Electronic equipment, camera module and focusing motor thereof

Abstract

The invention provides electronic equipment, a camera module and a focusing motor thereof. The focusing motor comprises a bracket, a mobile carrier, an upper elastic sheet, a lower elastic sheet and a top cover, the support is of an annular structure, a containing space is defined in the middle of the support, a magnet is embedded in the support, and the support is provided with a limiting table extending towards the containing space. The moving carrier is arranged in the containing space, the moving carrier is provided with a coil used for being matched with the magnet in an induction mode, and bottom limiting of the moving carrier is achieved by abutting against the limiting table; the upper elastic sheet is respectively connected with the bracket and the top surface of the mobile carrier; the lower elastic sheet is respectively connected with the bracket and the bottom surface of the mobile carrier; the top cover covers the support and the movable carrier, and the movable carrier achieves top limiting by abutting against the top cover. Compared with a conventional elastic sheet type automatic focusing motor, the focusing motor has the advantages that the lower mechanical displacement of the upper mover part in the height space and the thickness of the base are reduced, the miniaturized structure is realized, and the possibility is provided for the light and thin design of electronic equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of camera structures, and specifically relates to an electronic device, a camera module, and its focusing motor. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the appearance of mobile phones pursues thinness and lightness. In the thickness direction, it is divided into the thickness of the mobile phone body and the thickness of the camera module. Among them, the thickness of the camera module is the main factor affecting the holding feel and appearance selection. Existing autofocus motors are mainly driven by electromagnetic force, and the dimensions in the height direction mainly consist of: the thickness of the protective shell, the upper mechanical displacement, the carrier & winding, the lower mechanical displacement, and the thickness of the base.

[0003] Based on the lens weight, imaging requirements, and reliability requirements, the height space of existing autofocus motors basically cannot be reduced on individual parts. As a result, it is difficult to reduce the height of the existing structure of the autofocus motor, which cannot contribute to the pursuit of thin and light mobile phones. Moreover, for imaging requirements, the height of the camera module may even be further increased, seriously affecting the appearance and holding feel of the mobile phone. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a focusing motor for a camera module is provided. The focusing motor includes:

[0005] A bracket, which is a ring structure, with an accommodation space formed in the middle. The bracket is embedded with a magnet, and the bracket is provided with a limiting platform extending towards the accommodation space;

[0006] A moving carrier, which is arranged in the accommodation space. The moving carrier is provided with a coil for inductive cooperation with the magnet, and the moving carrier realizes bottom limiting by abutting against the limiting platform;

[0007] Upper elastic pieces, which are respectively connected to the top surface of the bracket and the moving carrier;

[0008] Lower elastic pieces, which are respectively connected to the bottom surface of the bracket and the moving carrier;

[0009] A top cover, which is covered on the bracket and the moving carrier. The moving carrier realizes top limiting by abutting against the top cover.

[0010] In the second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a camera module. The camera module includes a lens and the focusing motor in the above embodiments. The lens is connected to the moving carrier of the focusing motor and can move under the drive of the moving carrier to achieve focusing.

[0011] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes a display screen, a housing, a control circuit board, and the camera module described in the above embodiments. The camera module is connected to the housing; the housing and the display screen cooperate to form an accommodation space, and the control circuit board is disposed in the accommodation space and electrically connected to the camera module and the display screen.

[0012] The focusing motor provided in the embodiment of the present application for the camera module replaces the base with a bracket compared with the conventional leaf spring type autofocus motor. The bracket simultaneously fixes the magnet, and transfers the lower limit structure of the moving carrier from the bottom of the motor to the side of the motor (inside the bracket), thereby reducing the mechanical displacement of the mover part in the height space and the thickness of the base, achieving a miniaturized structure, and providing the possibility for the thin and light design of the electronic device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the camera module of the present application;

[0015] Figure 2 is Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of the camera module in the embodiment;

[0016] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of an embodiment of the focusing motor of the present application;

[0017] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of an embodiment of the focusing motor of the present application;

[0018] Figure 5 is Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the structure of the bracket in the embodiment;

[0019] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the focusing motor of the present application at another position;

[0020] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the moving carrier of the present application;

[0021] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the front structure of an embodiment of the electronic device of the present application;

