Camera module and optical device

Abstract

A camera module includes: a lens holder in which a lens is disposed; a bracket disposed below the lens holder; the printed circuit board is arranged at the lower part of the bracket; and a reinforcing portion disposed below the printed circuit board, in which a lower surface of the bracket has a leg portion protruding more downward than other regions and coupled with an upper surface of the reinforcing portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present embodiment relates to a camera module and an optical device. Background Art

[0002] The following description only provides background information for the present embodiment and does not describe the prior art.

[0003] As various types of mobile terminals become more widespread and wireless network services become commercialized, user needs related to mobile terminals also become diversified, and various types of additional devices are installed in the mobile terminals.

[0004] Among them, a representative additional device is a camera module for taking a picture or video of a subject. On the other hand, recent camera modules are equipped with an autofocus function that automatically adjusts the focus according to the distance to the subject. In addition, a shake correction function is applied to prevent the image from shaking due to the hand shake of the photographer.

[0005] On the other hand, various attempts are being made to reduce the size of devices applied to a camera module for an auto focus or image stabilization function. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] The present embodiment provides a camera module and an optical device capable of reducing the size of a product.

[0008] Technical Solution

[0009] The camera module of this embodiment includes: a lens holder, in which the lens is arranged; a bracket, which is arranged below the lens holder; a printed circuit board, which is arranged at the lower part of the bracket; and a reinforcement part (stiffener), which is arranged at the lower part of the printed circuit board, wherein a leg part is formed on the lower surface of the bracket, which protrudes downward more than other areas and is combined with the upper surface of the reinforcement part.

[0010] A metal pad is disposed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board, and a portion of the lower surface of the bracket may be soldered to the metal pad.

[0011] The lower surface of the leg portion may be soldered to the upper surface of the reinforcement portion.

[0012] The printed circuit board includes a cavity in which an image sensor facing the lens may be disposed.

[0013] The bracket is provided with a bobbin combined with a lens, a first coil provided on the bobbin, and a first magnet is provided on the outside of the first coil, and the first coil can be electrically connected to the printed circuit board through a metal pad.

[0014] The metal pad may be provided in plural and disposed to face each other.

[0015] Sides of the legs may be spaced apart from sides of the printed circuit board.

[0016] The reinforcing portion may include a first region facing the printed circuit board in the up-down direction and a second region disposed outside the first region and combined with the leg portion.

[0017] The width of the second region may be 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm.

[0018] According to the present embodiment, the optical device includes: a main body; a camera module, which is arranged on the main body and captures an image of a subject; and a display unit, which is arranged on the main body and outputs an image captured by the camera module, wherein the camera module includes: a lens holder, in which a lens is arranged; a bracket, which is arranged below the lens holder; a printed circuit board, which is arranged at the lower part of the bracket; and a reinforcing part, which is arranged at the lower part of the printed circuit board, and wherein a leg is formed on the lower surface of the bracket, which protrudes downward more than other areas and is combined with an upper surface of the reinforcing part.

[0019] Beneficial Effects

[0020] According to this embodiment, the size of the printed circuit board is reduced by the size of the formation area of ​​the second area, so there is an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0021] Furthermore, due to the structure in which the bracket is welded to the reinforcing portion, there are advantages in that the flatness of the bracket can be easily maintained, and the bonding strength among the bracket, the printed circuit board, and the reinforcing portion can be firmly maintained.

[0022] In addition, since the optical axis length of the camera module can shorten the thickness of the printed circuit board, there is an advantage that the camera module can be further miniaturized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 is a plan view showing an upper surface of a printed circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 is a modified embodiment of the camera module according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 is a perspective view of an optical device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] However, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to a part of the embodiments to be described but may be implemented in various forms, and within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, one or more constituent elements may be selectively combined or replaced between the embodiments.

[0029] In addition, unless explicitly defined and described, the terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted as meanings that can be generally understood by those skilled in the art, and commonly used terms (for example, terms defined in dictionaries) may be interpreted in consideration of the contextual meaning of the relevant technology.

