Camera module

Abstract

A camera module is provided. The camera module includes: a lens barrel accommodating a lens, and having a first surface disposed along a circumference of the lens barrel and facing a direction parallel to an optical axis of the lens; a housing in which the lens barrel is disposed; an insulating member having a second surface facing a direction parallel to the optical axis and disposed along a circumference of the lens barrel; and a heating member having a third surface and a fourth surface opposite to each other. Each of the third surface and the fourth surface faces a direction parallel to the optical axis, and the heating member is disposed on the insulating member along a circumference of the lens barrel. The third surface of the heating member faces the first surface of the lens barrel, and the fourth surface of the heating member faces the second surface of the insulating member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following description pertains to the camera module. Background Technology

[0002] Recently, ultra-miniature camera modules have been developed, and these modules can be widely implemented in microelectronic products such as, but not limited to, smartphones, laptops, or game consoles.

[0003] Ultra-compact camera modules can also be widely implemented in vehicles. For example, vehicles can be equipped with dashcam cameras for vehicle protection and for collecting data on traffic accidents, rear-view cameras that allow drivers to monitor blind spots behind the vehicle via a screen to ensure safety when reversing, and perimeter detection cameras that monitor the vehicle's surroundings.

[0004] Due to the nature of vehicles located outdoors, the indoor and outdoor temperatures can vary significantly throughout the year. For example, outdoor temperatures can be higher than indoor temperatures in summer, and temperatures can drop below freezing in winter. Therefore, due to these rapid temperature changes, condensation, including frost, can occur in components of the camera module, including lenses and glass. As a result, unsatisfactory images may not be obtained, or product malfunctions may occur.

[0005] As autonomous driving technology becomes more sophisticated, the need to ensure clear images by removing frost from camera lenses in sub-zero weather is increasing. To remove frost from lens surfaces, a common method is to use a heater. However, when the heater is mounted on the camera module, it can be difficult to keep the camera module small, and depending on the heater's design, high power consumption may be required to remove frost from the lens. Utility Model Content

[0006] This summary portion is provided to briefly introduce the selection of concepts, which will be further described in the detailed description portion below. This summary portion is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] In general, the camera module includes: a lens barrel housing a lens and having a first surface disposed along the circumference of the lens barrel and facing a direction parallel to the optical axis of the lens; a housing in which the lens barrel is disposed; an insulating member having a second surface facing a direction parallel to the optical axis and disposed along the circumference of the lens barrel; and a heating member having a third surface and a fourth surface opposite to each other, each of the third surface and the fourth surface facing a direction parallel to the optical axis, and the heating member being disposed on the insulating member along the circumference of the lens barrel, wherein the third surface of the heating member faces the first surface of the lens barrel, and the fourth surface of the heating member faces the second surface of the insulating member.

[0008] The heating element can be in the form of a membrane.

[0009] The heating element may comprise a single layer.

[0010] The lens barrel can be inserted into the heating element.

[0011] The heating element can be configured to surround the lens barrel.

[0012] The lens barrel can be inserted into the insulating component.

[0013] The insulating component can be arranged to surround the lens barrel.

[0014] The camera module may also include: a plate disposed in the housing; and a connecting member arranged to electrically connect the heating member and the plate to each other.

[0015] The lens barrel, heating element, insulating element, and housing can be arranged sequentially along the optical axis.

[0016] The first surface can extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

[0017] The second surface can extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

[0018] The first surface of the lens barrel can contact the third surface of the heating element.

[0019] The second surface of the insulating component can contact the fourth surface of the heating component.

[0020] Insulating members may be disposed on the housing, and at least a portion of the insulating members may be exposed to the outside of the housing.

[0021] The insulating component can have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the heating component.

[0022] The heating element can extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

[0023] The first surface of the lens barrel can be a stepped surface.

[0024] Other features and aspects will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the detailed description below. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 A perspective view of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0026] Figure 2 An exploded perspective view of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0027] Figure 3 A partially exploded cross-sectional view of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0028] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view illustrating a partial configuration of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0029] Figure 5 The temperature distribution of an exemplary camera module for comparison is shown.

