Anti-shake camera module

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of anti-shake camera module, it includes: module shell;Intermediate support seat, it is arranged in module shell and the space in module shell is divided into upper chamber and lower chamber;Optical lens, it is set in the upper chamber;Lens OIS carrier, the optical lens is installed in the lens OIS carrier;Photosensitive chip, it is set in the lower chamber;Chip OIS carrier, the photosensitive chip is fixed in the chip OIS carrier;Lens OIS ball, it is arranged between the bottom surface of the lens OIS carrier and the upper surface of the intermediate support seat;And chip OIS ball, it is arranged between the top surface of the chip OIS carrier and the lower surface of the intermediate support seat.The anti-shake camera module of the present application is easy to assemble, can effectively control module height, has big anti-shake stroke and has AF function.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of camera module technology, and more specifically, to a compact image-stabilized camera module suitable for installation in portable electronic devices. Background Technology

[0002] Mobile phone camera modules are a crucial component of smart equipment, and their application scope and volume in the market are constantly growing. With technological advancements, both work and life are increasingly embracing smart technology, and a key prerequisite for achieving this is effective interaction with the external environment. A crucial method for achieving this interaction is visual perception, which primarily relies on camera modules. It can be said that camera modules have transformed from obscurity into a vital and critical component of smart equipment.

[0003] As consumers' demand for mobile phone photography increases, the functions of mobile phone cameras (i.e., camera modules) are becoming more and more abundant. Features such as portrait shooting, telephoto shooting, optical zoom, and optical image stabilization are all integrated into cameras with limited space. Among them, functions such as autofocus, optical image stabilization, and optical zoom often rely on optical actuators (sometimes also called motors) to achieve their functions.

[0004] A typical camera module with a motor usually includes a lens, a motor mechanism (or simply a motor), and a photosensitive element. In shooting mode, light from the subject is focused through the lens onto the photosensitive element (usually a photosensitive chip) of the photosensitive element. Structurally, the lens is fixed to the motor carrier, a movable part that typically moves the lens along the optical axis under the action of the motor's drive components to achieve focusing. For camera modules with optical image stabilization (OIS), the motor often has a more complex structure. This is because, in addition to driving the lens to move along the optical axis, the motor also needs to drive the lens to move in other degrees of freedom (e.g., perpendicular to the optical axis) to compensate for camera shake during shooting. Generally speaking, camera module shake includes translation (x-axis and y-axis translation) and rotation (rotation in the xoy plane, whose axis of rotation can be approximately the same as the optical axis) perpendicular to the optical axis, as well as tilt shake (rotation around the x-axis and y-axis; in the field of camera modules, tilt shake is also called tilt shake). When the gyroscope (or other position sensing element) in the module detects shake in a certain direction, it can issue a command to drive the motor to move the lens a distance in the opposite direction, thereby compensating for lens shake.

[0005] However, as the image quality requirements of mobile phone camera modules increase, the size and weight of lenses also increase, placing higher demands on the driving force of motors. Current electronic devices (such as mobile phones) also face significant size constraints on camera modules, and the space occupied by the motor increases accordingly with the lens size. In other words, while lenses are trending towards larger size and greater weight, the driving force provided by the motor cannot be increased accordingly. With limited driving force, the heavier the lens, the shorter the stroke the motor can take to move the lens, affecting image stabilization capabilities. To address this, a chip-based image stabilization solution has been proposed, where the motor is located at the image sensor, achieving image stabilization by driving the image sensor to move. Since the image sensor is typically lighter than the lens, this allows for a greater stabilization stroke. Simultaneously, the optical lens of the camera module can be equipped with an autofocus (AF) drive module, thus simultaneously achieving autofocus and image stabilization functions.

[0006] Currently, to further improve the resolution of camera modules, the area of ​​image sensors is increasing year by year. However, existing chip-based image stabilization technologies are becoming increasingly difficult to apply to larger image sensors. For example, when the image sensor area is large, its movement distance is limited, resulting in insufficient stabilization travel. On the other hand, large-area image sensors require larger lenses to accommodate them and maximize their photographic performance, leading to a corresponding increase in the size of the lens's driving components. Furthermore, the thickness of mobile phones is strictly limited, resulting in mobile phone camera modules typically not exceeding 10mm. How to fit the increasingly complex driving components and their suspension structures into a mobile phone within this strict thickness constraint is a major challenge that those skilled in the art need to solve.

[0007] In summary, there is an urgent need for a camera module solution that is easy to assemble, can effectively control module height, has a large stabilization travel, and has AF functionality. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a solution for a stabilized camera module that is easy to assemble, can effectively control the module height, has a large stabilization travel, and has AF function.

[0009] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention provides a stabilized camera module, comprising: a module housing having a cylindrical module sidewall and a module top cover extending inwardly from the top of the module sidewall, the module top cover having a central light-transmitting hole; an intermediate support base disposed within the module housing and dividing the space within the module housing into an upper chamber and a lower chamber; an optical lens disposed in the upper chamber; a lens OIS carrier on which the optical lens is mounted; a photosensitive chip disposed in the lower chamber; a chip OIS carrier on which the photosensitive chip is fixed; a lens OIS ball disposed between the bottom surface of the lens OIS carrier and the upper surface of the intermediate support base; and a chip OIS ball disposed between the top surface of the chip OIS carrier and the lower surface of the intermediate support base.

[0010] The lower chamber is provided with a movable chip assembly, which includes a circuit board, a photosensitive chip attached to the upper surface of the circuit board, a filter holder mounted or formed on the upper surface of the circuit board and surrounding the photosensitive chip, and a filter mounted on the filter holder; wherein the filter holder serves as the chip OIS carrier, and the chip OIS ball is disposed between the top surface of the filter holder and the lower surface of the intermediate support.

