Variable aperture, camera module and electronic equipment

Abstract

A variable aperture (60), an image pickup module (100), and an electronic device (1). The iris ring (60) comprises a fixed seat (601), a rotating bracket (603) and an iris diaphragm (605), the rotating bracket (603) is rotatably accommodated in the fixed seat (601), and a space (630) is defined by the rotating bracket (603); the iris diaphragm (605) comprises M blades (65), the M blades (65) jointly define a light hole (650), and the light hole (650) is communicated with the space (630). Each blade (65) is rotatably connected to the fixed seat (601) and slidably connected to the rotating support (603), and M is a positive integer not less than 2. According to the camera module (100), the inner surface, facing the rotating support (603), of the fixing base (601) is provided with a positioning convex part (622), and / or the outer surface, facing the fixing base (601), of the rotating support (603) is provided with a positioning convex part (622), the fixing base (601) and the rotating support (603) can make contact through the positioning convex part (622), the assembly tolerance between the rotating support (603) and the fixing base (601) is reduced, the posture difference caused by shaking of the camera module (100) is reduced, and the stability of the camera module (100) is improved. Therefore, the imaging effect of the camera module (100) and the quality of a captured image are improved.

Description

Variable aperture, camera modules and electronic equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on September 30, 2022, with application number 202211214491.0, and priority to the Chinese patent application entitled "Variable aperture, camera module and electronic device", all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of camera technology, and in particular to a variable aperture, a camera module, and an electronic device. Background Art

[0003] In recent years, major manufacturers have imposed stricter requirements on the imaging quality of camera modules. By varying the aperture diameter of the variable aperture, the amount of light entering the variable aperture is adjusted, thereby improving the imaging quality of the camera module. The variable aperture comprises multiple blades, a rotating bracket, and a fixed base. The rotating bracket is rotatably received within the fixed base. The rotating bracket drives the blades to change the aperture of the light-transmitting hole formed by the multiple blades. However, the large assembly tolerances between the rotating bracket and the fixed base can easily cause the rotating bracket to change its position when the camera module is shaken, affecting the imaging quality of the camera module.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a variable aperture, a camera module, and an electronic device capable of improving imaging effects.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a variable aperture, comprising a fixed seat, a rotating bracket, and a variable aperture. The rotating bracket is rotatably received within the fixed seat, and the rotating bracket encloses a space. The variable aperture includes M blades, and the M blades collectively enclose a light-transmitting aperture, and the light-transmitting aperture communicates with the space. Each blade is rotatably connected to the fixed seat and slidably connected to the rotating bracket, where M is a positive integer not less than 2. The fixed seat has a positioning protrusion on its inner surface facing the rotating bracket, and / or the rotating bracket has a positioning protrusion on its outer surface facing the fixed seat, so that the fixed seat and the rotating bracket can contact each other through the positioning protrusion.

[0007] The positioning protrusion is used to position the rotating support, reducing the gap between the rotating bracket and the fixed bracket, thereby lowering the assembly tolerance between the rotating bracket and the fixed bracket. When the variable aperture is used in a camera module, the positioning protrusion, because the fixed bracket and the rotating bracket contact each other through the positioning protrusion, limits the shaking of the rotating bracket in a plane roughly perpendicular to the central axis of the variable aperture, reducing the posture difference caused by camera module shaking, thereby improving the imaging effect and image quality of the camera module.

[0008] In a conventional arrangement, a ball bearing is disposed between the fixed seat and the rotating bracket to reduce the assembly tolerance between the fixed seat and the rotating bracket. Since grooves for accommodating the ball bearings are required on both the fixed seat and the rotating bracket, the strength of the fixed seat and the rotating bracket is easily reduced.

[0009] In the variable aperture provided by this application, when the positioning protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the fixed base facing the rotating bracket, and / or when the positioning protrusion is provided on the outer surface of the rotating bracket facing the fixed base, the strength of the rotating bracket and the fixed base is not affected because a groove for accommodating a ball bearing is not required. Compared to variable apertures that use ball bearings, this application does not require ball bearings, which helps simplify the structure of the variable aperture, simplifies the assembly steps of the variable aperture, and reduces the manufacturing cost of the variable aperture.

[0010] According to the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the positioning protrusion has a contact surface, and the rotating bracket contacts the fixed seat via the contact surface. The contact surface is a curved surface to reduce friction during rotation of the rotating bracket relative to the fixed bracket, thereby improving smoothness of rotation of the rotating bracket relative to the fixed bracket, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the variable aperture. The curved surface includes a spherical surface, a cylindrical surface, and the like.

[0011] According to the first aspect, in one possible implementation, a lubricating oil or lubricating film layer is provided on the contact surface to further reduce friction during rotation of the rotating bracket relative to the fixed bracket, thereby improving the smoothness of rotation of the rotating bracket relative to the fixed bracket. The lubricating film layer covers the contact surface and may be made of polytetrafluoroethylene or another film having a lubricating effect.

[0012] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the fixed seat includes a base and a fixed bracket that are stacked and fixed to each other, the rotating bracket is rotatably accommodated in the fixed bracket, and the positioning protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the fixed bracket facing the rotating bracket and / or the outer surface of the rotating bracket facing the fixed bracket.

[0013] The fixing seat includes a base and a fixing bracket which are separately arranged, which facilitates the assembly and disassembly of the variable aperture.

[0014] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, a first stopper is provided on an inner surface of the base facing the rotating bracket, and the first stopper contacts a bottom portion of the rotating bracket away from the variable iris.

[0015] The surface of the first stopper can serve as a first impact surface. When the variable aperture is used in a camera module, if the variable aperture collides with other components of the camera module, the bottom surface of the rotating bracket is less likely to collide with other components of the camera module. In this case, the rotating bracket is less likely to deform due to force, thereby ensuring the reliability of the variable aperture.

[0016] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, each of the blades has an inner edge, the inner edge includes N connecting edges, the N connecting edges of the M blades are used to form the side edges of the light-transmitting hole, the light-transmitting hole is polygonal, and N is a positive integer not less than 2.

[0017] In a conventional variable aperture configuration, the blades forming the light-transmitting aperture have a single edge (e.g., a single straight line or arc), and the light-transmitting aperture formed by M blades is at most an M-polygon. Typically, the number of blades is set to an even number, less than 10. Due to light scattering and / or diffraction, a starburst forms on each side of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting aperture. This can cause a camera module using this variable aperture to capture images containing point light sources, resulting in several very noticeable starbursts on the light spot formed by the point light source. This can cause the light spot to be irregularly shaped, affecting the camera module's imaging performance.

[0018] For the purpose of simplifying the structure and reducing the obvious starbursts and irregular light spots, the present application provides a variable aperture with a unique structure. In this embodiment, since each blade includes N connecting edges, M blades can be spliced ​​into a (M*N)-sided light-transmitting hole at most. The (M*N)-sided light-transmitting hole is more like a circular hole. The light spot that can be formed by the (M*N)-sided light-transmitting hole has at least (M*N) starbursts. Compared with the conventional variable aperture with the same number of blades, the light spot formed by the variable aperture of the present application has an increased number of starbursts, which enhances the diffraction effect, effectively diverges the diffraction energy, weakens the intensity of the starbursts, and reduces the possibility of irregular light spots, thereby improving the imaging effect and image quality of the camera module.

[0019] From another perspective, compared with a conventional variable iris diaphragm having a light-transmitting hole with the same number of sides, the variable iris diaphragm provided in the present application has fewer blades and a simpler structure.

[0020] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, two adjacent connecting edges are connected by an arc edge transition.

[0021] In other words, the connection between each two connected connecting edges can be chamfered to make the two connecting edges connected by an arc transition. The arc edge can be an arc with an R angle, for example, the arc edge can be an arc of 15 degrees. This application does not limit the size of the R angle. The transition of the arc edge will cause the diffraction vertical line angle generated by each blade to be different, which is fed back to the starburst of the light spot, that is, the tail end presents a radial starburst; the closer to the circle, the greater the divergence, which can improve the imaging effect and image quality of the camera module.

[0022] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the connecting edge is a straight line structure.

[0023] According to the first aspect, in one possible implementation, each blade has an inner edge, the inner edge being provided with a connecting edge. The connecting edges of the M blades are used to form side edges of the light-transmitting aperture, and the connecting edges have a sawtooth structure. The sawtooth structure is equivalent to comprising multiple sub-edge segments, thereby enhancing the diffraction effect.

[0024] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, each of the blades further includes an outer edge connected to the inner edge, the outer edge including a first end edge portion and a second end edge portion arranged opposite to each other, the inner edge is connected between the first end edge portion and the second end edge portion, and the N connecting edges are located at an end of the inner edge closer to the first end edge portion; the first end edge portion is provided with a recess and a protrusion on the side away from the inner edge, the recess is recessed toward the inside of the blade, and the protrusion is protruding toward the outside of the blade.

[0025] The edge of the first end portion, on the side away from the inner edge, is provided with a recess and a protrusion. The recess is recessed toward the interior of the blade, while the protrusion is protruding toward the exterior, giving the blade a roughly "dolphin"-shaped profile. This increases the overlap area of ​​the variable aperture at small apertures, reduces the possibility of light leakage and the possibility of blade misalignment during movement, thereby improving imaging quality.

[0026] The recess can avoid the rotating bracket when the iris diaphragm is in a large aperture state. The convex setting can increase the overlapping area of ​​the blades with other blades when the iris diaphragm is in a small aperture state.

[0027] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second end edge portion has an arc-shaped edge protruding toward the outside of the blade.

[0028] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, when the light-transmitting hole is a polygonal structure, the number of sides of the light-transmitting hole is an odd number, and the number of starbursts corresponding to the light spot is twice the number of sides of the light-transmitting hole of the variable aperture, which is further beneficial to the divergence of diffraction energy, improves the imaging effect, and reduces the possibility of irregular light spots.

[0029] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, when the light transmission hole has a polygonal structure, the number of sides of the light transmission hole is an even number.

[0030] According to the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the fixed base has a plurality of spaced-apart rotating shaft protrusions, and the rotating bracket has a plurality of spaced-apart guiding protrusions. Each blade is provided with a rotating hole and a guiding hole spaced-apart. The plurality of rotating shaft protrusions are rotatably connected to the rotating holes of the plurality of blades in a one-to-one correspondence, and the plurality of guiding protrusions are slidably connected to the guide holes of the plurality of blades in a one-to-one correspondence. The rotating connection between the blades and the fixed bracket helps reduce the movement space of the plurality of blades in the light transmission direction of the light transmission hole. The guide holes guide and limit the movement of the blades, which helps improve the smoothness of the blades.

[0031] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the variable aperture further includes a protective cover, the protective cover including a first cover body and a second cover body, the first cover body is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart avoidance spaces for avoiding the rotating shaft protrusion and the guide protrusion, the second cover body fixes the first cover body and is located on a side of the first cover body away from the blade, and the second cover body is used to cover the avoidance space of the first cover body.