[0030] In addition, the terms used in this specification are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0031] In this specification, unless specifically stated in a phrase, a singular form may include a plural form, and when described as "at least one (or more than one) of A and B and C", it may include more than one combination of all combinations that can be combined with A, B and C.

[0032] In addition, when describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish these components from other components, and these terms do not limit the nature, order, or sequence of the components.

[0033] Furthermore, when a component is described as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “interconnected” with another component, the component is not only directly connected, coupled, or interconnected with the other components but may also include a case where the component is “connected,” “coupled,” or “interconnected” due to another component between the other components.

[0034] In addition, when described as being formed or disposed “on” or “below” each component, “on” or “below” means not only including the case where the two components are in direct contact, but also including the case where one or more other components are formed or disposed between the two components. In addition, when expressed as “on” or “below”, it may include not only the meaning of the upward direction relative to a component, but also the meaning of the downward direction relative to a component.

[0035] The "optical axis direction" used below is defined as the optical axis direction of the lens combined with the camera module. On the other hand, the "optical axis direction" may correspond to the "up and down direction", "z-axis direction" and the like.

[0036] The "auto focus function" used below is defined as a function of automatically focusing on a subject by adjusting the distance to the image sensor so that a clear image of the subject can be obtained on the image sensor by moving the lens module in the optical axis direction according to the distance to the subject. On the other hand, "auto focus" can be used interchangeably with "auto focus (AF)".

[0037] The "hand shake correction function" used below is defined as a function of moving or tilting the lens module in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction to offset the vibration (movement) caused by an external force on the image sensor. On the other hand, "hand shake correction" can be used interchangeably with "optical image stabilization (OIS)".

[0038] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Figure 4 is a perspective view of an optical device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] The optical device may be any one of a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a portable smart device, a digital camera, a notebook computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), and a navigation device. However, the type of the optical device is not limited thereto, and any device for taking an image or a picture may be referred to as an optical device.

[0041] The optical device may include a body 1, a display unit 2, and a camera module 10. However, in the optical device, any one or more of the body 1, the display unit 2, and the camera module 10 may be omitted or changed.

[0042] The main body 1 may form the appearance of the optical device. As an example, the main body 1 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. As another example, at least a portion of the main body 1 may be formed in a circular shape. The main body 1 may accommodate the camera module 10. The display unit 2 may be provided on one surface of the main body 1. As an example, the display unit 2 and the camera module 10 may be provided on one surface of the main body 1, and the camera module 10 may be additionally provided on another surface of the main body 1 (a surface opposite to the one surface).

[0043] The display unit 2 may be provided on the body 1. The display unit 2 may be provided on one surface of the body 1. That is, the display unit 2 may be provided on the same surface as the camera module 10. Alternatively, the display unit 2 may be provided on another surface of the body 1. The display unit 2 may be provided on a surface opposite to the surface on which the camera module 10 is provided on the body 1. The display unit 2 may output an image captured by the camera module 10.

[0044] The camera module 10 may be provided on the body 1. The camera module 10 may be provided on one surface of the body 1. At least a portion of the camera module 10 may be accommodated inside the body 1. A plurality of camera modules 10 may be provided. A plurality of camera modules 10 may be provided on one surface of the body 1 and on another surface of the body 1. The camera module 10 may capture an image of a subject.

[0045] Hereinafter, the configuration of a camera module according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view showing an upper surface of a printed circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the camera module 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a lens holder 100, a bracket 200, a printed circuit board 300, and a reinforcing part 400. However, in the camera module 10, any one or more of the lens holder 100, the bracket 200, the printed circuit board 300, and the reinforcing part 400 may be omitted or changed.

[0048] The lens holder 100 may accommodate at least one lens 110 therein. A space for accommodating the lens 110 may be formed in the lens holder 100. Holes 102 opening the space may be formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the lens holder 100, and the lens 110 may be exposed in the optical axis direction through the holes.

[0049] The lens holder 100 may be referred to as a lens barrel since the lens 110 is accommodated inside.

