A camera module structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to a camera module structure, comprising: an upper shell (1) and a lens (2), wherein the upper shell (1) has a housing (11), and the lens (2) is installed in the housing (11), and is characterized in that it further comprises a clamping spring (3), wherein the clamping spring (3) comprises a pressing portion (31) and a clamping portion (32), wherein the upper shell (1) is provided with a guide groove (12), and the outer peripheral wall of the lens (2) is provided with a clamping groove (21), and the clamping portion (32) is clamped in the clamping groove (21) of the lens along the guide groove (12). The camera module structure of the present invention is easy to assemble, and compared with screw connection, glue connection and other methods, it will not cause problems such as vibration, falling off, and breaking, and has good imaging quality and a long service life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of optical technology, and in particular relates to a vehicle-mounted camera module structure. Background Art

[0002] As the automotive industry moves toward autonomous driving, automotive designers and developers are increasingly focusing on active safety. Advanced driver assistance systems are both fundamental and crucial to achieving active safety and autonomous driving.

[0003] Cameras play a crucial role in driver assistance systems. Using front-view, rear-view, side-view, and 360-degree surround-view camera modules, they enable functions such as adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, collision avoidance, and parking assistance. To achieve these functions, the positioning of the camera module in relation to the vehicle is crucial; the quality of the camera module's mounting directly determines the effectiveness and success of these functions.

[0004] Traditional camera fastening methods primarily rely on screws, snaps, and glue. Over time, these methods can become loose, vibrate, or break due to vibration. Furthermore, these methods require numerous components, resulting in complex assembly and high costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a camera module structure to solve the problems of loosening, vibration and falling off in the existing camera fixing method.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a camera module structure, including: an upper shell and a lens, the upper shell having a accommodating portion, the lens being installed in the accommodating portion, and also including a retaining spring, the retaining spring including a pressing portion and a retaining portion, a guide groove being provided on the upper shell, a retaining groove being provided on the outer peripheral wall of the lens, and the retaining portion being retained in the retaining groove of the lens along the guide groove.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the clamping portion has a boss structure, and when the clamping portion is clamped in the clamping groove, the boss structure is located in the clamping groove.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, the front end side surface of the clamping portion has a guide rib that matches the guide groove.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a connecting portion is further provided between the pressing portion and the holding portion;

[0010] A second guide rib matching the guide groove is provided on a side of the connecting portion.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, the connecting portion is in the shape of a vertical plate, and the pressing portion is vertically connected to the connecting portion and has a horizontal pressing surface.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, the upper shell is further provided with a limiting block, which is located on one side of the guide groove and cooperates with the pressing portion.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, the guide groove is provided at the bottom of the upper shell.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, a through hole is provided on the connecting portion.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention, the retaining spring is made of carbon steel or spring steel.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, the lens and the accommodating portion of the upper housing are matched with each other in the form of an axis hole.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, a mounting plane is provided on the peripheral wall of the lens end to match the upper shell.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present invention, the lens is an integrated lens.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, the camera module structure further includes a circuit board, on which a photosensitive chip is provided, and the end of the lens is fixedly connected to the circuit board;

[0020] The circuit board includes a circuit substrate and a heat dissipation plate attached to the circuit substrate.

[0021] According to one aspect of the present invention, the camera module structure further includes a lower shell, which is connected to the upper shell.

[0022] According to one scheme of the present invention, the retaining spring of the present invention includes a pressing part and a holding part, and a guide groove is further provided on the upper shell body, and a holding groove is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the lens. The retaining spring of the present invention can be placed in the guide groove, and by pressing the pressing part of the retaining spring, the holding part of the retaining spring is finally held in the holding groove of the lens, thereby realizing the position fixation of the lens in the camera module. Compared with the glue connection, screw connection and other methods in the prior art, there will be no loosening, falling off, breakage and other problems, which is conducive to ensuring the camera quality and service life of the lens. In addition, the present invention sets a retaining spring to fix the lens, and the assembly operation is simpler and faster than the glue connection and screw connection.

[0023] According to one solution of the present invention, a boss is provided on the clamping portion of the clamping spring of the present invention, and is arranged so that when the clamping portion is clamped in the clamping groove of the lens, the boss is located in the clamping groove, thereby applying a force to the lens in the horizontal direction, ensuring that the lens will not be displaced in the horizontal direction, thereby ensuring the position accuracy of the lens.

