Camera module

Abstract

The invention provides a camera module. The camera module comprises a lens, a shell, a heating part and a mounting part, the shell comprises a containing groove, the lens is installed on the shell, part of the lens is located in the containing groove, the installation piece is located in the containing groove and arranged on the periphery of the lens in a surrounding mode, the heating piece is fixedly arranged on the installation piece, the heating piece is located between the installation piece and the shell, and the lens is installed on the shell. And gaps exist between the mounting piece and the lens and between the heating piece and the lens. According to the camera module, the heating piece and the mounting piece are arranged in the accommodating space between the shell and the lens, so that the defrosting and demisting effects can be achieved, meanwhile, the size of the camera module is not increased, and the miniaturization requirement of an existing camera module is met; the heating piece of a flexible structure is convenient to install and fix, the assembly efficiency of the camera module is improved, and the installation precision and the yield are ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of optical imaging equipment, and in particular to a camera module. Background Art

[0002] With economic and technological development, the trend toward automotive automation and intelligence has made in-vehicle camera modules increasingly important. Drivers are increasingly relying on them for assisted driving, particularly in blind spot detection, collision warning, and autonomous driving. To ensure driving safety, increasingly stringent requirements are being placed on in-vehicle camera modules. When vehicles are exposed to continuous rain, frost, or alternating hot and cold weather, fogging or frost easily forms on the inner and outer surfaces of the near-object side lens of an in-vehicle camera lens, seriously affecting its optical performance and endangering driving safety. To ensure driving safety, a common method currently employed is to incorporate heating elements within the in-vehicle lens to evaporate moisture from the lens surface or to prevent fogging or frost.

[0003] In existing heating lens modules, the heating plate is either set inside the lens, that is, attached to the inside of the lens group, especially to the image side of the first lens. The lens is a precision component and the positions of the multiple lenses inside are designed. Adding a heating plate will cause deviations in the direct installation and fixation of the lens group, thereby affecting the imaging of the lens. Another way is to stick a heating plate on the outside of the lens, but because the heating plate structure is relatively flexible and the heating plate structure is relatively small, it is difficult to assemble the heating element into the camera module and the process is complicated. Moreover, because the heating plate is attached to the side of the lens and the heating plate wires exist, the lens and the circuit board are difficult to align during assembly (a photosensitive chip will be installed on the circuit board, and the lens needs to be accurately aligned with the photosensitive chip to ensure high-quality imaging). The accuracy is difficult to control. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a camera module that can improve assembly efficiency and assembly accuracy.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] The present invention provides a camera module, comprising: a lens, a housing, a heating element and a mounting element;

[0007] The shell includes a accommodating groove, the lens is mounted on the shell and part of the lens is located in the accommodating groove, the mounting member is located in the accommodating groove and is arranged around the outer periphery of the lens, the heating member is fixedly arranged on the mounting member, and the heating member is located between the mounting member and the shell, wherein a gap is provided between the mounting member, the heating member and the lens.

[0008] Further preferably, the camera module further includes an elastic electrical connector and a circuit board, one end of the elastic electrical connector is fixedly disposed on the circuit board, and the other end is electrically connected to the heating element.

[0009] Further preferably, the elastic electrical connector is a spring needle, which includes a needle head and a base. The needle head is retractably connected to the base, the needle head is electrically connected to the heating element, and the base is electrically connected to the circuit board.

[0010] Further preferably, the elastic electrical connecting member is a conductive spring or a metal spring.

[0011] Further preferably, the heating element includes a bending portion, which extends from the heating element in a direction away from the optical axis of the lens, and the bending portion is provided with an electrical connection pin toward the circuit board, the electrical connection pin is electrically connected to the elastic electrical connection element, and the bending portion is provided with an adhesive-backed attachment shell on the back of the electrical connection pin.

[0012] Further preferably, the mounting member includes a main body and a plurality of supporting legs, the main body is a circular ring structure, the plurality of supporting legs are connected below the main body, the heating member is mounted on the main body, and the plurality of supporting legs are mounted on the circuit board.

[0013] Further preferably, the mounting member further comprises a supporting portion, both ends of the supporting portion are respectively connected to the main body and a plurality of supporting legs, and the supporting portion is away from the surface of the circuit board to abut the heating element against the shell.