[0011] The image stabilization camera module further includes a chip OIS inner frame and a lead structure; the chip assembly is fixed to the chip OIS inner frame, and the chip OIS inner frame is connected to the module housing and electrically conductive through the lead structure.

[0012] The module housing includes a lens OIS housing and a chip OIS outer frame, which are formed separately. The bottom surface of the lens OIS housing is fixed to the top surface of the chip OIS outer frame, and the intermediate support is fixed to the chip OIS outer frame or to the lens OIS housing.

[0013] The module housing is integrally formed and includes a lens OIS housing and a chip OIS outer frame.

[0014] The module sidewall includes a lens OIS sidewall and a chip OIS outer frame. The lens OIS sidewall and the intermediate support are integrally formed. The separately formed module top cover is fixed to the top of the lens OIS sidewall. The top surface of the chip OIS outer frame rests on and is installed on the lower surface of the intermediate support.

[0015] The lens OIS carrier includes a limiting frame and a second carrier and a lens carrier located within the limiting frame. The optical lens is mounted and fixed to the lens carrier. The second carrier surrounds the outer side of the lens carrier, and AF balls are disposed between the outer side of the lens carrier and the inner side of the second carrier.

[0016] The limiting frame has a base portion, a side wall portion, and a top cover portion. The side wall portion is located outside the second carrier. The base portion extends horizontally inward from the bottom of the side wall portion, and the top cover portion extends horizontally inward from the top of the side wall portion.

[0017] The second carrier is fixed to the limiting frame, and both the second carrier and the lens carrier are located between the top cover and the base.

[0018] An AF ball is provided between the lens carrier and the second carrier, and the lens carrier is adapted to move relative to the second carrier along the optical axis of the camera module under the action of the AF coil and the AF magnet.

[0019] The lens OIS housing is disposed around the periphery of the limiting frame, and the lens OIS coil and lens OIS magnet are disposed in the gap between the lens OIS housing and the limiting frame.

[0020] The lens OIS ball bearing is disposed between the bottom surface of the limiting frame and the upper surface of the intermediate support.

[0021] The lead structure includes multiple parallel strip-shaped elastic connectors, each of which extends and bends along the xoy plane, which is perpendicular to the optical axis of the camera module. For each strip-shaped elastic connector, one end is connected to the outer side or bottom surface of the chip OIS inner frame, and the other end is connected to the bottom area of ​​the inner side of the module housing.

[0022] The intermediate support is in the shape of a rectangular plate, with first ball grooves at the four corners of its upper surface, each first ball groove holding one lens OIS ball; and second ball grooves at the four corners of its lower surface, each second ball groove holding one chip OIS ball.

[0023] In a top-down view, the first ball groove is located around the second ball groove.

[0024] In the chip assembly, the filter holder is a molded part directly formed on the surface of the circuit board based on a molding process. The molded part covers the metal lines and at least a portion of the electronic components on the circuit board. The chip OIS ball bearing is disposed between the lower surface of the intermediate support and the top surface of the molded part.

[0025] The chip OIS ball and the lens OIS ball are both disposed in a cylindrical ball groove or in a ball groove whose bottom surface is a spherical arc surface.

[0026] The top surface of the filter holder is provided with a cylindrical ball groove or a ball groove with a spherical arc surface at the bottom.

[0027] The module housing includes a lens OIS housing and a chip OIS outer frame. The chip OIS inner frame is connected to and electrically conductive to the chip OIS outer frame through the lead structure. The axial dimension of the chip OIS outer frame is greater than the axial dimension of the OIS inner frame, where the axial direction is the optical axis direction of the image stabilization camera module.

[0028] The image stabilization camera module further includes a control unit, which is used to control the photosensitive chip or the optical lens to move independently along the xoy plane relative to the intermediate support to compensate for the image stabilization when the image stabilization of the camera module occurs and the amount of stabilization does not exceed a preset threshold; and to control the photosensitive chip and the optical lens to move along the xoy plane relative to the intermediate support in opposite directions when the image stabilization of the camera module occurs and the amount of stabilization exceeds the preset threshold, in order to compensate for the image stabilization of the camera module.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, this application has at least one of the following technical effects:

[0030] 1. In some embodiments of this application, by setting an intermediate support base and using it as a common base for the ball bearings of the lens OIS module and the chip OIS module, not only can the height of the camera module be reduced, but the frictional resistance of OIS stabilization movement is also reduced through the ball bearing suspension structure, thereby reducing the driving force requirement for the large-stroke stabilization of the large-chip camera module. This achieves the large-stroke stabilization function of the large-chip camera module under the premise of strictly limited height and radial dimensions. In particular, it allows the height of the dual OIS camera module with AF function to be reduced to a range permissible for portable electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones), thus realizing a dual OIS camera module with both AF and AF functions in a portable electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone).

[0031] 2. In some embodiments of this application, the one-piece molding process ensures that the upper and lower surfaces of the assembled intermediate support are parallel to the xoy plane. When this intermediate support serves as a shared base for the lens OIS module and the chip OIS module, it effectively guarantees the accuracy of dual OIS image stabilization. Furthermore, the one-piece molded lens assembly main housing or module housing helps reduce the cumulative tolerances in the assembly of the dual OIS camera module and simplifies its assembly steps. Therefore, this design is particularly suitable for dual OIS camera modules.

[0032] 3. In some embodiments of this application, the design of ball grooves can be combined to reduce the axial space occupied by the intermediate support, thereby further helping to reduce the module height.