[0032] According to the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the first cover and the second cover are integrally structured. This simplifies the structure of the protective cover and reduces the number of components in the iris diaphragm. Furthermore, connectors or adhesive layers can be eliminated, reducing the thickness of the protective cover, facilitating a thinner iris diaphragm. This also reduces the weight of the protective cover, facilitating a lighter iris diaphragm.

[0033] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first cover is made of plastic or metal, and the second cover is made of plastic or metal. The second cover is made of plastic or metal.

[0034] The first cover can be made of plastic, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyimide (PI). Using plastic as the material for the first cover can reduce the weight of the protective cover while also lowering the cost of the variable aperture.

[0035] The first cover body can be made of metal material. For example, the first cover body can be made of aluminum sheet, steel sheet, aluminum alloy sheet, magnesium alloy sheet, etc. It is understandable that the first cover body is made of aluminum sheet or steel sheet. The investment cost of the first cover body is relatively low. The first cover body is made of metal, which can increase the structural strength and impact resistance of the first cover body. In this way, when the variable aperture is dropped and hit, the first cover body is not easily damaged or deformed, and the reliability of the first cover body is better. In addition, the first cover body is not likely to squeeze the blades due to damage or deformation, so the blades are not easily damaged or deformed, and the reliability of the blades is better. The variable aperture has a longer life.

[0036] The second cover can be made of plastic, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyimide (PI). Using plastic as the material for the second cover can reduce the weight of the protective cover while also lowering the cost of the variable aperture.

[0037] The second cover can be made of metal. For example, aluminum, steel, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, or the like can be used. It is understood that the use of aluminum or steel for the second cover reduces the investment cost of the second cover. Metal increases the structural strength and impact resistance of the second cover. This prevents damage or deformation if the iris diaphragm is dropped or impacted, improving reliability.

[0038] According to the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the top surface, outer peripheral side surface, and inner peripheral side surface of the second cover are all coated. This coating can enhance the appearance and refinement of the variable aperture iris. In one possible implementation, the coating is provided with an anti-reflection coating on the surface. This anti-reflection coating can largely eliminate the problem of light flare, thereby significantly enhancing the appearance and refinement of the variable aperture iris.

[0039] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the variable aperture also includes a flexible circuit board, a first magnet and a first coil; the flexible circuit board surrounds the outer peripheral side surface of the fixed seat and is fixed to the outer peripheral side surface of the fixed seat, the first coil is fixed to the inner peripheral side surface of the flexible circuit board and is electrically connected to the flexible circuit board, the first magnet is fixed to the outer peripheral side surface of the rotating bracket, the first coil faces the first magnet, and the first magnet is used to drive the rotating bracket to rotate relative to the fixed seat in cooperation with the first coil, and each of the blades slides relative to the rotating bracket and rotates relative to the fixed seat, so that the aperture of the light-transmitting hole of the M blades changes.

[0040] In this implementation, the first magnet is fixedly connected to the outer peripheral side of the rotating bracket and the first coil is fixedly connected to the fixed base. When the first coil is energized, a force is applied to the first magnet, and the first magnet can drive the rotating bracket to rotate relative to the fixed base. It can be understood that, on the one hand, the structure of the driving device composed of the first magnet and the first coil does not require a wire to be set between the rotating bracket and the fixed base. The structure of the driving device composed of the first magnet and the first coil is relatively simple and neat. On the other hand, the first magnet and the first coil do not need to move to pull the rotating bracket to rotate. In this way, the variable aperture does not need to provide additional space for the first magnet and the first coil to move. The first magnet and the first coil occupy less space, which is conducive to the miniaturization of the variable aperture.

[0041] In this embodiment, by fixing the first magnet to the outer peripheral side of the rotating bracket, and positioning the first coil facing the first magnet, this prevents the first magnet and the first coil from overlapping in the thickness direction of the camera module, and allows for a more compact arrangement of the first magnet, the first coil, the fixing base, and the rotating bracket. Furthermore, compared to a solution in which the first coil is laid flat on the fixing base, this embodiment fixes the first coil upright to the fixing base, thereby utilizing the space in the Z-axis direction of the rotating bracket and reducing the area occupied by the first coil in the XY plane.

[0042] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the fixing seat is provided with a first through hole, and the first coil faces the first magnet through the first through hole.

[0043] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, a first glue groove is provided on a side surface of the fixing seat, a glue layer is provided in the first glue groove, and the glue layer is also connected to the flexible circuit board.

[0044] It is understood that when the flexible circuit board is fixed to the fixing base, the flexible circuit board can cover the first adhesive groove. By providing an adhesive layer in the first adhesive groove, the adhesive layer connects the flexible circuit board to the groove wall of the first adhesive groove, thereby further improving the connection strength between the flexible circuit board and the fixing base.

[0045] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the variable aperture further includes a first gasket, which is fixedly connected to the rotating bracket and is located on the side of the multiple blades facing the rotating bracket, the inner edge of the first gasket surrounds a light-transmitting hole, and the light-transmitting hole of the first gasket connects the light-transmitting holes of the multiple blades and the space of the rotating bracket; the variable aperture includes a starting state, an intermediate state and an end state; when the variable aperture is in the starting state or the intermediate state, the maximum aperture of the light-transmitting holes of the multiple blades is smaller than the aperture of the light-transmitting holes of the first gasket; when the variable aperture is in the end state, the minimum aperture of the light-transmitting holes of the multiple blades is greater than or equal to the aperture of the light-transmitting holes of the first gasket.

[0046] The first gasket is placed between the blades and the rotating bracket to reduce the possibility of the rotating bracket scratching the blades. When the iris diaphragm is in its end position, the light-transmitting holes of the first gasket are exposed relative to each blade. The apertures of the blades are larger than the aperture of the first gasket. In this case, the light-transmitting holes of the first gasket form the aperture of the iris diaphragm. This first gasket in this embodiment achieves a "one-piece, multi-purpose" effect.

[0047] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a camera module. The camera module includes a lens assembly and the variable aperture described above. The variable aperture is fixedly connected to the lens assembly and located on the light-entering side of the lens assembly. It is understood that when the variable aperture is applied to the camera module, the camera module has a longer lifespan and better reliability.

[0048] In one possible implementation, a lens assembly includes a motor and a lens. The lens is mounted on the motor. The motor is configured to drive the lens to move along the optical axis of the camera module. The iris diaphragm is fixedly connected to the lens and located on the light-entering side of the lens.

[0049] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide an electronic device. The electronic device includes a housing and a camera module as described above, wherein the camera module is disposed within the housing. It is understood that when the camera module is applied to an electronic device, the electronic device has a longer lifespan and better reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] In order to illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application will be described below.

[0051] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG2 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the electronic device shown in FIG1 taken along line AA;

[0053] FIG3 is a partially exploded schematic diagram of a camera module of the electronic device shown in FIG1 ;

[0054] FIG4 is a perspective schematic diagram of a variable aperture of a camera module provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of a variable aperture of a camera module provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG6 is a partially exploded schematic diagram of the variable aperture shown in FIG4 ;

[0057] FIG7 is a perspective schematic diagram of the fixing base of the variable aperture shown in FIG4 ;

[0058] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the base of the fixing seat shown in FIG7;

[0059] FIG9 a is a perspective schematic diagram of the fixing bracket shown in FIG7 ;

[0060] FIG9 b is a perspective schematic diagram of the fixing bracket shown in FIG7 from another perspective;

[0061] FIG9 c is a bottom view of the iris diaphragm shown in FIG4 with the base removed;

[0062] FIG9 d is a perspective schematic diagram of a rotating bracket provided with a positioning protrusion according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG10 a is a perspective schematic diagram of the rotating bracket shown in FIG6 ;

[0064] FIG10 b is a perspective schematic diagram of the rotating bracket shown in FIG6 from another perspective;

[0065] FIG11 is a schematic three-dimensional assembly diagram of the rotating bracket and the first gasket shown in FIG6 ;

[0066] FIG12 is a perspective schematic diagram of the variable aperture shown in FIG4 with the protective cover removed;

[0067] FIG13 is a perspective schematic diagram of the variable aperture of the variable aperture shown in FIG6 ;

[0068] FIG14 is a perspective schematic diagram of the blades of the variable aperture shown in FIG13 ;

[0069] FIG15 is a schematic plan view of the blades of the variable aperture shown in FIG13 ;

[0070] FIG16a-1 is a schematic diagram of a hexagonal light-transmitting hole formed by six conventionally arranged blades;

[0071] FIG16a-2 is a schematic diagram of another hexagonal light-transmitting hole formed by six conventionally arranged blades;

[0072] FIG16 b - 1 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG16 a - 1 ;

[0073] FIG16b-2 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG16a-2;

[0074] FIG17a-1 is a schematic diagram of an 18-sided, non-eccentric light-transmitting hole formed by six blades at an aperture of 2.0 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG17a-2 is a schematic diagram of an 18-sided eccentric light-transmitting hole formed by six blades at an aperture of 2.0 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG17a-3 is a schematic diagram of an 18-sided, non-eccentric light-transmitting hole formed by six blades at an aperture of 2.8 according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG17a-4 is a schematic diagram of an 18-sided eccentric light-transmitting hole formed by six blades at an aperture of 2.8 according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG17b-1 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG17a-1;

[0079] FIG17b-2 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG17a-2;

[0080] FIG17b-3 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG17a-3;

[0081] FIG17b-4 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG17a-4;

[0082] FIG18 is a partial schematic diagram of a first edge portion of a blade in a possible implementation of the present application;

[0083] FIG19a-1 is a schematic diagram of a 12-sided light-transmitting hole formed by six blades provided in one embodiment of the present application, wherein two connecting edges are connected by a transitional arc edge;

[0084] FIG19a-2 is a schematic diagram of an 18-sided light-transmitting hole formed by six blades provided in one embodiment of the present application, wherein two connecting edges are connected by a transitional arc edge;

[0085] FIG19b-1 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG19a-1;

[0086] FIG19b-2 is a diagram showing the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG19a-2;

[0087] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of the simulation results of angular spectrum diffraction calculations for seven shapes of light-transmitting holes and their corresponding light spots;

[0088] FIG21a is a schematic diagram of a light-transmitting hole with sawtooth-structured sides provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG21 b is a diagram showing the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG21 a ;

[0090] FIG22 is an exploded perspective view of the driving component shown in FIG6 ;

[0091] Figure 23a is a schematic structural diagram of a driving component and a rotating bracket;

[0092] FIG23 b is a perspective schematic diagram of the variable aperture shown in FIG4 without the flexible circuit board;

[0093] FIG24 is a schematic diagram of the bottom surface of the first cover of the variable aperture shown in FIG6 facing the rotating bracket;

[0094] FIG25 is a perspective schematic diagram of the variable aperture shown in FIG4 without the second cover;

[0095] FIG26 is a cross-sectional view of the second cover body in another embodiment provided by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0096] For ease of understanding, the English abbreviations and related technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application are explained and described below.

[0097] The embodiments of the present application are described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0098] Referring to FIG1 , electronic device 1 may be a device with a camera function, such as a mobile phone, a tablet personal computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a camera, a personal computer, a notebook computer, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, augmented reality (AR) glasses, an AR helmet, virtual reality (VR) glasses, or a VR helmet. The electronic device 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG1 is described using a mobile phone as an example.

