Lens module and terminal device

Abstract

A lens module comprises a light source, a first silicon optical chip, an image sensor and an optical fiber. The light source emits light; the image sensor is electrically connected with the first silicon optical chip; the optical fiber is coupled with the first silicon optical chip; wherein the first silicon optical chip is used for receiving light emitted by the light source and forming a first optical signal, the image sensor is used for converting an optical image into an electric signal and transmitting the electric signal to the first silicon optical chip, the first silicon optical chip modulates the first optical signal through the electric signal to form a second optical signal, and the optical fiber is used for transmitting the second optical signal. The invention further provides a terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of optical devices, and particularly to a lens module and a terminal device. Background Art

[0002] A terminal device includes a lens module and a main board. The main board and the lens module are electrically connected, and electrical signals are usually used for transmission between the main board and the lens module. As the transmission distance of the electrical signal increases, the attenuation degree of the electrical signal increases; moreover, the transmission of the electrical signal is affected by electromagnetic interference, which affects the transmission quality of the electrical signal. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a lens module that can improve the transmission quality of electrical signals to solve the above problems.

[0004] A lens module includes a light source, a first silicon photonic chip, an image sensor, and an optical fiber. The image sensor is electrically connected to the first silicon photonic chip; the optical fiber is coupled to the first silicon photonic chip; wherein, the first silicon photonic chip is configured to receive the light emitted by the light source and form a first optical signal, the image sensor is configured to convert an optical image into an electrical signal and transmit it to the first silicon photonic chip, the first silicon photonic chip modulates the first optical signal with the electrical signal to form a second optical signal, and the optical fiber is configured to transmit the second optical signal.

[0005] In some embodiments of the present application, the lens module further includes a first circuit board. The first silicon photonic chip is disposed on the surface of the first circuit board and is electrically connected to the first circuit board, and the image sensor is disposed on the surface of the first silicon photonic chip facing away from the first circuit board.

[0006] In some embodiments of the present application, the lens module further includes a first wire and a second wire. The first silicon photonic chip is electrically connected to the first circuit board through the first wire, and the image sensor is electrically connected to the first silicon photonic chip through the second wire.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present application, the first silicon photonic chip includes an optical waveguide and a conversion modulator. The optical waveguide is configured to transmit the first optical signal and the second optical signal, and the conversion modulator is configured to modulate the first optical signal with the electrical signal to form the second optical signal.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present application, the first silicon photonics chip further includes an input coupler, an optical waveguide, a splitter, a plurality of conversion modulators, a light collector, and an output coupler. The input coupler is configured to receive light and couple it into the first silicon photonics chip to form a first optical signal. The optical waveguide is configured to transmit the first optical signal and a second optical signal. The splitter is configured to divide the first optical signal received by the input coupler into multiple parts to be sent to different conversion modulators in the first silicon photonics chip for processing. The conversion modulator is configured to modulate the first optical signal with an electrical signal to form a second optical signal. The light collector is configured to collect the multiple second optical signals modulated by the conversion modulators, aggregate them, and transmit them to the output coupler. The output coupler is configured to transmit the second optical signal passing through the light collector to an optical fiber.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present application, the lens module further includes a first circuit board. The first circuit board and the image sensor are disposed on the same side of the first silicon photonics chip. The first circuit board is provided with a through hole, and a part of the surface of the first silicon photonics chip is exposed to the through hole. The image sensor is received in the through hole.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present application, the light source is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, the lens module further includes a second circuit board. The second circuit board is connected to the first circuit board. The first circuit board and the second circuit board are configured to transmit control signals to the first silicon photonics chip.

[0012] A terminal device, the terminal device includes a lens module.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, the terminal device further includes a main board. The main board is communicatively connected to the lens module. The main board includes a main circuit board and a second silicon photonics chip that are electrically connected to each other. The main circuit board is configured to send control signals to the terminal device. The second silicon photonics chip is configured to receive the optical signal transmitted by the optical fiber and convert the optical signal into an electrical signal.