[0022] Figure 9 is Figure 8Schematic diagram of the back structure of the electronic device in the embodiment;

[0023] Figure 10 It is a schematic block diagram of the structural composition of an embodiment of the electronic device of the present application. Specific implementation manners

[0024] The present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be specifically noted that the following embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application, but do not limit the scope of the present application. Similarly, the following embodiments are only partial embodiments of the present application rather than all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0025] The terms "first", "second", and "third" in the embodiments of the present application are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first", "second", and "third" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined. All directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...) in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement conditions between components in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly. The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the embodiments of the present application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes steps or units not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or components inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0026] Referring to "embodiments" herein means that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The phrase appears in various places in the specification and does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0027] As used herein, "electronic device" (or simply "terminal") includes, but is not limited to, a device configured to receive / send communication signals via a wired connection (such as via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), digital cable, direct cable connection, and / or another data connection / network) and / or via a wireless interface (such as for a cellular network, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), digital television network such as DVB-H network, satellite network, AM-FM broadcast transmitter, and / or another communication terminal). A communication terminal configured to communicate via a wireless interface may be referred to as a "wireless communication terminal", "wireless terminal" or "mobile terminal". Examples of mobile terminals include, but are not limited to, satellite or cellular telephones; Personal Communication System (PCS) terminals that may combine cellular radiotelephone with data processing, facsimile, and data communication capabilities; PDAs that may include a radiotelephone, pager, Internet / intranet access, Web browser, notepad, calendar, and / or Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; and conventional laptop and / or palmtop receivers or other electronic devices including radiotelephone transceivers. A mobile phone is an electronic device configured with a cellular communication module.

[0028] An embodiment of the present application provides a camera module. Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 which is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the camera module of the present application. Figure 2 It is Figure 1 a schematic diagram of the split structure of the camera module in the embodiment; it should be noted that the camera module in the embodiment of the present application can be used in electronic devices including mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, wearable devices, etc. The camera module includes a focusing motor 100 and a lens 200. The lens is connected to the moving carrier of the focusing motor 100 (detailed later) and can be moved under the drive of the moving carrier to achieve focusing.

[0029] Specifically, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 which is a schematic diagram of the split structure of an embodiment of the focusing motor of the present application. Figure 4 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an embodiment of the focusing motor of the present application. Among them, the focusing motor 100 in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, the following structures: a bracket 110, a moving carrier 120, an upper elastic sheet 130, a lower elastic sheet 140, and a top cover 150.

[0030] Among them, please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 It is Figure 3 a schematic diagram of the structure of the bracket in the embodiment. Figure 6It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the focusing motor of the present application at another position. Among them, the bracket 110 in this embodiment is a ring structure, and a receiving space 1100 is formed by surrounding in the middle. The bracket is embedded with a magnet 160, and the bracket 110 is provided with a limiting platform 111 extending towards the receiving space 1100.

[0031] Among them, the moving carrier 120 is arranged in the receiving space 1100. The moving carrier 120 is provided with a coil (not shown in the figure) for inductive cooperation with the magnet 160. The coil drives the movement of the moving carrier 120 by cooperating with the magnet 160, and then drives the lens 200 connected to the moving carrier 120 to move to achieve focusing.

[0032] Among them, the moving carrier 120 realizes bottom limiting by abutting against the limiting platform 111. Optionally, the receiving space 1100 of the bracket 110 in this embodiment is a rectangular structure, and the limiting platforms 111 can be four, and are respectively arranged at the four corner positions of the rectangular structure. Of course, in some other embodiments, the number and arrangement positions of the limiting platforms 111 can also be other ways, which will not be listed and described in detail here.

[0033] Optionally, please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 It is a schematic structure diagram of an embodiment of the moving carrier of the present application. Among them, a limiting structure 121 is arranged on the edge of the moving carrier 120, and the limiting structure 121 is in one-to-one alignment and cooperation with the limiting platform 111 of the bracket 110. When the moving carrier 120 is driven to move along the axial direction (the lens light-taking direction), the limiting structure 121 realizes bottom limiting (restricts the maximum bottom movement position of the moving carrier 120) by abutting against the limiting platform 111.

