Camera module

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a camera module comprising: a lens barrel; an image sensor disposed below the lens barrel along an optical axis direction of the lens barrel and electrically connected to the substrate; and a sub-housing disposed between the lens barrel and the substrate and on which an infrared filter is mounted, in which the sub-housing includes a gas discharge portion penetrating between a first surface and a second surface facing each other in an optical axis direction, and a central axis of the gas discharge portion along the penetrating direction is inclined with respect to the optical axis.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a camera module. Background Art

[0002] As information and communication technology and semiconductor technology have significantly advanced, the supply and use of electronic devices has also grown rapidly. These electronic devices tend to provide a variety of functions through convergence rather than remaining in their typical unique fields.

[0003] Recently, cameras have been substantially adopted in portable electronic devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and laptop computers, and cameras in these portable electronic devices may be added with an auto focus (AF) function, an image stabilization function, and a zoom function.

[0004] In the case where an adhesive such as epoxy resin is used to bond and fix the infrared filter of the camera module and the sub-housing on which the infrared filter is mounted, gas is generated during curing. An air hole formed through the sub-housing may be provided to discharge the gas. However, because impurities may be introduced into the camera module or a flare phenomenon may occur due to the air hole, improvement is required.

[0005] The above information is presented as background information only to assist in understanding the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above may be applicable as prior art with respect to the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0006] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description below. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] In a general aspect, a camera module includes: a lens barrel; an image sensor, which is arranged below the lens barrel along the optical axis direction of the lens barrel and is electrically connected to a substrate; and a sub-housing, which is arranged between the lens barrel and the substrate and on which an infrared filter is mounted, wherein the sub-housing includes a gas discharge portion extending between a first surface and a second surface facing each other along the optical axis direction, and a central axis of the gas discharge portion along the extending direction is inclined relative to the optical axis.

[0008] The gas discharge portion may penetrate the upper and lower portions of the sub housing in a straight line.

[0009] The gas discharge portion may have a uniform width relative to the central axis.

[0010] The camera module may further include an adhesive portion disposed to cover at least a portion of the gas discharge portion.

[0011] The bonding portion may be provided to surround an inner peripheral surface of the gas discharge portion.

[0012] The subshell may further include a placement portion and a frame portion, the infrared filter being accommodated in the placement portion and the placement portion being arranged to surround an opening of the subshell, the frame portion being arranged on an outer portion of the subshell to surround the placement portion, and the gas exhaust portion may be arranged in the frame portion.

[0013] A central axis of the gas discharge portion may be inclined toward the outside of the sub-housing.

[0014] The sub-housing may have an opening, and a central axis of the gas discharge portion may be inclined toward the opening of the sub-housing.

[0015] The gas discharge portion may have a hollow cylindrical shape.

[0016] The gas discharge portion may have a circular cross-sectional shape.

[0017] A central axis of the gas discharge portion may be inclined with respect to the first surface of the subhousing.

[0018] The gas discharge portion may be inclined and extended such that the central axis forms an angle with the optical axis.

[0019] The camera module may further include a lens driver configured to install and move the lens barrel, and a housing configured to accommodate the lens barrel and the lens driver.

[0020] The gas exhaust portion may be disposed outside an edge of the infrared filter.

[0021] Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a camera module according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] Figure 2 A perspective view showing a portion of a camera module according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3 Shown along Figure 2 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a camera module according to one or more exemplary embodiments, taken along line III-III′.

[0025] Figure 4 An enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A of a camera module according to one or more exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0026] Figure 5 Shown along Figure 2 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a camera module according to one or more modified exemplary embodiments, taken along line VV′.

[0027] Figure 6 An enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A of a camera module according to one or more other exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0028] Throughout the drawings and detailed description, unless otherwise described, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. For clarity, illustration, and convenience, the drawings may not be drawn to scale, and the relative sizes, proportions, and depictions of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, although examples of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be noted that the examples are not limited thereto.