[0099] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the electronic device 1 includes a camera module 100, a housing 200 and a screen 300. It should be noted that Figures 1, 2 and the related figures below only schematically illustrate some components included in the electronic device 1, and the actual shape, actual size, actual position and actual structure of these components are not limited by Figures 1, 2 and the figures below. In addition, since the camera module 100 is the internal structure of the electronic device 1, Figure 1 schematically shows the camera module 100 through dotted lines. For ease of description, the width direction of the electronic device 1 is defined as the X-axis. The length direction of the electronic device 1 is the Y-axis. The thickness direction of the electronic device 1 is the Z-axis. It can be understood that the coordinate system setting of the electronic device 1 can be flexibly set according to specific actual needs.

[0100] In other embodiments, when the electronic device 1 is a device of some other form, the electronic device 1 may not include the screen 300 .

[0101] Exemplarily, the housing 200 includes a main frame 201 and a back cover 202. The back cover 202 is fixedly connected to one side of the main frame 201. The screen 300 is fixed to the side of the main frame 201 away from the back cover 202. The screen 300, the main frame 201, and the back cover 202 can collectively enclose the interior of the electronic device 1. The interior of the electronic device 1 can be used to house components of the electronic device 1, such as a battery, a receiver, or a microphone. The screen 300 can be used to display images, etc. The screen 300 can be a flat screen or a curved screen.

[0102] In one embodiment, the camera module 100 can be arranged inside the electronic device 1. The camera module 100 can be used to collect ambient light outside the electronic device 1. It is understandable that the camera module 100 can be a rear camera module or a front camera module, etc. In addition, the camera module 100 can be an upright camera module (for example, the optical axis direction of the camera module is the Z-axis direction) or a periscope camera module (for example, the optical axis direction of the camera module can be any direction on the XY plane). Figure 2 illustrates that the camera module 100 is both a rear camera module and an upright camera module.

[0103] Please refer to Figure 3. In one embodiment, the camera module 100 includes a module circuit board 10, a photosensitive chip 20, a bracket 30, a filter 40, a lens assembly 50, and a variable aperture 60 (also called a variable aperture motor). Among them, the photosensitive chip 20 can also be called an image sensor, or can also be called a photosensitive element. The photosensitive chip 20 can be used to collect ambient light and convert the image information carried by the ambient light into an electrical signal. It should be noted that the optical axis of the camera module 100 includes the optical axis of the variable aperture 60. In this embodiment, the optical axis direction of the camera module 100 and the optical axis direction of the variable aperture 60 are both the Z-axis direction.

[0104] 2 and 3 , in one embodiment, the module circuit board 10 can be fixed to the side of the screen 300 facing the back cover 202. The photosensitive chip 20 is fixedly connected to the module circuit board 10 and electrically connected to the module circuit board 10.

[0105] In one embodiment, the bracket 30 can be fixedly connected to a side of the module circuit board 10 away from the screen 300. The bracket 30 and the photosensitive chip 20 are located on the same side of the module circuit board 10. For example, the bracket 30 can be fixed to the module circuit board 10 by glue or tape.

[0106] In one embodiment, the bracket 30 may be provided with a light-transmitting hole 31. The light-transmitting hole 31 passes through two back-facing surfaces of the bracket 30. The optical filter 40 is fixed to the bracket 30, and the optical filter 40 is located in the light-transmitting hole 31. The optical filter 40 is arranged opposite to the photosensitive chip 20. The optical filter 40 can be used to filter stray light of the ambient light, thereby ensuring that the image taken by the camera module 100 has better clarity. The optical filter 40 can be, but is not limited to, a blue glass filter. For example, the optical filter 40 can also be a reflective infrared filter, or a double-pass filter (a double-pass filter can allow visible light and infrared light in the ambient light to pass through at the same time, or allow visible light and other specific wavelengths of light (such as ultraviolet light) in the ambient light to pass through at the same time, or allow infrared light and other specific wavelengths of light (such as ultraviolet light) to pass through at the same time.

[0107] Please refer to Figure 3. The lens assembly 50 can be a fixed-focus lens, an auto focus (AF) lens, a zoom lens, etc. The lens assembly 50 of this embodiment is explained by taking the AF lens as an example. The lens assembly 50 includes a motor 51 and a lens 52. The lens 52 is arranged on the motor 51. The motor 51 is used to drive the lens 52 to move along the optical axis direction (that is, the Z-axis direction) of the camera module 100. The motor 51 can be a voice coil motor or a shape memory alloy (SMA) motor. This application does not limit the specific structure of the motor 51.

[0108] In one embodiment, the motor 51 can be fixedly connected to the bracket 30. The lens 52 is located on the side of the filter 40 away from the photosensitive chip 20. In this way, ambient light can be transmitted to the photosensitive chip 20 through the lens 52 and the filter 40.

[0109] Referring to Figures 2 and 3 , in one embodiment, a variable aperture 60 is located on the light-entering side of the lens 52 of the lens assembly 50 and is fixedly connected to the lens 52 of the lens assembly 50. The variable aperture 60 can be used to increase or decrease the amount of light entering the lens 52 of the lens assembly 50. For example, when the electronic device 1 is shooting in low-light conditions, the variable aperture 60 can increase the amount of light entering the lens assembly 50. When the electronic device 1 is shooting in brightly lit conditions, the variable aperture 60 can decrease the amount of light entering the lens assembly 50.

[0110] The variable aperture 60 has an adjustable aperture. By adjusting the aperture size, the amount of light entering the lens assembly 50 is varied. When the aperture size of the variable aperture 60 and its position relative to the lens 52 change, the field of view of the lens 52 also changes. In this embodiment, the variable aperture 60 is fixed to the lens 52. This allows the variable aperture 60 to move along the Z-axis when the motor 51 drives the lens 52 to move along the Z-axis. In other words, the position of the variable aperture 60 relative to the lens 52 does not change during the movement of the lens 52 along the Z-axis. Thus, ignoring other factors that affect the field of view of the lens 52, the field of view of the lens 52 does not change when the aperture position of the variable aperture 60 relative to the lens 52 remains unchanged.

[0111] In other embodiments, the variable aperture 60 may be fixedly connected to other components of the lens assembly 50 .

[0112] In other embodiments, when the lens assembly 50 is a fixed-focus lens, the lens assembly 50 no longer includes the motor 51. In this case, the iris 60 can be directly fixedly connected to the light incident side of the fixed-focus lens.

[0113] In this embodiment, the variable aperture 60 includes an initial state, an intermediate state, and an end state. The intermediate state is any state between the initial state and the end state. When the variable aperture 60 is in the initial state, the aperture of the variable aperture 60 is at its smallest, and the amount of light entering the lens assembly 50 is minimal. When the variable aperture 60 is in the end state, the aperture of the variable aperture 60 is at its largest, and the amount of light entering the lens assembly 50 is maximum. The following description uses the structure of the variable aperture 60 in the initial state as an example.

[0114] Referring to Figures 4, 5, and 6, the variable aperture 60 includes a fixed base 601, a rotating bracket 603, a first gasket 604, a variable iris 605, a driving component 607, and a protective cover 608. The rotating bracket 603 is rotatably received within the fixed base 601. The rotating bracket 603 encloses a space 630. The variable iris 605 is mounted on the fixed base 601 and covers the rotating bracket 603. The variable iris 605 is slidably connected to the rotating bracket 603. The first gasket 604 is positioned between the rotating bracket 603 and the variable iris 605. The driving component 607 is connected to the rotating bracket 603 and is used to drive the rotating bracket 603 to rotate relative to the fixed base 601 to adjust the aperture size of the variable iris 605. The protective cover 608 is positioned on the side of the variable iris 605 facing away from the rotating bracket 603 to restrict the variable iris 605 and protect and conceal the internal components of the variable aperture 605.

[0115] It is understood that the rotating bracket 603 is accommodated in the fixing seat 601, which includes: the projection of the rotating bracket 603 on the reference plane at least partially overlaps with the projection of the fixing seat 601 on the reference plane. The reference plane is parallel to the optical axis direction of the variable aperture 60, that is, the Z axis direction.

[0116] Referring to Figure 7 , the fixed base 601 includes a base 61 and a fixed bracket 62. The fixed bracket 62 is stacked and fixed to the base 61. The base 61 and the fixed bracket 62 together form a housing for the rotating bracket 603. The base 61 is used to limit the rotational movement of the rotating bracket 603. The fixed bracket 62 is used to carry the variable aperture 605 and provide lateral movement control for the rotational movement of the rotating bracket 603.

[0117] In one embodiment, the base 61 may include a plastic part and a metal part (e.g., a steel sheet). The metal part may be embedded in the plastic part. Exemplarily, the base 61 may be formed using an insert molding process. For example, a metal sheet such as a steel sheet is placed in a mold for injection molding. In this way, compared to the base 61 with a plastic structure, the base 61 of this embodiment has better structural strength. When the variable aperture 60 falls and hits, the base 61 is not easily damaged or deformed, and the reliability of the base 61 is better. It can be understood that this application does not limit the material of the base 61. For example, the base 61 is made entirely of plastic.

[0118] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 8, the base 61 includes a bottom wall 611 and a side wall 612. The side wall 612 of the base 61 is fixedly connected to the bottom wall 611 of the base 61. Both the side wall 612 of the base 61 and the bottom wall 611 of the base 61 can be annular.

[0119] The side wall 612 of the base 61 may further be provided with a first reinforcement block 613 for increasing the strength of the base 61 .

[0120] In one embodiment, the side wall 612 of the base 61 further includes a first notch 614 and a second notch 615 spaced apart from each other. The first notch 614 and the second notch 615 may be disposed opposite each other. The first notch 614 and the second notch 615 may both connect the inner space of the base 61 to the outer space of the base 61.

[0121] In one embodiment, the sidewall 612 of the base 61 is provided with a first stopper 618 for contacting the rotating bracket 603. Multiple first stops 618 are connected to the inner surface of the sidewall 612 of the base 61. The number of first stops 618 can be multiple, and the multiple first stops 618 are spaced apart on the sidewall 612. Exemplarily, the top surface of each first stopper 618 is in the same plane. The top surface of the first stopper 618 is the surface of the first stopper 618 away from the bottom wall 611 of the base 61.

[0122] When the rotating bracket 603 is accommodated in the fixed seat 601, the bottom surface of the rotating bracket 603 facing away from the variable aperture 605 can contact the first stopper 618 of the base 61. It can be understood that the surface of the first stopper 618 can serve as a first impact surface. When the variable aperture 60 (please refer to FIG. 2 ) is applied to the camera module 100 (please refer to FIG. 2 ), if the variable aperture 60 collides with other components of the camera module 100, the bottom surface of the rotating bracket 603 is not likely to collide with other components of the camera module 100. At this time, the rotating bracket 603 is not likely to be deformed due to force, thereby ensuring that the variable aperture 60 has better reliability. In other embodiments, the rotating bracket 603 can also be spaced apart from the first stopper 618 of the base 61.

