Camera modules and electronic devices

Abstract

The present application discloses a camera module and an electronic device, belonging to the field of electronic devices. The camera module includes: a lens, a bracket, a circuit board, a photosensitive chip and a chip driving component; a receiving cavity is formed inside the bracket, the bracket is provided with a through hole that penetrates the receiving cavity, and the lens is connected to the bracket; the photosensitive chip is arranged in the receiving cavity, distributed relative to the lens, and the photosensitive chip is electrically connected to the circuit board; the chip driving component is used to drive the photosensitive chip to move in the axial direction of the through hole. According to the camera module of the present application, the distance between the photosensitive chip and the lens is adjusted by driving the photosensitive chip to move, so as to achieve the purpose of automatic focusing of the camera, which can reduce the size of the camera, and because the lens is fixed, it is avoided that the lens moves and may collide with other components, thereby causing problems such as inaccurate focusing and chipping, thereby improving the mechanical reliability of the camera.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] At present, electronic devices with camera functions are indispensable products in people's lives. Among them, autofocus products mainly use VCM (Voice Coil Motor) to drive the lens to move, so that the relative position of the lens and the photosensitive chip changes, that is, the image distance changes, thereby achieving autofocus. However, the thickness of the camera module of this type of product is relatively large, which is the bottleneck point of the stacking of the whole machine. In high-pixel products, the stacking problem in the thickness direction of the whole machine is more prominent. In addition, the voice coil motor is combined with the lens through a movable carrier. During the movement of the lens, the bottom of the lens is prone to collide with the dust-catching glue, bracket, and IR (Infrared filter), which may cause the adhesive to be out of focus, chipping, or even cracking the infrared filter, and the mechanical reliability is low. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a camera module and an electronic device that can solve the problems in the prior art such as the camera module being too large, difficulty in stacking the whole machine, and easy collision with other components during lens movement, which leads to inaccurate focus and chipping.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, this application is implemented as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a camera module, which includes a lens, a bracket, a circuit board, a photosensitive chip, and a chip driving component;

[0006] The bracket is arranged at one side of the circuit board, a receiving cavity is formed inside the bracket, a through hole is opened in the bracket and passes through the receiving cavity, the lens is connected to the bracket, and the lens covers the through hole;

[0007] The photosensitive chip is disposed in the accommodating cavity, distributed opposite to the lens, and the photosensitive chip is electrically connected to the circuit board;

[0008] The chip driving component is located between the photosensitive chip and the circuit board. The chip driving component is electrically connected to the circuit board and is also connected to the photosensitive chip for driving the photosensitive chip to move in the axial direction of the through hole.

[0009] Optionally, the chip driving component includes a chip carrier and a driving mechanism arranged on the first surface of the chip carrier, the photosensitive chip is mounted on the second surface of the chip carrier, the chip carrier is electrically connected to the circuit board and the photosensitive chip, respectively, and the driving mechanism can drive the chip carrier to move in the axial direction of the through hole, wherein the first surface and the second surface are two opposite surfaces of the chip carrier.

[0010] Optionally, the driving mechanism includes a driving arm, a slider and a slide rail;

[0011] The movable end of the driving arm is connected to the slider, the slide rail is arranged on the first surface of the chip carrier, and the slider is slidably arranged in the slide rail;

[0012] When a first voltage is applied to the driving arm, the driving arm bends and deforms toward a side facing the lens, and the driving arm drives the chip carrier to move toward the direction close to the lens through the slider;

[0013] When a second voltage is applied to the driving arm, the driving arm bends and deforms toward a side away from the lens, and the driving arm drives the chip carrier to move away from the lens through the slider;

[0014] The first voltage and the second voltage have opposite polarities.

[0015] Optionally, the chip carrier is a square plate or a rectangular plate, the number of the driving arms is multiple, the number of the sliders and the slide rails is the same as the number of the driving arms, and the multiple driving arms are symmetrically distributed about the axis of the chip carrier.

[0016] Optionally, there are two driving arms, and the two driving arms are arranged in parallel.

[0017] Optionally, the number of the driving arms is four, and the four driving arms are symmetrically distributed on two diagonals of the chip carrier or symmetrically distributed on four sides of the chip carrier.