[0050] The lens 110 may be disposed in the space inside the lens holder 100. The lens 110 may be threadedly coupled inside the space. There may be at least one or more lenses 110. For example, a plurality of lenses 110 may be provided and the plurality of lenses 110 may be disposed inside the space spaced apart from each other in the optical axis direction. A spacer (not shown) may be disposed between the plurality of lenses.

[0051] The lens 110 may be aligned with the image sensor 330 to be described later. The lens 110 may be optically aligned with the image sensor 330. An optical axis of the lens 110 may correspond to an optical axis of the image sensor 330.

[0052] The bracket 200 may be disposed at a lower portion of the lens holder 100. The upper surface of the bracket 200 may be coupled to the lower surface of the lens holder 100. The bracket 200 may have a rectangular cross-sectional shape. A hole 212 may be formed in the upper surface of the bracket 200 overlapping with the lens 110 in the optical axis direction. The lens 110 and the image sensor 330 may be optically aligned through the hole 212.

[0053] The bracket 200 may include an upper plate 210 and a side plate 220. The upper plate 210 may form an upper surface of the bracket 200. The upper surface of the upper plate 210 may be coupled to a lower surface of the lens holder 100. A hole 212 may be formed at the center of the upper plate 210.

[0054] The side plate 220 may form a side of the bracket 200. The side plate 220 may be formed to be bent from an edge region of the upper plate 210 and extend downward. The side plate 220 may be disposed perpendicular to the upper plate 210. Two or more step regions having different heights may be formed at the lower end of the side plate 220.

[0055] The infrared filter 230 may be disposed between the lens 110 and the image sensor 330. The infrared filter 230 may be disposed in a space inside the bracket 200. The infrared filter 230 may be coupled to a lower surface of the upper plate 210.

[0056] An actuator (not shown) for moving the lens 110 to perform an optical function may be provided in the bracket 200. Through the actuator, the camera module 10 may perform an auto focus (AF) function, hand shake correction, an optical image stabilization (OIS) function, and the like.

[0057] The actuator may include a housing, a bobbin disposed inside the housing combined with the lens 110, a coil disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the bobbin, and a first magnet disposed in the housing and facing the coil. In addition, the actuator may include an elastic member combined with the housing and the bobbin. Therefore, the bobbin may rotate together with the lens 110 through electromagnetic interaction between the coil and the magnet.

[0058] On the other hand, the coil may include a first coil for an autofocus function and a second coil for a hand shake correction function. In this case, a second magnet facing the second coil may be additionally provided on the outer side of the second coil. Therefore, the bobbin may be moved in the optical axis direction by the electromagnetic interaction between the first coil and the first magnet, and the bobbin may be moved in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction by the electromagnetic interaction between the second coil and the second magnet.

[0059] The first coil and the second coil may be electrically connected to the printed circuit board 300 .

[0060] The printed circuit board 300 may be disposed at a lower portion of the bracket 200. The printed circuit board 300 is formed in a plate shape, and at least one electronic component for driving the camera module 10 may be disposed on an upper surface thereof. For example, the electronic component may include a capacitor 340.

[0061] The printed circuit board 300 may have a rectangular cross-sectional shape. The printed circuit board 300 may include a first side, a second side disposed to face the first side, a third side disposed to be adjacent to the first side and the second side, and a fourth side disposed to face the third side and adjacent to the first side and the second side. The lengths of the first side and the second side may be formed to be smaller than the lengths of the third side and the fourth side.

[0062] The printed circuit board 300 may include a cavity 310. The cavity 310 may have a hole shape penetrating from the upper surface of the printed circuit board 300 to the lower surface of the printed circuit board 300. The cavity 310 may have a groove shape formed to be more recessed downward from the upper surface of the printed circuit board 300 than other areas. The cavity 310 may be disposed at the center of the printed circuit board 300. The cross-sectional shape of the cavity 310 may be formed to correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the image sensor 330.

[0063] The image sensor 330 may be disposed in the cavity 310. The image sensor 330 may be disposed to face the lens 110 in the optical axis direction. The upper surface of the image sensor 330 may be disposed to form the same plane as the upper surface of the printed circuit board 300.