[0123] In one embodiment, the side wall 612 of the base 61 is provided with a first glue groove 619 or a glue path for disposing glue to achieve connection between the base 61 and part of the driving component 607 .

[0124] Referring to Figures 9a and 9b, in one embodiment, the material of the fixing bracket 62 may include plastic parts and metal parts (e.g., steel sheets). The metal parts may be embedded in the plastic parts. Exemplarily, the fixing bracket 62 may be formed using an insert molding process. For example, a metal material such as a steel sheet is placed in a mold for injection molding. In this way, compared to a fixing bracket with a plastic structure, the fixing bracket 62 of this embodiment has better structural strength. When the variable aperture 60 falls and hits, the fixing bracket 62 is not easily damaged or deformed, and the reliability of the fixing bracket 62 is better.

[0125] In one embodiment, the fixing bracket 62 may be annular. The fixing bracket 62 includes an outer ring portion 620a and an inner ring portion 620b. The inner ring portion 620b is connected to the inner surface of the outer ring portion 620a. The outer ring portion 620a is fixedly connected to the side wall 612 of the base 61.

[0126] In some possible implementations, the fixing bracket 62 and the base 61 can be connected using a mortise and tenon process. In addition, a glue layer can be provided at the connection position of the fixing bracket 62 and the base 61 to further improve the connection firmness between the fixing bracket 62 and the base 61.

[0127] For example, the top surface of the outer ring portion 620a facing away from the base 61 and the top surface of the inner ring portion 620b can form a step shape. In other words, in the Z-axis direction, the top surface of the outer ring portion 620a is higher than the top surface of the inner ring portion 620b.

[0128] In one embodiment, the fixed bracket 62 further includes a plurality of spaced-apart second reinforcement blocks 620c. The second reinforcement blocks 620c are connected to the inner surface of the outer ring portion 620a and the bottom surface of the inner ring portion 620b. The second reinforcement blocks 620c can enhance the connection between the inner ring portion 620b and the outer ring portion 620a. The inner surface of the outer ring portion 620a is the surface of the outer ring portion 620a facing the rotating bracket 603.

[0129] In one embodiment, the inner ring portion 620b of the fixing bracket 62 has a plurality of spaced-apart rotating shaft protrusions 621 for rotationally connecting to the variable aperture 605. The plurality of rotating shaft protrusions 621 can be arranged in a ring. For example, the number of rotating shaft protrusions 621 is six.

[0130] In one embodiment, the fixed bracket 62 is further provided with a positioning protrusion 622. Please refer to Figure 9c. The positioning protrusion 622 is protruding from the inner surface of the outer ring portion 620a of the fixed bracket 62, and the positioning protrusion 622 is in contact with the rotating bracket 603. The positioning protrusion 622 is used to position the rotating bracket 603 to reduce the gap between the rotating bracket 603 and the fixed bracket 62, and reduce the assembly tolerance between the rotating bracket 603 and the fixed bracket 62. Since the fixed bracket 62 and the rotating bracket 603 are in contact through the positioning protrusion 622, the positioning protrusion 622 limits the shaking of the rotating bracket 603 in the XY plane (a plane roughly perpendicular to the central axis of the variable aperture), reducing the posture difference caused by the shaking of the camera module 100, thereby improving the imaging effect of the camera module 100 and the quality of the captured image.

[0131] In one embodiment, the positioning protrusion 622 has a contact surface disposed toward the rotating bracket 603, and the contact surface is configured to contact the rotating bracket 603. The contact surface is a curved surface. In this embodiment, the contact surface is a cylindrical surface to reduce friction between the rotating bracket 603 and the fixed bracket 62. There are two positioning protrusions 622, and the angle between the first positioning protrusion 622 and the central axis of the fixed bracket 62 and the angle between the second positioning protrusion 622 and the central axis of the fixed bracket 62 are approximately right angles. In other embodiments, the number and position of the positioning protrusions 622 are not specifically limited, and the structure of the contact surface is not limited. For example, the contact surface can also be a spherical surface, etc.

[0132] In one embodiment, lubricating oil is provided on the positioning protrusion 622. The lubricating oil can reduce the friction between the positioning protrusion 622 and the rotating bracket 603.

[0133] In other embodiments of the present application, a lubricating film layer is provided on the positioning protrusion 622, and the lubricating film layer covers the contact surface. The lubricating film layer can be polytetrafluoroethylene or other lubricating film layer. The lubricating film layer can reduce the friction between the fixed seat 61 and the rotating bracket 603.

[0134] In other embodiments of the present application, the fixed bracket 62 may omit the positioning protrusion 622. The positioning protrusion 622 may be provided on the outer surface of the rotating bracket 603 facing the fixed seat 61, and the contact surface is provided on the outer surface of the positioning protrusion 622 facing the rotating bracket 603. As shown in FIG9d , the rotating bracket 603 can contact the fixed bracket 62 through the positioning protrusion 622. The positioning protrusion 622 provided on the outer surface of the rotating bracket 603 can also limit the movement of the rotating bracket 603 in the XY plane.

[0135] In other embodiments of the present application, a positioning protrusion 622 is provided on the inner surface of the outer ring portion 620a of the fixed bracket 62, and a positioning protrusion 622 is also provided on the outer surface of the rotating bracket 603 facing the fixed seat 61. The present application does not limit the location of the positioning protrusion 622 of the fixed bracket 62 and the location of the positioning protrusion 622 of the rotating bracket 603, as long as each positioning protrusion 622 does not affect the rotation of the rotating bracket 603 relative to the fixed bracket 62.

[0136] It can be understood that the base 61 and the fixing bracket 62 can be provided integrally, and the positioning protrusion 622 can be provided on the inner surface of the fixing base 61 facing the rotating bracket 603 .

[0137] In a conventional arrangement, a ball bearing is provided between the fixed seat and the rotating bracket to reduce the assembly tolerance between the fixed seat and the rotating bracket. Since grooves for accommodating the ball bearings are required on both the fixed seat and the rotating bracket, the strength of the fixed seat and the rotating bracket is easily reduced.

[0138] The variable aperture 60 provided in this application has a positioning protrusion 622 disposed on the inner surface of the fixed base 61 facing the rotating bracket 603, and / or a positioning protrusion 622 disposed on the outer surface of the rotating bracket 603 facing the fixed base 61. Because a groove for accommodating a ball bearing is not required, the strength of the rotating bracket 603 and the fixed base 61 is not affected. Compared to variable apertures that use ball bearings, this application eliminates the need for ball bearings, simplifying the structure of the variable aperture 60, streamlining the assembly steps of the variable aperture 60, and reducing the manufacturing cost of the variable aperture 60.

[0139] In one embodiment, referring again to Figures 9a and 9b, the outer ring portion 620a of the fixed bracket 62 is further provided with a third notch 623 and a fourth notch 624 that are spaced apart. The third notch 623 and the fourth notch 624 are arranged opposite to each other. The third notch 623 and the fourth notch 624 can both connect the internal space of the fixed bracket 62 to the external space of the fixed bracket 62. When the fixed bracket 62 is fixed to the base 61, the first notch 614 and the third notch 623 form a first through hole 6230 (as shown in Figure 7), which is used to pass through part of the driving component 607. The second notch 615 and the fourth notch 624 form a second through hole 6240 (as shown in Figure 7), which is used to pass through part of the driving component 607.

[0140] In some other embodiments, the outer ring portion 620a of the fixed bracket 62 may be provided with a second stopper. The second stopper may be connected to the top surface of the outer ring portion 620a. The number of second stops may be one, two, or more. For example, the top surfaces of the plurality of second stops are in the same plane. The top surface of the second stopper is the surface of the second stopper away from the outer ring portion 620a of the fixed bracket 62. When the rotating bracket 603 is accommodated in the fixed seat 601, the first stopper 618 can limit the movement of the rotating bracket 603 along the negative direction of the Z axis. The protective cover 608 can limit the movement of the rotating bracket 603 along the positive direction of the Z axis (optical axis direction). In this way, through the mutual cooperation of the second stopper and the protective cover 608, the movement of the rotating bracket 603 can be limited, the amount of shaking of the rotating bracket 603 can be reduced, and then when the variable aperture 60 is impacted, the effect of the change in the gap between the variable aperture 605 and the protective cover 608 after the impact can be reduced.

[0141] In some possible implementations, the connection between the base 61 and the fixed bracket 62 can be a plug-in method. For example, the side wall 612 of the base 61 is provided with a plurality of first plug-in parts that are spaced apart, and the outer ring portion 620a of the fixed bracket 62 is provided with a plurality of second plug-in parts that are spaced apart, and the first plug-in parts are plugged into the second plug-in parts. The first plug-in part is a protrusion, and the second plug-in part is a groove. The openings of the plurality of second plug-in parts are located on the bottom surface of the outer ring portion 620a of the fixed bracket 62. When the fixed bracket 62 fixes the base 61, the plurality of first plug-in parts of the base 61 are inserted into the plurality of second plug-in parts of the fixed bracket one by one. The first plug-in part can be interference fit with the groove wall of the second plug-in part. Through the cooperation of the first plug-in and the second plug-in parts, the connection firmness between the fixed bracket and the base can be improved, thereby ensuring that the fixed bracket and the base have better stability. For example, buckle ribs may be provided on the outer wall of the first plug-in portion and / or the inner wall of the second plug-in portion, and the first plug-in portion and the groove wall of the second plug-in portion are interference-fitted by the buckle ribs, so as to increase the bonding force by interference assembly. When the fixed bracket 62 is assembled to the base 61, the first plug-in portion is directly plugged into the corresponding second plug-in portion, which is conducive to reducing the assembly tolerance, improving the assembly accuracy, and greatly simplifying the assembly process. Each first plug-in portion may be provided with a glue groove for accommodating a colloid. The groove wall of each second plug-in portion 626b may also be provided with a glue groove for accommodating a colloid. Through colloid bonding, the connection firmness between the fixed bracket 62 and the base 61 can be further improved, thereby further ensuring that the fixed bracket 62 and the base 61 have better stability. It is understandable that the first plug-in portion may be a groove and the second plug-in portion may be a protrusion.

[0142] It is understandable that other connection methods can be adopted between the base 61 and the fixing bracket 62, such as fixing by fasteners, bonding by colloid, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0143] Referring to Figures 10a and 10b , the rotating bracket 603 can be annular. The rotating bracket 603 encloses a space 630. The top of the rotating bracket 603 has a plurality of spaced guide protrusions 631 for connecting to the first gasket 604. The guide protrusions 631 can be arranged in a ring for connecting to the variable aperture 605. For example, there are six guide protrusions 631. The guide protrusions 631 can be columnar.

[0144] For example, the outer side of the rotating bracket 603 is further provided with a first mounting groove 633 and a second mounting groove 634 (not shown) spaced apart for mounting part of the driving component 607. The outer side of the rotating bracket 603 can be parallel to the optical axis direction of the variable aperture 60.

[0145] For example, the rotating bracket 603 is further provided with a plurality of spaced-apart adhesive storage slots 635. The openings of the adhesive storage slots 635 are located on the top surface of the rotating bracket 603. The top surface of the rotating bracket 603 faces the variable aperture 605 and the protective cover 608. The number of adhesive storage slots 635 is not limited to the six illustrated in Figures 10a and 10b.

