Self-heating camera module and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a self-heating camera module, which comprises a lens cone, a heating part and a heat conduction part, and is characterized in that the heating part is made of a heating material, and the heating part generates heat when being electrified; the heat conduction part and the heating part sequentially sleeve the outer wall of the lens barrel, and the heat conduction part comprises a bearing part and a heat gathering part; the heat gathering part is formed by extending from one end of the bearing part along the axis direction of the lens barrel; wherein a gap exists between the heating part and the outer wall of the lens barrel, the heating part is attached to one end face of the bearing part, and the bearing part and the heat gathering part are both attached to the lens barrel. In addition, the invention further provides the electronic equipment. According to the invention, heat is generated through the power-on heating part and is received through the bearing part and the heat collecting part so as to be conducted to the lens barrel, so that loss generated by direct contact of the lens barrel with a heat source is reduced, the lens in the lens barrel is protected, and deformation of the lens due to uneven heating is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of camera technology, and in particular to a self-heating camera module and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0002] The existing self-heating camera is designed as a heating wire design. Specifically, the lens is heated by plating a heating wire on the lens and making a through hole on the lens barrel to extend the wire to the heating wire for heating. When the camera is working in a cold, humid environment, the entire lens needs to be heated, and the heat is usually transferred to the lens and the entire lens by the air and glue in the lens. However, directly heating the lens may cause the lens to be easily damaged due to thermal expansion and contraction. However, transferring heat to the lens and the entire lens through the air and glue in the lens results in high heat loss, which makes it take too long to heat the lens. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a self-heating camera module and electronic equipment.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a self-heating camera module, which includes a lens barrel, a heating part, and a heat-conducting part, wherein the heating part is made of a heating material and generates heat when powered on; the heat-conducting part and the heating part are sequentially sleeved on the lens barrel, and the heat-conducting part includes a bearing part and a heat-collecting part; the heat-collecting part extends from one end of the bearing part along the axial direction of the lens barrel; wherein there is a gap between the heating part and the outer wall of the lens barrel, the heating part is in contact with one end surface of the bearing part, and the bearing part and the heat-collecting part are both in contact with the lens barrel.

[0005] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes a device body and the aforementioned self-heating camera module disposed on the device body.

[0006] The above-mentioned self-heating camera module and electronic equipment generate heat by providing current to the heating part, and receive the heat generated by the heating part through the bearing part in the heat-conducting part sleeved on the outer wall of the lens barrel, so that part of the heat is directly conducted to the outer wall of the lens barrel, and the other part of the heat is indirectly conducted to the outer wall of the lens barrel through the heat-collecting part extending from the bearing part. This can reduce the loss caused by the direct contact of the lens barrel with the heat source, protect the lens inside the lens barrel, and avoid deformation of the lens due to uneven heating. At the same time, the heat generated by the heating part can be conducted to the entire lens barrel through the heat-conducting part, thereby improving the efficiency of heat conduction to the entire lens barrel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0008] Figure 1 A stereoscopic diagram of the self-heating camera module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0009] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the detection module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0010] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the self-heating camera module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0014] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar planning objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate. In other words, the described embodiments are implemented according to an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations may also include other content. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to only those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0015] It should be noted that the descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in this application are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but they must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this application.

[0016] Please see Figure 4 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] like Figure 4 As shown, the present application provides an electronic device 10 that can maintain good imaging effects in a low temperature environment. The electronic device 10 includes a device body. The electronic device 10 can be a device for shooting and imaging or a device with a shooting function, such as a camera, a surveillance camera, a car camera, etc. In order to enable the electronic device 10 to still have a good imaging effect in a low temperature environment, the present application realizes self-heating of the lens of the electronic device 10 by providing a self-heating camera module 1 on the device body, so as to melt the ice, snow, water mist and other attachments on the lens surface of the electronic device 10 in a low temperature environment, so as to maintain the good imaging effect of the electronic device 10 in a low temperature environment. Specifically, when the lens temperature of the electronic device 10, or the lens temperature inside the lens, is lower than a certain temperature, the self-heating camera module 1 increases the temperature of the internal lens by self-heating, so that the electronic device 10 can still have a good imaging effect in a low temperature environment.