[0033] 4. In some embodiments of this application, the photosensitive chip can be encapsulated within a chip assembly, and image stabilization is achieved through the overall movement of the chip assembly. This design helps prevent smudges caused by dust or microparticles adhering to the photosensitive chip.

[0034] 5. In some embodiments of this application, a balance can be achieved between a large anti-shake travel and a small anti-shake travel with high movement accuracy, resulting in excellent overall benefits. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of a stabilized camera module according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0036] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the lens assembly in the embodiment;

[0037] Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the photosensitive component in the embodiment;

[0038] Figure 4 A top view schematic diagram of the chip OIS outer frame, lead structure and chip OIS inner frame in one embodiment of this application is shown;

[0039] Figure 5 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of a chip assembly 40 in one embodiment of this application is shown;

[0040] Figure 6 The outer frame structure of one embodiment of this application is shown;

[0041] Figure 7a A perspective view of the intermediate support base in one embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 7b A cross-sectional schematic diagram of an intermediate support in one embodiment of this application is shown;

[0042] Figure 8 A top view of the intermediate support base in one embodiment of this application is shown;

[0043] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a dual OIS ball suspension structure in one embodiment of this application is shown;

[0044] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of a dual OIS ball suspension structure in another embodiment of this application is shown;

[0045] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a dual OIS ball suspension structure in yet another embodiment is shown;

[0046] Figure 12 An embodiment is shown in which ball grooves are provided on both the upper and lower sides of the ball. Detailed Implementation

[0047] To better understand this application, various aspects of this application will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these detailed descriptions are merely illustrative of exemplary embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of this application in any way. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. The expression "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0048] It should be noted that in this specification, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish one feature from another and do not imply any limitation on the features. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of this application, the first subject discussed below may also be referred to as the second subject.

[0049] In the accompanying drawings, the thickness, size, and shape of the objects have been slightly exaggerated for ease of illustration. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not drawn to scale.

[0050] It should also be understood that the terms "comprising," "including," "having," "containing," and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, indicate the presence of the stated features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. Furthermore, when expressions such as "at least one of..." appear after a list of listed features, they modify the entire listed feature, not individual elements in the list. Additionally, when describing embodiments of this application, the word "may" is used to mean "one or more embodiments of this application." And the term "exemplary" is intended to refer to an example or illustration.

[0051] As used herein, the terms “basically,” “approximately,” and similar terms are used as terms of approximation rather than terms of degree, and are intended to describe inherent biases in measured or calculated values ​​that will be recognized by those skilled in the art.

[0052] Unless otherwise specified, all terms used herein (including technical terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. It should also be understood that terms (e.g., those defined in common dictionaries) shall be interpreted as having the meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so specified herein.

[0053] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other.

[0054] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0055] Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of a stabilized camera module according to an embodiment of this application is shown. In this embodiment, the stabilized camera module includes a lens assembly and a photosensitive assembly, wherein the photosensitive assembly has a chip-based image stabilization module (chip-based OIS module), and the lens assembly has a lens-based image stabilization module (lens OIS module) and an autofocus module (AF module). Further, Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the lens assembly in the embodiment. Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the photosensitive component in the embodiment. See below for reference. Figure 1-3 The image stabilization camera module of this embodiment is described in detail.

[0056] In this embodiment, the image sensor 42 of the image stabilization camera module is a large-size chip. For ease of distinction, a large-size chip is defined herein as an image sensor 42 with a CCD (i.e., photosensitive area) diagonal of 1 / 1.6 inch or larger (including chips with a CCD diagonal of 1 / 1.6 inch and larger). Image stabilization camera modules based on large-size chips face the problem of limited chip movement space and insufficient stabilization travel. To address this, this application adopts a dual OIS scheme, combining chip-based image stabilization and lens-based image stabilization. When the camera module shakes, the lens and image sensor 42 move in opposite directions, thereby expanding the stabilization travel without increasing the radial dimension of the camera module. However, if based on existing lens-based and chip-based image stabilization module designs, the height of the camera module would have to be increased. Especially when the camera module needs to have autofocus functionality, the autofocus module would inevitably occupy a certain height, causing the overall height of the camera module to exceed the allowable range for portable electronic devices. Therefore, this embodiment designs a common base ball bearing dual OIS scheme with a middle support 30. This dual OIS scheme can reduce the height of the camera module, so that the height of the dual OIS camera module with AF function can be reduced to within the range that is permissible for portable electronic devices.