[0146] It is understandable that the rotating bracket 603 may be a symmetrical structure, a partially symmetrical structure or an asymmetrical structure. In this embodiment, the rotating bracket 603 is a symmetrical structure.

[0147] In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 11 , the first gasket 604 can be annular. The first gasket 604 has a light-transmitting hole 641. The light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 communicates with the space 630 of the rotating bracket 603. The aperture of the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 remains constant. The light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 can serve as one of the aperture settings of the variable aperture 60. In this embodiment, the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 can serve as the aperture when the variable aperture 60 is in an end position. Exemplarily, the first gasket 604 has a plurality of spaced-apart fixing holes 642. Exemplarily, the number of fixing holes 642 equals the number of guide protrusions 631 of the rotating bracket 603, i.e., six fixing holes 642. Alternatively, the plurality of fixing holes 642 can be located around the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604, surrounding the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604.

[0148] In one embodiment, the first gasket 604 is fixedly connected to the top of the rotating bracket 603. For example, the multiple guide protrusions 631 of the rotating bracket 603 pass through the multiple fixing holes 642 of the first gasket 604 in a one-to-one correspondence, that is, one guide protrusion 631 passes through one fixing hole 642. It can be understood that the fit between the fixing holes 642 of the first gasket 604 and the guide protrusions 631 of the rotating bracket 603 prevents the first gasket 604 from shaking in the XY plane.

[0149] In one embodiment, a glue layer is provided in the glue storage tank 635 of the rotating bracket 603. The glue layer connects the rotating bracket 603 and the first gasket 604, thereby making the connection between the first gasket 604 and the rotating bracket 603 more stable and secure. In this case, the first gasket 604 is not easily dislodged from the rotating bracket 603.

[0150] In one embodiment, the central axis of the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 coincides with the central axis of the rotating bracket 603. The central axis of the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 refers to a virtual axis passing through the center of the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 and perpendicular to the plane on which the first gasket 604 lies. In other embodiments, the central axis of the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 and the central axis of the rotating bracket 603 may not coincide.

[0151] Please refer to Figure 12. The variable aperture 605 is located on the side of the first gasket 604 facing away from the rotating bracket 603. Please refer to Figure 13. The variable aperture 605 includes M blades 65, where M is a positive integer not less than 2. The M blades 65 are used to collectively form a light-transmitting hole 650. The light-transmitting hole 650 is connected to the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 (see Figure 11). Multiple blades 65 are located on the top of the first gasket 604 facing away from the base 61. Each blade 65 can move within a plane intersecting with the light transmission direction of the light-transmitting hole 650 to change the aperture of the light-transmitting hole 650. In this embodiment, the blade 65 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft protrusion 621 of the fixed bracket 62, and is slidably connected to the guide protrusion 631 of the rotating bracket 603.

[0152] This embodiment uses blade 65 as an example to describe the structure of blade 65 in detail. In one embodiment, blade 65 may be made of polyimide (PI). In other embodiments, blade 65 may be made of a non-magnetic metal material, such as aluminum. In this case, blade 65 has a higher hardness.

[0153] In one embodiment, a coating may be formed on the surface of the blades 65. For example, the coating is formed on the surface of the blades 65 by evaporation or sputtering. The coating can improve the smoothness of the blades 65, thereby reducing friction between the blades 65 during the opening and closing process of the blades 65.

[0154] Referring to Figures 14 and 15 , blade 65 includes an inner edge 651 and an outer edge 652. The inner edge 651 is connected to the outer edge 652 at both ends. The inner edge 651 includes a first edge portion 651a and a second edge portion 651b that are connected to each other. The first edge portion 651a forms at least a portion of the side edge of the light-transmitting aperture 650. The second edge portion 651b is connected between the first edge portion 651a and the outer edge 652. The second edge portion 651b can be an arc, a straight line, a curve, or the like. In other embodiments, the second edge portion 651b can be omitted.

[0155] The first edge portion 651a includes N connected connecting edges 6511. The N connecting edges 6511 of the M blades 65 are used to form the side edges of the light-transmitting hole 650. The light-transmitting hole 650 is polygonal, and N can be a positive integer not less than 2. The light-transmitting hole 650 can be approximately polygonal. In other words, the first edge portion 651a can be divided into N parts. The N connecting edges 6511 of the M blades 65 are used to form the side edges of the light-transmitting hole 650. The N connecting edges 6511 of the M blades 65 can be spliced ​​into a polygonal light-transmitting hole 650 including (M*N) sides.

[0156] In this embodiment, the connecting edges 6511 are linear structures. Two adjacent connecting edges 6511 are connected and arranged at an oblique angle, meaning that the two connecting edges 6511 are not located on the same straight line. The lengths of the N connecting edges 6511 can be set to be the same, or the lengths of at least two of the N connecting edges 6511 can be set to be different. The angle corresponding to one side of the light-transmitting aperture 650 formed by each blade 65 can be 2π / M. For example, when M is 6, the angle corresponding to one side of the light-transmitting aperture 650 formed by each blade 65 is 60 degrees.

[0157] In a conventional variable aperture configuration, the blades forming the light-transmitting aperture have a single edge (e.g., a single straight line or arc), and the light-transmitting aperture formed by M blades is, at most, an M-gon. The number of blades is typically an even number, less than 10. Due to light scattering and / or diffraction, a starburst forms on each side of the light spot formed by the light-transmitting aperture. This can cause a camera module using this variable aperture to capture images containing point light sources, resulting in several very noticeable starbursts on the light spot formed by the point light source. This can cause the light spot to be irregularly shaped, affecting the camera module's imaging performance.

[0158] In this embodiment, since the first edge portion 651a of each blade 65 includes N connecting edges 6511, M blades 65 can be spliced ​​into a (M*N)-polygonal light-transmitting hole 650 at most. The (M*N)-polygonal light-transmitting hole 650 is more like a circular hole. The light spot that can be formed by the (M*N)-polygonal light-transmitting hole has at least (M*N) starbursts. Compared with the conventional variable aperture with the same number of blades, the light spot formed by the variable aperture 605 of the present application has an increased number of starbursts, which enhances the diffraction effect, effectively diverges the diffraction energy, weakens the intensity of the starbursts, and reduces the possibility of the light spot being irregular, thereby improving the imaging effect and image quality of the camera module 100.

[0159] From another perspective, compared with a conventional variable aperture having a light-transmitting hole with the same number of sides, the variable aperture 605 provided in the present application has fewer blades 65 and a simpler structure.

[0160] Take the example of 6 blades. In conventional settings, 6 blades can be spliced ​​into a hexagonal light-transmitting hole at most, as shown in Figure 16a-1 and Figure 16a-2. Figure 16a-1 is a schematic diagram of a hexagonal light-transmitting hole formed by 6 blades in a conventional setting, and the edges of the sides of the blades used to splice the light-transmitting hole are a single straight line structure. Figure 16a-2 is another hexagonal light-transmitting hole formed by 6 blades in a conventional setting, and the edges of the sides of the blades used to splice the light-transmitting hole are a single arc structure. The light spot formed by the hexagonal light-transmitting hole shown in Figure 16b-1 and the light spot formed by the hexagonal light-transmitting hole shown in Figure 16b-2 both have 6 very obvious star-shaped rays, which are seriously irregular and affect the imaging quality. Figure 16b-1 is a simulation result diagram of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation corresponding to the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in Figure 16a-1, and Figure 16b-2 is a simulation result diagram of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation corresponding to the light spot formed by the light-transmitting hole shown in Figure 16a-2. The horizontal and vertical coordinates in the angular spectrum diffraction calculation simulation result diagram involved in this article both represent position coordinates.

[0161] In this embodiment, illustratively, M is 6 and N is 3. As shown in Figures 17a-1, 17a-2, 17a-3, and 17a-4, the six blades 65 can form an 18-sided light-transmitting hole 650. Since the number of sides of the light-transmitting hole 650 reaches 18, from the simulation results of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation, as shown in Figures 17b-1, 17b-2, 17b-3, and 17b-4, the number of starbursts in the light spot is as many as 18, and the diffraction energy of the light incident on the camera module 100 is effectively diverged, making the shape of the overall light spot tend to be circular. In this way, with the same number of blades, the imaging effect of the camera module 100 and the quality of the image captured by the camera module 100 are improved.

[0162] The central axis of the light-transmitting hole 650 can coincide with the central axis of the variable aperture 60. The light-transmitting hole 650 is not eccentric. The central axis of the light-transmitting hole 650 refers to a virtual axis passing through the center of the variable aperture 605 and perpendicular to the plane in which the multiple blades 65 are located. Figure 17a-1 is a schematic diagram of an 18-sided, non-eccentric light-transmitting hole formed by six blades at an aperture of 2.0, provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 17a-3 is a schematic diagram of an 18-sided, non-eccentric light-transmitting hole formed by six blades at an aperture of 2.8, provided in one embodiment of the present application.

[0163] In other embodiments, the light-transmitting hole 650 can also be an off-center hole. Figure 17a-2 is a schematic diagram of an 18-sided off-center light-transmitting hole formed by six blades at an aperture of 2.0 according to one embodiment of the present application. Figure 17a-4 is a schematic diagram of an 18-sided off-center light-transmitting hole formed by six blades at an aperture of 2.8 according to one embodiment of the present application. Compared to the light spot formed by a hexagonal light-transmitting hole surrounded by six blades, the light spot shape is still improved when the 18-sided light-transmitting hole 650 is set as an off-center hole.

[0164] In one possible implementation, the connecting edge 6511 can be an arc structure, so that each side of the light-transmitting aperture 650 formed by the M blades 65 includes an arc structure. The diffraction vertical line angle generated by each blade 65 will vary, which is reflected in the starburst of the light spot, resulting in a radial starburst at the tail end. The closer to a circle, the greater the divergence, which can also improve the imaging effect and image quality of the camera module 100.

[0165] In other embodiments, at least one of the N connecting edges 6511 is a straight line or an arc. In other embodiments, the connecting edges 6511 are not limited to being straight lines or arcs.

[0166] In other embodiments, please refer to Figure 18, two adjacent connecting edges 6511 are transitionally connected by an arc edge 6512. In other words, chamfering can be performed at the connection between each two connected connecting edges 6511 to make the two connecting edges 6511 transitionally connected. The arc edge 6512 can be an arc with an R angle, for example, the arc edge 6512 can be an arc of 15 degrees. This application does not limit the size of the R angle. The transition of the arc edge 6512 will cause the diffraction vertical line angle generated by each blade 65 to be different, which is fed back to the starburst of the light spot, that is, the tail end presents a radial starburst; the closer to the circle, the greater the divergence, which can improve the imaging effect and image quality of the camera module 100. For example, in the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG19a-1, M is 6, N is 2, and Q is 1, that is, the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG19a-1 is a 12-gon. On each blade 65, the two connecting edges 6511 are connected by a circular arc edge 6512. FIG19b-1 is a diagram of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation simulation results corresponding to the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG19a-1. For another example, in the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG19a-2, M is 6, N is 3, and Q is 2, that is, the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG19a-2 is an 18-gon. On each blade 65, the two connecting edges 6511 are connected by a circular arc edge 6512. FIG19b-2 is a diagram of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation simulation results corresponding to the light-transmitting hole shown in FIG19a-2.