[0030] Figure 6 The temperature distribution of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0031] Figure 7 The process of removing frost from an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is illustrated.

[0032] Throughout the accompanying drawings and detailed embodiments, unless otherwise described, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. For purposes of clarity, illustration, and convenience, the drawings may not be drawn to scale, and the relative dimensions, scale, and depiction of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The following detailed embodiments are provided to help the reader gain a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein. However, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein will become apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application. For example, the order of operations described herein and / or the sequence of operations described herein are merely examples and are not limited to the order set forth herein, except for the order of operations and / or the order of operations which must occur in a specific sequence, but can be varied, as will become apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application. As another example, the order of operations and / or the order of operations can be performed in parallel, except for the order of operations and / or at least a portion of the order of operations which must occur in a sequence (e.g., a specific sequence). Furthermore, for clarity and conciseness, descriptions of features known upon understanding the disclosure of this application may be omitted.

[0034] Although terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third,” or A, B, (a), (b), may be used herein to describe various components, parts, regions, layers, or sections, these components, parts, regions, layers, or sections are not limited by these terms. Each of these terms is not intended to define, for example, the importance, sequence, or order of the corresponding component, part, region, layer, or section, but only to distinguish the corresponding component, part, region, layer, or section from other components, parts, regions, layers, or sections. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the examples described herein, the first component, first part, first region, first layer, or first section mentioned in these examples may also be referred to as the second component, second part, second region, second layer, or second section.

[0035] Throughout this specification, when a component, element, or layer is described as "on another component, element, or layer," "connected to," "attached to," or "joined to" another component, element, or layer, it may be directly "on another component, element, or layer," directly "connected to," "attached to," or "joined to" another component, element, or layer (e.g., in contact with another component, element, or layer), or one or more other components, elements, or layers may reasonably be present between that component, element, or layer and that other component, element, or layer. When a component, element, or layer is described as "directly on another component, element, or layer," "directly connected to," "directly attached to," or "directly joined to" another component, element, or layer, then there are no other components, elements, or layers between that component, element, or layer and that other component, element, or layer. Similarly, expressions such as "between" and "directly between," and "adjacent" and "directly adjacent" may also be interpreted as described above.

[0036] The terminology used herein is for describing various examples only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to equally include the plural forms. As non-limiting examples, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” indicate the presence of the stated features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof, or alternatives to the stated features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof. Furthermore, while one embodiment may describe the presence of the stated features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof using the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” other embodiments may exist in which one or more of the stated features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof are absent.

[0037] As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any one of the associated listed items and any combination of any two or more items. Phrases such as “at least one of A, B, and C” are intended to have a disjunctive meaning, and these phrases also include examples in which one or more of A, B, and C may be present (e.g., any combination of one or more of A, B, and C), unless the corresponding description and implementation require that the enumeration (e.g., “at least one of A, B, and C”) be interpreted as having a conjunctive meaning.

[0038] The features described herein may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein are provided merely to illustrate some of the many possible ways in which the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein will be apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application. In this document, the use of the term “may” (e.g., regarding what an example or implementation may include or implement) with respect to an example or implementation means that there exists at least one example or implementation that includes or implements such a feature, and that all examples or implementations are not limited thereto. The terms “example” or “implementation” as used herein have the same meaning (e.g., the phrase “in one example” has the same meaning as “in one implementation,” and “in one or more examples” has the same meaning as “in one or more implementations”).

[0039] Furthermore, throughout the disclosure, the phrase "on a plane" can refer to an example of viewing the target from above, and the phrase "on a cross section" can refer to an example of viewing the target from the side of the target as a cross section taken in the vertical direction.

[0040] The "optical axis direction" disclosed in this article is defined as the optical axis direction of the lens module. In the examples, "optical axis direction" can correspond to "vertical direction", "z-axis direction", etc.

[0041] One or more examples may provide a camera module that minimizes heat loss from the heating element, improves the heating efficiency of the lens barrel, and effectively removes frost from the lens barrel.

[0042] One or more examples could provide camera modules that reduce power consumption of the heating element and have a smaller size.

