Camera module and method for using the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a camera module and a method for using the camera module, belonging to the technical field of optical imaging equipment, and solving the technical problem of high cost when installing multiple lenses. The camera module includes a box body; a photosensitive chip installed in the box body; N lenses, respectively installed on the side walls of the box body, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 3; a driving mechanism installed in the box body; a lens group, installed at the power output end of the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism drives the lens group to selectively guide the light introduced by one of the N lenses to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip. The camera module has the advantages of lower cost and more compact structure, and can integrate at least 3 lenses in one camera module to obtain different shooting results, and is more practical.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of optical imaging equipment, and in particular relates to a camera module and a method for using the camera module. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the mobile Internet era, electronic products with camera functions (such as mobile phones) have a higher degree of integration, and the number of camera modules on them is also increasing. Each camera module includes components such as lenses, brackets, chips, filters, etc. Although multi-lens electronic products have better shooting effects and can obtain more shooting results, in existing camera modules, one lens corresponds to one bracket, one chip and one filter. Installing multiple lenses requires multiple brackets, multiple chips and multiple filters, which leads to higher costs. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention provides a camera module for solving the technical problem of high cost when installing multiple lenses.

[0004] The present invention is implemented by the following technical solution: A camera module, comprising:

[0005] Box body;

[0006] A photosensitive chip is installed in the box body;

[0007] N lenses are respectively mounted on the side walls of the box body, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 3;

[0008] A driving mechanism is installed in the box body;

[0009] A lens group is installed at the power output end of the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism drives the lens group to selectively guide the light introduced by one of the N lenses to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to better implement the present invention, the box body includes a first side wall, a second side wall, a third side wall and a fourth side wall connected end to end to form a closed ring;

[0011] The N lenses are divided into a first lens group, a second lens group and a third lens group, and the first lens group, the second lens group, the third lens group and the photosensitive chip are respectively mounted on the first side wall, the second side wall, the third side wall and the fourth side wall.

[0012] Furthermore, in order to better realize the present invention, the first lens group, the second lens group, and the third lens group are respectively provided with a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens; the lens group includes a prism for transmitting light, and a first plane mirror and a second plane mirror for reflecting light.

[0013] Furthermore, in order to better implement the present invention, the prism has at least a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, and the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror are respectively mounted on the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface.

[0014] Furthermore, in order to better implement the present invention, the prism is in the shape of a quadrangular pyramid or an isosceles trapezoidal pyramid.

[0015] Further, in order to better implement the present invention, the number of the first lens, the second lens, and the third lens is one, and the axis of the first lens, the axis of the second lens, and the axis of the third lens are located in a first plane.

[0016] Furthermore, in order to better realize the present invention, the driving mechanism drives the lens group to move along a straight line L parallel to the third side wall, so as to reflect the light introduced by the first lens to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip through the first plane mirror at the first position, and reflect the light introduced by the second lens group to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip through the second plane mirror at the second position; and transmit the light introduced by the third lens group to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip through the prism at the third position.

[0017] Further, in order to better implement the present invention, when the number of the first lens and the second lens is multiple and the number of the third lens is one, the driving mechanism drives the lens group to move along a straight line X parallel to the first side wall and a straight line Y parallel to the third side wall.

[0018] Further, in order to better implement the present invention, when the number of the first lens, the second lens and the third lens is plural, the driving mechanism drives the lens group to move along a straight line Z, and the straight line Z is perpendicular to the straight line X and the straight line Y.

[0019] The present invention also provides a method for using the above camera module, wherein the N lenses include an i-th lens, each of the lenses corresponds to an imaging circle, wherein 1≤i≤N, and the method for using the camera module includes:

[0020] The driving mechanism is used to drive the lens group to move to the imaging circle corresponding to the i-th lens, and the light introduced by the i-th lens is guided to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip through the lens group.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] (1) The camera module provided by the present invention includes a box body, a photosensitive chip, N lenses, a driving mechanism and a lens group, wherein the photosensitive chip is installed in the box body, the N lenses are respectively installed on the side walls of the box body, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 3, the driving mechanism is also installed in the box body, and the lens group is installed at the power output end of the driving mechanism so as to selectively guide the light introduced by one of the N lenses to the photosensitive area of ​​the chip under the drive of the driving mechanism. Through the above structure, the driving mechanism is used to drive the lens group to move to different positions in the box body, so that the lens group can guide the light introduced by different lenses to the photosensitive area of ​​the chip. In this way, at least three lenses can share the same chip and the same lens group, so that at least three lenses are integrated in the same camera module to obtain different shooting results, which is lower in cost and more compact in structure.