[0024] According to one solution of the present invention, a guide rib is provided on the front end side of the clamping portion of the clamping spring, and a second guide rib is provided on the side of the connecting portion. When the clamping spring is installed in the guide groove, the guide rib and the second guide rib cooperate with the guide groove to play a guiding role, thereby facilitating the smooth installation of the clamping spring in the guide groove, avoiding the clamping spring from swinging back and forth and deforming, and allowing the clamping portion to eventually fall into the correct position of the lens clamping groove.

[0025] According to one aspect of the present invention, the lens and the housing of the upper housing are mated with an axial hole, thereby limiting the horizontal displacement of the lens and ensuring the horizontal position accuracy of the lens. According to another embodiment of the present invention, a mounting surface is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the lens end to mate with the outer housing. This provides anti-misalignment and position limiting functions, preventing incorrect installation of the lens after insertion into the upper housing and ensuring that the lens does not rotate during installation and subsequent use, thereby ensuring image quality.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the end of the lens is fixedly connected to a circuit board. In this invention, the circuit board comprises a circuit substrate and a heat sink bonded to the substrate. This effectively dissipates heat from the photosensitive chip, while also providing improved strength, minimal deformation, reduced lens thermal drift, and clearer imaging.

[0027] According to one solution of the present invention, the lens in the present invention adopts an integrated lens. Compared with the traditional structure of fixing the lens by glue, the integrated lens has no risk of the lens falling off, and the center of gravity of the structure is forward, so the possibility of vibration affecting the optical performance of the lens module is smaller. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 A diagram schematically showing the composition of a camera module structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a clamping spring according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of the lens, the retaining spring and the upper housing after assembly according to the present invention is shown;

[0031] Figure 4 A diagram schematically showing the composition of a camera module structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5Schematically showing the installation diagram of the clamp spring according to the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 A diagram schematically showing the cooperation between the clamping spring and the limiting block according to the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 A diagram schematically showing the structure of a lens according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 8 A schematic cross-sectional view of an assembly of a lens and an upper housing according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0036] Figure 9 The figure schematically shows the assembly of the retaining spring according to the present invention applied to the lens and the lens holder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be derived from these drawings without inventive effort.

[0038] When describing the embodiments of the present invention, the orientation or positional relationship expressed by the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the relevant drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0039] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The embodiments cannot be described one by one here, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following embodiments.

[0040] Combine Figures 1-8 As shown, the camera module structure of the present invention includes an upper shell 1, a lens 2, a retaining spring 3, a circuit board 4 and a lower shell 5.

[0041] In the present invention, the upper shell 1 is provided with a housing portion 11, and the lens 2 of the present invention is installed in the housing portion 11 of the upper shell 1. Figure 2-3As shown, the retaining spring 3 of the present invention includes a pressing portion 31 and a holding portion 32. A guide groove 12 is also provided on the upper shell 1, and a holding groove 21 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the lens 2. The retaining spring 3 of the present invention can be placed in the guide groove 12. By pressing the pressing portion 31 of the retaining spring 3, the holding portion 32 of the retaining spring 3 is finally held in the holding groove 21 of the lens 2, thereby fixing the position of the lens 2 in the camera module. Compared with the glue connection, screw connection and other methods in the prior art, there will be no problems such as loosening, falling off, and breakage, which is conducive to ensuring the camera quality and service life of the lens. In addition, the retaining spring 3 is provided to fix the lens 2 in the present invention. Compared with the glue connection and screw connection, the assembly operation is simpler and faster.

[0042] Combine Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the retaining portion 32 of the retaining spring 3 of the present invention is provided with a boss structure 321. When the retaining portion 32 is retained in the retaining groove 21 of the lens 2, the boss structure 321 is positioned within the retaining groove 21. In this embodiment, the retaining groove 21 is configured as a vertically shaped retaining groove. The boss structure 321 is configured as an arc-shaped protrusion. Positioned within the retaining groove 21, the boss 321 exerts a horizontal force on the lens 2, preventing horizontal displacement and ensuring accurate positioning of the lens 2.