[0043] Figure 1 A perspective view of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown; Figure 2 An exploded perspective view of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown; Figure 3 A partially exploded cross-sectional view of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown; and Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a partial configuration of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0044] Reference Figures 1 to 4 An exemplary camera module 10 according to one or more embodiments may include a lens barrel 100, a housing 200, a heating member 300, a connecting member 400, an insulating member 500, a plate 600, and an image sensor 610. However, the camera module 10 may be implemented by excluding some of these components, and other configurations besides these components may not be excluded.

[0045] The camera module 10 may include a lens barrel 100. The lens barrel 100 may be disposed at the housing 200. At least a portion of the lens barrel 100 may be accommodated in the housing 200. At least a portion of the lens barrel 100 may be inserted into an opening 215 in the housing 200 to be disposed on the front or upper side of the housing 200.

[0046] The lens barrel 100 may have a first surface 100a disposed along the circumference of the lens barrel 100 and facing a direction parallel to the optical axis. The first surface 100a may extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The first surface 100a may include a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

[0047] The first surface 100a of the lens barrel 100 can be a stepped surface. In other words, the portion of the lens barrel 100 disposed above the first surface 100a in the optical axis direction and the portion of the lens barrel 100 disposed below the first surface 100a in the optical axis direction can have different widths in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis. Specifically, for the upper and lower portions of the lens barrel 100 in the optical axis direction with reference to the first surface 100a, the upper portion of the lens barrel 100 can have a width larger than the width of the lower portion of the lens barrel 100 in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The first surface 100a can be supported by the housing 200.

[0048] As an example, the lens barrel 100 can be screwed onto the inner circumferential surface of the housing 200. In this example, the lens barrel 100 may have threads formed on its outer circumferential surface that correspond to the threads formed on the inner circumferential surface of the housing 200.

[0049] The lens barrel 100 can accommodate at least one lens. By way of example only, each lens in the lens barrel 100 can be made of synthetic resin, glass or quartz, but is not limited to these, and can be made of a variety of materials.

[0050] Camera module 10 may include housing 200. Housing 200 may form the appearance of camera module 10. At least a portion of lens barrel 100, plate 600, and connecting member 400 may be disposed in housing 200. In this example, insulating member 500 may be disposed in housing 200.

[0051] The housing 200 may include an upper housing 210 and a lower housing 220. The upper housing 210 may be disposed on the lower housing 220. In this example, the upper housing 210 may be integrally formed with the lower housing 220. The upper housing 210 may include an opening 215. The lens barrel 100 may be disposed in the opening 215 of the upper housing 210. The inner surface of the upper housing 210 may be spaced apart from the outer surface of the lens barrel 100 by a predetermined distance. At least a portion of the connecting member 400 may be disposed in the space between the inner surface of the upper housing 210 and the outer surface of the lens barrel 100.

[0052] The lower housing 220 may be disposed below the upper housing 210. The lower housing 220 may be connected to the upper housing 210. In the example, the lower housing 220 may be integrally formed with the upper housing 210.

[0053] A camera module 10 according to one or more embodiments may include an insulating member 500. The insulating member 500 may be disposed on one surface of the heating member 300. The insulating member 500 may be disposed on the housing 200 such that at least a portion of the insulating member 500 is exposed to the outside of the housing 200. The insulating member 500 may be disposed between the heating member 300 and the outer surface of the housing 200. This configuration prevents heat generated by the heating member 300 from being lost through the housing 200. That is, it improves the efficiency of transferring heat generated by the heating member 300 to the lens barrel 100.

[0054] The insulating member 500 may be arranged along the circumference of the lens barrel 100. The insulating member 500 may be arranged to surround the lens barrel 100. The insulating member 500 may extend outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 100. The insulating member 500 may have a shape corresponding to the shape of the heating member 300. Therefore, the contact area between the insulating member 500 and the heating member 300 can be increased to minimize the transfer of heat emitted by the heating member 300 to the housing 200, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the lens barrel 100 and effectively removing frost.

[0055] The insulating member 500 may have a second surface 500a facing a direction parallel to the optical axis. The lens barrel 100 may be inserted into the insulating member 500. The insulating member 500 may extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The second surface 500a may extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The second surface 500a may include a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

[0056] In the example, the insulating member 500 can have a ring shape. The insulating member 500 can have an "O" shape or a ring shape. The insulating member 500 can have a closed-loop shape.

