Camera module, control method thereof and wearable device

Abstract

The invention provides a camera module, a control method thereof and wearable equipment, which can meet the requirement of short-distance clear shooting and can also realize the effect of long-distance lossless zoom clear shooting under the condition that the required space size is not increased. The camera module comprises a photosensitive component which comprises a circuit board and an image sensor electrically connected with the circuit board; the lens assembly comprises at least two optical lenses which are arranged in a photosensitive light path of the image sensor in an array manner and have different focal lengths; and the light blocking mechanism is arranged in a photosensitive light path of the image sensor so as to selectively block at least one lens light path of the at least two optical lenses.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of imaging technology, and in particular to a camera module, its control method, and a wearable device. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, camera modules used in wearable devices such as AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) have complex application scenarios. They need to ensure clear imaging of objects at close range and also when magnifying the details of objects at a distance.

[0003] However, existing camera modules typically need to capture landscapes at distances of more than ten meters. But when it is necessary to focus on observing distant objects (such as people at a concert or wild animals), the camera module can only achieve this through digital zoom, i.e., scaling and pixel cropping, which results in problems such as mosaic, distortion, or blurring in the magnified image.

[0004] Furthermore, while current solutions for such needs on mobile devices involve increasing the number of camera modules—that is, equipping the phone with multiple camera modules, switching to a short-focus module for close-up shots and a long-focus module for long-distance shots—wearable devices such as glasses or helmets cannot achieve this function by adding camera modules with different focal lengths due to their space limitations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the issue of loss of clarity in existing camera modules at medium to long distances, this application provides a camera module, its control method, and a wearable device that can achieve both clear close-up shooting and lossless zoom shooting at long distances without increasing the required space size.

[0006] According to one aspect of this application, some embodiments of this application provide a camera module, including: a photosensitive assembly including a circuit board and an image sensor electrically connected to the circuit board; a lens assembly including at least two optical lenses arranged in an array in the photosensitive optical path of the image sensor and having different focal lengths; and a light-blocking mechanism disposed in the photosensitive optical path of the image sensor to selectively block the lens optical path of at least one of the at least two optical lenses.

[0007] According to one embodiment of this application, the photosensitive areas on the image sensor partially overlap with those corresponding to different lenses of the at least two optical lenses; and / or, the at least two optical lenses have the same total optical length.

[0008] According to one embodiment of this application, the at least two optical lenses include a first optical lens and a second optical lens arranged side by side, and the focal length of the first optical lens is smaller than the focal length of the second optical lens.

[0009] According to one embodiment of this application, the image sensor has a first photosensitive area corresponding to the first optical lens and a second photosensitive area corresponding to the second optical lens, and the first photosensitive area and the second photosensitive area partially overlap.

[0010] According to one embodiment of this application, the image sensor has a resolution aspect ratio of 16:9 or 4:3; the first optical lens and the second optical lens are arranged side by side along the length of the image sensor.

[0011] According to one embodiment of this application, both the first optical lens and the second optical lens are chamfered lenses; the chamfered side of the first optical lens and the chamfered side of the second optical lens are arranged face to face.

[0012] According to one embodiment of this application, the image sensor is a CMOS chip; the image sensor has a partitioned startup structure.

[0013] According to one embodiment of this application, the light-blocking mechanism includes a light-blocking sheet placed laterally in the light-sensing path of the image sensor.

[0014] According to one embodiment of this application, the light-blocking plate is a physical light-blocking plate that is laterally movable in the optical path between the image sensor and the at least two optical lenses; the light-blocking mechanism further includes a driver that is drivenly connected to the light-blocking plate.

[0015] According to one embodiment of this application, the light-blocking sheet is a liquid crystal barrier or an electrowetting barrier.

[0016] According to one embodiment of this application, the lens assembly further includes a lens mount mounted on the circuit board and arranged around the image sensor, and a filter disposed within the lens mount, wherein the at least two optical lenses are correspondingly assembled to the lens mount.

[0017] According to one embodiment of this application, the filter is located in the optical path between the light-blocking plate and the image sensor.

[0018] According to another aspect of this application, this application further provides a wearable device, including: a wearable body; and a camera module as described in any of the preceding claims, the camera module being mounted on the wearable body.