[0034] Optionally, please continue to refer to Figure 5 and Figure 4 , a silica gel pad 112 can also be arranged on the limiting platform 111 in this embodiment. Compared with the prior art, since the base structure has been cancelled, the conventional limiting and impact structure between the lower convex platform of the carrier and the base is adjusted to the four corner positions, and the height position roughly coincides with the coil position of the moving carrier. In order to reduce the risk of chip shedding, a silica gel pad 112 can be added on the limiting platform 111 to reduce dust generation during impact. At the same time, in order to reduce the risk of fracture of the reliability carrier, in some other embodiments, a terminal reinforcement structure can also be added inside the moving carrier; the above-mentioned Stopper (position-limiting) structure is used to reduce the height space occupied by the Stopper structure, saving the height space of the lower convex platform of the moving carrier + the lower mechanical displacement + the base thickness, achieving the purpose of reducing the height of the motor.

[0035] Optionally, please continue to refer to Figures 3 to 6 , the upper elastic piece 130 is respectively connected to the top surface of the bracket 110 and the moving carrier 120. For example, through Figure 5The pad 113 on the middle bracket 110 is welded. The lower spring piece 140 is connected to the bracket 110 and the bottom surface of the mobile carrier 120 respectively. The upper spring piece 130 and the lower spring piece 140 are used to provide elastic reset of the mobile carrier 120. In the conventional solution, the upper spring piece of the AF motor is bonded to the protective shell, and the lower spring piece is connected to the base by riveting and welding. The upper spring piece and the lower spring piece of the solution in the present application are all connected to the bracket. The bracket can replace the electrical connection structure of the base and the support structure of the lower spring piece, forming a structure similar to the suspended wire anti-shake motor.

[0036] The top cover 150 is disposed on the bracket 110 and the mobile carrier 120, and the mobile carrier 120 is limited at the top by supporting the top cover 150. Figure 7 The top of the mobile carrier 120 is provided with a plurality of limiting protrusions 122, which are used to hold the top cover 150 to achieve top limiting. When the mobile carrier 120 is driven to move in the axial direction (lens light-collecting direction), the limiting protrusions 122 hold the inner side wall of the top cover 150 to achieve top limiting (limit the maximum top moving position of the mobile carrier 120).

[0037] The focus motor in the embodiment of the present application has the same function as a conventional AF (autofocus) motor, but its height is greatly reduced compared to the conventional AF motor structure, which can reduce the space by at least 1mm. It can be used in a single AF module or in a combination module that requires a low height, such as Sensor Shift, etc., providing a better solution for the development direction of low protruding height of mobile phone camera modules and thinner and lighter mobile phones.

[0038] Optionally, see Figure 3 and Figure 6 The focus motor 100 in this embodiment further includes a Hall magnet 171 and a magnetic induction driving element 172 . The Hall magnet 171 is fixedly connected to the mobile carrier 120 , and the magnetic induction driving element 172 is fixedly connected to the bracket 110 and aligned with the Hall magnet 171 .

[0039] Please continue reading Figure 5, wherein, the focusing motor 100 in this embodiment further includes a wiring terminal 180. One end of the wiring terminal 180 is embedded in the bracket 110 and connected to the magnetic induction driving element 172, and the other end extends out of the bracket 110 for connection with an external control circuit. Optionally, the wiring terminal 180 and the bracket 110 in this embodiment can be integrally formed by metal insert molding. This method can reduce the height dimension of the product. In the conventional solution, the thickness of the AF motor base is composed of two layers of plastic and one layer of metal reinforcing terminal, with a thickness of about 0.4 mm. Reducing the thickness dimension of the base in the height direction can reduce the overall thickness of the motor by at least 0.4 mm. At the same time, a terminal structure is adopted inside the bracket (FPC bonding can also be used in some other embodiments) for electrical connection of electronic components such as the driving IC 190 and capacitors. One end of the terminal is directly connected to the driving IC 190, and the other end is used as an electrical signal output PIN for electrical connection with the module. Other terminals are used as the IC output signal terminals and are conductively connected to the upper or lower elastic sheets through soldering or laser welding. Then, the elastic sheet conveys the current to the winding to achieve a closed-loop conductive drive circuit.