[0014] The lens module transmits the control signal from the main board through an electrical signal, modulates the electrical signal generated by the image sensor with the first optical signal to form a second optical signal through the first silicon photonics chip, and then transmits it to the main board through the optical fiber. Among them, the second optical signal is transmitted by the optical fiber. The second optical signal is not affected by electromagnetic interference during the transmission process, and can transmit a larger amount of data under high-frequency conditions. At the same time, it can improve the stability of signal transmission; when the second optical signal is transmitted over a long distance, the signal attenuation is much smaller than that of the electrical signal; by using optical signal transmission, for the need to transmit high-resolution or high-frame-rate video data, the high-bandwidth transmission ability of the second optical signal can better meet the transmission requirements; the lens module including the first silicon photonics chip has a high packaging density, which can reduce the volume and weight of the terminal device, and the low power consumption characteristics of the first silicon photonics chip can effectively reduce the overall power consumption of the terminal device. Description of the Drawings

[0015] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Figure 2 FIG. is a schematic cross-sectional view of a terminal device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic signal transmission diagram of a terminal device provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic signal transmission diagram of a terminal device provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Figure 5 FIG. is a schematic cross-sectional view of a terminal device provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Description of the Main Element Symbols

[0021]

[0022] Detailed Embodiments

[0023] In order to more clearly understand the above objects, features and advantages of the present application, the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to fully understand the present application. The described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the technical field to which this application belongs. The terms used in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0025] In the embodiments of the present application, for the convenience of description rather than limiting the present application, the term "connection" used in the patent application specification and claims of the present application is not limited to physical or mechanical connection, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "above", "below", "left", "right", etc. are only used to represent relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative positional relationship also changes accordingly.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 1, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device 200, which is a product including a lens module 100, such as an electronic device that needs to be equipped with a lens module 100, like a mobile phone, a camera, a monitor, a drone, etc.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the terminal device 200 further includes a main board 210, and the main board 210 is communicatively connected to the lens module 100. The lens module 100 may include a first silicon photonics chip 10, an image sensor 30, a light source 40, and an optical fiber 50. The main board 210 issues a control signal and transmits it to the lens module 100. The image sensor 30 operates to generate an electrical signal and transmits it to the first silicon photonics chip 10. At the same time, the light source 40 emits light to irradiate the first silicon photonics chip 10. The first silicon photonics chip 10 receives the first optical signal from the light source 40 and modulates the first optical signal with an electrical signal to form a second optical signal. The second optical signal is transmitted to the main board 210 through the optical fiber 50, thereby realizing the communication connection between the lens module 100 and the main board 210.

[0028] The main board 210 generally serves as the processor of the terminal device 200. The main board 210 may include a main circuit board 212 and a second silicon photonics chip 214. The second silicon photonics chip 214 is disposed on the main circuit board 212 and is electrically connected to the main circuit board 212. The main circuit board 212 may be a rigid circuit board, and other electronic components other than the second silicon photonics chip 214 may also be connected to the main circuit board 212. The second silicon photonics chip 214 is used to receive the second optical signal transmitted by the optical fiber 50 and convert the second optical signal into an electrical signal for transmission to other electronic components on the main circuit board 212 for processing.

[0029] The lens module 100 may further include a first circuit board 60 and a second circuit board 70. The first circuit board 60 and the second circuit board 70 are used to electrically connect the main board 210 and the first silicon photonics chip 10. The main board 210 can issue a control signal, and the control signal is an electrical signal and can be transmitted to the first silicon photonics chip 10 through the first circuit board 60 and the second circuit board 70. The first circuit board 60 connects the first silicon photonics chip 10 and the second circuit board 70, and the second circuit board 70 connects the main circuit board 212 and the first circuit board 60. In this embodiment, the first circuit board 60 is a rigid circuit board and can play a certain supporting role; the second circuit board 70 is a flexible circuit board for easy bending. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the first circuit board 60 and the second circuit board 7 may be a rigid-flex circuit board, and the second circuit board 70 may be a copper cable.