[0167] In one embodiment, when the light hole 650 is a polygonal structure, the number of sides of the light hole 650 is an even number, for example, the number of sides of the light hole 650 is not less than 12, for example, the light hole 650 is approximately an 18-gon structure.

[0168] In one embodiment, when the light-transmitting hole 650 is a polygonal structure, the number of sides of the light-transmitting hole 650 is an odd number, for example, the number of sides of the light-transmitting hole 650 is not less than 7. As shown in FIG20 , FIG20 is a schematic diagram of the angular spectrum diffraction calculation simulation results for seven light-transmitting hole shapes and their corresponding light spots. The first row of FIG20 shows the seven light-transmitting hole shapes. From left to right in FIG20 , the light-transmitting hole shapes are, in order, circle, triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, and nonagon. The second row of FIG20 shows the corresponding angular spectrum diffraction calculation simulation results for the seven light-transmitting hole shapes. From left to right in FIG20 , the light-transmitting hole shapes corresponding to the respective light spots are, in order, circle, triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, and nonagon. In the angular spectrum diffraction calculation simulation results corresponding to the circular light-transmitting hole, the shape of the light spot is approximately circular. With the exception of circular apertures, for apertures with an odd number of sides, such as triangles, pentagons, heptagons, and enneagons, the number of starbursts on the light spot is double the number of sides. For apertures with an even number of sides, such as quadrilaterals, hexagons, and octagons, the number of starbursts on the light spot is equal to the number of sides. A greater number of starbursts improves the dispersion of diffraction energy, enhances imaging quality, and reduces the possibility of irregular light spots.

[0169] In some possible implementations, the number of connecting edges 6511 of inner edge 651 can be one (i.e., N is 1), and connecting edges 6511 have a sawtooth structure to enhance the diffraction effect. In this embodiment, the light-transmitting aperture 650 formed by the M blades 65 is generally circular, and the sides of light-transmitting aperture 650 have a sawtooth structure, as shown in Figure 21a. From the simulation results of angular spectrum diffraction calculations, as shown in Figure 21b, the light spot formed through the light-transmitting aperture shown in Figure 21a is approximately circular.

[0170] Referring again to Figures 14 and 15 , outer edge 652 is irregularly curved. The outer contour of blades 65 is roughly dolphin-shaped, increasing the overlap area of ​​iris 60 when in a small aperture state, reducing the possibility of light leakage and the possibility of blades 65 staggering during movement, thereby improving imaging quality. Outer edge 652 includes a first end edge portion 652a, a mounting edge 652b, and a second end edge portion 652c, which are sequentially connected. First end edge portion 652a and second end edge portion 652c are disposed opposite each other. Inner edge 651 is connected between first end edge portion 652a and second end edge portion 652c. Second end edge portion 652c is configured to contact mounting base 601.

[0171] The first end edge portion 652a has a recess 6522 and a protrusion 6523 on a side away from the inner edge 651. The recess 6522 allows the guide protrusion 631 of the rotating bracket 603 to clear the way when the iris diaphragm 60 is in the large aperture state. The protrusion 6523 increases the overlap area between the blade 65 and other blades 65 when the iris diaphragm 60 is in the small aperture state. In other embodiments, the shape of the blade 65 is not limited. The second end edge portion 652c has an arcuate edge 6525 that protrudes toward the outside of the blade 65 to provide clearance.

[0172] In one embodiment, the blade 65 is provided with a rotation hole 653. The multiple rotation shaft protrusions 621 of the fixed bracket 62 pass through the rotation holes 653 of the blades 65 in a one-to-one correspondence. That is, one rotation shaft protrusion 621 of the fixed bracket 62 passes through one rotation hole 653 of the blade 65. It will be appreciated that the wall of the rotation hole 653 can rotate relative to the rotation shaft protrusion 621. Thus, through the cooperation between the rotation hole 653 and the rotation shaft protrusion 621, the blade 65 can rotate relative to the fixed bracket 62, with the rotation shaft protrusion 621 serving as the rotation axis. For example, the rotation hole 653 can be a circular hole.

[0173] In other embodiments, the positions of the rotating shaft protrusion 621 and the rotating hole 653 can be swapped. The rotating shaft protrusion 621 is provided on the blade 65. The rotating hole 653 is provided on the fixing bracket 62.

[0174] In one embodiment, the blade 65 is provided with a guide hole 654 that is slidably connected to the guide protrusion 631 of the rotating bracket 603. The guide hole 654 guides and limits the movement of the blade 65, thereby improving the smoothness of the movement of the blade 65. For example, the guide hole 654 may be an arc-shaped hole. The guide hole 654 includes a first end wall 6541 and a second end wall 6542 disposed opposite each other. The first end wall 6541 is positioned relative to the second end wall 6542 and adjacent to the rotating hole 653. For example, the multiple guide protrusions 631 of the rotating bracket 603 pass through the guide holes 654 of the multiple blades 65 in a one-to-one correspondence. That is, one guide protrusion 631 of the rotating bracket 603 passes through the guide hole 654 of one blade 65. It is understood that the guide protrusion 631 can slide relative to the wall of the guide hole 654. In other embodiments, the positions of the guide protrusion 631 and the guide hole 654 can be reversed. In other words, the guide protrusion 631 can be provided on the blade 65. The guide hole 654 may be provided on the rotating bracket 603 .

[0175] Please refer to Figure 12. Since each blade 65 is rotatably connected to the fixed bracket 62 and each blade 65 is slidably connected to the rotating bracket 603, when the multiple blades 65 are expanded or closed, the aperture of the light-transmitting hole 650 of the multiple blades 65 can be enlarged or reduced (or the area enclosed by the light-transmitting hole is enlarged or reduced). The shape of the light-transmitting hole 650 of the multiple blades 65 changes. For example, when the aperture of the light-transmitting hole 650 is the smallest (or the area enclosed by the light-transmitting hole is the smallest), the shape of the light-transmitting hole 650 of the multiple blades 65 may be an M-gon. When the aperture of the light-transmitting hole 650 is the largest (or the area enclosed by the light-transmitting hole is the largest), the shape of the light-transmitting hole 650 of the multiple blades 65 is an (M*N)-gon. The shape of the light-transmitting hole 650 can change between an M-gon and an (M*N)-gon. Of course, in other embodiments, the shape of the inner edge 651 of each blade 65 may be changed so that the shape of the light-transmitting hole 650 of the plurality of blades 65 does not change when the plurality of blades 65 are expanded or closed.

[0176] It will be appreciated that in this embodiment, the first gasket 604 is positioned between the blades 65 and the fixed bracket 62. This prevents the rotating bracket 603 from scratching the blades 65 when the blades 65 are expanded or closed. In one embodiment, when the iris diaphragm 60 is in its initial state, the guide protrusion 631 of the rotating bracket 603 contacts the first end wall 6541 of the guide hole 654. When the iris diaphragm 60 is in its final state, the guide protrusion 631 of the rotating bracket 603 contacts the second end wall 6542 of the guide hole 654. The multiple blades 65 form a maximum polygonal shape, meaning that the light-transmitting aperture 650 is an (M*N)-sided polygon. When the iris diaphragm 60 is in its intermediate state, the guide protrusion 631 of the rotating bracket 603 is positioned between the first end wall 6541 and the second end wall 6542 of the guide hole 654.

[0177] In one embodiment, when the variable aperture 60 is in an initial or intermediate state, the maximum aperture of the light-transmitting holes 650 of the multiple blades 65 is smaller than the aperture of the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604. In this state, the light-transmitting holes 650 of the multiple blades 65 constitute the aperture of the variable aperture 60, meaning that the light-transmitting holes 650 of the multiple blades 65 can control the luminous flux of ambient light. When the variable aperture 60 is in an end state, the guide protrusion 631 of the rotating bracket 603 is positioned adjacent to the second end wall 6542 of the guide hole 654. The aperture of the light-transmitting holes 650 of the multiple blades 65 continues to increase. At this point, the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604 is exposed relative to each blade 65, and the aperture of the light-transmitting holes 650 of the multiple blades 65 is larger than the aperture of the light-transmitting hole 641 of the first gasket 604. At this point, the light-transmitting holes 641 of the first gasket 604 constitute the aperture of the variable aperture 60. Therefore, the first gasket 604 of this embodiment has the effect of "one thing for multiple uses".

[0178] Referring to FIG. 22 , the driving component 607 includes a first magnet 67 a , a second magnet 67 b , a first coil 68 a , a second coil 68 b , and a flexible circuit board 69 .

[0179] The first magnet 67a can be fixedly connected to the first mounting groove 633 of the rotating bracket 603 by means of adhesive or the like (as shown in FIG23a ). For example, the first magnet 67a is arc-shaped. The shape of the first magnet 67a is adapted to the shape of the first mounting groove 633. In this way, when the first magnet 67a is fixedly connected to the first mounting groove 633, the first magnet 67a can be embedded in the rotating bracket 603. On the one hand, the structure formed by the first magnet 67a and the rotating bracket 603 has better integrity; on the other hand, the first magnet 67a and the rotating bracket 603 have overlapping areas in all directions, and the first magnet 67a is not likely to increase the size of the variable aperture 60. In other embodiments, the first magnet 67a can be embedded in the rotating bracket 603 through an injection molding process.

[0180] The second magnet 67b can be fixedly connected to the second mounting groove 634 of the rotating bracket 603 by means of adhesive or the like. For example, the second magnet 67b is arc-shaped. The shape of the second magnet 67b is adapted to the shape of the second mounting groove 634. In this way, when the second magnet 67b is fixedly connected to the second mounting groove 634, the second magnet 67b can be embedded in the rotating bracket 603. On the one hand, the structure formed by the second magnet 67b and the rotating bracket 603 has better integrity; on the other hand, the second magnet 67b and the rotating bracket 603 have overlapping areas in all directions, and the second magnet 67b is not likely to increase the size of the variable aperture 60. In other embodiments, the second magnet 67b can be embedded in the rotating bracket 603 through an injection molding process.

[0181] In this embodiment, the first coil 68a is located within the first through hole 6230 (as shown in FIG23b ). The second coil 68b is located within the second through hole 6240. Thus, the first coil 68a and the second coil 68b overlap with the fixing base 601 in all directions. In this case, the first coil 68a and the second coil 68b can occupy the space within the fixing base 601. The first coil 68a and the second coil 68b do not increase the size of the variable aperture 60, thus facilitating a compact configuration of the variable aperture 60.

[0182] For example, the first magnet 67a and the second magnet 67b are symmetrical about the center of the rotating bracket 603. Thus, when the first magnet 67a and the second magnet 67b are fixedly connected to the rotating bracket 603, the structure formed by the first magnet 67a, the second magnet 67b, and the rotating bracket 603 is highly symmetrical. At this point, when the first magnet 67a, the second magnet 67b, and the rotating bracket 603 cooperate with other components, the first magnet 67a, the second magnet 67b, and the rotating bracket 603 are less likely to tilt due to an unstable center of gravity.