[0057] Specifically, the image stabilization camera module includes a lens assembly and a photosensitive assembly. The lens assembly includes an optical lens 10, a lens carrier 21, a second carrier 22, a limiting frame 23, a lens OIS housing 24, an AF ball 25, an AF coil, an AF magnet (the AF coil and AF magnet are not shown in the figure for simplicity), a lens OIS coil 28, and a lens OIS magnet. The lens carrier 21 may be cylindrical, and the optical lens 10 is mounted and fixed inside the lens carrier 21. The second carrier 22 surrounds the outer side of the lens carrier 21, and the AF ball 25 is disposed between the outer surface of the lens carrier 21 and the inner surface of the second carrier 22. The limiting frame 23 has a base portion 23a, a sidewall portion 23b, and a top cover portion 23c. The sidewall portion 23b is located outside the second carrier 22. The base portion 23a extends horizontally inward from the bottom of the sidewall portion 23b, and the top cover portion 23c extends horizontally inward from the top of the sidewall portion 23b. The second carrier 22 is fixed to the limiting frame 23, and both the second carrier 22 and the lens carrier 21 are located between the top cover portion 23c and the base portion 23a. The lens carrier 21 can move up and down relative to the second carrier 22 under the action of the AF coil and the AF magnet (i.e., move along the optical axis of the camera module). The AF ball bearing 25 is supported between the lens carrier 21 and the second carrier 22 to ensure that the movement direction of the lens carrier 21 relative to the second carrier 22 is limited to the optical axis direction. Further, a vertically oriented strip-shaped ball bearing groove can be provided between the second carrier 22 and the lens carrier 21 to accommodate the AF ball bearing 25 and guide its movement. Further, the lens OIS housing 24 is disposed around the limiting frame 23, and the gap between the lens OIS housing 24 and the limiting frame 23 can accommodate the lens OIS coil 28 and the lens OIS magnet (not shown in the figure). In some embodiments, the lens OIS magnet and the AF magnet can be a shared set of magnets. The shared magnet can be embedded in the second carrier 22 and / or the limiting frame 23. When the shared magnet cooperates with the lens OIS coil 28 fixed to the lens OIS housing 24, it can generate an electromagnetic driving force for the movement of the lens OIS. When the shared magnet cooperates with the AF coil fixed to the lens carrier 21, it can generate an electromagnetic driving force for the movement of the lens AF. Further, in this embodiment, the lens carrier 21 can also be provided with a magnetic yoke. In this way, when the AF coil is not energized, the magnetic yoke of the lens carrier 21 can generate an electromagnetic force that attracts each other with the lens AF magnet (or the shared magnet), thereby clamping the AF ball 25 between the lens carrier 21 and the second carrier 22, and thus confining the AF ball 25 within the ball groove. The magnetic yoke can be a steel plate or steel strip or a component made of other magnetically conductive materials.

[0058] Further, in one embodiment of this application, the photosensitive component includes an intermediate support 30, a chip OIS outer frame 51, a lead structure 52, a chip OIS inner frame 53, a chip assembly 40, a chip OIS ball bearing 54, a chip OIS coil 55, and a chip OIS magnet 56. In this embodiment, the intermediate support 30 is a shared base for the lens OIS module and the chip OIS module. The chip OIS outer frame 51 is cylindrical, and the bottom surface of the intermediate support 30 is fixed to the top surface of the chip OIS outer frame 51. The chip OIS inner frame 53 is flat and is located inside the chip OIS outer frame 51 and positioned near the bottom surface of the chip OIS outer frame 51. The chip OIS inner frame 53 is connected to and electrically conductive to the chip OIS outer frame 51 through the lead structure 52. The lead structure 52 can be formed of an elastic element. Figure 4 This diagram illustrates a top view of the chip OIS outer frame, lead structure, and chip OIS inner frame according to one embodiment of this application. Specifically, the chip OIS outer frame 51 and chip OIS inner frame 53 can be connected and electrically conductive via the lead structure 52. The lead structure 52 includes multiple parallel strip-shaped elastic connectors, each formed by bending and extending along the xoy plane. One end of each strip-shaped elastic connector is connected to the outer side or bottom surface of the chip OIS inner frame 53, and the other end is connected to the bottom region of the inner side surface of the chip OIS outer frame 51.

[0059] Figure 5 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of a chip assembly according to one embodiment of this application is shown. In one embodiment of this application, the chip assembly 40 includes a circuit board 41 (typically a rigid board, such as a PCB), a photosensitive chip 42 attached to the upper surface of the circuit board 41, a filter holder 43 mounted or formed on the upper surface of the circuit board 41 and surrounding the photosensitive chip 42, and a filter 44 mounted on the filter holder 43. The filter 44, the filter holder 43, and the circuit board 41 encapsulate the photosensitive chip 42 within a closed cavity, thereby protecting the photosensitive surface of the photosensitive chip 42, and in particular preventing the entry and adhesion of fine particles to the surface of the photosensitive chip 42. In this embodiment, the chip assembly 40 is integrally mounted within the chip OIS inner frame 53 and can move as a whole with the chip OIS inner frame 53, thereby achieving chip image stabilization. Compared to the design of mounting the photosensitive chip 42 separately within the chip OIS inner frame 53, this design in this embodiment can avoid the problem of smudges on the camera module caused by tiny particles adhering to the surface of the photosensitive chip 42 or to areas near the photosensitive surface of the optical system.

[0060] refer to Figure 3In this embodiment, the chip OIS ball bearing 54 is disposed between the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 and the upper surface of the filter holder 43. A ball bearing groove can be provided between the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 and the upper surface of the filter holder 43 to accommodate the chip OIS ball bearing 54. Supported by the chip OIS ball bearing 54, the chip assembly 40 can translate on the xoy plane perpendicular to the optical axis, thereby achieving chip image stabilization. In this embodiment, the chip OIS coil 55 and the chip OIS magnet 56 can be disposed in the gap between the outer side of the chip assembly 40 and the inner side of the chip OIS outer frame 51. In this text, the x, y, and z axes together constitute a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system. The optical axis direction of the camera module (i.e., the height direction of the camera module) can be defined as the z-axis. The x and y axes are both perpendicular to the z-axis, and the x and y axes are mutually perpendicular. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the intermediate support 30 is provided with the chip OIS magnet 56, a magnetic yoke (e.g., a component made of steel strip or other magnetically conductive material) can be provided on the chip assembly 40, so that when the chip OIS coil 55 is not energized, the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 and the top surface of the chip assembly 40 (referring to the top surface of the filter holder 43) can clamp the chip OIS ball 54, confining the chip OIS ball 54 in the corresponding ball groove.