[0030] In this embodiment, the first silicon photonic chip 10 is disposed on the surface of the first circuit board 60 and electrically connected to the first circuit board 60 through the first wire 63. The first circuit board 60 supports the first silicon photonic chip 10. The first wire 63 can be a metal wire such as a gold wire, a copper wire, a silver wire, or various alloy wires. The image sensor 30 is disposed on the surface of the first silicon photonic chip 10 facing away from the first circuit board 60, that is, the image sensor 30, the first silicon photonic chip 10, and the first circuit board 60 are stacked in sequence. The image sensor 30 is electrically connected to the first silicon photonic chip 10 through the second wire 65. The second wire 65 can be a metal wire such as a gold wire, a copper wire, a silver wire, or various alloy wires. A colloid 67 can be disposed between the image sensor 30 and the first silicon photonic chip 10, and between the first silicon photonic chip 10 and the first circuit board 60 to increase the bonding force between two adjacent components.

[0031] The light source 40 is located on the surface of the first silicon photonic chip 10 facing away from the first circuit board 60 and is electrically connected to the first silicon photonic chip 10. The light source 40 and the image sensor 30 are spaced apart. The light source 40 is configured to emit light according to a control signal transmitted through the first silicon photonic chip 10. The light of the light source 40 irradiates the first silicon photonic chip 10. The light source 40 can be a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL).

[0032] The first silicon photonic chip 10 may include an optical waveguide 11 and a conversion modulator 12. The optical waveguide 11 and the conversion modulator 12 are functionally connected to achieve their respective intended functions, and further achieve the overall function of the first silicon photonic chip 10. Specifically, when the light emitted by the light source 40 irradiates the first silicon photonic chip 10, the optical waveguide 11 is configured to transmit a first optical signal formed by the light incident on the first silicon photonic chip 10 from the light source 40. The first optical signal is effectively transmitted along a specific path by the principle of total reflection and the signal loss is reduced. The conversion modulator 12 modulates the first optical signal with an electrical signal, and by changing the parameters of the first optical signal (such as amplitude, phase, frequency, wavelength, or polarization direction, etc.), the first optical signal is made to carry the information of the electrical signal, and then a second optical signal is formed and further transmitted in the optical waveguide 11.

[0033] In some embodiments, the conversion modulator 12 can simultaneously have the functions of electro-optical conversion and signal modulation, or can be two components respectively having the functions of electro-optical conversion and signal modulation.

[0034] In some embodiments, the conversion modulator 12 can simultaneously have the functions of electro-optical conversion and opto-electronic conversion, or can be two components respectively having the functions of electro-optical conversion and opto-electronic conversion.

[0035] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 4, the first silicon photonics chip 10 includes an input coupler 13, an optical waveguide 11, a splitter 14, a plurality of conversion modulators 12, a condenser 15, and an output coupler 16. The input coupler 13, the optical waveguide 11, the splitter 14, the plurality of conversion modulators 12, the condenser 15, and the output coupler 16 are functionally connected to achieve their respective intended functions, and thus the overall function of the first silicon photonics chip 10 is realized. Specifically, the input coupler 13 is the entrance of the first silicon photonics chip 10 and is used to couple the light emitted by the light source 40 into the interior of the first silicon photonics chip 10 to form a first optical signal. The optical waveguide 11 is used to transmit the first optical signal formed by the light incident on the first silicon photonics chip 10 from the light source 40. The first optical signal is effectively transmitted along a specific path by the principle of total internal reflection and the signal loss is reduced. The splitter 13 is used to divide the first optical signal received by the input coupler 13 into multiple parts to be sent to different conversion modulators 12 in the first silicon photonics chip 10 for processing. The conversion modulator 12 is used to modulate the first optical signal with an electrical signal to form a second optical signal. The condenser 15 is used to collect the multiple second optical signals modulated by the conversion modulator 12, aggregate them, and transmit them to the output coupler 16. The output coupler 16 is the exit of the first silicon photonics chip 10 and is coupled to the optical fiber 50 and is used to transmit the second optical signal passing through the condenser 15 to the optical fiber 50, thereby realizing high-speed, low-loss, and high-reliability information transmission and processing.

