Camera modules and electronic equipment

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present application provide a camera module and an electronic device, the camera module including a lens, an image sensor, a dimming component and a filter, the lens and the image sensor are arranged relative to each other, the dimming plate is arranged on the light input side or the light output side of the lens, and is electrically connected to the control unit, the dimming plate includes at least a first dimming area and a second dimming area, and the control unit is used to control the transmittance of the first dimming area and the second dimming area. The camera module is provided with the dimming plate on one side of the lens, and the control unit can control the transmittance of the first dimming area and the second dimming area so that the transmittance of the first dimming area is less than the transmittance of the second dimming area. The transmittance of high-intensity light reflected in the highlight shooting area is reduced, the oversaturation of the imaging of the highlight area of ​​the camera module is suppressed, and the shooting effect of the camera module is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of camera components, and specifically relates to a camera module and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous upgrading of electronic devices, the functions of electronic devices are becoming more and more diversified. Take the camera function of mobile phones as an example. In order to improve the user's shooting experience, the camera function of mobile phones has gradually emerged with shooting functions such as night scene photography and dark recording.

[0003] Traditional mobile phones mainly use High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology to obtain high-quality images. For example, the three-exposure HDR technology uses different exposure times for the same channel, and controls the simultaneous exposure of long, medium and short times through the chip. Specifically, the exposure switch corresponding to the short-exposure pixel point is turned off first, and then the exposure switches corresponding to the medium-exposure and long-exposure pixels are turned off in turn, thereby obtaining a frame of image data with different exposure times, and then merging the pixel output data of the same channel to obtain naturally exposed images and videos.

[0004] However, traditional HDR technology has the problems of high power consumption, large data processing volume, long processing time and motion ghosting, which reduces the user's shooting experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application aims to provide a camera module and an electronic device that at least solves one of the problems of the background technology.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a camera module, including:

[0008] A lens, an image sensor and a filter, wherein the lens and the image sensor are arranged opposite to each other, and the filter is attached to a side of the image sensor close to the lens;

[0009] A dimming component, the dimming component includes a control unit and a dimming plate, the dimming plate is arranged on the light input side or the light output side of the lens and is electrically connected to the control unit;

[0010] The dimming plate includes at least a first dimming area and a second dimming area, and the control unit is used to control the transmittance of the first dimming area and the second dimming area so that the transmittance of the first dimming area is less than the transmittance of the second dimming area.

[0011] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, including a mainboard and the camera module described in the first aspect;

[0012] The main board is electrically connected to the control unit.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, a camera module is provided, the camera module comprising a lens, an image sensor, a dimming component and a filter. The camera module is provided with the dimming plate on the light input side or the light output side of the lens, and the control unit can control the transmittance of the first dimming area and the second dimming area so that the transmittance of the first dimming area is less than the transmittance of the second dimming area. The transmittance of high-intensity light reflected in the highlight shooting area is reduced, the oversaturation of the imaging of the highlight area of ​​the camera module is suppressed, and the shooting effect of the camera module is improved.

[0014] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the description below, and in part will become apparent from the description below, or will be learned through the practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 2 is an exploded diagram of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 3 is an exploded diagram of another camera module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of another camera module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a camera module during shooting according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a dimming component of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another dimming component of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Reference numerals:

[0025] 1-lens; 11-lens; 2-image sensor; 3-dimming component; 31-control unit; 32-dimming plate; 321-first dimming area; 322-second dimming area; 323-ion storage layer; 324-electrochromic layer; 325-electrolyte; 326-protective glass; 327-vertical polarizer; 328-horizontal polarizer; 329-liquid crystal light valve; 4-filter; 5-lens bracket. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and should not be construed as limitations on the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] The term "first" or "second" in the specification and claims of this application may include one or more of the features explicitly or implicitly. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims means at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally means that the objects connected before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0028] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0029] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0030] Combine the following Figure 1 - Figure 8 Describe a camera module and an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present application, a camera module is provided, and the camera module includes:

[0032] A lens 1, an image sensor 2, a dimming component 3 and a filter 4, wherein the lens 1 and the image sensor 2 are arranged relative to each other, and the lens 1 can use the principle of convex lens imaging to converge the light of the object to the surface of the image sensor 2, and then form an image on the image sensor 2; the filter 4 is attached to the side of the image sensor 2 close to the lens 1.