[0030] The following specific embodiments are provided to help the reader gain a comprehensive understanding of the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein. However, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein will be apparent after understanding the present disclosure. For example, the order of operations described herein is merely an example and is not limited to the order set forth herein, but may be changed as will be apparent after understanding the present disclosure, except for operations that must occur in a certain order. In addition, descriptions of features known in the art may be omitted for clarity and brevity.

[0031] The features described herein may be implemented in different forms and are not to be construed as being limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein are provided only to illustrate some of the many possible ways to implement the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein that will be apparent after understanding the present disclosure.

[0032] Throughout the specification, when an element (such as a layer, a region, or a substrate) is described as being “on”, “connected to”, or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly “on”, directly “connected to”, or directly “coupled to” the other element, or one or more other elements may be present between them. Conversely, when an element is described as being “directly” “on”, “directly connected to”, or “directly coupled to” another element, there are no other elements present between them.

[0033] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one of the associated listed items and any combination of any two or more of the associated listed items; similarly, "at least one of..." includes any one of the associated listed items and any combination of any two or more of the associated listed items.

[0034] Furthermore, throughout the specification, the phrase “in a plan view” or “on a plane” means observing a target portion from the top, and the phrase “in a cross-sectional view” or “on a section” means observing a section formed by vertically cutting the target portion from the side.

[0035] Although terms such as "first", "second", and "third" may be used herein to describe various members, components, regions, layers, or portions, these members, components, regions, layers, or portions are not limited by these terms. Instead, these terms are only used to distinguish one member, component, region, layer, or portion from another member, component, region, layer, or portion. Therefore, the first member, first component, first region, first layer, or first portion mentioned in the examples described herein may also be referred to as the second member, second component, second region, second layer, or second portion without departing from the teachings of the examples.

[0036] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "upper", "below", "lower", etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element to another element as shown in the drawings. In addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings, such spatially relative terms are intended to also include different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, an element described as being "above" or "upper" relative to another element will then be "below" or "lower" relative to the other element. Therefore, the term "above" includes both the orientation of the above and below, depending on the spatial orientation of the device. The device may also be oriented in other ways (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative terms used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0037] The terms used herein are only used to describe various examples and are not used to limit the present disclosure. The words "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "include", "comprises" and "have" specify the presence of stated features, quantities, operations, components, elements and / or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, operations, components, elements and / or combinations thereof.

[0038] Due to manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances, the shapes shown in the drawings may vary. Therefore, the examples described herein are not limited to the specific shapes shown in the drawings but include shape variations that occur during manufacturing.

[0039] Herein, it is noted that the use of the term “may” with respect to an example, such as with respect to what an example may include or implement, means that there is at least one example that includes or implements this feature, and all examples are not limited thereto.

[0040] As will be apparent after understanding the present disclosure, the features of the examples described herein may be combined in various ways. In addition, although the examples described herein have multiple configurations, other configurations are also possible, as will be apparent after understanding the present disclosure.

[0041] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure provide a camera module that can easily discharge gas caused by curing of an adhesive material to the outside, effectively block impurities from being introduced from the outside, and prevent the occurrence of a flare phenomenon.

[0042] However, the purpose of the present disclosure is not limited to the above contents.

[0043] Reference Figure 1 A camera module 10 according to one or more exemplary embodiments is described. Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional views of camera modules according to one or more exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0044] Reference Figure 1 , the camera module 10 may include a housing 100 , a lens barrel 200 , a lens driver 300 , a substrate 400 , an image sensor 500 , a sub housing 600 , and an infrared filter 700 .

[0045] The housing 100 may accommodate the lens barrel 200 and the lens driver 300. The housing 100 may have a polyhedral shape having a substantially quadrilateral cross section and a predetermined height. However, the shape of the housing 100 is not limited to the polyhedral shape having a quadrilateral cross section.

[0046] The lens barrel 200 may have a hollow cylindrical shape so that a plurality of lenses for imaging an object may be accommodated therein, and the plurality of lenses may be installed in the lens barrel 200 along the optical axis. According to the design of the lens barrel 200, a plurality of lenses may be provided as many as necessary, and the corresponding lenses may have the same or different optical properties, such as refractive index. The lens barrel 200 may be moved in the optical axis direction or in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction while being accommodated in the housing 100 by the driving force of the lens driver 300.