[0014] Further preferably, the supporting foot includes a mounting plate, and the mounting plate is parallel to the circuit board and is mounted on the circuit board.

[0015] Further preferably, the mounting member is a circular ring structure, the mounting member is bonded to the shell by glue, and / or the heating member is bonded to the shell by glue.

[0016] Further preferably, the mounting member includes a main body and a locking structure, the main body is a circular ring structure, the locking structure is connected to the outer peripheral side of the main body, and the locking structure is fixedly connected to the shell by screws.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The present invention arranges a heating element and a mounting element in the accommodation space between the shell and the lens, which can play the role of defrosting and defogging, and at the same time fully utilizes the internal space of the camera module, does not increase the volume of the camera module, and meets the miniaturization requirements of the existing camera module; in addition, the heating element is installed in the shell of the camera module through the mounting element, which is convenient for the installation and fixation of the heating element with a flexible structure, improves the assembly efficiency of the camera module, and ensures the installation accuracy and yield; in addition, there is a gap between the mounting element and the heating element and the lens, which prevents the mounting element and the heating element from affecting the assembly of the lens into the camera module, and ensures that the assembly accuracy of the lens is not affected. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the camera module assembly provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 An exploded view of the camera module according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a camera module according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a mounting member and a heating member according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a mounting member according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of a camera module according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of a mounting member according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Illustration: OO-optical axis, 1-lens, 2-housing, 201-accommodating groove, 3-heating element, 301-bending portion, 302-electrical connection pin, 4-mounting part, 401-main body, 402-supporting portion, 403-supporting foot, 404-locking structure, 4001-mounting plate, 5-photosensitive chip, 6-elastic electrical connection part, 601-needle head, 602-base, 7-circuit board, 8-gap, 9-glue.

[0028] The following specific embodiments will further illustrate the present invention in conjunction with the above-mentioned drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] For a better understanding of the present invention, various aspects of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these detailed descriptions are merely illustrative of embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Throughout this specification, like reference numerals refer to like elements. The expression "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0030] Those skilled in the art should understand that, in the disclosure of the present invention, the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, which are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0031] It should also be understood that the terms "comprises," "including," "having," "includes," and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, indicate the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, 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 list of features, rather than modifying the individual elements in the list. Furthermore, when describing embodiments of the invention, "may" is used to mean "one or more embodiments of the invention." Furthermore, the term "exemplary" is intended to refer to an example or illustration.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. It should also be understood that terms (such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries) should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined as such herein.

[0033] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features of the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0034] like Figures 1 to 5As shown, the camera module of the first embodiment of the present invention includes: a lens 1, a housing 2, a heater 3, and a mounting member 4. The housing 2 includes a receiving groove 201. The lens 1 is mounted on the housing 2 with a portion of the lens 1 located within the receiving groove 201. The mounting member 4 is located within the receiving groove 201 and surrounds the outer periphery of the lens 1. The heater 3 is fixedly mounted on the mounting member 4 and is located between the mounting member 4 and the housing 2. A gap 8 is formed between the mounting member 4 and the heater 3 and the lens 1. By arranging a heating element 3 and a mounting element 4 in the accommodation space between the shell 2 and the lens 1, it can play the role of defrosting and defogging, and at the same time make full use of the internal space of the camera module, will not increase the volume of the camera module, and meet the miniaturization requirements of the existing camera module; in addition, the heating element 3 is installed in the shell 2 of the camera module through the mounting element 4, which is convenient for the installation and fixation of the flexible structure heating element 3, improves the assembly efficiency of the camera module, and ensures the installation accuracy and yield; in addition, there is a gap 8 between the mounting element 4 and the heating element 3 and the lens 1, which prevents the mounting element 4 and the heating element 3 from affecting the assembly of the lens 1 into the camera module, and ensures that the assembly accuracy of the lens 1 is not affected.