[0183] In one embodiment, the first coil 68a and the second coil 68b are both electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board 69. The first coil 68a and the second coil 68b are located on the inner circumference of the flexible printed circuit board 69. The first coil 68a can be positioned facing the first magnet 67a through the first through-hole 6230. The first coil 68a is positioned opposite the first magnet 67a. The second coil 68b can be positioned facing the second magnet 67b through the second through-hole 6240. The second coil 68b is positioned opposite the second magnet 67b. It should be understood that the first coil 68a facing the first magnet 67a means that the plane of the first coil 68a faces the first magnet 67a. In this embodiment, the planes of the first coil 68a and the first magnet 67a are both parallel to the optical axis of the variable aperture 60. The plane of the first coil 68a can be perpendicular to the winding axis of the first coil 68a. The second coil 68b facing the second magnet 67b means that the plane of the second coil 68b faces the second magnet 67b. In this embodiment, the plane where the second coil 68b is located and the plane where the second magnet 67b is located are both parallel to the optical axis direction of the variable aperture 60. The plane where the second coil 68b is located may be perpendicular to the winding axis of the second coil 68b.

[0184] In other embodiments, the first coil 68a may also be located outside the first through hole 6230 . The second coil 68b may also be located outside the second through hole 6240 .

[0185] In other embodiments, the positions of the first magnet 67a and the first coil 68a may be swapped, and the positions of the second magnet 67b and the second coil 68b may also be swapped.

[0186] In one embodiment, the driving component 607 further includes a driver chip, which can be fixedly connected to the flexible circuit board 69 by welding or other means. The driver chip is also electrically connected to the first coil 68a and the second coil 68b. The driver chip is used to supply power to the first coil 68a and the second coil 68b. In this embodiment, the driver chip is electrically connected to the flexible circuit board 69 and, through the flexible circuit board 69, to the first coil 68a and the second coil 68b.

[0187] For example, the flexible circuit board 69 can be electrically connected to the module circuit board 10 (see FIG3 ) via traces within certain components of the camera module 100 (e.g., a motor or bracket of the lens assembly). Thus, the driver chip can be electrically connected to the module circuit board 10 via the flexible circuit board 69 , meaning that the module circuit board 10 can transmit electrical signals to the driver chip via the flexible circuit board 69 .

[0188] In this embodiment, when the driver chip receives a signal, the driver chip can transmit a current signal to the first coil 68a and the second coil 68b via the flexible circuit board 69. When the first coil 68a contains a current signal, the first coil 68a and the first magnet 67a can generate a force that interacts with each other. In this way, when the first magnet 67a is subjected to a force, the first magnet 67a can drive the rotating bracket 603 to rotate relative to the base 61 and the fixed bracket 62. In addition, when the second coil 68b contains a current signal, the second coil 68b and the second magnet 67b can generate a force that interacts with each other. In this way, when the second magnet 67b is subjected to a force, the second magnet 67b can drive the rotating bracket 603 to rotate relative to the fixed bracket 62 and the base 61.

[0189] The driver chip can also be used to detect the magnetic field strength of the second magnet 67b. It will be appreciated that when the rotating bracket 603 rotates relative to the base 61 and the fixed bracket 62, the second magnet 67b also rotates with the rotating bracket 603 relative to the base 61 and the fixed bracket 62. At this point, the second magnet 67b is in different positions relative to the base 61 and the fixed bracket 62. The driver chip can be used to detect the magnetic field strength when the second magnet 67b is in different positions. Thus, the magnetic field strength detected by the driver chip can be used to determine the rotation angle of the rotating bracket 603 relative to the base 61 and the fixed bracket 62, thereby accurately determining the state of the variable aperture 60 and, therefore, precisely controlling the light flux entering the variable aperture 60.

[0190] In other embodiments, the present application does not limit the structure of the driving component 607 , and the driving component 607 only needs to be able to drive the rotating bracket 603 to rotate relative to the fixed bracket 62 .

[0191] Referring again to Figure 6, protective cover 608 can be annular. Protective cover 608 encloses light-transmitting hole 731. Light-transmitting hole 731 communicates with light-transmitting hole 650. Protective cover 608 can be a single integral component or a composite component. For example, multiple components can be joined together (e.g., using mortise and tenon joints) or fixed (e.g., welding, bonding, etc.) to form a single integral component.

[0192] In one embodiment, the protective cover 608 includes a first cover 732 and a second cover 733, which are stacked. The first cover 732 and the second cover 733 are separate. Both the first cover 732 and the second cover 733 are provided with a light-transmitting hole 731. The first cover 732 is positioned between the second cover 733 and the plurality of blades 65 of the variable aperture 605. The first cover 732 is fixed to the fixed bracket 62 to confine the variable aperture 605 between the first cover 732 and the rotating bracket 603. The second cover 733 is fixedly positioned on the side of the first cover 732 facing away from the rotating bracket 603. The second cover 733 is used to cover the first cover 732, the variable aperture 605, and other components of the variable aperture 60.

[0193] Exemplarily, the first cover 732 is made of plastic. For example, the first cover can be made of a Soma sheet, which can be made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or PI (polyimide). This reduces the weight of the variable aperture 60 while also lowering its cost. The second cover 733 can be made of plastic, such as polyimide (PI). The second cover 733 can be made of plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyimide (PI). Using plastic as the material for the second cover 733 can reduce the weight of the protective cover while also lowering the cost of the variable aperture.

[0194] In other embodiments of the present application, the first cover 732 can be made of a metal material, such as aluminum, steel, aluminum alloy, or magnesium alloy. It is understood that the use of aluminum or steel for the first cover 732 reduces the investment cost of the first cover 732. Metal increases the structural strength and impact resistance of the first cover 732. This prevents the first cover 732 from being damaged or deformed when the iris diaphragm 60 is dropped, improving its reliability. Furthermore, damage or deformation of the first cover 732 prevents the blades 65 from being squeezed, thus increasing the reliability of the blades 65. This increases the lifespan of the iris diaphragm 60. The second cover 733 can be made of plastic, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyimide (PI). The second cover 733 is made of plastic, which can reduce the weight of the protective cover while lowering the cost of the variable light aperture. In this way, the first cover 732 forms the metal portion of the protective cover 608. The second cover 733 forms the plastic portion of the protective cover 608. It can be understood that compared to protective covers with plastic structures, the protective cover 608 of this embodiment has better structural strength and impact resistance. When the variable aperture 60 is dropped and impacted, the protective cover 608 is not easily damaged or deformed, and the reliability of the protective cover 608 is better. In addition, the protective cover 608 is not likely to squeeze the blades 65 due to damage or deformation, so the blades 65 are not easily damaged or deformed, and the reliability of the blades 65 is better.

[0195] In other embodiments of the present application, the protective cover 608 can be formed by an insert molding process. For example, a metal material such as an aluminum sheet is placed in a mold and injection molded into an integral part. It is understandable that, compared to the solution of fixing the first cover body 732 to the second cover body 733 by adhesive or other connectors, by setting the first cover body 732 and the second cover body 733 into an integrally formed structure, on the one hand, the structure of the protective cover 608 can be simplified and the number of components of the variable aperture 60 can be reduced. On the other hand, the thickness of the connector or the adhesive layer can be omitted, and the thickness of the protective cover 608 can be reduced, which is conducive to achieving a thin setting of the variable aperture 60. The weight of the protective cover 608 can be reduced, which is conducive to achieving a lightweight setting of the variable aperture 60.

[0196] In other embodiments, the first cover body 732 and the second cover body 733 of the protective cover 608 may also be fixedly connected to each other by adhesive or other means.

[0197] In other embodiments, the second cover 733 can also be made of a metal material. For example, the second cover can be made of aluminum sheet, steel sheet, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, etc. It is understood that the use of aluminum sheet or steel sheet for the second cover reduces the investment cost of the second cover. The metal material of the second cover can increase the structural strength and impact resistance of the second cover. This way, if the variable aperture is dropped or impacted, the second cover is less likely to be damaged or deformed, thereby improving the reliability of the second cover.

[0198] In one embodiment, referring to Figures 24 and 25 , the bottom surface of the first cover 732 facing the iris diaphragm 605 is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart first escape spaces 7323 for accommodating corresponding rotating shaft protrusions 621. The plurality of first escape spaces 7323 are arranged around the light-transmitting aperture 731 of the protective cover 608. In this embodiment, the first escape spaces 7323 are blind holes provided on the bottom surface of the first cover 732 facing the iris diaphragm 605. In other embodiments, the second escape spaces 7324 may be through holes.

[0199] The bottom surface of the first cover 732, facing the variable aperture 605, is further provided with a plurality of second escape spaces 7324 for accommodating corresponding guide protrusions 631. The plurality of second escape spaces 7324 are arranged around the light-transmitting aperture 731 of the protective cover 608. The plurality of second escape spaces 7324 are also spaced apart from the plurality of first escape spaces 7323. In this embodiment, the opening size of the second escape spaces 7324 is larger than the opening size of the first escape spaces 7323. In this embodiment, the second escape spaces 7324 are through holes. In other embodiments, the second escape spaces 7324 may be groove-like structures.

[0200] During assembly, the multiple rotating shaft protrusions 621 of the fixing bracket 62 are disposed one-to-one in the multiple first avoidance spaces 7323 of the protective cover 608. Thus, the protective cover 608 can cover the rotating shaft protrusions 621 of the fixing bracket 62. This, on the one hand, prevents hair and foreign matter from falling into the rotating hole 653 of the blade 65 during the assembly process of the camera module 100, thereby preventing the movement of the rotating shaft protrusions 621 within the rotating hole 653. On the other hand, it can improve the appearance and refinement of the variable aperture 60.

[0201] In one embodiment, the side walls of the first avoidance space 7323 are rounded, i.e., C-shaped, so that the connection between the side walls of the first avoidance space 7323 is not likely to scratch the blades 65.

[0202] In one embodiment, the shaft protrusion 621 of the fixing bracket 62 can be interference fit with the first avoidance space 7323 of the protective cover 608. In this way, the connection between the fixing bracket 62 and the protective cover 608 is more stable, and the protective cover 608 and the fixing bracket 62 can form a better integrated structure.

[0203] In one embodiment, the plurality of guide protrusions 631 of the rotating bracket 603 are disposed in a one-to-one correspondence within the plurality of second escape spaces 7324 of the protective cover 608, and the guide protrusions 631 of the rotating bracket 603 are movable within the second escape spaces 7324. Thus, the protective cover 608 covers the guide protrusions 631 of the rotating bracket 603. This prevents hair or foreign matter from falling into the guide holes 654 of the blades 65 during assembly of the camera module 100, thereby preventing the movement of the guide protrusions 631 within the guide holes 654. Furthermore, the appearance of the variable aperture 60 is enhanced.

[0204] In one embodiment, the sidewalls of the second clearance space 7324 are rounded, also known as a "C" angle. This prevents the blades 65 from being scratched at the junctions between the sidewalls of the second clearance space 7324. It is understood that the structure of the protective cover 608 is not limited. For example, the protective cover 608 may include a clearance space to allow the rotating shaft protrusion 621 to clear the guide protrusion 631.