[0018] In this embodiment, the self-heating camera module 1 is connected to the lens barrel 2 of the electronic device 10. The self-heating camera module 1 heats the lens inside the lens barrel 2 by heating the lens barrel 2. This heating method can prevent the lens and the internal components of the electronic device 10 from being slightly deformed due to uneven heating, thereby affecting the imaging optical path inside the electronic device 10, resulting in poor imaging effect of the electronic device 10. The following will describe how the self-heating camera module 1 heats the lens barrel 2 by describing the structural features of each part of the self-heating camera module 1.

[0019] Please see Figure 1 , which is a stereoscopic diagram of the self-heating camera module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] like Figure 1As shown, the self-heating camera module 1 includes a lens barrel 2, a heating unit 4, and a heat conducting unit. A lens 21 is provided at one end of the lens barrel 2, and a lens is provided inside the lens 21. It can be understood that in order to enable the lens barrel 2 to quickly conduct heat to the lens in the lens 21 to increase the temperature of the lens, the material made of the lens barrel 2 should have good thermal conductivity. For example, the lens barrel 2 can be made of a metal with good thermal conductivity to quickly conduct heat to the lens in the lens 21. The above examples are only illustrative examples of the material of the lens barrel 2, not limitations on the material of the lens barrel 2, and are not repeated here.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the heating part 4 is made of a heating material through a die-cutting process. Specifically, the heating material is a polymer of an organic high molecular polymer and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) conductive material, i.e., a PTC polymer. The PTC polymer enables the heating part 4 to have a lower resistance when the temperature is relatively low, and can be increased to a higher temperature in a short time when powered on, so as to quickly transfer heat to the lens barrel, thereby improving the efficiency of the heating part 4 generating heat when powered on in a low temperature environment, i.e., improving the efficiency of heat conduction to the lens barrel 2. The heating part 4 generates heat when powered on. It is understandable that the heating part can be powered on by being electrically connected to a power supply device. The power supply device includes but is not limited to a power supply provided in the self-heating camera module 1, and one or more of the devices provided with the self-heating camera module 1, which will not be described in detail here.

[0022] In the present embodiment, the heat conducting part and the heating part 4 are sequentially sleeved on the outer wall of the lens barrel 2. In order to make the shape of the heat conducting part adaptable to the shape of the lens barrel 2, the heat conducting part is made by die cutting process, so that the heat conducting part can be stably sleeved on the lens barrel 2. At the same time, the heat conducting part can also conduct heat to the lens barrel 2 without directly contacting the heating part 4, so as to reduce the loss caused by the lens barrel 2 directly contacting the heating part 4. It can be understood that the heat conducting part and the heating part 4 are sequentially sleeved on one end of the lens 21 near the lens barrel 2, so that the heat generated by the heating part 4 can be quickly conducted to the lens inside the lens barrel 2, reducing the heat loss of the self-heating camera module 1, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the self-heating camera module 1.

[0023] Further, the heat conducting part includes a bearing part and a heat collecting part. In the present embodiment, the heating part 4 is fitted with one end surface of the bearing part to absorb the heat generated when the heating part 4 is powered on. The heat collecting part is formed by extending from one end of the bearing part along the axial direction of the lens barrel 2 to aggregate the heat received by the bearing part from the heating part 4 and indirectly heat the lens barrel 2. It can be understood that in order to prevent the heat conducting part from being easily gapped when being sleeved on the lens barrel 2, the heat conducting part is not an integral structure before being sleeved on the lens barrel 2, but after the heat conducting part is made into a plurality of heat conducting part components by using a die cutting process, each heat conducting part component is welded to form an integral structure of the heat conducting part to achieve the effect of the heat conducting part being sleeved on the lens barrel 2. In addition, in order to enable the heat conducting part to fully conduct the heat generated by the heating part 4 to the lens barrel 2, the bearing part and the heat collecting part are both fitted with the lens barrel 2.