[0019] According to another aspect of this application, this application further provides a control method for a camera module, for any of the camera modules described above, comprising the steps of: controlling the image sensor of the camera module to activate a portion of the photosensitive area corresponding to one of the at least two optical lenses of the camera module; and controlling the light-blocking mechanism of the camera module to selectively block the light paths of other lenses among the at least two optical lenses for shooting.

[0020] In summary, the camera module of this application uses an image sensor paired with at least two optical lenses with different focal lengths, so that different light-sensitive areas on the image sensor are paired with different optical lenses. When shooting close-up objects, the light-blocking mechanism first blocks the light path of the telephoto lens among the at least two optical lenses, and then the short-focal-length lens among the at least two optical lenses achieves close-up shooting in normal mode. When shooting distant objects, the light-blocking mechanism first blocks the light path of the short-focal-length lens among the at least two optical lenses, and then the telephoto lens among the at least two optical lenses achieves magnified detail observation of distant scenes, so as to perform lossless zoom in long-distance mode.

[0021] It is worth noting that, since the light-blocking mechanism of this application can selectively block the optical path of at least one of the at least two optical lenses, the camera module of this application can correspondingly block the optical path of the telephoto lens (or the short focal length lens) when performing close-up shooting (or long-range shooting). This not only effectively avoids lens crosstalk, that is, prevents light from passing through the blocked lens to image onto the photosensitive area corresponding to the unblocked lens, but also allows the photosensitive areas on the image sensor corresponding to different lenses to partially overlap, which is beneficial to improving chip utilization. At the same time, it can also minimize the gap between different lenses, realizing the miniaturization of the camera module. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a wearable device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 2 A perspective view of a camera module in a wearable device according to the above embodiments of this application is shown;

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the state of the camera module according to the above embodiments of this application when performing close-up shooting is shown;

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the state of the camera module according to the above embodiments of this application when performing long-distance shooting;

[0026] Figure 5This is a flowchart illustrating a control method for a camera module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Key component symbols: 1. Camera module; 10. Photosensitive component; 11. Circuit board; 12. Image sensor; 121. First photosensitive area; 122. Second photosensitive area; 20. Lens assembly; 21. At least two optical lenses; 211. First optical lens; 212. Second optical lens; 22. Lens mount; 23. Filter; 30. Light blocking mechanism; 31. Light blocking plate; 2. Wearable main body.

[0028] The above description of the main component symbols, together with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The following description is intended to disclose this application and enable those skilled in the art to implement it. The preferred embodiments described below are merely examples, and other obvious variations will occur to those skilled in the art. The basic principles of this application defined in the following description can be applied to other embodiments, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and other technical solutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of this application.

[0030] Those skilled in the art should understand that, in the disclosure of this application, the terms "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0031] In this application, the term "a" in the specification should be understood as "one or more," that is, in one embodiment, the number of an element can be one, while in another embodiment, the number of the element can be multiple. Unless the disclosure of this application explicitly indicates that the number of the element is only one, the term "a" should not be construed as unique or single, and the term "a" should not be construed as a limitation on the quantity.

[0032] In the description of this application, it should be understood that terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, terms such as "connected" or "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, it can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through a medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0034] Existing camera modules, in order to meet the need for clear close-up shots, can only achieve this by digital zoom (scaling and pixel cropping) when focusing on distant objects, resulting in pixelation, distortion, or blurriness in the magnified image. To address this issue, this application provides a camera module, its control method, and a wearable device that can meet the need for clear close-up shots and achieve lossless zoom and clear shooting at long distances without increasing the required space.

[0035] Specifically, refer to the accompanying drawings in the specification of this application. Figures 1 to 4 According to one embodiment of this application, a wearable device is provided, which may include a wearable body 2 and a camera module 1. The camera module 1 is mounted on the wearable body 2 and is used to provide the wearable body 2 with near-field image information and far-field image information, thereby meeting the complex application scenarios of the wearable device. It is understood that although in the above embodiments of this application, the camera module 1 can be applied to various types of wearable bodies 2, such as glasses or helmets, to form a wearable device; however, in other embodiments of this application, the camera module 1 can also be applied to other device bodies, such as mobile phones or drones, which will not be elaborated further in this application.

[0036] More specifically, such as Figures 2 to 4As shown, the camera module 1 may include a photosensitive component 10, a lens assembly 20, and a light-blocking mechanism 30. The photosensitive component 10 includes a circuit board 11 and an image sensor 12 electrically connected to the circuit board 11. The lens assembly 20 includes at least two optical lenses 21 arranged in an array in the photosensitive optical path of the image sensor 12 and having different focal lengths. The light-blocking mechanism 30 is disposed in the photosensitive optical path of the image sensor 12 to selectively block the lens optical path of at least one of the at least two optical lenses 21.