[0036] The optical fiber 50 and the second circuit board 70 are connected to opposite sides of the first silicon photonics chip 10 and extend outward. The optical fiber 50 is coupled to the first silicon photonics chip 10 and the second silicon photonics chip 214. The optical fiber 50 is used to transmit the second optical signal modulated by the first silicon photonics chip 10 to the second silicon photonics chip 214. The second silicon photonics chip 214 is used to receive the second optical signal transmitted by the optical fiber 50, convert the second optical signal into an electrical signal, and transmit it to the second silicon photonics chip 214.

[0037] The main board 210 sends out control signals, such as an instruction to turn on the lens module 100 for taking pictures. The control signals sequentially pass through the second circuit board 70, the first circuit board 60, and the first silicon photonic chip 10, and are respectively transmitted to the image sensor 30 and the light source 40. After receiving the control signal, the image sensor 30 works, converts the optical image into an electrical signal, and transmits it to the first silicon photonic chip 10. At the same time, after receiving the control signal, the light source 40 works, the light source 40 emits light and irradiates the first silicon photonic chip 10. Under the condition of light irradiation in the first silicon photonic chip 10, the first silicon photonic chip 10 receives the first optical signal from the light source 40, and modulates the first optical signal with an electrical signal to form a second optical signal. The optical fiber 50 transmits the second optical signal to the second silicon photonic chip 214. The second silicon photonic chip 214 receives the second optical signal transmitted by the optical fiber 50, and converts the second optical signal into an electrical signal and transmits it to the second silicon photonic chip 214. The second silicon photonic chip 214 converts the received second optical signal into an electrical signal and transmits it to the main circuit board 212. The lens module 100 transmits the control signal from the main board 210 through an electrical signal. After modulating the electrical signal generated by the image sensor 30 with the first optical signal to form a second optical signal in the first silicon photonic chip 10, it is transmitted to the main board 210 through the optical fiber 50. Among them, the optical fiber 50 is used to transmit the second optical signal. The second optical signal is not affected by electromagnetic interference during the transmission process, and can transmit a larger amount of data under high-frequency conditions. At the same time, it can improve the stability of signal transmission. When the second optical signal is transmitted over a long distance, the signal attenuation is much smaller than that of the electrical signal. By using the second optical signal for transmission, for the image data that needs to transmit high resolution or high frame rate, the high-bandwidth transmission ability of the second optical signal can better meet the transmission requirements. The lens module 100 including the first silicon photonic chip 10 has a high packaging density, which can reduce the volume and weight of the terminal device 200, and the low power consumption characteristic of the first silicon photonic chip 10 can effectively reduce the overall power consumption of the terminal device 200.

[0038] In this embodiment, the lens module 100 may further include an active element 71 and a passive element 73. The active element 71 is connected to the first silicon photonic chip 10, and the passive element 73 is connected to the first circuit board 60. The active element 71 and the passive element 73 are both located on the same side of the first circuit board 60. In other embodiments, the positions of the active element 71 and the passive element 73 are not limited.

[0039] The lens module 100 may further include elements such as a lens holder 81, a filter 83, and a lens 85. The lens holder 81 is disposed on the side of the first circuit board 60 where the first silicon photonic chip 10 is provided. The filter 83 is fixed on the lens holder 81 and is spaced from the image sensor 30. The lens 85 is movably received in the lens holder 81.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 5Other embodiments further provide a terminal device 200a, which includes a lens module 100a, a first circuit board 60a and an image sensor 30a located on the same side of the first silicon photonic chip 10a, wherein a through hole 61a is provided on the first circuit board 60a, a portion of the surface of the first silicon photonic chip 10a is exposed to the through hole 61a, the image sensor 30a is accommodated in the through hole 61a and is electrically connected to the first silicon photonic chip 10a, and the optical fiber 50a is connected to the side of the first silicon photonic chip 10a facing away from the first circuit board 60a. Compared with the previous embodiment, the thickness of the lens module 100a of this embodiment can be reduced. The image sensor 30a is electrically connected to the surface connected to the first silicon photonic chip 10a, and the first wire 63 can be omitted. The first silicon photonic chip 10a is electrically connected to the surface connected to the first circuit board 60a, and the second wire 65 can be omitted.