[0047] The lens driver 300 is a device for installing and moving the lens barrel 200, and may include an auto focus (AF) unit for adjusting the focus and an optical image stabilization (OIS) unit for correcting hand shake or shaking. For example, the lens driver 300 may adjust the focus or implement a zoom function by moving the lens barrel 200 in the optical axis direction (Z-axis direction in the figure) using the AF unit, and may correct hand shake or shaking during imaging by moving the lens barrel 200 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction (X-axis direction or Y-axis direction in the figure) using the OIS unit.

[0048] The substrate 400 may be electrically connected to the lens driver 300. The substrate 400 may be a printed circuit board. The substrate 400 may include a printed circuit board (PCB). The substrate 400 may be coupled to the image sensor 500. A hole for accommodating the image sensor 500 may be provided in the substrate 400, and a support portion made of a stainless steel (SUS) material may be provided on the lower surface of the substrate 400. However, not limited thereto, the support portion may be made of an insulating material and may be omitted if necessary.

[0049] The image sensor 500 may be mounted on the substrate 400. The image sensor 500 may be disposed on one side of the substrate 400. The image sensor 500 may be disposed below the lens barrel 200 along the optical axis direction. The image sensor 500 may convert light incident through the lens barrel 200 into an electrical signal. For example, the image sensor 500 may be a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The electrical signal converted by the image sensor 500 may be output as an image through a display unit (not shown) of an electronic device equipped with the camera module 10. The image sensor 500 may be disposed within the substrate 400 and may be electrically connected to the substrate 400.

[0050] The sub-housing 600 and the infrared filter 700 mounted on the sub-housing 600 may be disposed between the substrate 400 and the lens barrel 200. The infrared filter 700 may be disposed below the lens barrel 200 along the optical axis direction of the lens barrel 200. The infrared filter 700 may be disposed within the sub-housing 600. The infrared filter 700 may be configured to block light of a specific wavelength. For example, the infrared filter 700 may be configured to block infrared light. However, the light blocked by the infrared filter 700 is not limited to infrared light.

[0051] The infrared filter 700 can be fixed in various ways. For example, the infrared filter 700 can be bonded and fixed with an ultraviolet curing adhesive material or a heat curing adhesive material, and in this case, the adhesive material can be formed of an epoxy material. In addition, all possible adhesive members such as tapes can also be used.

[0052] As described above, the housing 100 and the sub-housing 600 may define an inner space in which the lens barrel 200 , the lens driver 300 , and the image sensor 500 are accommodated.

[0053] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 2 to 4 The sub housing 600 of the camera module 10 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is described in more detail. Figure 2 A perspective view showing a portion of a camera module according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3 Shown along Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a portion of a camera module according to one or more exemplary embodiments, taken along line III-III′ of FIG. Figure 4 An enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A of a camera module according to one or more exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0054] The sub-housing 600 may have a quadrilateral planar shape. The sub-housing 600 may have an opening 603 at its center, and the image sensor 500 may be disposed in the opening 603 of the sub-housing 600. The opening 603 of the sub-housing 600 may also have a quadrilateral planar shape.

[0055] The sub-housing 600 may have a step in the optical axis direction, and may include a frame portion 601 and a seating portion 602 that are sequentially connected.

[0056] The placement portion 602 may be disposed to surround the opening 603. The opening 603 may at least partially overlap with the image sensor 500. The placement portion 602 may be disposed between the opening 603 and the frame portion 601. The infrared filter 700 may be accommodated and installed in the placement portion 602. In terms of height along the optical axis direction, the height of the placement portion 602 may be lower than the height of the frame portion 601. The placement portion 602 may have a quadrilateral planar shape, but is not limited thereto.

[0057] The frame portion 601 may be supported on the substrate 400. The frame portion 601 may space the seating portion 602 apart from the substrate 400. The frame portion 601 may be provided on an outer portion of the sub-housing 600 to surround the opening 603. The frame portion 601 may be provided to surround the seating portion 602.