[0057] Reference Figures 1 to 4 As an example, the insulating member 500 is described as having an “O-shape”, but is not limited thereto, and the insulating member 500 can have any shape as long as it has an opening therein to allow the lens barrel 100 to be inserted therein.

[0058] As a non-limiting example, the insulating member 500 may be made of ceramic materials, plastic materials, silicon-based materials, etc. However, these materials are merely examples. The material of the insulating member 500 is not limited to these, and the material of the insulating member 500 may be changed in various ways as long as the material of the insulating member 500 is a material with a low thermal conductivity and can improve the heat transfer efficiency to the lens barrel 100 by reducing the heat loss to the housing 200.

[0059] The camera module 10 according to the embodiment may include a heating member 300. The heating member 300 may be disposed on the housing 200. The heating member 300 may be disposed adjacent to the outer upper surface of the housing 200. The heating member 300 may include an opening 315.

[0060] The heating element 300 can be disposed on the insulating element 500. The heating element 300 can be disposed along the circumference of the lens barrel 100. The heating element 300 can be disposed around the lens barrel 100. The lens barrel 100, the heating element 300, the insulating element 500, and the housing 200 (210, 220) can be arranged sequentially in the optical axis direction. The heating element 300 can extend outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 100. The heating element 300 can have a shape corresponding to the shape of the insulating element 500.

[0061] The heating member 300 may have a third surface 300a and a fourth surface 300b that are opposite to each other and face a direction parallel to the optical axis. The third surface 300a and the fourth surface 300b may be opposite to each other in the optical axis direction. The lens barrel 100 may be inserted into the heating member 300. The heating member 300 may extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The third surface 300a may extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The third surface 300a may include a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. The fourth surface 300b may extend in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The fourth surface 300b may include a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

[0062] The third surface 300a of the heating member 300 can face the first surface 100a of the lens barrel 100. The third surface 300a of the heating member 300 can contact the first surface 100a of the lens barrel 100. The fourth surface 300b of the heating member 300 can face the second surface 500a of the insulating member 500. The fourth surface 300b of the heating member 300 can contact the second surface 500a of the insulating member 500.

[0063] In a non-limiting example, the heating member 300 can be attached to a surface of the lens barrel 100 using an adhesive member (not shown, by way of example only). The heating member 300 can be attached to a first surface 100a of the lens barrel 100 using the adhesive member. The adhesive member can have a shape corresponding to the shape of the first surface 100a. The adhesive member can have a shape corresponding to the shape of the heating member 300. As an example, the adhesive member can have an annular shape.

[0064] In this example, the heating element 300 can be in the form of a membrane. The type of heating element 300 can be a carbon nanotube (CNT), a constant-watt (CW) heater, or a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater. In this example, the heating element 300 can comprise a single layer. Therefore, the camera module 10 can have a smaller size. When the heating element 300 is in the form of a membrane with a single-layer structure, the third surface 300a and the fourth surface 300b can each be the upper and lower surfaces of the membrane, respectively.

[0065] The heating element 300 can be electrically connected to the connecting element 400. The heating element 300 can have an annular shape. The heating element 300 can have an "O" shape or a ring shape. The heating element 300 can have a closed-loop shape. The heating element 300 can include a heating wire with a closed-loop shape. With this configuration, when current is supplied, the heating element 300 can generate more heat than the connecting element 400. That is, when current is supplied through the connecting element 400, the heating element 300 can generate heat, thereby removing moisture from the lens barrel 100.

[0066] Reference Figures 1 to 4 As an example, the heating element 300 is described as having an “O-shape”, but is not limited thereto, and the heating element 300 can have any shape as long as it has an opening 315 therein to allow the lens barrel 100 to be inserted therein.

[0067] The heating element 300 can generate heat by receiving current from the plate 600. As a non-limiting example, the heating element 300 can be a transparent heating film coated with a conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) material that can generate heat based on its own resistivity. As an example, the heating element 300 can be formed by a coating or deposition process of the indium tin oxide material. However, the material of the heating element 300 is exemplary and not limited thereto, and the material of the heating element 300 can be changed in various ways as long as it is a material that can generate heat by supplying current.