[0023] (2) The method for using the camera module provided by the present invention includes N lenses including the i-th lens, each lens corresponds to an imaging circle, wherein 1≤i≤N, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 3, and the method for using the camera module includes using a driving mechanism to drive the lens group to move to the imaging circle corresponding to the i-th lens, and guiding the light introduced by the i-th lens to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip through the lens group. Through this method, at least three lenses can share the same chip and the same lens group, thereby integrating at least three lenses in the same camera module to obtain different shooting results, with lower cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be 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 paying creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a lens group in a camera module provided by an embodiment of the present invention when it is in a first position (the number of lenses in the first lens group, the second lens group and the third lens group are all one);

[0026] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the camera module in the second position shown;

[0027] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the camera module in the third position shown;

[0028] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a camera module in an embodiment of the present invention when the first lens group and the second lens group both include a plurality of lenses and the third lens group includes one lens;

[0029] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the connection structure between the driving mechanism and the lens group in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] In the figure:

[0031] 1-box body; 101-first side wall; 102-second side wall; 103-third side wall; 104-fourth side wall; 2-photosensitive chip; 3-first lens; 4-second lens; 5-third lens; 6-driving mechanism; 7-bracket; 8-prism; 81-first inclined plane; 82-second inclined plane; 9-first plane mirror; 10-second plane mirror; 11-circuit board. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] To make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other implementation methods obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] Embodiment 1:

[0034] The camera module provided in this embodiment integrates at least three lenses into one camera module, thereby solving the problem of high cost of multi-camera modules in the prior art. Specifically, at least three lenses share a photosensitive chip 2 and a lens group, thereby reducing the number of photosensitive chips 2 used in the multi-camera module, so that the camera module provided in this embodiment can have at least three lenses, achieve the effect of installing multiple lenses, save costs, and have a simpler structure.

[0035] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the camera module includes a box body 1, a photosensitive chip 2, N lenses, a driving mechanism 6 and a lens group. The box body 1 is a closed box, and the photosensitive chip 2, the driving mechanism 6 and the lens group are all installed inside the box body 1, wherein the photosensitive chip 2 is a chip that can receive light and form an image, and the driving mechanism 6 is installed on an inner side wall of the box body 1. The above-mentioned lens group is installed at the power output end of the driving mechanism 6, that is, the driving mechanism 6 can drive the lens group to move in the box body 1, thereby realizing the position change of the lens group in the box body 1.

[0036] N lenses are respectively mounted on the side walls of the box body 1, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 3. The driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to selectively introduce the light of one of the N lenses into the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2. Through the above structure, at least three lenses can share the same photosensitive chip 2, so that at least three lenses are integrated in the same camera module to obtain different shooting results, and the structure is more compact.

[0037] In addition, the camera module provided in this embodiment also includes a circuit board 11 used in conjunction with the photosensitive chip 2, and the circuit board 11 is mounted on a side wall of the box body 1 by screws and is located inside the box body 1. The photosensitive chip 2 is mounted on the circuit board 11, and the photosensitive chip 2 is electrically connected to the circuit board 11, thereby achieving the purpose of installing the photosensitive chip 2 in the box body 1.