[0024] In this embodiment, the heat conducting part includes an independent first heat conducting part and a second heat conducting part. The first heat conducting part and the second heat conducting part include a sub-bearing part 31 and a sub-heat collecting part 32, respectively. When the first heat conducting part and the second heat conducting part are fixed together, the sub-bearing part 31 and the sub-heat collecting part 32 of the first heat conducting part and the second heat conducting part correspond to each other and merge into the bearing part and the heat collecting part, so that it is not easy to generate a gap when the heat conducting part is sleeved on the lens barrel 2. It can be understood that the first heat conducting part and the second heat conducting part are fixed together symmetrically along the axial direction of the lens barrel 2.

[0025] In some feasible embodiments, when the heat conducting part assembly is not welded to form the overall structure of the heat conducting part, a plurality of clamping parts matching the heat conducting part assemblies may be added to the outer wall of the lens barrel 2, so that each heat conducting part assembly can be clamped to the outer wall of the lens barrel 2 through each clamping part. It can be understood that the number of the clamping parts is determined by the number of the heat conducting part assemblies, so that each heat conducting part assembly can be clamped to the outer wall of the lens barrel 2 one by one through each clamping part.

[0026] It can be understood that in order to avoid the problem that the lens barrel 2 is directly heated and the part of the lens barrel 2 that contacts the heat source is easily damaged, there is a gap between the heating part 4 and the outer wall of the lens barrel 2, that is, the heating part 4 does not directly contact the lens barrel 2, but conducts heat to the bearing part, and then the bearing part directly conducts part of the heat to the lens barrel 2, while conducting another part of the heat to the heat collecting part to indirectly heat the lens barrel 2, so as to reduce the loss of the lens barrel 2 and then reduce the cost of maintaining the self-heating camera module 1.

[0027] It can be understood that, in the case where the heating portion 4 does not contact the lens barrel 2, in order to allow the heat generated by the heating portion 4 to be fully conducted to the entire lens barrel 2, the cross-sectional area of ​​the bearing portion along the vertical axis direction should be set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the heating portion 4. At the same time, in order to fully heat the lens in the lens barrel 2 away from the heating portion 4, it is necessary to concentrate the heat generated by the heating portion 4. Therefore, along the vertical axis direction, the cross-sectional area of ​​the bearing portion should be set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the heat collecting portion, and along the axis direction, the thickness of the bearing portion should be set to be smaller than the thickness of the heat collecting portion.

[0028] The above embodiments have explained the structural features of each part of the self-heating camera module 1. The following will describe the working process of the self-heating camera module 1 to explain how the self-heating camera module 1 heats the lens barrel 2.

[0029] When it is detected that the current temperature of the lens in the lens 21 is lower than a certain temperature, the heating part 4 is first controlled to be energized to quickly generate a large amount of heat. At this time, the bearing part attached to one end surface of the heating part 4 absorbs the heat generated by the energized heating part 4. Since the bearing part is attached to the heating part 4 and also extends with a heat collecting part, and the bearing part and the heat collecting part are both attached to the lens barrel 2, a part of the heat of the bearing part is directly transferred to the attached part of the lens barrel 2, and the other part is transferred to the heat collecting part to indirectly transfer to the lens barrel 2, so that the entire lens barrel 2 is heated.

[0030] The above workflow has explained how the self-heating camera module 1 heats the lens barrel 2. It is understandable that when the lens barrel 2 is heated to a certain degree, the self-heating camera module 1 needs to stop heating the lens barrel 2 to prevent the internal components of the self-heating camera module 1 from being damaged due to continuous heating, thereby affecting the performance of the self-heating camera module 1. At the same time, in order to extend the service life of the heating unit 4, the heating unit 4 needs to be limited to the judgment conditions of being powered on or off. The following will explain how to limit the heating conditions of the heating unit 4 by explaining the specific features of the various components of the self-heating camera module 1.

[0031] In the present embodiment, a thermistor is provided on an end face of the heating portion 4 away from the bearing portion. The thermistor is provided in a circuit connected to the heating portion 4, and the resistance value of the thermistor can change with the change of temperature. Specifically, when the thermistor is a PTC thermistor, the resistance value of the thermistor increases with the increase of temperature, and the resistance value of the thermistor decreases with the decrease of temperature, so that when the temperature of the thermistor is low, the heating portion 4 is powered on due to the thermistor with a significantly lower resistance value, and when the temperature of the thermistor is high, the heating portion 4 is powered off due to the thermistor with a significantly higher resistance value reaching a preset resistance value, thereby limiting the heating and temperature rise of the heating portion 4, that is, limiting the heat provided to the lens barrel 2. Among them, the preset resistance value can be preset according to one or more of the material of the thermistor and the internal components of the self-heating camera module 1.