[0018] Optionally, it further includes an elastic electrical connector, and the chip carrier is electrically connected to the circuit board via the elastic electrical connector.

[0019] Optionally, the elastic electrical connector has an inverted J-shaped structure, a first end of the elastic electrical connector is electrically connected to the circuit board, and a second end of the elastic connector is against the second surface of the chip carrier and electrically connected to the chip carrier.

[0020] Optionally, also include:

[0021] A filter is arranged between the lens and the photosensitive chip, and the filter is fixedly connected to the bracket.

[0022] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes the camera module as described in the first aspect.

[0023] In the embodiment of the present application, the photosensitive chip is driven to move to adjust the distance between the photosensitive chip and the lens, thereby achieving the purpose of automatic focusing of the camera. The size of the camera can be reduced, and because the lens is fixed, it is avoided that the lens movement may collide with other components and cause problems such as inaccurate focus and chipping, thereby improving the mechanical reliability of the camera. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a camera module in the prior art;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a camera module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the photosensitive chip and the chip carrier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a driving mechanism of a camera module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the deformation of the ion exchange polymeric metal material provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a driving arm that undergoes bending deformation according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of one type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship.

[0032] The camera module provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below through specific embodiments and their application scenarios in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 , is a schematic diagram of the structure of a camera module in the prior art. Figure 1 As shown, the camera module in the prior art includes a lens 11, a bracket 12, a filter 13, a photosensitive device 14, a circuit board 15 and a voice coil motor 16, wherein the lens 11 is fixed to the voice coil motor 16, the bottom of the voice coil motor 16 is fixed to the bracket 12, the bracket 12 is arranged on the circuit board 15, the photosensitive device 14 is placed on the circuit board 15 at a position directly opposite to the lens 11, and the filter 13 is arranged between the lens 11 and the photosensitive device 14. The automatic focusing principle of the above-mentioned camera module is as follows: according to the imaging formula: 1 / f=1 / u+1 / v, wherein f is the focal length and is a constant value; u is the object distance; v is the image distance; when the object distance changes, the image distance must be adjusted accordingly to keep the image clear, the above-mentioned camera module drives the lens 11 fixed thereon to move through the voice coil motor 16, and moves toward or away from the photosensitive device 14, thereby changing the distance between the lens 11 and the photosensitive device 14 (i.e., the image distance). However, in the process of driving the lens 11 to move, the bottom of the lens 11 is prone to collide with the dust-collecting glue, the bracket 12, and the filter 13, which may cause the glue to be out of focus, cause chips to be shattered, or even cause the filter 13 to be cracked. Therefore, the mechanical reliability of the camera module in the prior art is not high. Moreover, in the method of using the voice coil motor 16 to drive the lens 11, the volume of the voice coil motor 16 is relatively large, thereby increasing the overall thickness of the camera module, making it more difficult to stack the entire machine in the thickness direction, and increasing the thickness of the electronic product.

[0034] Therefore, please refer to Figures 2 to 4 ,in, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a camera module provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the photosensitive chip and the chip carrier provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 4Schematic diagram of the driving mechanism of the camera module provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the camera module in the embodiment of the present application may include: a lens 21, a bracket 22, a photosensitive chip 23, a chip driving component 24 and a circuit board 26, wherein the bracket 22 is arranged on one side surface of the circuit board 26, a receiving cavity is formed inside the bracket 22, and the bracket 22 is also provided with a through hole that penetrates the receiving cavity, the lens 21 is fixedly connected to the bracket 22, more specifically, the lens 21 covers the through hole; a photosensitive chip 23 and a chip driving component 24 are arranged in the receiving cavity of the bracket 22, specifically, the photosensitive chip 23 is installed and fixed on the chip driving component 24 That is, the chip driving component 24 is located between the photosensitive chip 23 and the circuit board 26, and the photosensitive chip 23 is arranged opposite to the lens 21 so as to receive the light focused by the lens 21 and convert it into an electrical signal, thereby realizing photosensitivity. Generally speaking, the photosensitive chip 23 and the lens are arranged in parallel; the chip driving component 24 is used to drive the photosensitive chip 23 to move in the axial direction of the through hole of the bracket 22, that is, the photosensitive chip 23 can move in the direction close to or away from the lens 21 to adjust the distance between the photosensitive chip 23 and the lens 21, thereby realizing the automatic focus of the camera module. In the embodiment of the present application, focusing is realized by using the chip driving component 24 to drive the photosensitive chip 23, and the lens 21 is fixed and does not need to be moved, which avoids the bottom of the lens 21 from easily colliding with the dust-catching glue, the bracket 22 and other components during the movement, thereby causing inaccurate focusing, collision and chipping, etc.