[0038] As a specific implementation of this embodiment, the box body 1 in this implementation includes a first side wall 101, a second side wall 102, a third side wall 103 and a fourth side wall 104 connected end to end to form a closed ring, wherein the first side wall 101 is directly opposite to the second side wall 102, and the third side wall 103 is directly opposite to the fourth side wall 104. As a specific implementation, the box body 1 in this embodiment is a rectangular box, and the first side wall 101, the second side wall 102, the third side wall 103 and the fourth side wall 104 are connected end to end to form a closed rectangular ring. As another specific implementation, the first side wall 101, the second side wall 102, the third side wall 103 and the fourth side wall 104 are connected end to end to form a closed rectangular ring, and the closed rectangular ring is a part of the box body 1, and the other part of the box body 1 can be in any shape, such as a pentagon or an octagon, that is, the box body 1 in this specific implementation has an irregular shape.

[0039] In this embodiment, the N lenses are divided into a first lens group, a second lens group, and a third lens group. The first lens group, the second lens group, the third lens group, and the photosensitive chip 2 are respectively mounted on the first side wall 101, the second side wall 102, the third side wall 103, and the fourth side wall 104 of the box body 1. Figure 2 As shown, the first side wall 101 and the second side wall 102 are arranged opposite to each other, so the first lens group and the second lens group are also arranged opposite to each other. The third side wall 103 and the fourth side wall 104 are arranged opposite to each other, so the third lens group and the photosensitive chip 2 are also arranged opposite to each other, wherein the third lens group is adjacent to the first lens group and the second lens group respectively.

[0040] As a more specific implementation of this embodiment, in this implementation, the first lens group includes a first lens 3, the second lens group includes a second lens 4, and the third lens group includes a third lens 5. The first lens 3 is mounted on the first side wall 101, the second lens 4 is mounted on the second side wall 102, and the third lens 5 is mounted on the third side wall 103. The above-mentioned lens group includes a prism 8 for transmitting light, a first plane mirror 9 and a second plane mirror 10 for emitting light. In this embodiment, the prism 8 has at least a first inclined surface 81 and a second inclined surface 82 that are symmetrically arranged, and the first plane mirror 9 and the second plane mirror 10 are mounted on the first inclined surface 81 and the second inclined surface 82, respectively. Figure 1 As shown, when the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move to the first position, the light introduced by the first lens 3 is reflected by the first plane mirror 9 to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2. Figure 2 As shown, when the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move to the second position, the light introduced by the second lens 4 is reflected by the second plane mirror 10 to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2. Figure 3 As shown, when the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move to the third position, the light introduced by the third lens 5 is guided to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2 through the prism 8.

[0041] In this implementation, there are multiple situations, three of which are described in detail below:

[0042] The first situation: the number of the first lens 3, the second lens 4 and the third lens 5 is one, that is, one lens is installed on each of the first side wall 101, the second side wall 102 and the third side wall 103, which are the first lens 3, the second lens 4 and the third lens 5 respectively. It should be noted that the first lens 3, the second lens 4 and the third lens 5 are respectively embedded in the first side wall 101, the second side wall 102 and the third side wall 103, and the axis of the first lens 3, the axis of the second lens 4 and the axis of the third lens 5 are all located in the same plane, and the plane is defined as the first plane. At this time, the first position, the second position and the third position are on a straight line, which is defined as a straight line L, and the straight line L is located in the first plane, and the straight line L is parallel to the second side wall 102 and the fourth side wall 104. The driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move back and forth along the straight line L between the first position, the second position and the third position, so that the light introduced by any one of the first lens 3, the second lens 4 and the third lens 5 can be selectively guided to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2.

[0043] The second situation: Figure 4As shown, the number of the first lens 3 and the second lens 4 is multiple, and the number of the third lens 5 is one, that is, multiple first lenses 3 are installed on the first side wall 101, multiple second lenses 4 are also installed on the second side wall 102, and one third lens 5 is installed on the third side wall 103. In addition, the axis of the lens installed on the third side wall 103 and the axis of the lens on the first side wall 101 and the axis of the lens on the second side wall 102 are all located in the same plane, and the plane is defined as the second plane. In the second plane, a straight line parallel to the first side wall 101 and the third side wall 103 is defined as straight line X, and a straight line parallel to the second side wall 102 and the fourth side wall 105 is defined as straight line Y. The driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move in the second plane. Specifically, when the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move along the straight line Y, it can switch between the first lens 3, the second lens 4 and the third lens 5. When the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move along the straight line Y to a position corresponding to the first lens 3, and then drives the lens group to move along the straight line X, it is possible to switch back and forth between the plurality of first lenses 3. When the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move along the straight line Y to a position corresponding to the second lens 4, and then drives the lens group to move along the straight line X, it is possible to switch back and forth between the plurality of second lenses 4. In this case, since there are many positions where the lens group stays, they will not be described one by one.