[0035] The mounting member 4 in the present invention can be a sheet metal or plastic part and can be replaced as needed. The heater 3 is a flexible structure, with one side abutting against the housing 2 and the other side fixed to the mounting member 4, improving installation efficiency and precision. It will be appreciated that the heater 3 is a thin structure, allowing it to be installed between the mounting member 4 and the housing 2 in a slight interference fit, ensuring that the heater 3 is tightly attached to the housing 2.

[0036] In this embodiment, the camera module further includes an elastic electrical connector 6 and a circuit board 7. One end of the elastic electrical connector 6 is fixedly mounted on the circuit board 7, and the other end is electrically connected to the heater 3. This ensures a stable connection between the heater 3 and the circuit board 7 to avoid affecting the assembly alignment of the heater 3 and the circuit board 7.

[0037] More specifically, the elastic electrical connector 6 can be a spring pin, which includes a needle head 601 and a base 602. The needle head 601 is retractably connected to the base 602, the needle head 601 being electrically connected to the heater 3, and the base 602 being electrically connected to the circuit board 7. The use of spring pins ensures a stable connection between the heater 3 and the circuit board 7. The spring pin structure is simple, easy to manufacture, and can meet the needs of mass production.

[0038] Furthermore, the elastic electrical connector 6 can also be a conductive spring or a metal spring. It is understood that a folded circuit board is a type of conductive spring, meaning that the elastic electrical connector 6 can be directly made of a folded circuit board. Conductive springs or metal springs have simple structures and are easy to mass produce and assemble.

[0039] In order to facilitate better conduction between the heating element 3 and the elastic electrical connector 6, the heating element 3 includes a bending portion 301, which extends from the heating element 3 away from the optical axis OO of the lens 1. The bending portion 301 is provided with an electrical connection pin 302 toward the circuit board 7. The electrical connection pin 302 is electrically connected to the elastic electrical connector 6, and the bending portion 301 is provided with a backing adhesive attachment shell 2 on the back side of the electrical connection pin 302. The shell 2 provides a support surface for the bending portion 301 to ensure that the bending portion 301 is in hard contact with the elastic electrical connector 6, that is, to ensure that the elastic electrical connector 6 and the electrical connection pin 302 are stably connected.

[0040] In this embodiment, the mounting member 4 includes a main body 401 and a plurality of supporting legs 403. The main body 401 is an annular structure, and the plurality of supporting legs 403 are spaced and connected below the main body 401. The heater 3 is mounted on the main body 401, and the plurality of supporting legs 403 are mounted on the circuit board 7. The supporting legs 403 can be attached to the circuit board 7 by gluing or welding. The mounting member 4 is attached to the circuit board 7 via the plurality of supporting legs 403, allowing the heater 3 to be directly assembled on the circuit board 7. The installation of the heater 3 is not affected by the lens 1 and will not affect the lens 1. After the lens 1 and the circuit board 7 are aligned and assembled, the heater 3 also completes the assembly alignment with the lens 1, eliminating the need for additional assembly alignment processes for the heater 3, thus meeting mass production requirements.

[0041] More specifically, the mounting member 4 also includes a supporting portion 402, the two ends of the supporting portion 402 are respectively connected to the main body 401 and a plurality of supporting legs 403, and the supporting portion 402 is away from the surface of the circuit board 7 to abut the heating element 3 on the shell 2. The main body 401, the supporting portion 402 and the supporting legs 403 are an integrated structure. The main body 401 extends along the optical axis OO of the lens 1, one end of the supporting portion 402 is connected to the bottom of the main body 401 and extends in the direction of the optical axis OO away from the lens 1, and the supporting legs 403 are connected to the other end of the supporting portion 402 and extend in the direction of the optical axis OO of the lens 1. It can be understood that the supporting portion 402 protrudes from the main body 401, which makes it easier to abut the supporting portion 402 on the shell 2, ensuring that the mounting member 4 is installed stably. The lower end of the mounting part 4 is limited and fixed by the circuit board 7, and the upper end is limited and fixed by the heating part 3 and the shell 2, ensuring that the mounting part 4 is stably connected inside the camera module, that is, ensuring that the connection of the heating part 3 is stable, which can cope with the application of the camera module in the automotive field, make the camera module structure stable, and improve the service life.