[0205] In other embodiments, the protective cover 608 can be omitted, and there is sufficient isolation space between the variable aperture 605 and other components of the camera module 100 , so that the variable aperture 605 does not separate from the fixing base 601 and the rotating bracket 603 .

[0206] In other embodiments, referring to FIG. 26 , the second cover 733 includes a top surface 733a, an outer side surface 733b, and an inner side surface 733c. The top surface 733a of the second cover 733 is connected between the outer side surface 733b and the inner side surface 733c. The top surface 733a, the outer side surface 733b, and the inner side surface 733c of the second cover 733 are all provided with a coating 734. For example, a layer of coating 734 is deposited on the top surface 733a, the outer side surface 733b, and the inner side surface 733c of the second cover 733 by a process such as physical vapor deposition (PVD). The coating 734 can be black or matte black, which can, on the one hand, conceal the components at the bottom of the second cover 733, and on the other hand, greatly improve the appearance and refinement of the variable aperture 60.

[0207] In one embodiment, a coating 734 is deposited on the top surface, outer side surface, and inner side surface of the first cover body 732 so as to further shield the components at the bottom of the first cover body 732 and greatly improve the appearance refinement of the variable aperture 60.

[0208] In one embodiment, an anti-reflection film 735 may be provided on the surface of the coating 734. The anti-reflection film 735 can largely eliminate the problem of light flare, thereby greatly improving the appearance of the variable aperture 60.

[0209] In one embodiment, the bottom surface of the first cover 732 is not plated. Thus, the bottom surface of the first cover 732 can be directly electrically connected to the flexible circuit board 69 and grounded through the flexible circuit board 69. In this way, the first cover 732 can reduce radio frequency interference.

[0210] It should be understood that expressions such as "include" and "may include" used in this application indicate the existence of the disclosed functions, operations, or constituent elements, and do not limit one or more additional functions, operations, and constituent elements. In this application, terms such as "include" and / or "have" may be interpreted as indicating specific characteristics, numbers, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof, but may not be interpreted as excluding the existence or possibility of adding one or more other characteristics, numbers, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0211] In addition, in this application, the expression "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the associated listed words. For example, the expression "A and / or B" may include A, may include B, or may include both A and B.

[0212] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a detachable connection or a non-detachable connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Among them, "fixed connection" means that the two are connected to each other and the relative position relationship after the connection remains unchanged. "Rotational connection" means that the two are connected to each other and can rotate relative to each other after the connection. "Sliding connection" means that the two are connected to each other and can slide relative to each other after the connection. The directional terms mentioned in the embodiments of the present application, such as "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "left", "right", etc., are only reference to the directions of the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for better and clearer explanation and understanding of the embodiments of the present application, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0213] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the mathematical concepts mentioned include symmetry, equality, parallelism, and perpendicularity. These limitations are all for the current state of the art, rather than being absolutely strict definitions in a mathematical sense. A small amount of deviation is allowed, and it is possible to be approximately symmetric, approximately equal, approximately parallel, or approximately perpendicular. For example, A and B are parallel, which means that A and B are parallel or approximately parallel, and the angle between A and B can be between 0 and 10 degrees. A and B are perpendicular, which means that A and B are perpendicular or approximately perpendicular, and the angle between A and B can be between 80 and 100 degrees.

[0214] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A variable aperture (60), characterized in that: It includes a fixed seat (601), a rotating bracket (603) and a variable iris (605), The rotating bracket (603) is rotatably accommodated in the fixing seat (601), and the rotating bracket (603) encloses a space (630); The variable iris (605) includes M blades (65), the M blades (65) collectively enclosing a light-transmitting hole (650), the light-transmitting hole (650) communicating with the space (630), each blade (65) being rotatably connected to the fixed seat (601) and slidably connected to the rotating bracket (603), wherein M is a positive integer not less than 2; The inner surface of the fixed seat (601) facing the rotating bracket (603) is provided with a positioning protrusion (622), and / or the outer surface of the rotating bracket (603) facing the fixed seat (601) is provided with a positioning protrusion (622), and the fixed seat (601) and the rotating bracket (603) can contact each other through the positioning protrusion (622).

2. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 1, characterized in that The positioning protrusion (622) has a contact surface, and the rotating bracket (603) contacts the fixing seat (601) through the contact surface, and the contact surface (6221) is a curved surface.

3. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 2, characterized in that Lubricating oil or a lubricating film layer is provided on the contact surface.

4. The variable aperture (60) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The fixed seat (601) comprises a base (61) and a fixed bracket (62) which are stacked and fixed to each other, the rotating bracket (603) is rotatably accommodated in the fixed bracket (62), and the positioning protrusion (622) is provided on the inner surface of the fixed bracket (62) facing the rotating bracket (603) and / or on the outer surface of the rotating bracket (603) facing the fixed bracket (62).

5. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 4, characterized in that A first stopper (618) is provided on the inner surface of the base (61) facing the rotating bracket (603), and the first stopper (618) contacts the bottom of the rotating bracket (603) away from the variable iris (605).

6. The variable aperture (60) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Each of the blades (65) has an inner edge (651), the inner edge (651) includes N connecting edges (6511), the N connecting edges (6511) of the M blades (65) are used to form the side edges of the light-transmitting hole (650), the light-transmitting hole is polygonal, and N is a positive integer not less than 2.

7. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 6, characterized in that Two adjacent connecting edges (6511) are transitionally connected via an arc edge (6512).

8. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The connecting edge (6511) is a straight line structure.

9. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 6, characterized in that The connecting edge (6511) has a serrated structure.

10. The variable aperture (60) according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: Each of the blades further comprises an outer edge (652) connected to the inner edge (651), the outer edge (652) comprising a first end edge portion (652a) and a second end edge portion (652c) arranged opposite to each other, the inner edge (651) being connected between the first end edge portion (652a) and the second end edge portion (652c), and the N connecting edges (6511) being located at an end of the inner edge (651) closer to the first end edge portion (652a); The first end edge portion is provided with a recess (6522) and a protrusion (6523) on a side away from the inner edge (651), wherein the recess (6522) is recessed toward the inside of the blade (65), and the protrusion (6523) is protruding toward the outside of the blade.

11. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 10, characterized in that The second end edge portion (652c) has an arcuate edge (6525) protruding toward the outside of the blade (65).

12. The variable aperture (60) according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that: When the light-transmitting hole (650) is in a polygonal structure, the number of sides of the light-transmitting hole (650) is an odd number.

13. The variable aperture (60) according to any one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that: When the light-transmitting hole (650) is in a polygonal structure, the number of sides of the light-transmitting hole (650) is an even number.

14. The variable aperture (60) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The fixing seat (601) has a plurality of rotating shaft protrusions (621) arranged at intervals, and the rotating bracket (603) has a plurality of guiding protrusions (631) arranged at intervals; Each blade is provided with a rotating hole (653) and a guide hole (654) arranged at intervals, the plurality of rotating shaft protrusions (621) are rotatably connected to the rotating holes (653) of the plurality of blades (65) in a one-to-one correspondence, and the plurality of guide protrusions (631) are slidably connected to the guide holes (654) of the plurality of blades (65) in a one-to-one correspondence.

15. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 14, characterized in that The variable aperture (60) also includes a protective cover (608), and the protective cover (608) includes a first cover body (732) and a second cover body (733). The first cover body (732) is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart avoidance spaces (7323) for avoiding the rotating shaft protrusion (621) and the guide protrusion (631). The second cover body (733) fixes the first cover body (732) and is located on a side of the first cover body (732) away from the blade (65). The second cover body (733) is used to cover the avoidance spaces (7323) of the first cover body (732).

16. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 15, characterized in that The first cover body (732) and the second cover body (733) are an integral structure.

17. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 15, characterized in that The first cover (732) is made of plastic or metal, and the second cover (733) is made of plastic or metal.

18. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 15, characterized in that The top surface (733a), the outer side surface (733b) and the inner side surface (733c) of the second cover body (733) are all provided with a plating layer (734).

19. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 18, characterized in that An anti-reflection film (735) is provided on the surface of the coating (734).

20. The variable aperture (60) according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that: The variable aperture (60) further includes a flexible circuit board (69), a first magnet (67a) and a first coil (68a); the flexible circuit board (69) surrounds the outer peripheral side of the fixed seat (601) and is fixed to the outer peripheral side of the fixed seat (601); the first coil (68a) is fixed to the inner peripheral side of the flexible circuit board (69) and is electrically connected to the flexible circuit board (69); the first magnet (67a) is fixed to the outer peripheral side of the rotating bracket (63); the first coil (68a) faces the first magnet (67a); the first magnet (67a) is used to drive the rotating bracket (63) to rotate relative to the fixed seat (601) in cooperation with the first coil (68a); each of the blades (65) slides relative to the rotating bracket (63) and rotates relative to the fixed seat (601), so that the aperture of the light-transmitting hole (650) of the M blades (65) changes.

21. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 20, characterized in that The fixing seat (601) is provided with a first through hole (6230), and the first coil (68a) faces the first magnet (67a) through the first through hole (6230).

22. The variable aperture (60) according to claim 20, characterized in that A first glue groove (619) is provided on the side surface of the fixing seat (601), and a glue layer is provided in the first glue groove (619), and the glue layer is also connected to the flexible circuit board (69).

23. The variable aperture (60) according to any one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that The variable aperture (60) further includes a first gasket (604), the first gasket (604) being fixedly connected to the rotating bracket (603) and being located on a side of the plurality of blades (65) facing the rotating bracket (603), the inner edge (651a) of the first gasket (604) surrounding a light-transmitting hole (641), and the light-transmitting hole (641) of the first gasket (604) communicating with the light-transmitting holes (650) of the plurality of blades (65) and the space (630) of the rotating bracket (603); The variable aperture (60) includes an initial state, an intermediate state, and an end state; When the variable aperture (60) is in an initial state or an intermediate state, the maximum aperture of the light-transmitting holes (650) of the plurality of blades (65) is smaller than the aperture of the light-transmitting hole (641) of the first gasket (604); When the variable aperture (60) is in an end state, the minimum aperture of the light-transmitting holes (650) of the plurality of blades (65) is greater than or equal to the aperture of the light-transmitting hole (641) of the first gasket (604).

24. A camera module (100), characterized in that: The invention comprises a lens assembly (50) and a variable aperture (60) according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the variable aperture (60) is fixedly connected to the lens assembly (50) and is located on the light incident side of the lens assembly (50).

25. The camera module (100) according to claim 24, characterized in that: The lens assembly (50) comprises a motor (51) and a lens (52), wherein the lens (52) is arranged on the motor (51), and the motor (51) is used to drive the lens (52) to move along the optical axis direction of the camera module (100); The variable aperture (60) is fixedly connected to the lens (52) and is located on the light incident side of the lens (52).

26. An electronic device (1), characterized in that It comprises a housing (200) and a camera module (100) as claimed in claim 24 or 25, wherein the camera module (100) is arranged in the housing (200).

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