[0044] The third situation: the number of the first lens 3, the second lens 4 and the third lens 5 is several, that is, the number of lenses installed on the first side wall 101, the second side wall 102 and the third side wall 103 is several. In this case, the driving mechanism 6 can be set as a multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm. For the convenience of explanation, the second plane, the X line and the Y line defined in the second situation are borrowed here, and further, a straight line perpendicular to the second plane is defined as the straight line Z. The multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical arm drives the lens group to move along the straight line X and / or the straight line Y and / or the straight line Z in the box body 1, so as to switch back and forth between different lenses, that is, to guide the light introduced by different lenses to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2. The situation in which the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move along the X line and the Y line is the same as the second situation above, so it will not be described in detail here. When the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to move along the straight line Z, it can switch back and forth between multiple third lenses 5. However, in this case, a reflective lens needs to be set on the lens group to reflect the light introduced by the third lens 5 that is not directly facing the photosensitive chip 2 to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2.

[0045] Alternatively, when the box body 1 is a polyhedron or a special shape, the multi-degree-of-freedom robot arm needs to drive the lens group to rotate around the straight line X and / or the straight line Y and / or the straight line Z in the box body 1. Specifically, when the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to rotate, the lens group is located at a position corresponding to a first lens 3. After the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to rotate 180° around the straight line Z, the lens group moves to a position corresponding to a second lens 4. In the above case, since there are many positions where the lens group stays, they will not be described one by one.

[0046] The first situation mentioned above is adopted in this embodiment, that is, the number of the first lens 3, the second lens 4 and the third lens 5 is one, and the first lens 3 and the second lens 4 are arranged opposite to each other. It should be noted that the first lens 3, the second lens 4 and the third lens 5 are all facing the outside of the box body 1, so as to make it easy to project the light outside the box body 1 into the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2 in the box body 1. In this embodiment, the axis of the first lens 3 and the axis of the second lens 4 are located on a straight line, so the first inclined surface 81 and the second inclined surface 82 are symmetrically arranged.

[0047] In other embodiments, the first lens 3 and the second lens 4 may be staggered. In this case, the first inclined plane and the second inclined plane are asymmetrically arranged. It is sufficient that the first plane mirror 9 on the first inclined plane can reflect the light introduced by the first lens 3 to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2, and the second plane mirror on the second inclined plane can fold the light introduced by the second lens 4 to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2.

[0048] The prism 8 in this embodiment is in the shape of a quadrangular pyramid or an isosceles trapezoid. When the prism 8 is in the shape of a quadrangular pyramid, the first plane mirror 9 and the second plane mirror 10 are respectively pasted on the two opposite inclined surfaces of the prism 8, that is, the two opposite inclined surfaces of the prism 8 at this time are the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface, and the two mutually parallel planes of the prism 8 at this time are parallel to the third side wall 103 and the fourth side wall 104 of the box body 1. When the prism 8 is in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, the first plane mirror 9 and the second plane mirror 10 are respectively pasted on the two inclined surfaces of the prism 8, that is, the two inclined surfaces of the prism 8 at this time are the above-mentioned first inclined surface 81 and the second inclined surface 82, and at this time the upper bottom surface and the lower bottom surface of the prism 8 are respectively parallel to the third side wall 103 and the fourth side wall 104 of the box body 1. The camera module structure using the above structure is more compact and beautiful, and can accurately guide light from different directions to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2 in the box body 1. When the driving mechanism 6 drives the lens group to be located at the third position, the light introduced by the third lens 5 on the third side wall 103 directly passes through the two parallel planes of the prism 8 and reaches the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2 .