[0033] See also Figure 2 and Figure 5 The dimming component 3 at least includes a control unit 31 and a dimming plate 32. The dimming plate 32 is arranged on the light input side or the light output side of the lens 1 and is electrically connected to the control unit 31. The dimming plate 32 can adjust the exposure intensity of the light converged by the lens 1, such as playing the role of dimming or maintaining light intensity. The dimming plate 32 includes a first dimming area 321 and a second dimming area 322. The control unit 31 is used to control the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the second dimming area 322, so that the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 is less than the transmittance of the second dimming area 322.

[0034] Specifically, when the camera module is shooting, for areas with different exposure intensities in the same frame of photo, the image saturation of the highlight area is too high, while the image of the low dark area is blurred and dark, which will make the light and dark contrast of the image shot by the camera module too strong, and the shooting effect is greatly reduced. The control unit 31 described in the present application can control the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the second dimming area 322, so that the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 is less than the transmittance of the second dimming area 322. For example, for areas with different exposure intensities in the same frame of photo, the first dimming area 321 can significantly reduce the image exposure intensity of the highlight area, thereby reducing the image saturation of the highlight area, while the second dimming area 322 can slightly reduce the image exposure intensity of the low dark area or keep the image exposure intensity of the low dark area unchanged, so that the exposure of the captured image is natural, and the dynamic shooting effect of the camera module is improved.

[0035] Specifically, since infrared light is invisible light, the filter 4 can filter the infrared light in the light focused by the lens 1, so that the image sensor 2 can capture effective light and improve the imaging effect of the image sensor 2. In addition, the camera module also includes a lens holder 5, which can serve as a carrier of the lens 1 and perform focusing operations on the lens 1, thereby improving the protection and focusing effects of the lens 1.

[0036] The camera module provided in the embodiment of the present application is provided with the dimming plate 32 on one side of the lens 1, and the control unit 31 can control the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the second dimming area 322, so that the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 is less than the transmittance of the second dimming area 322. The transmittance of high-intensity light reflected from the highlight shooting area is reduced, the oversaturation of the imaging in the highlight area of ​​the camera module is suppressed, and the dynamic range and high dynamic range (HDR) effect of the camera module are improved. In addition, the adjustment of the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the transmittance of the second dimming area 322 by the camera module described in the present application does not rely on the image sensor, and has the characteristics of simple calculation, low power consumption, and easy promotion and popularization.

[0037] Optionally, the control unit 31 is used to apply a first voltage to the first dimming area 321, and the first voltage is proportional to the transmittance of the first dimming area 321; the control unit 31 is used to apply a second voltage to the second dimming area 322, and the second voltage is proportional to the transmittance of the second dimming area 322.

[0038] Specifically, the dimming film 32 can be a voltage sensing film, that is, the transmittance of the dimming film 32 will change with the change of the voltage on both sides of the dimming film 32. For example, when the voltage on both sides of the dimming film 32 gradually increases, the transmittance of the dimming film 32 will gradually increase. The control unit 31 can be a power chip, which can output an adjustable voltage to both sides of the dimming film 32, and then flexibly adjust the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the transmittance of the second dimming area 322, so that the image captured by the camera module can effectively control the exposure of the highlight area, and the low dark area can maintain a good exposure, so as to improve the shooting effect of the camera module. In addition, the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the transmittance of the second dimming area 322 can be adjusted by a variety of voltage adjustment methods, such as electrochromic adjustment, or polarization adjustment. In a specific embodiment, when the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the transmittance of the second dimming area 322 are both adjusted by electrochromic method, the first voltage is less than the second voltage to achieve the purpose of flexibly adjusting the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the second dimming area 322.

[0039] Specifically, see Figure 6 , the control unit 31 is a chip, the dimming film 32 includes an ion storage layer 323, an electrochromic layer 324 and an electrolyte 325 disposed between the ion storage layer 323 and the electrochromic layer 324;

[0040] The positive electrode of the chip is electrically connected to the ion storage layer 323 , and the negative electrode of the chip is electrically connected to the electrochromic layer 324 .

[0041] Specifically, the chip can be a power chip applied to the dimming film 32. When no voltage is applied to the ion storage layer 323 and the electrochromic layer 324, the dimming film 32 is in a transparent state, specifically, the electrochromic layer 324 is in a transparent state, and the dimming film 32 basically has no effect on the converged light of the lens 1. When a voltage is applied to the ion storage layer 323 and the electrochromic layer 324, the lithium ions stored in the ion storage layer 323 will be injected into the thin film lattice gap of the electrochromic layer 324 after passing through the electrolyte 325 under the action of the electric field, so that the lithium ions can undergo an oxidation-reduction reaction, and the electrons in the lithium ions can absorb photons after transition, thereby causing the electrochromic layer 324 to change color, so as to achieve the purpose of light reduction. In addition, the state of the electrolyte 325 can be liquid, solid or gel, and the electrochromic layer 324 can be an inorganic transition metal oxide or an organic material. The electrochromic layer 324 on the dimming film 32 may include a plurality of electrochromic units distributed in an array. The plurality of electrochromic units may adjust exposure to different extents for different regions according to exposure requirements of captured images, thereby achieving a local dimming effect.