[0042] More specifically, the support foot 403 includes a mounting plate 4001, which is parallel to and mounted on the circuit board 7. The provision of the mounting plate 4001 can increase the mounting contact area between the support foot 403 and the circuit board 7, facilitate the assembly of the mounting member 4 on the circuit board 7, and ensure a stable connection between the two.

[0043] like Figure 6 As shown, the camera module of the second embodiment provided by the present invention has a substantially identical structure to that of the camera module of the first embodiment, except that the structure of the mounting member 4 in this embodiment is different. In this embodiment, the mounting member 4 is not connected to the circuit board 7 via the support legs 403. Instead, the mounting member 4 in this embodiment has a circular ring structure, and the mounting member 4 is bonded to the housing 2 via glue 9, and / or the heating member 3 is bonded to the housing 2 via glue 9. Fixing the mounting member 4 and the heating member 3 to the housing 2 by gluing is relatively simple and convenient, and can meet the requirements of mass production.

[0044] Alternatively, the structure of the mounting member 4 may also be as follows Figure 7 As shown, the mounting member 4 includes a main body 401 and a locking structure 404. The main body 401 is an annular structure. The locking structure 404 is connected to the outer periphery of the main body 401 and is fixedly connected to the housing 2 by screws. The locking method ensures the stability of the connection between the mounting member 4 and the housing 2 by fixing it to the housing 2 with screws.

[0045] The above-described embodiments merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention, and while their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art would be able to make numerous variations and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A camera module, characterized in that: include: A lens (1), a housing (2), a heating element (3) and a mounting element (4); The housing (2) comprises a receiving groove (201), the lens (1) is mounted on the housing (2) and a portion of the lens (1) is located in the receiving groove (201), the mounting member (4) is located in the receiving groove (201) and is arranged around the periphery of the lens (1), the heating member (3) is fixedly arranged on the mounting member (4), the heating member (3) is located between the mounting member (4) and the housing (2), wherein a gap (8) is provided between the mounting member (4) and the heating member (3) and the lens (1).

2. A camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camera module also includes an elastic electrical connector (6) and a circuit board (7); one end of the elastic electrical connector (6) is fixedly disposed on the circuit board (7), and the other end is electrically connected to the heating element (3).

3. A camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic electrical connection member (6) is a spring needle, which comprises a needle head (601) and a base (602). The needle head (601) is retractably connected to the base (602), the needle head (601) is electrically connected to the heating element (3), and the base (602) is electrically connected to the circuit board (7).

4. A camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic electrical connecting member (6) is a conductive spring or a metal spring.

5. A camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heating element (3) comprises a bending portion (301), wherein the bending portion (301) extends from the heating element (3) in a direction away from the optical axis of the lens (1), and the bending portion (301) is provided with an electrical connection pin (302) in a direction toward the circuit board (7), wherein the electrical connection pin (302) is electrically connected to the elastic electrical connection element (6), and the bending portion (301) is provided with a backing adhesive on the back side of the electrical connection pin (302) for attaching to the shell (2).

6. A camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mounting member (4) comprises a main body (401) and a plurality of supporting legs (403); the main body (401) is a circular ring structure; the plurality of supporting legs (403) are connected below the main body (401); the heating member (3) is mounted and connected to the main body (401); and the plurality of supporting legs (403) are mounted and arranged on the circuit board (7).

7. A camera module according to claim 6, characterized in that: The mounting member (4) further comprises a supporting portion (402), the two ends of which are respectively connected to the main body (401) and the plurality of supporting legs (403), and the supporting portion (402) is away from the surface of the circuit board (7) to abut the heating element (3) against the shell (2).

8. A camera module according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The supporting foot (403) comprises a mounting plate (4001), wherein the mounting plate (4001) is parallel to the circuit board (7) and is mounted on the circuit board (7).

9. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting member (4) is a circular ring structure, the mounting member (4) is bonded to the shell (2) by glue (9), and / or the heating member (3) is bonded to the shell (2) by glue (9).

10. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting member (4) comprises a main body (401) and a locking structure (404); the main body (401) is a circular ring structure; the locking structure (404) is connected to the outer peripheral side of the main body (401); and the locking structure (404) is fixedly connected to the housing (2) by screws.

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