[0061] Further, refer to Figure 1 In this embodiment, a lens OIS ball 29 can be provided between the upper surface of the intermediate support 30 and the bottom surface of the lens assembly limiting frame 23. Specifically, a ball groove can be provided between the bottom surface of the base portion 23a of the limiting frame 23 and the upper surface of the intermediate support 30 to accommodate the lens OIS ball 29. Supported by the lens OIS ball 29, the limiting frame 23 can drive the optical lens 10 to translate along the xoy plane, thereby achieving lens image stabilization. Further, in this embodiment, when the intermediate support 30 is equipped with a lens OIS coil 28, a magnetic yoke (e.g., a steel strip or other magnetically conductive material) can be provided on the intermediate support 30 (e.g., its upper surface), so that when the lens OIS coil 28 is not energized, the upper surface of the intermediate support 30 and the bottom surface of the limiting frame 23 can clamp the lens OIS ball 29, confining the lens OIS ball 29 within the corresponding ball groove.

[0062] In the above embodiments, the lens OIS housing 24, the intermediate support 30, and the chip OIS outer frame 51 can together constitute the outer frame structure of the camera module (e.g., Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6(An outer frame structure in one embodiment of this application is shown). The bottom surface of the lens OIS housing 24 is fixed to the top surface of the chip OIS outer frame 51, forming a module housing. An intermediate support 30 is disposed within the module housing and divides the space within the module housing into two chambers (upper chamber and lower chamber). The upper chamber, located above the intermediate support 30, houses the optical lens 10, the lens OIS module, and the lens AF module. The lower chamber, located below the intermediate support 30, houses the chip assembly 40 and the chip OIS module. The intermediate support 30 has a light-transmitting hole in its center, allowing light to pass through the intermediate support 30 and be received by the photosensitive chip 42. By setting the intermediate support 30 and using it as a common base for the ball bearings of the lens OIS module and the chip OIS module, not only can the height of the camera module be reduced, but the frictional resistance of the OIS stabilization movement is also reduced through the ball bearing suspension structure, reducing the driving force requirement for the large-stroke stabilization of the large-chip camera module. Thus, under the premise of strictly limited height and radial dimensions, the large-stroke stabilization function of the large-chip camera module is achieved. In particular, in the above embodiments of this application, the height of the dual OIS camera module with AF function can be reduced to a range permissible by portable electronic devices (such as mobile phones), thereby realizing for the first time a camera module with dual OIS function that simultaneously has AF function in a portable electronic device.

[0063] Furthermore, in a modified embodiment, the lens OIS housing 24 and the intermediate support 30 can be integrally formed. Specifically, the lens OIS housing 24 may include a lens OIS sidewall and a module top cover 24b, wherein the lens OIS sidewall and the intermediate support 30 can be integrally formed, which can be referred to as the main housing of the lens assembly, while the module top cover 24b is formed separately. In this way, the various components of the lens assembly (e.g., optical lens 10, lens carrier 21, second carrier 22, limiting frame 23, AF ball 25, AF coil, AF magnet, lens OIS coil 28, and lens OIS magnet, etc.) can be installed from the top into the main housing of the lens assembly, and after installation, the module top cover 24b is installed on the top of the main housing of the lens assembly (i.e., the top of the lens OIS sidewall). On the other hand, the top surface of the chip OIS outer frame 51 can rest against and be installed on the bottom surface of the main housing of the lens assembly (i.e., the lower surface of the intermediate support 30). The lens OIS sidewall and the chip OIS outer frame 51 together constitute the module sidewall 24a of the camera module. During actual assembly, the assembled lens assembly can be inverted, and then the various components of the photosensitive assembly (e.g., chip OIS ball bearing 54, chip assembly 40, chip OIS coil 55, and chip OIS magnet 56) can be installed on the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 (note that when the lens assembly is inverted, the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 is actually facing upwards). Finally, the pre-fabricated chip OIS frame 57 is installed on the bottom surface of the lens assembly main housing (e.g., the lower surface of the intermediate support 30). The chip OIS frame 57 includes the chip OIS outer frame 51, the lead structure 52, and the chip OIS inner frame 53, which can be pre-assembled together and then inverted onto the bottom surface of the inverted lens assembly main housing, thereby accommodating the chip assembly 40 and other components within the cavity formed by the intermediate support 30 and the chip OIS frame 57 (i.e., the lower cavity mentioned above). In this embodiment, the inner OIS frame 53 of the chip is connected and electrically conductive to the outer OIS frame 51 of the chip via the lead structure 52, and the axial dimension of the outer OIS frame 51 is greater than that of the inner OIS frame, wherein the axial direction is the optical axis direction of the image stabilization camera module. The inner OIS frame can be fixed to the bottom surface of the chip assembly 40 (i.e., the lower surface of the circuit board 41 of the chip assembly 40). In this embodiment, the intermediate support 30 and the lens OIS sidewall are integrally formed, which helps to improve the structural strength of the camera module housing. The installation accuracy of the intermediate support 30 ensures that the upper and lower surfaces of the assembled intermediate support 30 are parallel to the xoy plane. When the intermediate support 30 serves as a common base for the lens OIS module and the chip OIS module, it can effectively guarantee the accuracy of dual OIS image stabilization.Furthermore, the one-piece molded lens assembly main housing of this embodiment helps to reduce the cumulative tolerance of the dual OIS camera module assembly and also helps to simplify its assembly steps, making it particularly suitable for dual OIS camera modules.