[0035] Please continue to refer to Figures 2 to 4 In the embodiment of the present application, the chip driving component 24 may include a chip carrier 241 and a driving mechanism located on a first surface of the chip carrier 241, wherein the photosensitive chip 23 is mounted and fixed on a second surface of the chip carrier 241, and the chip carrier 241 is electrically connected to the circuit board 26 and the photosensitive chip 23 respectively; specifically, the photosensitive chip 23 and the chip carrier 241 may be electrically connected via a connecting wire 25, so that the electrical signal generated by the photosensitive chip 23 after being exposed to light will be transmitted from the connecting wire 25 to the chip carrier 241; the second surface of the chip carrier 241 is close to the transparent The first surface of the chip carrier 241 is a side of the lens 21, and the first surface of the chip carrier 241 is a side facing away from the lens 21 (or is called a side away from the lens 21), and the first surface and the second surface are two opposite surfaces of the chip carrier 241; the driving mechanism is arranged on the first surface of the chip carrier 241, that is, a side surface of the chip carrier 241 away from the lens 21, so that the driving mechanism can drive the chip carrier 241 to move in a direction away from or close to the lens 21, so as to adjust the distance between the photosensitive chip 23 fixed on the chip carrier 241 and the lens 21, thereby realizing automatic focusing of the camera module.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 4 In the embodiment of the present application, the driving mechanism includes a driving arm 242, a slider 243 and a slide rail 244, wherein the movable end of the driving arm 242 is connected to the slider 243, the slide rail 244 is arranged on the first surface of the chip carrier 241, and the slider 243 is arranged in the slide rail 244; when a first voltage is applied to the driving arm 242, the driving arm 242 will bend and deform toward the side of the lens 21, so that the driving arm 242 can drive the chip carrier 241 to move toward the direction close to the lens 21 through the slider 243, and when a second voltage is applied to the driving arm 242, the driving arm 242 will bend and deform toward the side away from the lens 21, so that the driving arm 242 can drive the chip carrier 241 to move away from the lens 21 through the slider 243, wherein the polarities of the first voltage and the second voltage are opposite. Optionally, if the first voltage or the second voltage is removed, the driving arm 242 will restore the deformation.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present application, the chip carrier 241 may be a square plate or a rectangular plate, and the number of the driving arms 242 may be at least two, and the at least two driving arms 242 are symmetrically distributed about the axis of the chip carrier 241. For example, when the chip carrier 241 is a rectangular plate, the axis of the chip carrier may be a symmetry line parallel to the long side, or a symmetry line parallel to the short side; and the number of sliders 243 and slide rails 244 may be the same as the number of driving arms. Of course, two or more sliders 243 may also share a slide rail 244, so the number of slide rails 244 may also be less than the number of sliders 243.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present application, the driving mechanism may include two driving arms 242. Optionally, the two driving arms 242 may be arranged in parallel, for example, along two symmetrical sides of the chip carrier 241. For example, when the chip carrier 241 is a rectangular plate, it may be arranged along two long sides, or along two short sides.