[0040] Among them, the bracket 110 in this embodiment has a metal Insert molding (in-mold insert) inside. The driving IC 190 can be placed inside the bracket 110 through a secondary injection molding process, or the driving IC 190 can be bonded to the bracket part by FPC bonding to perform a closed-loop sensing function with the driving IC 190. The magnetic induction driving element 172 uses 6 metal (positive and negative terminals, signal terminals, working voltage terminals) traces (wiring terminal 180) of the Insert molding (in-mold insert) to conduct to the outside of the plastic shell or directly conduct with the module through FPC. The magnetic induction driving element 172 and the Hall magnet 171 mounted on the carrier 120 calculate the change in magnetic flux generated when the carrier 120 moves up and down for focusing, achieving an automatic focusing closed-loop control effect.

[0041] Correspondingly, if the product does not use a closed-loop motor for cost reduction and other factors, the IC part can also be cancelled, and the bracket Insert molding structure can be adjusted to directly work as an open-loop motor.

[0042] The focusing motor in the embodiment of the present application is a low-height automatic focusing motor that provides magnetic thrust through the traditional coil of a voice coil motor. It can be used as an open-loop or closed-loop motor and can be used in modules such as chip anti-shake modules that have high requirements for height dimensions to reduce the height. Taking the 1 / 1.56' automatic focusing motor as an example, the height of a conventional elastic sheet or ball bearing motor is about 3.5 mm. Using the technical solution in the embodiment of the present application, the height of the motor can be reduced to about 2.3 mm, saving about 1.2 mm of height space, thereby reducing the total height of the module and the height of the camera module protruding from the back of the electronic device (such as a mobile phone).

[0043] In the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, a low-height open-loop or closed-loop autofocus (AF) motor is designed. Compared with a conventional AF motor, it can provide a better experience of thinness and lightness, and the height dimension is reduced by at least 1 mm or more. It can not only be used as an independent AF focusing motor, but also be combined with a motor of a combination type with low shoulder height requirements such as Sensor shift to achieve a low-height solution, thereby realizing the industry trend of low protrusion height of the camera module of electronic devices such as mobile phones, good hand feeling, and thinness and lightness.

[0044] By designing a low-height open-loop or closed-loop focusing AF motor, using a bracket structure to replace the base structure and using a horizontal mechanical limiting structure to replace the vertical mechanical limiting structure, a miniaturized and low-height AF motor is realized, achieving the industry development trend of low shoulder height of the module, and providing a better solution for the low protrusion height of the back camera module of mobile phones.

[0045] Furthermore, the embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device. Please refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , Figure 8 which is a front structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the electronic device of the present application, Figure 9 and Figure 8 is a back structural schematic diagram of the electronic device in the embodiment. The electronic device in the embodiment of the present application may include a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable device, etc. Among them, the mobile phone is taken as an example for illustration in this embodiment.

[0046] Specifically, the electronic device may include a display screen 30a, a housing 20a, a control circuit board 40a, a battery 50a, and a camera module 10a. The electronic device in this embodiment may include multiple camera modules 10a. For the detailed structural features of the camera module 10a, please refer to the relevant descriptions of the foregoing embodiments, and will not be elaborated here.

[0047] Among them, the camera module 10a may be connected to the housing 20a or the display screen 30a (forming a front and rear camera structure); the housing 20a and the display screen 30a cooperate to form a receiving space, and the control circuit board 40a and the battery 50a are arranged in the receiving space. The control circuit board 40a is electrically connected to the camera module 10a, the battery 50a, and the display screen 30a. The battery 50a is used for power supply, and the control circuit board 40a is used for controlling the working states of the camera module 10a, the battery 50a, and the display screen 30a. The detailed technical features of other parts of the electronic device are within the understanding of those skilled in the art, and will not be elaborated here.

[0048] Please refer to Figure 10 , Figure 10It is a schematic block diagram of the structural composition of an embodiment of the electronic device of the present application. The structure of the electronic device may include an RF circuit 910, a memory 920, an input unit 930, a display unit 940 (which may be the display screen 30a in the above embodiment), a sensor 950, an audio circuit 960, a camera 970 (i.e., the camera module 10a in the foregoing embodiment), a processor 980 (which may be the control circuit board 40a in the foregoing embodiment), and a power supply 990 (which may be the battery 50a in the foregoing embodiment), etc. Among them, the RF circuit 910, the memory 920, the input unit 930, the display unit 940, the sensor 950, the audio circuit 960, and the camera 970 are respectively connected to the processor 980; the power supply 990 is used to supply electrical energy to the entire electronic device.