[0064] The image sensor 330 may be electrically coupled to the printed circuit board 300 through the wire 320. One end of the wire 320 is coupled to the image sensor 330, and the other end of the wire 320 may be coupled to the printed circuit board 300. A plurality of wires 320 may be provided and disposed to be spaced apart from each other.

[0065] A metal pad 350 may be provided on the upper surface of the printed circuit board 300. The metal pad 350 may be an area where a circuit pattern is exposed upward within the printed circuit board 300. The metal pad 350 may be formed of a metal material. The metal pad 350 may be provided adjacent to the second side. The lower end of the bracket 200 may be coupled to the metal pad 350. A portion of the lower end of the bracket 200 may be coupled to the metal pad 350 by welding.

[0066] Through the combination of the bracket 200 and the metal pad 350 , the first coil inside the bracket 200 can be electrically connected to the printed circuit board 300 .

[0067] The camera module 10 may include a sub-substrate 500. The sub-substrate 500 may be electrically connected to the printed circuit board 300 through the FPCB 510. The sub-substrate 500 may be disposed on the outside of the printed circuit board 300. An external connector electrically connected to an external power source or other device may be disposed on the sub-substrate 500. One end of the FPCB 510 for connection with the sub-substrate 500 may be coupled to a second side of the printed circuit board 300 on which the metal pad 350 is disposed. One end of the FPCB 510 may be soldered to the metal pad 350 together with the bracket 200.

[0068] The reinforcing portion 400 may be disposed on the lower surface of the printed circuit board 300. The reinforcing portion 400 may be formed in a plate shape. The reinforcing portion 400 may be formed of a metal material. The upper surface of the reinforcing portion 400 may support the lower surface of the printed circuit board 300 and the lower surface of the image sensor 330. The rigidity of the printed circuit board 300 combined with the image sensor 330 may be enhanced by the reinforcing portion 400.

[0069] The reinforcement part 400 may have a rectangular cross-sectional shape. The cross-sectional area of ​​the reinforcement part 400 may be greater than the cross-sectional area of ​​the printed circuit board 300 .

[0070] The reinforcing part 400 may include a first region arranged to overlap with the printed circuit board 300 in the up-down direction and a second region arranged outside the first region. The second region may be arranged not to overlap with the printed circuit board 330. Figure 2 As shown, the second region may have substantially The second region may be disposed outside the first side, the third side, and the fourth side of the printed circuit board 300.

[0071] The width A of the second region may be 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm.

[0072] The bracket 200 may include a leg 250. The leg 250 may have a shape that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the bracket 200 more than other regions. That is, the leg 250 may have a shape that extends downward from the side plate 220. The leg 250 may be arranged to overlap with the printed circuit board 300 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction. The leg 250 may be arranged to overlap with the second region of the reinforcing portion 400 in the optical axis direction. The lower surface of the leg 250 may be bonded to the upper surface of the reinforcing portion 400. The lower surface of the leg 250 may be bonded to the upper surface of the reinforcing portion 400. The lower surface of the leg 250 may be welded to the upper surface of the reinforcing portion 400. The cross-sectional shape of the leg 250 may be formed to correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the second region.

[0073] The leg 250 may be disposed outside the first side, the third side, and the fourth side of the printed circuit board 300. Specifically, when the cross section of the bracket 200 is formed in a rectangular shape, the bracket 200 may include a fifth side formed with the leg 250, a sixth side and a seventh side adjacent to the fifth side and similarly formed with the leg, and an eighth side disposed to face the fifth side and soldered on the metal pad 350. The lower surfaces of the fifth side, the sixth side, and the seventh side formed at the lower end of the leg 250 may be disposed on the lower side compared to the lower surface of the eighth side.

[0074] The side of the leg portion 250 may be spaced apart from the side of the printed circuit board 300 . Alternatively, the side of the leg portion 250 may contact the side of the printed circuit board 300 .