[0039] In the embodiment of the present application, the number of the driving arms 242 can be specifically set to four, and the four driving arms 242 can be symmetrically distributed on two diagonals of the chip carrier 241 or symmetrically distributed on four sides of the chip carrier 241 . Exemplarily, the four driving arms 242 are distributed at the four corners of the chip carrier 241, and when the photosensitive chip 23 is farthest from the lens 21, the length extension line of the driving arm 242 can coincide with the diagonal line of the chip carrier 241, and the slide rail 244 can be arranged along the diagonal line of the chip carrier 241, that is, the number of the slide rails 244 is two, and the two slide rails 244 are arranged crosswise, so that the slider 243 can slide more smoothly in the slide rail 244, so as to better transmit the thrust force generated by the bending of the driving arm 242 to the chip carrier 241; for another example, the four driving arms 242 are symmetrically distributed on the four sides of the chip carrier 241, and the four slide rails 244 can be respectively installed on the four sides of the first surface of the chip carrier 241. By setting the above-mentioned driving mechanism and replacing the voice coil motor in the prior art, the volume of the camera module can be effectively reduced, and the difficulty of stacking the whole machine can be reduced, so that the thickness of the prepared electronic product is thinner.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present application, the circuit board 26 is used to support the bracket 22 and the driving mechanism. More specifically, the fixed end of the driving arm 242 in the driving mechanism is fixedly connected to the surface of the circuit board 26, so that the fixed end can obtain stable fixed support when the driving arm 242 is bent; in an optional embodiment, the fixed end of the driving arm 242 can also be pressed and fixed by the bottom of the bracket 22, that is, the fixed end of the driving arm 242 is clamped between the bottom of the bracket 22 and the circuit board 26, so that the fixed end of the driving arm 242 is fixed more firmly, thereby avoiding the position change of the driving arm 242 when it is bent, thereby causing inaccurate focusing.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present application, the camera module further includes an elastic electrical connector 27 , and the chip carrier 241 is electrically connected to the circuit board 26 via the elastic electrical connector 27 . Exemplarily, the elastic electrical connector 27 may be in an inverted J-shape, wherein a first end of the elastic electrical connector 27 is electrically connected to the circuit board 26, and a second end of the elastic electrical connector 27 abuts against a portion of the second surface of the chip carrier 241 that is not covered by the photosensitive chip 23, and is electrically connected to the chip carrier 241. Thus, the electrical signal transmitted from the photosensitive chip 23 to the chip carrier 241 via the connecting line 25 is further transmitted to the circuit board 26 via the elastic electrical connector 27, thereby realizing the output of the electrical signal of the photosensitive chip 23. Furthermore, after the driving arm 242 is bent and deformed toward one side in the direction of the lens 21 to push the chip carrier 241 to a certain height, the upward force applied by the driving arm 242 to the chip carrier 241 will be balanced with the downward pressure applied by the second end of the elastic electrical connector 27 to the chip carrier 241, thereby fixing the position of the chip carrier 241 and the photosensitive chip 23 thereon, thereby realizing stable focus.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present application, the driving arm 242 can be made of dielectric elastomer (DE), ion exchange polymer metal material (IPMC), shape memory alloy (SMA), shape memory polymer (SMP), etc. The physical quantities responded by the above smart materials can be divided into the following categories: electric field, pressure, magnetic field light, temperature, etc. In the optional real-time mode of the present application, the driving arm 242 can be made of ion exchange polymer metal material which is currently more mature. Please refer to Figure 5 , is a schematic diagram of the deformation of the ion exchange polymer metal material provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown in the figure, when a voltage is applied to the thickness direction of the ion exchange polymer metal material, the ion exchange polymer metal material will produce a large deformation, and bend toward the side where the positive voltage is applied. Therefore, the bending direction of the ion exchange polymer metal material can be controlled by controlling the direction of the power-on voltage or current, and the magnitude of the power-on voltage or current can control the bending deformation of the ion exchange polymer metal material. In view of this, please refer to Figure 6 , is a schematic diagram of the bending deformation of the driving arm provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 6As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the side of the driving arm 242 in contact with the chip carrier 241 is connected to the positive electrode, and the side of the driving arm 242 in contact with the circuit board 26 is connected to the negative electrode, so that when the driving voltage is applied to the driving arm 242 using the positive electrode and the negative electrode, the driving arm 242 can be bent toward the side connected to the positive electrode, that is, the active end of the driving arm 242 is bent toward the direction close to the lens 21, so as to push the chip carrier 241 and the photosensitive chip 23 fixed thereon, and the magnitude of the applied voltage can be controlled to achieve precise adjustment of the image distance. The embodiment of the present application realizes automatic focusing of the camera module by preparing the driving arm with ion exchange polymer metal material, replacing the voice coil motor in the prior art, which can effectively reduce the volume of the camera module, reduce the difficulty of stacking the whole machine, and reduce the thickness of the prepared electronic device.