[0058] Due to the opening 603 of the sub-housing 600, a space portion may be formed inside the sub-housing 600. The infrared filter 700 may be disposed at an upper portion of the space portion, and the image sensor 500 may be disposed at a lower portion thereof.

[0059] The sub housing 600 may have a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface in the optical axis direction. Specifically, the first surface may be a surface facing the lens barrel 200 , and the second surface may be a surface facing the image sensor 500 .

[0060] The sub-housing 600 may have a gas exhaust portion 800 that penetrates between a first surface and a second surface that face each other along the optical axis direction. The gas exhaust portion 800 may penetrate from the first surface to the second surface of the sub-housing 600. Therefore, the gas generated when the infrared filter 700 and the sub-housing 600 are joined can be exhausted from the internal space of the sub-housing 600 to the outside of the sub-housing 600.

[0061] The central axis CA of the gas discharge portion 800 along the penetration direction can be tilted relative to the optical axis. The central axis CA of the gas discharge portion 800 can be tilted to form an angle with the optical axis. The central axis CA of the gas discharge portion 800 can be tilted toward the outside of the sub-housing 600. The central axis CA of the gas discharge portion 800 can be tilted toward an outer edge of the sub-housing 600 adjacent thereto. However, it is not limited to this, as long as the central axis CA of the gas discharge portion 800 is tilted to form an angle with the optical axis, any shape is possible.

[0062] Figure 5 Shown along Figure 2 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a camera module according to one or more modified exemplary embodiments, taken along line VV′.

[0063] For example, refer to Figure 5 , the central axis CA of the gas exhaust portion 800 may be inclined toward the inside of the sub-housing 600. The central axis CA of the gas exhaust portion 800 may be inclined toward the opening 603. The central axis CA of the gas exhaust portion 800 may be inclined toward an inner edge of the sub-housing 600 adjacent thereto. The inner edge of the sub-housing 600 may be an edge defining the opening 603.

[0064] The central axis CA of the gas discharge part 800 can be tilted to form an angle with the first surface of the sub-housing 600. The central axis CA of the gas discharge part 800 can be tilted to form an angle with the second surface of the sub-housing 600. The gas discharge part 800 can be tilted so that its central axis CA forms a certain angle with the optical axis. The gas discharge part 800 can be tilted and extended so that its central axis CA forms a constant angle with the optical axis. Therefore, the gas discharge part 800 can run through the upper and lower parts of the sub-housing 600 in a straight line.

[0065] As described above, when the central axis CA of the gas discharge portion 800 is inclined to form an angle with the optical axis, light unnecessarily reflected by the gas discharge portion 800 may be blocked to prevent the occurrence of a flare phenomenon.

[0066] The gas discharge portion 800 may have a uniform width relative to the central axis CA. The width of the gas discharge portion 800 may be measured according to a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction and parallel to one edge of the sub-housing 600. The gas discharge portion 800 may have a hollow cylindrical shape. The gas discharge portion 800 may have a circular cross-sectional shape. However, the shape of the gas discharge portion 800 and its cross-sectional shape are not limited thereto, and any shape that allows gas to pass through the gas discharge portion 800 is possible, so the gas discharge portion 800 may have a hollow polygonal column shape, and the gas discharge portion 800 may have a polygonal cross-sectional shape.

[0067] As an example, the gas discharge portion 800 may be disposed in the frame portion 601. The frame portion 601 may have a first opening 604 and a second opening 605, the gas discharge portion 800 passing through the first opening 604 to be disposed on the first surface, and the gas discharge portion 800 passing through the second opening 605 to be disposed on the second surface. In other words, the first opening 604 and the second opening 605 may be disposed at both ends of the gas discharge portion 800, respectively. The gas discharge portion 800 may be disposed outside the edge of the infrared filter 700, but is not limited thereto, and any position (including the placement portion 602) where the gas discharge portion 800 can communicate with the internal space of the sub-housing 600 and the outside is possible.