[0064] Furthermore, in another modified embodiment, the lens OIS housing 24 and the chip OIS outer frame 51 can be integrally formed, that is, the module housing can be integrally formed. For example, the module housing can be an injection-molded or molded plastic part, which is divided into a lens OIS housing 24 part and a chip OIS outer frame 51 part, wherein the sidewall thickness of the chip OIS outer frame 51 part can be less than the sidewall thickness of the lens OIS housing 24 part, thereby forming a stepped structure on the sidewall of the module housing. The intermediate support 30 can be inserted from the opening at the chip end of the module housing, supporting and installing itself on this stepped structure. This design, on the one hand, can provide support for the entire module housing through the intermediate support 30, improve the structural strength of the module housing, and help reduce the volume occupied by the module housing. On the other hand, it can improve the installation accuracy of the intermediate support 30, ensuring that the upper and lower surfaces of the assembled intermediate support 30 are parallel to the xoy plane. When the intermediate support 30 serves as a common base for the lens OIS module and the chip OIS module, it can well ensure the accuracy of dual OIS image stabilization. Furthermore, since the outer frame structure can be assembled from only two components—the module housing and the intermediate support 30—it helps reduce the accumulated tolerances in the assembly of the dual OIS camera module and simplifies the assembly process. Therefore, this outer frame structure is particularly suitable for dual OIS camera modules. Further, Figure 7a A perspective view of the intermediate support base in one embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 7b A cross-sectional schematic diagram of an intermediate support in one embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 7a and Figure 7b In this context, ax represents the optical axis. Figure 8 A top view of an intermediate support base according to one embodiment of this application is shown. The ball grooves of the chip OIS balls 54 located on the lower surface of the intermediate support base 30 are indicated by dashed lines. (Refer to reference...) Figure 7a , 7b and Figure 8 In this embodiment, the intermediate support 30 is a rectangular flat plate. First ball grooves 31 are provided at the four corners of its upper surface for holding lens OIS balls 29. Second ball grooves 32 are provided at the four corners of the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 for holding chip OIS balls 54. From a top-down view, the first ball grooves 31 are located around the second ball grooves 32. Each first ball groove 31 holds one lens OIS ball 29, and each second ball groove 32 holds one chip OIS ball 54.

[0065] Furthermore, Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a dual OIS ball bearing suspension structure according to one embodiment of this application is shown. (Reference) Figure 9 In one embodiment of this application, the filter holder 43 of the chip assembly 40 can be a separately molded plastic part, the top surface of which can be a plane, and the second ball groove 32 of the intermediate support 30 can be cylindrical. Figure 9 The image shows a longitudinal section of the second ball groove 32 of the intermediate support 30, which is rectangular in cross-section. The depth of the second ball groove 32 is the radius of the chip OIS ball 54. Supported by the chip OIS ball 54, a gap of 10-20 μm is maintained between the top surface of the filter holder 43 and the lower surface of the intermediate support 30. Here, the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 refers to the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 corresponding to the opening of the second ball groove 32 (not the bottom surface of the second ball groove 32). In this embodiment, the filter holder 43 is easy to manufacture, low in cost, and helps to ensure the flatness of the top surface of the filter holder 43, thereby ensuring that the anti-shake movement of the dual OIS does not deviate from the xoy plane.

[0066] Furthermore, Figure 10 A schematic diagram of a dual OIS ball bearing suspension structure in another embodiment of this application is shown. In this embodiment, the filter holder 43 of the chip assembly 40 can be a molded part directly formed on the upper surface of the circuit board 41 based on a molding process. This molded part can cover the gold wires and at least a portion of the electronic components on the circuit board 41. Here, the gold wires are metal wires that realize the electrical connection between the circuit board 41 and the photosensitive chip 42 based on a wire bonding process (sometimes also called a "wire bonding" process or a bonding process). Theoretically, the gold wires can also be replaced by metal wires of other materials such as silver wires or copper wires. By integrally forming the molded part as the filter holder 43 on the circuit board 41 based on a molding process, the chip assembly 40 can have a smaller radial dimension, thereby reserving more movement space for the image stabilization movement of the chip assembly 40, which is particularly suitable for chip-based image stabilization camera modules based on large chips. In this embodiment, the top surface of the filter holder 43 (i.e., the molding part) is also a plane, meaning that the top surface of the molding part does not have a groove for the chip OIS ball 54, and most of the spheres of the chip OIS ball 54 are embedded in the second ball groove 32 of the intermediate support 30. The second ball groove 32 of the intermediate support 30 can be cylindrical. Figure 10The image shows a longitudinal section of the second ball groove 32 of the intermediate support 30, which is rectangular in cross-section. The depth of the second ball groove 32 is the radius of the chip OIS ball 54. Supported by the chip OIS ball 54, a gap of 10-20 μm is maintained between the top surface of the filter holder 43 and the lower surface of the intermediate support 30. Here, the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 refers to the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 corresponding to the opening of the second ball groove 32 (not the top surface of the second ball groove 32). In this embodiment, the filter holder 43 does not require special modifications, is easy to manufacture, has low cost, and helps ensure the flatness of the top surface of the filter 44, thereby ensuring that the anti-shake movement of the dual OIS does not deviate from the xoy plane.

[0067] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a dual OIS ball bearing suspension structure is shown in yet another embodiment. This embodiment is based on... Figure 10 In a variation of this embodiment, the filter holder 43 is a molded part directly formed on the upper surface of the circuit board 41 using a molding process. The difference lies in that the top surface of the molded part in this embodiment has a groove to accommodate the chip OIS ball bearings 54. For ease of description, the groove on the top surface of the molded part in this embodiment is referred to as the third ball bearing groove. The third ball bearing groove can be cylindrical, with a rectangular longitudinal section, such as... Figure 11 As shown. In this embodiment, a gap of 10-20 μm is maintained between the top surface of the filter holder 43 and the lower surface of the intermediate support 30, supported by the chip OIS ball bearing 54. In this embodiment, the molding part can cover the gold wires on the circuit board 41 and at least a portion of the electronic components. Here, the gold wires are metal wires that realize the electrical connection between the circuit board 41 and the photosensitive chip 42 based on the wire bonding process (sometimes also called the "wire bonding" process or bonding process, i.e., wire bonding process). Theoretically, the gold wires can also be replaced by metal wires of other materials such as silver wires or copper wires. By integrally forming the molding part as the filter holder 43 on the circuit board 41 based on the molding process, the chip assembly 40 can have a smaller radial dimension, thereby reserving more movement space for the image stabilization movement of the chip assembly 40, which is particularly suitable for chip image stabilization camera modules based on large chips. In this embodiment, the height of the molding part itself can be used to accommodate the chip OIS ball 54, so that the thickness of the intermediate support 30 can be reduced, thereby helping to reduce the height of the camera module. This allows the height of the dual OIS camera module with AF function to be reduced to a range that is permissible for portable electronic devices (such as mobile phones), thus realizing for the first time a dual OIS camera module with AF function in a portable electronic device.