[0042] Specifically, see Figure 6 The dimming film 32 further includes a protective glass 326 , and the protective glass 326 is disposed on the outer sides of the ion storage layer 323 and the electrochromic layer 324 .

[0043] Specifically, since the ion storage layer 323 and the electrochromic layer 324 need to perform ion transfer and ion reaction, it is necessary to ensure the structural integrity of the ion storage layer 323 and the electrochromic layer 324. The protective glass 326 can be disposed on the outside of the ion storage layer 323 and the outside of the electrochromic layer 324 to effectively protect the ion storage layer 323 and the electrochromic layer 324.

[0044] Specifically, see Figure 7 , the control unit 31 is a chip, the dimming plate 32 includes a vertical polarizer 327, a horizontal polarizer 328 and a liquid crystal light valve 329 disposed between the vertical polarizer 327 and the horizontal polarizer 328;

[0045] The positive electrode of the chip is electrically connected to a side of the liquid crystal light valve 329 close to the vertical polarizer 327 , and the negative electrode of the chip is electrically connected to a side of the liquid crystal light valve 329 close to the horizontal polarizer 328 .

[0046] Specifically, the chip can be a power chip applied to the dimming film 32. The liquid crystal light valve 329 can rotate the liquid crystal angle to a certain extent according to the voltage change at both ends thereof, thereby achieving the effect of light refraction. When the liquid crystal light valve 329 is not applied with voltage, the liquid crystal light valve 329 can pass the vertical polarized light normally, while the vertical polarized light cannot pass through the horizontal polarizer 328, so as to achieve the purpose of blocking the light; when the liquid crystal light valve 329 is applied with voltage, the liquid crystal angle of the liquid crystal light valve 329 rotates, and the vertical polarized light passing through the vertical polarizer 327 is also rotated by a certain angle due to the refraction of the liquid crystal light valve 329, so that some light can pass through the horizontal polarizer 328. The liquid crystal light valve 329 can control the light intensity passing through the horizontal polarizer 328 by controlling the liquid crystal deflection angle by voltage.

[0047] Alternatively, see Figure 2 The dimming film 32 is arranged between the lens 1 and the image sensor 2.

[0048] Specifically, since the dimming film 32 can adjust its transmittance under the action of voltage, in order to ensure the stability of the transmittance adjustment of the dimming film 32, the dimming film 32 can be set between the lens 1 and the image sensor 2, and the dimming film 32 is protected by the lens 1 and the image sensor 2.

[0049] Alternatively, see Figure 3 and Figure 4 The dimming film 32 is arranged on a side of the lens 1 away from the image sensor 2 .

[0050] Specifically, since the lens 1 is located outside the camera module, the lens 1 can directly converge the light of the photographed object onto the surface of the image sensor 2. When the dimming sheet 32 ​​is arranged on the side of the lens 1 away from the image sensor 2, the dimming sheet 32 ​​is placed on the top of the camera module. The dimming sheet 32 ​​can be flexibly replaced and adjusted on the basis of ensuring the adjustment of its transmittance, thereby increasing the diversity of the types of the dimming sheet 32.

[0051] Alternatively, see Figure 8 The lens 1 includes a lens 11, and the dimming film 32 is integrally formed with the lens 11.

[0052] Specifically, the separate setting of the dimming sheet 32 ​​requires consideration of the installation stability of the dimming sheet 32 ​​on the one hand, and on the other hand, the dimming sheet 32 ​​will occupy the setting space of the camera module, which is not conducive to the miniaturization of the camera module. When the dimming sheet 32 ​​and the lens 11 are integrally formed, that is, the dimming sheet 32 ​​is integrated into the lens 1, and then electrically connected to the mainboard of the electronic device through the FPC (flexible circuit board), the dimming sheet 32 ​​can also regulate its transmittance.

[0053] Optionally, the dimming plate 32 also includes a third dimming area, and the control unit 31 is used to control the transmittance of the third dimming area so that the transmittance of the third dimming area is different from the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the transmittance of the second dimming area 322.