[0037] Thus, the camera module 1 of this application uses an image sensor 12 simultaneously paired with at least two optical lenses 21 with different focal lengths, such that different photosensitive areas on the image sensor 12 are paired with different optical lenses; for example Figure 3 As shown, when it is necessary to shoot a close-up scene, the light-blocking mechanism 30 first blocks the optical path of the lens with the larger focal length (i.e., the optical path of the telephoto lens) among the at least two optical lenses 21, and then the lens with the smaller focal length (i.e., the short focal length lens) among the at least two optical lenses 21 is used to achieve a close-up shot in a normal state; while as Figure 4 As shown, when it is necessary to shoot distant objects, the light-blocking mechanism 30 first blocks the light path of the lens with the smaller focal length (i.e., the light path of the short focal length lens) of the at least two optical lenses 21, and then the lens with the larger focal length (i.e., the telephoto lens) of the at least two optical lenses 21 is used to magnify the details and observe the distant scene, so as to perform lossless zoom in the long distance mode.

[0038] It is worth noting that, since the light-blocking mechanism 30 of this application can selectively block the light path of at least one of the at least two optical lenses 21, the camera module 1 of this application can correspondingly block the light path of the telephoto lens (or the short focal length lens) when performing close-up shooting (or long-range shooting). This not only effectively avoids lens cross-lighting, that is, prevents light from passing through the blocked lens to form a cross-lighting image on the photosensitive area corresponding to the unblocked lens, but also allows the photosensitive areas on the image sensor 12 to partially overlap with those corresponding to different lenses, which is beneficial to improving chip utilization. At the same time, it can also minimize the gap between different lenses, thereby achieving miniaturization of the camera module 1.

[0039] Furthermore, although the accompanying drawings and the following examples illustrate the structure and advantages of the camera module 1 using two optical lenses, the number of optical lenses in the camera module 1 of this application is not limited to two, and may also be three or more, which will not be elaborated further in this application.

[0040] For example, such as Figures 2 to 4As shown, the at least two optical lenses 21 may include a first optical lens 211 and a second optical lens 212 arranged side by side; the focal length of the first optical lens 211 is shorter than the focal length of the second optical lens 212, so that the first optical lens 211 is implemented as a short-focal-length lens and the second optical lens 212 is implemented as a long-focal-length lens. In this way, one side of the photosensitive area of ​​the image sensor 12 can be used with the first optical lens 211 to achieve clear close-up shooting, while the other side of the photosensitive area of ​​the image sensor 12 can be used with the second optical lens 212 to achieve clear distant shooting.

[0041] Optionally, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the image sensor 12 has a first photosensitive area 121 corresponding to the first optical lens 211 and a second photosensitive area 122 corresponding to the second optical lens 212, and the first photosensitive area 121 and the second photosensitive area 122 partially overlap.

[0042] In other words, such as Figure 3 As shown, when close-up shooting is required, the light-blocking mechanism 30 can block the light path of the second optical lens 212; at the same time, the first optical lens 211 can use the first photosensitive area 121, which covers more than half of the area of ​​the image sensor 12, to take clear pictures. And as... Figure 4 As shown, when long-distance shooting is required, the light-blocking mechanism 30 can block the light path of the first optical lens 211; at the same time, the second optical lens 212 can use the second photosensitive area 122, which covers more than half of the area of ​​the image sensor 12, to take clear pictures.

[0043] It is worth noting that using an image sensor with two lenses can lead to light crosstalk. While this can be prevented by vertically placing a light-blocking plate between the two lenses, each lens can only utilize a maximum of half the light-sensitive area of ​​the image sensor 12 (i.e., ≤50% of the chip's pixels). However, as... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the camera module 1 of this application can selectively block the light paths corresponding to the first optical lens 211 and the second optical lens 212 through the light-blocking mechanism 30, so that the first photosensitive area 121 corresponding to the first optical lens 211 and the second photosensitive area 122 corresponding to the second optical lens 212 can partially overlap, ensuring that each optical lens can utilize more than half of the photosensitive area (i.e., >50% of the chip pixels) on the image sensor 12, so as to improve chip utilization while preventing cross-lighting.