[0049] Specifically, the RF circuit 910 is used to receive and send signals; the memory 920 is used to store data instruction information; the input unit 930 is used to input information, and specifically may include a touch panel 931 and other input devices 932 such as operation buttons; the display unit 940 may include a display panel 941, etc.; the sensor 950 includes an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, etc., and is used to detect user proximity signals, distance signals, etc.; the speaker 961 and the microphone (or microphone) 962 are connected to the processor 980 through the audio circuit 960 and are used to receive and send sound signals; the camera 970 is used for image acquisition (including functions such as taking pictures, videos, and implementing face recognition), and the processor 980 is used to process the data information of the electronic device. In addition, the electronic device may further include a wifi module (not marked in the figure), and the wifi module is used to receive and transmit wifi signals. For the specific structural features of the camera module of the electronic device, please refer to the relevant descriptions of the foregoing embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[0050] In the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the present application, the focusing motor in the camera module replaces the base with a bracket compared with the conventional leaf spring type autofocus motor. The bracket simultaneously fixes the magnet, and transfers the lower limit structure of the moving carrier from the bottom of the motor to the side of the motor (inside the bracket), thereby reducing the mechanical displacement of the mover part in the height space and the thickness of the base, realizing a miniaturized structure, and providing the possibility for the thin and light design of the electronic device.

[0051] The above are only some embodiments of the present application, and thus do not limit the protection scope of the present application. Any equivalent device or equivalent process transformation made by using the specification and drawings of the present application, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, shall be similarly included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A focusing motor for a camera module, characterized in that, The focus motor comprises: The bracket is an annular structure, the middle part of which is surrounded to form a receiving space, the bracket is embedded with a magnet, and the bracket is provided with a limit platform extending toward the receiving space; A movable carrier is arranged in the accommodation space, the movable carrier is provided with a coil for inductively cooperating with the magnet, and the movable carrier realizes bottom limiting by supporting the limiting platform; An upper spring sheet, connected to the bracket and the top surface of the mobile carrier respectively; A lower spring sheet, connected to the bracket and the bottom surface of the mobile carrier respectively; A top cover is arranged on the bracket and the movable carrier, and the movable carrier realizes top limiting by supporting the top cover.

2. The focusing motor according to claim 1, wherein The focus motor also includes a Hall magnet and a magnetic induction drive element. The Hall magnet is fixedly connected to the movable carrier, and the magnetic induction drive element is fixedly connected to the bracket and is aligned with the Hall magnet.

3. The focusing motor according to claim 1, wherein, The accommodating space is a rectangular structure, and the limiting platform is arranged at a corner position of the rectangular structure.

4. The focusing motor according to claim 3, wherein The limiting platform is provided with a silica gel pad.

5. The focusing motor according to claim 3, wherein A limiting structure is provided at the edge of the movable carrier, and the limiting structure is aligned with the limiting platform and realizes bottom limiting by supporting the limiting platform.

6. The focusing motor according to claim 1, wherein A limiting protrusion is provided on the top of the movable carrier, and the limiting protrusion is used to support the top cover to achieve top limiting.

7. The focusing motor according to claim 2, wherein, The focus motor further comprises a connection terminal, one end of which is embedded in the bracket and connected to the magnetic induction driving element, and the other end of which extends out of the bracket.

8. The focusing motor according to claim 7, wherein, The connection terminal and the bracket are integrally formed by metal insert injection molding.

9. A camera module, characterized in that, The camera module includes a lens and a focus motor as described in any one of claims 1-8, and the lens is connected to a moving carrier of the focus motor and can move driven by the moving carrier to achieve focusing.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes a display screen, a shell, a control circuit board and the camera module according to claim 9, wherein the camera module is connected to the shell; the shell and the display screen cooperate to form a accommodating space, and the control circuit board is arranged in the accommodating space and is electrically connected to the camera module and the display screen.

Images