[0068] The gas discharge portion 800 may be communicated with the outside of the sub-housing 600 through the first opening 604, and may be communicated with the internal space of the sub-housing 600 through the second opening 605. Since the gas discharge portion 800 is tilted to form an angle with the optical axis and penetrates the sub-housing 600, the first opening 604 and the second opening 605 may be disposed not to be aligned with each other but to be offset from each other based on a direction parallel to the optical axis direction.

[0069] In the present embodiment, one gas discharge portion 800 is illustrated in the sub housing 600 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a plurality of gas discharge portions 800 may be provided.

[0070] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 6 The sub housing 600 of the camera module 10 according to one or more other exemplary embodiments is described in detail. Figure 6 An enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A of a camera module according to one or more other exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0071] Reference Figure 6, an adhesive portion 900 may be provided to cover at least a portion of the gas discharge portion 800. The adhesive portion 900 may include an adhesive material. The adhesive portion 900 may be provided to surround the inner circumferential surface of the gas discharge portion 800. The adhesive portion 900 may have a hollow cylindrical shape. The adhesive portion 900 may have a circular cross-sectional shape. However, the shape of the adhesive portion 900 and its cross-sectional shape are not limited thereto, and any shape that can cover at least a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the gas discharge portion 800 through which external gas can pass is possible.

[0072] As described above, by providing the adhesive portion 900 on the surface of the gas discharge portion 800, even if external fluid impurities are introduced through the opening for gas discharge, they can be blocked.

[0073] The camera module according to one or more embodiments as described herein may easily discharge gas caused by the curing of the adhesive material to the outside, effectively block impurities from being introduced from the outside, and prevent the occurrence of the flare phenomenon.

[0074] Although specific examples have been shown and described above, it will be apparent after understanding the present disclosure that various changes in form and detail may be made in these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. The examples described herein are considered to be illustrative only and not for limiting purposes. The description of the features or aspects in each example is considered to be applicable to similar features or aspects in other examples. Suitable results may also be obtained if the described techniques are performed in a different order, and / or if the components in the described systems, architectures, devices, or circuits are combined in different ways and / or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by specific embodiments, but by the claims and their equivalents, and all changes within the scope of the claims and their equivalents will be interpreted as included in the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A camera module, comprising: A lens barrel containing a plurality of lenses; An image sensor is disposed below the lens barrel along the optical axis direction of the lens barrel and is electrically connected to the substrate; as well as A sub-shell is arranged between the lens barrel and the substrate, and an infrared filter is installed on the sub-shell. wherein the sub-housing includes a gas discharge portion penetrating between a first surface and a second surface facing each other along the optical axis direction, and Wherein, a central axis of the gas discharge portion along the penetration direction is inclined relative to the optical axis.

2. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The gas discharge portion penetrates the upper portion and the lower portion of the sub-housing in a straight line.

3. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The gas discharge portion has a uniform width with respect to the central axis. 4 . The camera module of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive portion disposed to cover at least a portion of the gas discharge portion.

5. The camera module according to claim 4, wherein: The bonding portion is provided to surround an inner peripheral surface of the gas discharge portion.

6. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The sub-housing further comprises: a placement portion in which the infrared filter is accommodated and which is arranged to surround the opening of the sub-housing; and a frame portion provided on an outer portion of the sub-housing to surround the placement portion, and Wherein, the gas exhaust part is arranged in the frame part.

7. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The central axis of the gas discharge portion is inclined toward the outside of the sub-housing.

8. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The sub-housing further includes an opening, and The central axis of the gas discharge portion is inclined toward the opening of the sub-housing.

9. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The gas discharge portion has a hollow cylindrical shape.

10. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The gas discharge portion has a circular cross-sectional shape.

11. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The central axis of the gas discharge portion is inclined with respect to the first surface of the sub-housing.

12. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The gas discharge portion is inclined and extended such that the central axis forms an angle with the optical axis.

13. The camera module according to claim 1, further comprising: a lens driver configured to mount and move the lens barrel; as well as The housing is configured to accommodate the lens barrel and the lens driver.

14. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: The gas discharge portion is disposed outside an edge of the infrared filter.

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