[0049] In this embodiment, the driving mechanism 6 is a linear motor with low cost, and the lens group is connected to the power output end of the linear motor. Of course, when the number of the first lens 3 and the second lens 4 is multiple, the driving mechanism 6 can be composed of two linear motors, namely the first linear motor and the second linear motor. The first linear motor is installed at the power output end of the second linear motor, and the lens group is installed at the power output end of the first linear motor. The travel directions of the two linear motors are perpendicular to each other. Specifically, the travel direction of the first linear motor is parallel to the above-mentioned straight line X, and the travel direction of the second linear motor is parallel to the above-mentioned straight line Y. In this way, the lens group can be driven to translate along the straight line X and the straight line Y.

[0050] As a more specific implementation of this embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, the lens group in this embodiment is mounted on a bracket 7, and the bracket 7 is directly mounted on the power output end of the driving mechanism 6, so as to protect the lens group. More specifically, the prism 8 of the above-mentioned lens group is mounted on the bracket 7.

[0051] Embodiment 2:

[0052] This embodiment provides a method for using the camera module in Embodiment 1 (also referred to as a method for selecting different lenses). First, the N lenses of the camera module in Embodiment 1 include the i-th lens, and each lens corresponds to an imaging circle, wherein 1≤i≤N, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 3. The method includes the following steps:

[0053] The driving mechanism 6 is used to drive the lens group to move to the imaging circle corresponding to the i-th lens, and the light introduced by the i-th lens is guided to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2 through the lens group.

[0054] It is worth noting that the “imaging circle” mentioned here is actually the imaging position and area of ​​the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip 2 that the lens group can guide the light introduced by the corresponding lens.

[0055] Through this method, it is possible to switch back and forth between N lenses in an orderly manner, that is, to select different lenses for shooting, which is simple and convenient.

[0056] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A camera module, characterized in that: include: The box body comprises a first side wall, a second side wall, a third side wall and a fourth side wall connected end to end to form a closed ring; A photosensitive chip is installed in the box body; N lenses, divided into a first lens group, a second lens group and a third lens group, the first lens group, the second lens group, the third lens group and the photosensitive chip are respectively mounted on the first side wall, the second side wall, the third side wall and the fourth side wall, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 3; A driving mechanism is installed in the box body; A lens group, including a prism for transmitting light, a first plane mirror and a second plane mirror for reflecting light, is installed at the power output end of the driving mechanism. The driving mechanism drives the lens group to move along a straight line parallel to the first side wall and / or parallel to the third side wall, and selectively guides the light introduced by one of the N lenses to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip.

2. A camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first lens group, the second lens group and the third lens group are respectively provided with a first lens, a second lens and a third lens.

3. A camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The prism has at least a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, and the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror are mounted on the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface respectively.

4. A camera module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The prism is in the shape of a quadrangular pyramid or an isosceles trapezoidal pyramid.

5. A camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of the first lens, the second lens and the third lens is one, and the axis of the first lens, the axis of the second lens and the axis of the third lens are located in a first plane.

6. A camera module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The driving mechanism drives the lens group to move along a straight line L parallel to the third side wall, so as to reflect the light introduced by the first lens to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip through the first plane mirror at the first position, and reflect the light introduced by the second lens group to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip through the second plane mirror at the second position; and transmit the light introduced by the third lens group to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip through the prism at the third position.

7. A camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the number of the first lens and the second lens is plural and the number of the third lens is one, the driving mechanism drives the lens group to move along the straight line X parallel to the first side wall and the straight line Y parallel to the third side wall.

8. A camera module according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the number of the first lens, the second lens and the third lens is plural, the driving mechanism drives the lens group to move along a straight line Z, and the straight line Z is perpendicular to the straight line X and the straight line Y.

9. A method for using the camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The N lenses include an i-th lens, each of the lenses corresponds to an imaging circle, wherein 1≤i≤N, and the use method includes: The driving mechanism is used to drive the lens group to move to the imaging circle corresponding to the i-th lens, and the light introduced by the i-th lens is guided to the photosensitive area of ​​the photosensitive chip through the lens group.

Images