[0043] According to the concept of the present invention, the setting shape of the holding groove 21 is not limited. According to other embodiments of the present invention, the holding groove 21 can be set to a groove with a certain inclination angle, and the corresponding retaining spring 3 also has a deflection angle. Such a setting can also fix and limit the lens.

[0044] In the present invention, the retaining spring 3 is made of an elastic material such as carbon steel or spring steel. Of course, according to the present invention, to ensure the retaining spring effectively secures the lens 2, the elasticity requirements for the retaining spring 3 vary depending on the location. The highest elasticity requirement is for the boss structure 321. In one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the boss structure 321 can be reduced to be smaller than the thickness of the retaining spring 3's pressing portion 31, further enhancing its elasticity.

[0045] Combine Figure 2 、 Figure 4-Figure 5 As shown, the clamping spring 3 of the present invention further includes a connecting portion 33, which is located between the pressing portion 31 and the holding portion 32. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a guide rib 322 is provided on the side surface of the front end of the holding portion 32 of the clamping spring 3, and a second guide rib 331 is provided on the side surface of the connecting portion 33. When the clamping spring 3 is installed in the guide groove 12, the guide rib 322 and the second guide rib 331 cooperate with the guide groove 12 to play a guiding role, facilitating the smooth installation of the clamping spring 3 in the guide groove 12, preventing the clamping spring 3 from deforming forward and backward, and allowing the holding portion 32 to finally fall into the correct position in the holding groove 21 of the lens 2.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the connecting portion 33 of the clip 3 is configured as a vertical plate-like structure and is in a vertical position during installation. The pressing portion 31 is arranged perpendicular to the connecting portion 33, is in a horizontal position, and has a horizontal pressing surface, which facilitates smooth installation of the clip 3.

[0047] Combine Figure 2 、 Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, a limit block 13 is further provided on the upper shell 1 of the present invention. The limit block 13 is arranged on one side of the guide groove 12. The retaining spring 3 of the present invention is installed downward along the guide groove 12, so that the horizontal pressing surface of the pressing portion 31 of the retaining spring 3 is finally located below the limit block 13 and fits with the limit block. How to ensure that the retaining spring 3 will not fall off due to factors such as vibration after installation, and can always ensure the fixed limiting effect on the lens 2.

[0048] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the pressing portion 31 is configured as a horizontal pressing surface, and the lower end surface of the limiting block 13 is also configured as a horizontal surface. This ensures that the pressing portion 31 and the limiting block 13 can closely cooperate with each other to ensure the limiting effect. Of course, according to the concept of the present invention, the pressing surface and the lower end surface of the limiting block 13 are not limited to the above-mentioned method, and can also be configured as mutually cooperating curved surfaces, etc.

[0049] Combine Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the guide groove 12 of the present invention is provided at the bottom of the upper shell 1. Specifically, the upper shell 1 can be turned over first so that its bottom faces upward, and then the lens 2 is installed from the rear end into the accommodating portion 11 of the upper shell 1, and then the retaining spring 3 is installed into the guide groove 12, and finally the lower shell 5 is fixedly connected to the upper shell 1 from above using screws, glue, etc. In this way, after the retaining spring 3 is installed, it will not affect the appearance of the camera module structure of the present invention, and can meet the dustproof and waterproof requirements. Of course, according to the concept of the present invention, the setting position of the guide groove 12 is not limited and can be set according to specific requirements.

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown, the connecting portion 33 of the retaining spring 3 of the present invention is further provided with a through hole 332. This allows for convenient removal by hooking the retaining spring 3 through the through hole 332 with a barb fixture and pulling the retaining spring 3 upward. Furthermore, the through hole 332 can also serve as a hanging point for surface treatment of the retaining spring. Specifically, to prevent corrosion, the retaining spring typically undergoes surface oxidation treatment. In this case, the through hole 332 can be used as a hanging point for surface treatment of the retaining spring 3.

[0051] Combine Figure 1 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the lens 2 of the present invention is mated with the housing 12 of the upper housing 1 via an axial hole, thereby limiting the horizontal displacement of the lens 2 and ensuring the horizontal position accuracy of the lens. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a mounting surface 22 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the distal end of the lens 2, which mates with the outer housing 1. This provides anti-misalignment and position limiting functions, preventing incorrect installation of the lens 2 after insertion into the upper housing 1 and ensuring that the lens 2 does not rotate during installation and subsequent use, thereby ensuring image quality.