[0032] Please see Figure 2 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the detection module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the self-heating camera module 1 also includes a first detection module 5, a second detection module 6, and a heating control module 7. Among them, the heating control module 7 is electrically connected to receive the signals sent by the first detection module 5 and the second detection module 6 and judge whether to supply power to the heating part 4 according to the sent signals, that is, the heating control module 7 is used to control whether the heating part 4 is powered on or off. The heating control module 7 can be a component with a power supply function, such as a heating circuit, a power supply and other components. Among them, the first detection module 5 is used to detect the temperature of the thermistor. When the temperature of the thermistor is lower than the preset working temperature, the heating control module 7 supplies power to the heating part 4. The preset working temperature can be preset according to the performance of the thermistor and the application scenario of the electronic device 10 provided with the self-heating camera module 1. Among them, the second detection module 6 is used to detect whether there is a preset abnormality in the image currently collected by the self-heating camera module 1. When there is no preset abnormality in the image currently collected, the heating control module 7 does not supply power to the heating part 4. The preset abnormality is that the image currently collected contains an image corresponding to an attachment generated in a low temperature environment. The attachment includes but is not limited to one or more of water mist and ice and snow.

[0034] It is understandable that when the temperature of the thermistor is lower than the preset operating temperature, the current temperature of the environment in which the electronic device 10 is located is too low. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the temperature of the lens in the lens 21 to maintain a good imaging effect. When the currently collected image is abnormal, the current temperature of the lens in the lens 21 is too low, and the imaging effect of the self-heating camera module 1 is poor. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the temperature of the lens in the lens 21 to maintain a good imaging effect, that is, the self-heating camera module 1 needs to heat the lens barrel 2 to increase the temperature of the lens in the lens 21. In addition, the first detection module 5 can be a component with a temperature detection function, such as a temperature sensor. The second detection module 6 can be a component with an image detection function.

[0035] In some feasible embodiments, the first detection module 5 can also send a signal to the heating control module 7 by detecting the current temperature of the heating part 4, and judge whether to supply power to the heating part 4 according to the sent signal, that is, judge whether the heating part is powered on or off according to the current temperature of the heating part 4. Specifically, when the current temperature of the heating part 4 reaches the preset operating temperature threshold, the heating module does not supply power to the heating part 4. The preset operating temperature threshold can be preset based on the heating demand and the temperature at which the internal components of the self-heating camera module 1 can maintain normal operation. Preferably, the preset operating temperature threshold is 85°C-95°C.

[0036] Please see Figure 3 , which is a cross-sectional view of the self-heating camera module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, the self-heating camera module 1 is also provided with a heat-conducting adhesive 8. The heat-conducting adhesive 8 is a heat-conducting material made of fluid material, and has resistance to hot and cold alternation, aging resistance and electrical insulation performance. In addition, the heat-conducting adhesive 8 also has moisture-proof, shock-resistant, corona-resistant, anti-leakage and chemical medium resistance, can not swell under low temperature environment and has good adhesion to most metal and non-metal materials. That is, the heat-conducting adhesive 8 can not only fully conduct heat, but also increase the adhesion and sealing of the self-heating camera module 1. In this embodiment, the heat-conducting adhesive 8 contacts the outer wall of the lens barrel 2 at one end of which the lens 21 is provided, part of the heating part 4, and part of the heat-conducting part.

[0038] It can be understood that the thermal conductive adhesive 8 has fully contacted the cavity of the lens inside the self-heating camera module 1 near the lens inside the lens 21, which can not only increase the heat conducted from the heating part to the outer wall of the lens barrel 2 near one end of the lens 21, but also reduce the heat generated by the heating part 4 and the heat loss received by the heat conductive part, thereby improving the efficiency of heating the lens inside the lens 21.

