex portion corresponding to the first annular groove is provided on the flange portion. At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between the lower surface of the flange portion and the upper surface of the outer annular protrusion portion constitutes the laser welded portion.

3. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second annular groove is provided on the flange portion, and the second annular groove divides the flange portion into an inner annular convex portion and an outer annular convex portion. A second annular convex portion corresponding to the second annular groove is provided on the first annular boss. At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between an upper surface of the first annular boss and a lower surface of the outer annular protrusion constitutes the laser welded portion.

4. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first recessed portion is provided on the upper surface of the first annular boss near the outer side of the lens barrel. At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between a lower surface of the flange portion and an upper surface of a portion of the first annular boss excluding the first recessed portion constitutes the laser welded portion.

5. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: A first protrusion is provided on the upper surface of the first annular boss near the outer side of the lens barrel. At least a portion of a joint formed by contact between a lower surface of the flange portion and an upper surface of a portion of the first annular boss excluding the first protruding portion constitutes the laser welded portion.

6. The camera module according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: An art seam capable of accommodating a welding molten zone is arranged at the laser welding portion.

7. A method for installing a camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The installation method of the camera module comprises the following steps: The other side of the upper shell except the side provided with the lens barrel mounting hole is mounted opposite to the one side of the lower shell; Installing the lens barrel in the lens barrel installation hole of the upper shell; and At least a portion of the flange portion is connected to at least a portion of the bottom wall of the upper shell by laser welding.

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