[0075] According to the above structure, the size of the printed circuit board is reduced by the size of the formation area of ​​the second area, so there is an advantage that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0076] In addition, since the bracket is welded to the reinforcing portion, there is an advantage that the flatness of the bracket can be easily maintained, and the bonding strength between the bracket, the printed circuit board and the reinforcing portion can be firmly maintained.

[0077] In addition, since the length of the camera module in the optical axis direction can shorten the thickness of the printed circuit board, there is an advantage that the camera module can be further miniaturized.

[0078] Figure 3 is a modified embodiment of the camera module according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0079] Reference Figure 3 In the present modified embodiment, since a plurality of metal pads 350 are provided on the printed circuit board 300 , there are differences in the shape of the printed circuit board 300 and the arrangement structure with the reinforcement part 400 .

[0080] Specifically, in the present modified embodiment, a plurality of metal pads 350 are disposed adjacent to the first and second sides of printed circuit board 300 , and the second region of reinforcement part 400 may be disposed outside the third and fourth sides of printed circuit board 300 .

[0081] Therefore, the leg portions 250 are formed only on the sixth and seventh sides of the bracket 200 , and the lower surfaces of the fifth and eighth sides may be welded to the plurality of metal pads 350 , respectively.

[0082] In this modified embodiment, through multiple bonding areas between the bracket 200 and the printed circuit board 300, any one of the multiple metal pads 350 can be electrically connected to the first coil for the AF function, and another one of the multiple metal pads 350 can be electrically connected to the second coil for the OIS function.

[0083] In the above description, all the components constituting the embodiments of the present invention are described as being combined or operated as one, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments. In other words, within the scope of the present invention, all components can be selectively operated in combination with more than one component. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, the above-mentioned terms "include", "comprise" or "have" represent that the corresponding components may be inherent, and therefore should be interpreted as not excluding other components, but further including other components. Unless otherwise specified, all terms including technical terms and scientific terms have the same meaning as those generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Unless clearly defined in the present invention, commonly used terms (e.g., terms defined in dictionaries) should be interpreted as being consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant technology and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense.

[0084] The above description is only an explanation of the technical concept of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs can make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical concept of the present invention, but are intended to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical concepts within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A camera module, comprising: a lens holder, in which the lens is disposed; A bracket, the bracket being arranged below the lens holder; A printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is arranged at the lower part of the bracket; as well as a reinforcing portion, the reinforcing portion being arranged at a lower portion of the printed circuit board, A leg portion is formed on the lower surface of the bracket, the leg portion protruding downward more than other areas and combined with the upper surface of the reinforcement portion.

2. The camera module according to claim 1, in, A metal pad is disposed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board, and Wherein, a portion of the lower surface of the bracket is welded to the metal pad.

3. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: A lower surface of the leg portion is welded to an upper surface of the reinforcement portion.

4. The camera module according to claim 1, in, The printed circuit board includes a cavity, and Wherein, an image sensor facing the lens is arranged in the cavity.

5. The camera module according to claim 2, in, The bracket is provided with a bobbin combined with the lens, a first coil provided on the bobbin, and Wherein, a first magnet is arranged on the outer side of the first coil, and the first coil is electrically connected to the printed circuit board through the metal pad.

6. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein: The metal pads are provided in plural numbers and are provided to face each other.

7. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein: Sides of the leg are spaced apart from sides of the printed circuit board.

8. The camera module according to claim 1, in, The reinforcing portion includes a first region facing the printed circuit board in the up-down direction, and a second region disposed outside the first region and coupled to the leg portion.

9. The camera module according to claim 8, wherein: The width of the second region is 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm.

10. An optical device comprising: A main body; a camera module, wherein the camera module is disposed on the main body and captures an image of a subject; and a display unit provided at the main body and outputting an image photographed by the camera module, Wherein, the camera module comprises: a lens holder, in which the lens is disposed; A bracket, the bracket being arranged below the lens holder; a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board being disposed at a lower portion of the bracket; and a reinforcing portion disposed at a lower portion of the printed circuit board, and The lower surface of the bracket is formed with a leg portion which protrudes downward more than other areas and is combined with the upper surface of the reinforcement portion.

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