[0043] In the embodiment of the present application, the camera module also includes a filter 28, which is arranged between the lens 21 and the photosensitive chip 23. The filter 28 is used to filter the light focused by the lens 21 to remove adverse light components. The filter 28 can be fixedly set on the bracket 22.

[0044] According to the camera module of the embodiment of the present application, the photosensitive chip is driven to move to adjust the distance between the photosensitive chip and the lens, thereby achieving the purpose of automatic focusing of the camera. The size of the camera can be reduced, and because the lens is fixed, it is avoided that the lens movement may collide with other components and cause problems such as inaccurate focus and chipping, thereby improving the mechanical reliability of the camera.

[0045] On the other hand, the embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, which includes the camera module as described in the above embodiment. The electronic device of the embodiment of the present application drives the photosensitive chip to move to adjust the distance between the photosensitive chip and the lens, thereby achieving the purpose of automatic focusing of the camera. Since the lens is fixed, it avoids the movement of the lens and possible collision with other components, which may lead to inaccurate focus and chipping, etc., improves the mechanical reliability of the camera, and can reduce the size of the camera, thereby reducing the difficulty of stacking the whole machine and reducing the thickness of the prepared electronic device.

[0046] In the embodiment of the present application, the electronic device may be at least one of a mobile phone, a navigator, a tablet computer, a camera, a laptop, and a smart wearable device.

[0047] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise one..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element. In addition, it should be pointed out that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, and may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in reverse order according to the functions involved, for example, the described method may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may also be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, the features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0048] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A camera module, characterized in that: Including lens, bracket, circuit board, photosensitive chip and chip driving assembly; The bracket is arranged at one side of the circuit board, a receiving cavity is formed inside the bracket, a through hole is opened in the bracket and passes through the receiving cavity, the lens is connected to the bracket, and the lens covers the through hole; The photosensitive chip is disposed in the accommodating cavity, distributed opposite to the lens, and the photosensitive chip is electrically connected to the circuit board; The chip driving component is located between the photosensitive chip and the circuit board, the chip driving component is electrically connected to the circuit board, and the chip driving component is also connected to the photosensitive chip, and is used to drive the photosensitive chip to move in the axial direction of the through hole; The chip driving assembly includes a chip carrier and a driving mechanism disposed on a first surface of the chip carrier, the photosensitive chip is mounted on a second surface of the chip carrier, the chip carrier is electrically connected to the circuit board and the photosensitive chip respectively, and the driving mechanism can drive the chip carrier to move in the axial direction of the through hole, wherein the first surface and the second surface are two opposite surfaces of the chip carrier; The driving mechanism comprises a driving arm, a slider and a slide rail; The movable end of the driving arm is connected to the slider, the slide rail is arranged on the first surface of the chip carrier, and the slider is slidably arranged in the slide rail; When a first voltage is applied to the driving arm, the driving arm bends and deforms toward a side facing the lens, and the driving arm drives the chip carrier to move toward the direction close to the lens through the slider; When a second voltage is applied to the driving arm, the driving arm bends and deforms toward a side away from the lens, and the driving arm drives the chip carrier to move in a direction away from the lens through the slider; The first voltage and the second voltage have opposite polarities.

2. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chip carrier is a square plate or a rectangular plate, the number of the driving arms is multiple, the number of the sliders and the slide rails is the same as the number of the driving arms, and the multiple driving arms are symmetrically distributed about the axis of the chip carrier.

3. The camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of the driving arms is two, and the two driving arms are arranged in parallel.

4. The camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of the driving arms is four, and the four driving arms are symmetrically distributed on two diagonals of the chip carrier or symmetrically distributed on four sides of the chip carrier.

5. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an elastic electrical connector, and the chip carrier is electrically connected to the circuit board through the elastic electrical connector.

6. The camera module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The elastic electrical connector is in an inverted J-shaped structure, a first end of the elastic electrical connector is electrically connected to the circuit board, and a second end of the elastic connector is disposed against a second surface of the chip carrier and is electrically connected to the chip carrier.

7. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A filter is arranged between the lens and the photosensitive chip, and the filter is fixedly connected to the bracket.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: Comprising a camera module as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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