[0039] In this embodiment, the self-heating camera module 1 is further provided with a heat insulating portion 9. The heat insulating portion 9 is attached to the heating portion 4, the heat conducting portion, and the heat conducting adhesive 8. The heat insulating portion 9 is adapted to the shape and structure of the self-heating camera module 1. Preferably, the heat insulating portion 9 is made of silicone. Silicone is a rubber material having a wide temperature resistance range and excellent chemical properties, so as to reduce the heat generated when the temperature of the heating portion 4 rises and the heat conducted from the heating portion 4 to the heat conducting portion from being lost to the outside of the self-heating camera module 1.

[0040] In the above embodiment, heat is generated by providing current to the heating part, and the heat generated by the heating part is received by the bearing part in the heat-conducting part sleeved on the outer wall of the lens barrel, so that part of the heat is directly conducted to the outer wall of the lens barrel, and the other part of the heat is indirectly conducted to the outer wall of the lens barrel through the heat-collecting part extending from the bearing part. This can reduce the loss caused by the lens barrel directly contacting the heat source, protect the lens inside the lens barrel, and avoid deformation of the lens due to uneven heating. At the same time, the heat generated by the heating part can be conducted to the entire lens barrel through the heat-conducting part, thereby improving the efficiency of heat conduction to the entire lens barrel.

[0041] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

[0042] The above examples are only preferred embodiments of the present application, and certainly cannot be used to limit the scope of rights of the present application. Therefore, equivalent changes made according to the claims of the present application still fall within the scope covered by the present application.

Claims

1. A self-heating camera module, characterized in that: The self-heating camera module comprises: Lens tube; a heating portion, the heating portion being made of a heating material and generating heat when powered; and The heat conducting part and the heating part are sequentially sleeved on the outer wall of the lens barrel, and the heat conducting part includes a bearing part and a heat collecting part; the heat collecting part is extended from one end of the bearing part along the axial direction of the lens barrel; There is a gap between the heating part and the outer wall of the lens barrel, the heating part is in contact with one end surface of the bearing part, and both the bearing part and the heat collecting part are in contact with the lens barrel.

2. The self-heating camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the axial direction perpendicular to the lens barrel, the cross-sectional area of ​​the bearing portion is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the heating portion, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the bearing portion is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the heat collecting portion.

3. The self-heating camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the axial direction of the lens barrel, the thickness of the bearing portion is smaller than the thickness of the heat collecting portion.

4. The self-heating camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A lens is disposed at one end of the lens barrel, and the heating portion and the heat conducting portion are close to the end of the lens barrel where the lens is disposed.

5. The self-heating camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat conducting part includes an independent first heat conducting part and a second heat conducting part, and the first heat conducting part and the second heat conducting part respectively include a sub-bearing part and a sub-heat collecting part; when the first heat conducting part and the second heat conducting part are fixed together, the sub-bearing parts and sub-heat collecting parts of the first heat conducting part and the second heat conducting part are merged into the bearing part and the heat collecting part in a one-to-one correspondence.

6. The self-heating camera module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first heat conducting portion and the second heat conducting portion are fixed together symmetrically along the axis direction of the lens barrel.

7. The self-heating camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating material is a PTC polymer, and a thermistor is provided on an end face of the heating part away from the bearing part; the self-heating camera module also includes a first detection module, a second detection module, and a heating control module, and the first detection module and the second detection module are electrically connected to the heating control module respectively; the first detection module is used to detect the temperature of the thermistor, and when the temperature of the thermistor is lower than the preset operating temperature, the heating control module supplies power to the heating part; the second detection module is used to detect whether there is a preset abnormality in the image currently captured by the self-heating camera module, and when there is no preset abnormality in the image currently captured, the heating control module does not supply power to the heating part.

8. The self-heating camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The self-heating camera module is also provided with a heat-conducting adhesive, which contacts the outer wall of the lens barrel at one end where the lens is provided, a part of the heating part, and a part of the heat-conducting part.

9. The self-heating camera module according to claim 8, characterized in that: The self-heating camera module is also provided with a heat insulating portion, and the heat insulating portion is attached to the heating portion, the heat conducting portion, and the heat conducting adhesive.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises: The device itself; and A self-heating camera module as described in any one of claims 1-9 is arranged on the device body.

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