[0068] Camera module 10 may include a connecting member 400. The connecting member 400 may be coupled to plate 600. The connecting member 400 may be electrically connected to plate 600. The connecting member 400 may be connected to a power source disposed on plate 600. The connecting member 400 may be connected to heating member 300. The connecting member 400 may be coupled to heating member 300. The connecting member 400 can electrically connect heating member 300 and plate 600 to each other. The connecting member 400 may have a curved portion.

[0069] Camera module 10 may include board 600. In an example, board 600 may be disposed within housing 200. Board 600 may be disposed inside housing 200. In an example, board 600 may be disposed below lens barrel 100. As an example, board 600 may include a printed circuit board (PCB) or a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). Board 600 may be coupled to connecting member 400. Board 600 may be electrically connected to connecting member 400. Image sensor 610 may be mounted on board 600. Board 600 may be electrically connected to image sensor 610.

[0070] The plate 600 can be secured to the housing 200 by means of a fixing member 601. In the example, there can be multiple fixing members 601. The fixing members 601 can pass through the plate 600. In the example, the fixing members 601 can be in the form of screws, but are not limited to this, and can be any shape in which the fixing members 601 can secure the plate 600.

[0071] Camera module 10 may include image sensor 610. Image sensor 610 may be disposed within housing 200. In an example, image sensor 610 may be disposed on board 600. Image sensor 610 may be electrically connected to board 600. Image sensor 610 may be disposed on the front or top surface of board 600. In an example, image sensor 610 may be coupled to board 600 via surface mount technology (SMT). In another example, image sensor 610 may be coupled to board 600 via flip chip technology. The optical axis of image sensor 610 may be aligned with the optical axis of lens barrel 100.

[0072] Camera module 10 may include a connector (not shown). The connector may be disposed within housing 200. The connector may be coupled to board 600. The connector may pass through housing 200 to be coupled to board 600. The connector may be electrically connected to board 600. The connector may supply external power to camera module 10. The cross-section of the connector may be formed in a circular or annular shape. Alternatively, the cross-section of the connector may be varied, for example, elliptical or quadrilateral. Camera module 10 according to an exemplary embodiment may also include a sealing member. As an example, an O-ring may be provided in the space between the connector and housing 200 to seal the space between the connector and housing 200.

[0073] Reference Figures 1 to 4The heating element 300 and the insulating element 500 are described as being disposed outside the housing 200, but are not limited thereto. The heating element 300 and the insulating element 500 may also be disposed inside the housing 200. In the example, the insulating element 500 can be inserted into the housing 200 through the opening 215. The insulating element 500 may be disposed inside the housing 200. The heating element 300 can be inserted into the housing 200 through the opening 215. The heating element 300 may be disposed inside the housing 200.

[0074] Figure 5 The temperature distribution of an exemplary camera module is shown in the comparison example; and Figure 6 The temperature distribution of an exemplary camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0075] Figure 5 The temperature distribution of an exemplary camera module is shown when heat is generated by a heating element in a camera module of a comparative example that does not include insulating components.

[0076] Reference Figure 5 As can be seen, in the camera module of the comparative example, the heat generated by the heating element is transferred to the housing, and the temperature of the housing is higher than that of the lens barrel. Specifically, the average temperature of the upper housing is 55.6°C, and the average temperature of the lower housing is 55.5°C. In contrast, the average temperatures of the lens barrel are 41.8°C and 36.5°C, respectively. Therefore, the heating element may have low heat generation efficiency in defrosting the lens barrel, and high heat generation efficiency and power consumption may be required to increase the temperature of the lens barrel.

[0077] Figure 6 The temperature distribution of an exemplary camera module 10 is shown when heat is generated by a heating element 300 in a camera module 10 including an insulating element 500 according to one or more embodiments.