[0068] Furthermore, in another modified embodiment, the molded portion with the third ball groove can also be replaced by a separately molded filter holder 43. This design reduces the manufacturing difficulty of the filter holder 43 with the third ball groove. However, it should be noted that... Figure 11 In the embodiment shown, the molded part with the third ball groove is integrally formed on the circuit board 41 by molding process, which can reduce the height of the camera module and the radial dimension of the camera module to a greater extent, and has greater advantages in certain application scenarios (such as in high-value high-end mobile phone products).

[0069] Furthermore, in yet another modified embodiment, ball grooves can be provided on both the upper and lower sides of the chip OIS ball 54. Figure 12 An embodiment is shown where ball grooves are provided on both the upper and lower sides of the ball bearing. The lower surface of the intermediate support 30 may have an upper ball groove, and the top surface of the filter holder 43 may have a lower ball groove. The depth of the lower ball groove can be greater than the radius of the chip OIS ball 54 (i.e., the lower ball groove is a deep groove), while the depth of the upper ball groove is less than the radius of the chip OIS ball 54 (i.e., the upper ball groove is a shallow groove). From a top-view angle, the area of ​​the upper ball groove can be greater than the area of ​​the lower ball groove (the area of ​​the shallow groove is greater than the area of ​​the deep groove), allowing the chip OIS ball 54 to remain within the range of the upper ball groove, thereby achieving the required anti-shake stroke.

[0070] exist Figures 9 to 12 In the various embodiments shown, the bottom surface of the chip OIS ball groove is a plane. However, it should be noted that in some other embodiments of this application, the bottom surface of the chip OIS ball groove can also be a spherical surface (i.e., a spherical arc surface) that is adapted to the outer surface shape of the chip OIS ball 54.

[0071] In some embodiments of this application, the chip OIS magnet 56 and the chip OIS coil 55 can also be arranged vertically. For example, the chip OIS coil 55 can be arranged on a flexible printed circuit board extending outward from the bottom of the chip assembly 40. A flexible printed circuit board (FPC) is typically thinner than a PCB and exhibits a certain degree of flexibility relative to the PCB, hence the name. The FPC can surround the circuit board 41 and connect to it, including both mechanical and electrical connections. The coil is mounted on the FPC to communicate with the driving circuitry arranged on the PCB (i.e., the rigid board for mounting the photosensitive chip 42) or the FPC to input a driving current. Accordingly, the chip OIS magnet 56 can be mounted on the lower surface of the intermediate support 30 and positioned corresponding to the position above the chip OIS coil 55.

[0072] In other embodiments of this application, the chip OIS coil 55 and the chip OIS magnet 56 are disposed in the gap between the outer side of the chip assembly 40 and the chip OIS outer frame 51. The chip OIS coil 55 can be arranged outside the chip OIS magnet 56; for example, the chip OIS coil 55 can be fixed to the inner side of the chip OIS outer frame 51, while the chip OIS magnet 56 can be fixed to the outer side of the chip assembly 40. In modified embodiments, the chip OIS magnet 56 can also be embedded in the molding portion of the chip assembly 40. With this design, the chip OIS magnet 56 can help improve the structural strength of the molding portion, and on the other hand, it can also help reduce the radial dimension of the chip assembly 40, leaving more room for chip anti-shake movement.

[0073] Furthermore, the image stabilization camera module may also include a control unit, which is used to control the photosensitive chip 42 or the optical lens 10 to move independently along the xoy plane relative to the intermediate support 30 to compensate for the image stabilization of the camera module when the image stabilization of the camera module occurs and the amount of stabilization does not exceed a preset threshold, and to control both the photosensitive chip 42 and the optical lens 10 to move along the xoy plane relative to the intermediate support 30 in opposite directions to compensate for the image stabilization of the camera module when the image stabilization of the camera module occurs and the amount of stabilization exceeds the preset threshold. In this embodiment, on the one hand, the dual OIS image stabilization camera module can provide a larger image stabilization travel distance; on the other hand, when the stabilization amplitude is small, only the chip OIS module or the lens OIS module can be used for image stabilization travel, which helps to improve the image stabilization travel accuracy of the dual OIS structure with a common base. Since it can take into account both a large image stabilization travel distance and the travel accuracy under a small image stabilization travel distance, the solution of this embodiment has good comprehensive benefits.

[0074] In some of the above embodiments, the chip assembly includes a filter and a molding portion serving as a filter support. Chip OIS balls are disposed between the top surface of the molding portion and the intermediate support base. Therefore, the molding portion acts as an actuator carrier and can also be called a chip OIS carrier. However, it should be noted that the chip OIS carrier can be implemented in other ways. For example, in some embodiments, a separate chip OIS carrier can be fabricated, and the chip OIS balls can be disposed between the top surface of this chip OIS carrier and the intermediate support base. The chip assembly is then fixed to the chip OIS carrier. Because a common base approach is used to achieve dual OIS functionality (i.e., lens OIS function and chip OIS function), the height (in the optical axis direction) of the dual OIS camera module can be reduced to some extent.