[0041] The light source 40a may be located on a surface of the first silicon photonic chip 10a. The active component 71 and the light source 40a are located on the same side of the first silicon photonic chip 10a. The passive component 73 is connected to the first circuit board 60a.

[0042] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent replacements of the technical solutions of the present application should not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present application.

Claims

1. A lens module, characterized in that, Comprising: A light source; A first silicon photonic chip; An image sensor, electrically connected to the first silicon photonic chip; An optical fiber, coupled to the first silicon photonic chip; Wherein, the first silicon photonic chip is configured to receive the light emitted by the light source and form a first optical signal, the image sensor is configured to convert an optical image into an electrical signal and transmit it to the first silicon photonic chip, the first silicon photonic chip modulates the first optical signal with the electrical signal to form a second optical signal, and the optical fiber is configured to transmit the second optical signal.

2. The lens module according to claim 1, wherein The lens module further includes a first circuit board, the first silicon photonic chip is disposed on the surface of the first circuit board and electrically connected to the first circuit board, and the image sensor is disposed on the surface of the first silicon photonic chip facing away from the first circuit board.

3. The lens module according to claim 2, wherein The lens module further includes a first wire and a second wire, the first silicon photonic chip is electrically connected to the first circuit board through the first wire, and the image sensor is electrically connected to the first silicon photonic chip through the second wire.

4. The lens module according to claim 1, wherein The first silicon photonic chip includes an optical waveguide and a conversion modulator, the optical waveguide is configured to transmit the first optical signal and the second optical signal, and the conversion modulator is configured to modulate the first optical signal with the electrical signal to form the second optical signal.

5. The lens module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first silicon photonic chip further includes an input coupler, an optical waveguide, a splitter, a plurality of conversion modulators, a condenser, and an output coupler. The input coupler is configured to receive the light and couple it into the first silicon photonic chip to form the first optical signal. The optical waveguide is configured to transmit the first optical signal and the second optical signal. The splitter is configured to divide the first optical signal received by the input coupler into multiple parts to be sent to different conversion modulators in the first silicon photonic chip for processing. The conversion modulator is configured to modulate the first optical signal with the electrical signal to form the second optical signal. The condenser is configured to collect the multiple second optical signals modulated by the conversion modulator and aggregate them and transmit them to the output coupler. The output coupler is configured to transmit the second optical signal passing through the condenser to the optical fiber.

6. The lens module according to claim 1, wherein The lens module further includes a first circuit board, the first circuit board and the image sensor are disposed on the same side of the first silicon photonic chip. The first circuit board is provided with a through hole, and a part of the surface of the first silicon photonic chip is exposed to the through hole, and the image sensor is received in the through hole.

7. The lens module according to claim 1, wherein, The light source is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.

8. The lens module according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that The lens module further includes a second circuit board, the second circuit board is connected to the first circuit board, and the first circuit board and the second circuit board are configured to transmit a control signal to the first silicon photonic chip.

9. A terminal device, characterized in that, The terminal device includes the lens module according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. The terminal device according to claim 9, wherein The terminal device further includes a main board, the main board is communicatively connected to the lens module, the main board includes a main circuit board and a second silicon photonic chip that are electrically connected to each other, the main circuit board is configured to send a control signal to the terminal device, and the second silicon photonic chip is configured to receive the optical signal transmitted by the optical fiber and convert the optical signal into an electrical signal.

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