[0052] like Figure 1 As shown, the circuit board 4 of the present invention is equipped with a photosensitive chip, and the end of the lens is fixedly connected to the circuit board. In the present invention, the circuit board 4 includes a circuit substrate and a heat sink bonded to the circuit substrate. This effectively dissipates heat from the photosensitive chip, while also providing improved strength, minimal deformation, reduced lens thermal drift, and clearer imaging. The heat sink can be made of a steel reinforcement plate, an aluminum substrate, a ceramic plate, or other materials with excellent heat dissipation properties.

[0053] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the lens 2 in the present invention adopts an integrated lens. Compared with the traditional structure of fixing the lens by glue, the integrated lens has no risk of the lens falling off, and the center of gravity of the structure is forward, so the possibility of vibration affecting the optical performance of the lens module is smaller.

[0054] Of course, according to the concept of the present invention, the concept of the clamping spring 3 can also be applied to other structures, such as between the lens and the lens holder. Figure 9 As shown, a split lens solution can use a retaining spring to limit the lens's forward and backward movement. First, insert lens 2 into the lens mount, ensuring that the lens 2's bearing surface is tightly aligned with the bearing surface in the lens mount. Then, insert retaining spring 3 into the lens mount, allowing it to follow the guide grooves and enter the lens mount without bending or deformation. After the retaining spring is inserted, the lens withstands the retaining spring's continuous rebound force. Finally, the retaining spring engages the lens mount's snap-in points, completing assembly.

[0055] The above description is merely one embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is susceptible to various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A camera module structure, comprising: An upper shell (1) and a lens (2), wherein the upper shell (1) has a housing portion (11), and the lens (2) is installed in the housing portion (11), and is characterized in that it also includes a clamping spring (3), and the clamping spring (3) includes a pressing portion (31) and a holding portion (32). The upper shell (1) is provided with a guide groove (12), and the outer peripheral wall of the lens (2) is provided with a holding groove (21), and the holding portion (32) is clamped in the holding groove (21) of the lens along the guide groove (12), thereby achieving a fixed position of the lens (2) in the camera module; The clamping portion (32) has a boss structure (321); when the clamping portion (32) is clamped in the clamping groove (21), the boss structure (321) is located in the clamping groove (21).

2. The camera module structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end side surface of the clamping portion (32) is provided with a guide rib (322) that matches the guide groove (12).

3. The camera module structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A connecting portion (33) is further provided between the pressing portion (31) and the holding portion (32); A second guide rib (331) that matches the guide groove (12) is provided on the side of the connecting portion (33).

4. The camera module structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting portion (33) is in the shape of a vertical plate, and the pressing portion (31) is vertically connected to the connecting portion (33) and has a horizontal pressing surface.

5. The camera module structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The upper shell (1) is further provided with a limiting block (13), and the limiting block (13) is located on one side of the guide groove (12) and cooperates with the pressing portion (31).

6. The camera module structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The guide groove (12) is arranged at the bottom of the upper shell (1).

7. The camera module structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The connecting portion (33) is provided with a through hole (332).

8. The camera module structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping spring (3) is made of carbon steel or spring steel.

9. The camera module structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lens (2) and the accommodating portion (11) of the upper housing (1) are matched with each other via an axis hole.

10. The camera module structure according to claim 9, characterized in that: A mounting plane (22) is provided on the peripheral wall of the end of the lens (2) to match the upper shell (1).

11. The camera module structure according to claim 1, wherein: The lens (2) is an integrated lens.

12. The camera module structure according to claim 1, wherein: The camera module structure further comprises a circuit board (4), a photosensitive chip is provided on the circuit board (4), and the end of the lens (2) is fixedly connected to the circuit board (4); The circuit board (4) comprises a circuit substrate and a heat dissipation plate attached to the circuit substrate.

13. The camera module structure according to claim 1, wherein: The camera module structure further comprises a lower shell (5), and the lower shell (5) is connected to the upper shell (1).

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