[0075] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of the present invention do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A camera stabilization module, characterized in that, include: A module housing having a cylindrical module sidewall and a module top cover extending inward from the top of the module sidewall, the module top cover having a central light-transmitting hole; The intermediate support is located inside the module housing and divides the space inside the module housing into an upper chamber and a lower chamber; An optical lens is disposed in the upper chamber; A lens OIS carrier, wherein the optical lens is mounted on the lens OIS carrier; A photosensitive chip is disposed in the lower chamber; A chip OIS carrier, wherein the photosensitive chip is fixed to the chip OIS carrier; Lens OIS ball bearings are disposed between the bottom surface of the lens OIS carrier and the upper surface of the intermediate support; and The chip OIS ball is disposed between the top surface of the chip OIS carrier and the lower surface of the intermediate support.

2. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower chamber is provided with a movable chip assembly, which includes a circuit board, a photosensitive chip attached to the upper surface of the circuit board, a filter holder mounted or formed on the upper surface of the circuit board and surrounding the photosensitive chip, and a filter mounted on the filter holder; wherein, the filter holder serves as the chip OIS carrier, and the chip OIS ball is disposed between the top surface of the filter holder and the lower surface of the intermediate support.

3. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The image stabilization camera module also includes a chip OIS inner frame and a lead structure; the chip assembly is fixed to the chip OIS inner frame, and the chip OIS inner frame is connected to the module housing and electrically conductive through the lead structure.

4. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The module housing includes a lens OIS housing and a chip OIS outer frame, which are formed separately. The bottom surface of the lens OIS housing is fixed to the top surface of the chip OIS outer frame, and the intermediate support is fixed to the chip OIS outer frame or to the lens OIS housing.

5. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The module housing is integrally formed and includes a lens OIS housing and a chip OIS outer frame.

6. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The module sidewall includes a lens OIS sidewall and a chip OIS outer frame. The lens OIS sidewall and the intermediate support are integrally formed. The separately formed module top cover is fixed to the top of the lens OIS sidewall. The top surface of the chip OIS outer frame rests on and is installed on the lower surface of the intermediate support.

7. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lens OIS carrier includes a limiting frame and a second carrier and a lens carrier located within the limiting frame. The optical lens is mounted and fixed to the lens carrier. The second carrier surrounds the outside of the lens carrier, and AF balls are disposed between the outer side of the lens carrier and the inner side of the second carrier.

8. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 7, characterized in that, The limiting frame has a base portion, a side wall portion, and a top cover portion. The side wall portion is located outside the second carrier. The base portion is formed by extending horizontally inward from the bottom of the side wall portion, and the top cover portion is formed by extending horizontally inward from the top of the side wall portion.

9. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second carrier is fixed to the limiting frame, and both the second carrier and the lens carrier are located between the top cover and the base.

10. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 9, characterized in that, An AF ball is disposed between the lens carrier and the second carrier, and the lens carrier is adapted to move relative to the second carrier along the optical axis of the camera module under the action of the AF coil and the AF magnet.

11. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 4, characterized in that, The lens OIS housing is disposed around the periphery of the limiting frame, and the lens OIS coil and lens OIS magnet are disposed in the gap between the lens OIS housing and the limiting frame.

12. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The lens OIS ball bearing is disposed between the bottom surface of the limiting frame and the upper surface of the intermediate support.

13. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lead structure includes multiple parallel strip-shaped elastic connectors, each of which extends and bends along the xoy plane, wherein the xoy plane is perpendicular to the optical axis of the camera module; for each strip-shaped elastic connector, one end is connected to the outer side or bottom surface of the chip OIS inner frame, and the other end is connected to the bottom area of ​​the inner side of the module housing.

14. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intermediate support is in the shape of a rectangular plate, with first ball grooves at the four corners of its upper surface, each first ball groove holding one lens OIS ball; and second ball grooves at the four corners of its lower surface, each second ball groove holding one chip OIS ball.

15. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 14, characterized in that, From a top-down view, the first ball groove is located around the second ball groove.

16. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the chip assembly, the filter holder is a molded part directly formed on the surface of the circuit board based on a molding process. The molded part covers the metal lines and at least a portion of the electronic components on the circuit board. The chip OIS ball is disposed between the lower surface of the intermediate support and the top surface of the molded part.

17. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the chip OIS ball bearing and the lens OIS ball bearing are disposed in cylindrical ball bearing grooves or in ball bearing grooves whose bottom surface is a spherical arc surface.

18. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The top surface of the filter holder is provided with a cylindrical ball groove or a ball groove with a spherical arc surface at the bottom.

19. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The module housing includes a lens OIS housing and a chip OIS outer frame. The chip OIS inner frame is connected to and electrically conductive to the chip OIS outer frame through the lead structure. The axial dimension of the chip OIS outer frame is greater than the axial dimension of the OIS inner frame, wherein the axial direction is the optical axis direction of the image stabilization camera module.

20. The image stabilization camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The image stabilization camera module also includes a control unit, which is used to control the photosensitive chip or the optical lens to move independently along the xoy plane relative to the intermediate support to compensate for the image stabilization of the camera module when the image stabilization of the camera module occurs and the amount of stabilization does not exceed a preset threshold; and to control the photosensitive chip and the optical lens to move along the xoy plane relative to the intermediate support in opposite directions when the image stabilization of the camera module occurs and the amount of stabilization exceeds the preset threshold, in order to compensate for the image stabilization of the camera module.

Images