[0044] In addition, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the aspect ratio of the image sensor 12 can be, but is not limited to, 16:9 or 4:3; the first optical lens 211 and the second optical lens 212 are arranged side by side along the length of the image sensor 12 in order to make full use of the entire light-sensitive area of ​​the image sensor 12.

[0045] Optionally, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the light-blocking mechanism 30 includes a light-blocking plate 31 placed laterally in the light-sensing path of the image sensor 12 to selectively block the optical paths of the first optical lens 211 and the second optical lens 212. It is understood that the "lateral placement" mentioned in this application refers to placement substantially parallel to the light-sensing area of ​​the image sensor 12, that is, substantially perpendicular to the optical axes of the first optical lens 211 and the second optical lens 212, to ensure that the light-blocking plate 31 can block the lens optical path and prevent light crosstalk.

[0046] It is worth noting that the light-blocking plate 31 can be implemented as an opaque physical plate such as a reflector or a light-absorbing plate to achieve selective blocking of the light path through mechanical control; or, the light-blocking plate 31 can also be implemented as other types of plates such as liquid crystal plates or electrowetting plates, which can be installed simultaneously in the light path of the at least two optical lenses 21 to adjust the light transmittance through electronic control, thereby achieving selective blocking of the light path.

[0047] Furthermore, the light-blocking plate 31 can be disposed inside the module, such as in the optical path between the image sensor 12 and the at least two optical lenses 21, or within the at least two optical lenses 21. Of course, in other examples of this application, the light-blocking plate 31 can also be disposed outside the module, such as on the front surface of the camera module 1, or on the wearable body 2, as long as it can ensure that the light-blocking plate 31 can selectively block the optical path of one of the at least two optical lenses 21. This application will not elaborate further on this.

[0048] Optionally, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the light-blocking plate 31 is implemented as a physical block that is laterally movable in the optical path between the image sensor 12 and the at least two optical lenses 21; the light-blocking mechanism 30 also includes a driver (not shown) that is drivenly connected to the light-blocking plate 31 to drive the light-blocking plate 31 to move laterally along the length direction of the image sensor 12, thereby selectively blocking the optical path of the first optical lens 211 or the optical path of the second optical lens 212.

[0049] Preferably, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the distance between the light-blocking plate 31 and the light-emitting end of the at least two optical lenses 21 is less than the distance between the light-blocking plate 31 and the photosensitive surface of the image sensor 12. This makes the light-blocking plate 31 closer to the at least two optical lenses 21, which helps to reduce the lateral area and weight of the light-blocking plate 31 and facilitates more stable lateral movement. At the same time, it also ensures that the light-blocking plate 31 does not interfere with the optical path of another lens while blocking the optical path of one lens.

[0050] According to the above embodiments of this application, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, at least two optical lenses 21 with different focal lengths have the same total optical length. For example, the total optical length of the first optical lens 211 is equal to the total optical length of the second optical lens 212, so that the light-incident surfaces of the first optical lens 211 and the second optical lens 212 are on the same plane, which helps to reduce the difficulty of lens assembly. It is understood that the total optical length mentioned in this application refers to the on-axis distance between the incident surface of the first lens and the imaging surface of the optical lens, that is, the on-axis distance between the incident surface of the first lens and the photosensitive surface of the image sensor 12.

[0051] Optionally, such as Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the lens assembly 20 also includes a lens mount 22 mounted on the circuit board 11 and arranged around the image sensor 12, and at least two optical lenses 21 are correspondingly assembled on the lens mount 22 to be stably positioned in the light-sensing path of the image sensor 12.

[0052] Optionally, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the lens assembly 20 also includes a filter 23 disposed within the lens mount 22 and located in the optical path between the at least two optical lenses 21 and the image sensor 12; simultaneously, a light-blocking plate 31 is located in the optical path between the filter 23 and the at least two optical lenses 21; in other words, the filter 23 is located in the optical path between the light-blocking plate 31 and the image sensor 12, making the light-blocking plate 31 further away from the image sensor 12, ensuring that each optical lens can utilize a larger photosensitive area. It is understood that the filter 23 can be directly mounted on the photosensitive assembly 10, as long as it can cover the photosensitive optical path of the image sensor 12; this application will not elaborate further on this.