[0054] Specifically, when the camera module is shooting, for areas with different exposure intensities in the same frame of photo, the image saturation of the highlight area is too high, the image saturation of the medium-bright area is close to the real image, and the image of the low-dark area is blurred and dark, which will make the light-dark contrast of the image shot by the camera module too strong, and the shooting effect is greatly reduced. The control unit 31 described in the present application can control the transmittance of the first dimming area 321, the second dimming area 322 and the third dimming area, so that the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 is less than the transmittance of the second dimming area 322, and the transmittance of the third dimming area is different from the transmittance of the first dimming area 321 and the transmittance of the second dimming area 322. For example, for areas with different exposure intensities in the same frame of photo, the first dimming area 321 can significantly reduce the image exposure intensity of the highlight area, thereby reducing the image saturation of the highlight area, and fine-tuning the transmittance of the third dimming area to ensure the image saturation of the medium-bright area; and the second dimming area 322 can reduce the image exposure intensity of the low dark area or keep the image exposure intensity of the low dark area unchanged, so that the exposure of the captured image is natural, thereby improving the dynamic shooting effect of the camera module.

[0055] The embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, including a mainboard and the camera module;

[0056] The main board is electrically connected to the control unit 31 .

[0057] Specifically, the mainboard can analyze the brightness area distribution of the shooting object according to the shooting object of the camera module, and generate filtering data. The mainboard transmits the filtering data to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 forms independent dimming of different areas on the dimming plate 32 according to the filtering data. For example, the transmittance of the high-intensity light area is significantly reduced, and the transmittance of the low-intensity light area is slightly reduced or maintained, so that the transmittance of light areas with different intensities is reduced to different degrees, thereby improving the dynamic range and HDR effect of the electronic device.

[0058] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0059] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present application, and that the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A camera module, characterized in that: include: A lens (1), an image sensor (2) and a filter (4), wherein the lens (1) and the image sensor (2) are arranged relative to each other, and the filter (4) is attached to a side of the image sensor (2) close to the lens (1); A dimming component (3), the dimming component (3) comprising a control unit (31) and a dimming plate (32), the dimming plate (32) being arranged on the light input side or the light output side of the lens (1) and being electrically connected to the control unit (31); The dimming sheet (32) comprises at least a first dimming area (321) and a second dimming area (322), and the control unit (31) is used to control the transmittance of the first dimming area (321) and the second dimming area (322) according to the filter data generated by analyzing the brightness area distribution of the photographed object, so that the transmittance of the first dimming area (321) is less than the transmittance of the second dimming area (322), and independent dimming of different areas is formed on the dimming sheet (32), wherein the first dimming area (321) corresponds to the highlight area of ​​the photographed object, so that the transmittance of light areas with different intensities is reduced to different degrees; The control unit (31) is a chip, and the dimming film (32) comprises an ion storage layer (323), an electrochromic layer (324), and an electrolyte (325) disposed between the ion storage layer (323) and the electrochromic layer (324); The positive electrode of the chip is electrically connected to the ion storage layer (323), and the negative electrode of the chip is electrically connected to the electrochromic layer (324).

2. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit (31) is used to apply a first voltage to the first dimming area (321), and the first voltage is proportional to the transmittance of the first dimming area (321). The control unit (31) is used to apply a second voltage to the second dimming area (322), and the second voltage is proportional to the transmittance of the second dimming area (322).

3. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dimming film (32) further comprises a protective glass (326), wherein the protective glass (326) is arranged outside the ion storage layer (323) and the electrochromic layer (324).

4. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit (31) is a chip, and the dimming plate (32) comprises a vertical polarizing plate (327), a horizontal polarizing plate (328), and a liquid crystal light valve (329) arranged between the vertical polarizing plate (327) and the horizontal polarizing plate (328); The positive electrode of the chip is electrically connected to a side of the liquid crystal light valve (329) close to the vertical polarizer (327), and the negative electrode of the chip is electrically connected to a side of the liquid crystal light valve (329) close to the horizontal polarizer (328).

5. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dimming film (32) is arranged between the lens (1) and the image sensor (2).

6. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dimming plate (32) is arranged on a side of the lens (1) away from the image sensor (2).

7. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lens (1) comprises a lens (11), and the dimming plate (32) and the lens (11) are integrally formed.

8. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dimming plate (32) also includes a third dimming area, and the control unit (31) is used to control the transmittance of the third dimming area so that the transmittance of the third dimming area is different from the transmittance of the first dimming area (321) and the transmittance of the second dimming area (322).

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: Comprising a mainboard and the camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The main board is electrically connected to the control unit (31).

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