[0078] Reference Figure 6 It can be seen that in the camera module 10 according to one or more embodiments, the amount of heat generated by the heating member 300 transferred to the housing 200 is reduced, and therefore the temperature of the lens barrel 100 is higher than that in the camera module of the comparative example. Specifically, it can be seen that the temperature of the lens barrel 100 is distributed at 77.1°C, 92.7°C, or 67.3°C depending on its location. In contrast, it can be seen that the heat loss to the housing 200 is reduced, and the temperature of the housing 200 is approximately 56.8°C. Therefore, it can be seen that since the insulating member 500 is disposed between the heating member 300 and the housing 200, and the lens barrel 100 and the insulating member 500 have their respective surfaces facing the heating member 300, the heat loss to the housing 200 is minimized and the heat transfer efficiency to the lens barrel 100 is improved.

[0079] Figure 7 The process of removing frost from a camera module according to one or more embodiments is shown.

[0080] Figure 7 It is shown that when the heating element 300 generates heat at an ambient temperature of -30°C and a power consumption of 3W, frost is removed from the upper surface of the lens barrel 100 included in the camera module 10 according to one or more embodiments over time.

[0081] Reference Figure 7 As can be seen, frost initially covered the upper surface of the lens barrel 100, and gradually disappeared over time, being completely removed after approximately 4 minutes and 30 seconds. In other words, it can be seen that even under low power consumption conditions, frost can be effectively removed by improving the heat transfer efficiency of the lens barrel 100.

[0082] In the camera module 10 according to the above embodiment, the insulating member 500 can be disposed between the housing 200 and the heating member 300 to isolate the undesirable heat transfer portions of the housing 200, thereby minimizing heat loss of the heating member 300, improving the heating efficiency of the lens barrel 100 where heat transfer is desired, and effectively removing frost from the lens barrel 100. Furthermore, the camera module 10 can improve heat generation and heat transfer efficiency, thereby reducing the power consumption of the heating member 300, and power is supplied to the heating member 300 via the power supply of the camera module 10, thereby allowing the camera module 10 to have a smaller size. Additionally, the camera module 10 can include the heating member 300 mounted therein, thereby ensuring the operational reliability of the heating member 300.

[0083] While this disclosure includes specific examples, it will be apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application that various changes in form and detail may be made to these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. The examples described herein are to be understood in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The description of features or aspects in each example should be considered applicable to similar features or aspects in other examples. Appropriate results may still be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order, and / or if components in the described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner and / or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents.

[0084] Therefore, in addition to the above disclosure and all the accompanying drawings, the scope of this disclosure also includes the claims and their equivalents, that is, all variations within the scope of the claims and their equivalents should be understood to be included in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A camera module, characterized in that, The camera module includes: A lens barrel that houses a lens, and the lens barrel having a first surface disposed along the circumference of the lens barrel and facing a direction parallel to the optical axis of the lens; The housing, in which the lens barrel is disposed; An insulating member having a second surface facing a direction parallel to the optical axis and disposed along the circumference of the lens barrel; and A heating element having a third surface and a fourth surface opposite to each other, each of the third and fourth surfaces being parallel to the optical axis, and the heating element being disposed on the insulating element along the circumference of the lens barrel. Wherein, the third surface of the heating member faces the first surface of the lens barrel, and The fourth surface of the heating element faces the second surface of the insulating element.

2. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating element is in the form of a membrane.

3. The camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heating element comprises a single layer.

4. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lens barrel is inserted into the heating element.

5. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating element is arranged to surround the lens barrel.

6. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lens barrel is inserted into the insulating member.

7. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating member is arranged to surround the lens barrel.

8. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The camera module also includes: Plate, disposed within the housing; and A connecting member is configured to electrically connect the heating member and the plate to each other.

9. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lens barrel, the heating component, the insulating component, and the housing are arranged sequentially along the optical axis.

10. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first surface extends in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

11. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second surface extends in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

12. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first surface of the lens barrel is in contact with the third surface of the heating element.

13. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second surface of the insulating member is in contact with the fourth surface of the heating member.

14. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating member is disposed on the housing, and at least a portion of the insulating member is exposed to the outside of the housing.

15. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating member has a shape corresponding to the shape of the heating member.

16. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating element extends in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

17. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first surface of the lens barrel is a stepped surface.

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