[0053] It is worth noting that, in order to further reduce the overall size of the module and improve chip utilization, such as Figure 2As shown, at least two optical lenses 21 of this application are at least partially implemented as chamfered lenses, so as to achieve a small size after assembly and splicing through lens chamfering design, which meets the miniaturization design requirements of wearable devices. For example, both the first optical lens 211 and the second optical lens 212 are implemented as chamfered lenses, and the chamfered side of the first optical lens 211 and the chamfered side of the second optical lens 212 are arranged face to face, so as to minimize the optical axis distance between the first optical lens 211 and the second optical lens 212, so that the two lenses can achieve a small size after assembly, and increase the overlap rate of the first photosensitive area 121 and the second photosensitive area 122.

[0054] Furthermore, the image sensor 12 can be, but is not limited to, implemented as a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) chip. Preferably, the image sensor 12 has a partitioned activation structure to reduce the overall power consumption of the chip. For example, the chip pixels in the first photosensitive area 121 and the second photosensitive area 122 can be activated separately as needed. Thus, when a close-up scene is captured through the first optical lens 211, the chip pixels in the first photosensitive area 121 corresponding to the first optical lens 211 on the image sensor 12 are activated, while the chip pixels in other areas of the image sensor 12 are not activated; and when a close-up scene is captured through the second optical lens 212, the chip pixels in the second photosensitive area 122 corresponding to the second optical lens 212 on the image sensor 12 are activated, while the chip pixels in other areas of the image sensor 12 are not activated, in order to minimize the overall power consumption of the camera module 1.

[0055] It is worth mentioning that, according to another aspect of this application, such as Figure 5 As shown, one embodiment of this application further provides a control method for a camera module, which may include the following steps:

[0056] S100: Control the image sensor of the camera module to activate a portion of the photosensitive area corresponding to one of the at least two optical lenses of the camera module;

[0057] S200: Controls the light-blocking mechanism of the camera module to selectively block the light paths of other lenses in the at least two optical lenses for shooting.

[0058] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0059] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and their descriptions are quite specific and detailed. However, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A camera module, characterized in that, include: A photosensitive component includes a circuit board and an image sensor electrically connected to the circuit board; The lens assembly includes at least two optical lenses arranged in an array in the photosensitive optical path of the image sensor and having different focal lengths; as well as A light-blocking mechanism is disposed in the light-sensing optical path of the image sensor to selectively block the lens optical path of at least one of the at least two optical lenses.

2. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The photosensitive areas on the image sensor partially overlap with those corresponding to different lenses in the at least two optical lenses; And / or, the at least two optical lenses have the same total optical length.

3. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least two optical lenses include a first optical lens and a second optical lens arranged side by side, and the focal length of the first optical lens is smaller than the focal length of the second optical lens.

4. The camera module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The image sensor has a first photosensitive area corresponding to the first optical lens and a second photosensitive area corresponding to the second optical lens, and the first photosensitive area and the second photosensitive area partially overlap.

5. The camera module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The image sensor has a resolution aspect ratio of 16:9 or 4:3; the first optical lens and the second optical lens are arranged side by side along the length of the image sensor.

6. The camera module according to claim 3, characterized in that, Both the first optical lens and the second optical lens are chamfered lenses; the chamfered side of the first optical lens and the chamfered side of the second optical lens are arranged face to face.

7. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The image sensor is a CMOS chip; the image sensor has a partitioned startup structure.

8. The camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The light-blocking mechanism includes a light-blocking sheet placed laterally in the light-sensing path of the image sensor.

9. The camera module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The light-blocking plate is a physical light-blocking plate that can be laterally moved in the optical path between the image sensor and the at least two optical lenses; the light-blocking mechanism also includes a driver that is drivenly connected to the light-blocking plate; Alternatively, the light-blocking sheet may be a liquid crystal barrier or an electrowetting barrier.

10. The camera module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The lens assembly further includes a lens mount mounted on the circuit board and arranged around the image sensor, and a filter disposed within the lens mount, wherein the at least two optical lenses are correspondingly assembled to the lens mount; The filter is located in the optical path between the light-blocking plate and the image sensor.

11. A wearable device, characterized in that, include: Wearing main body; and The camera module as described in any one of claims 1 to 10 is assembled on the wearable body.

12. A method for controlling a camera module, characterized in that, For a camera module as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, the steps include: Control the image sensor of the camera module to activate a portion of the photosensitive area corresponding to one of the at least two optical lenses of the camera module; and The light-blocking mechanism of the camera module is controlled to selectively block the light paths of other lenses in the at least two optical lenses for shooting.

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