Ultrasonic cleaning and decontaminating device applied to camera and camera module applied by ultrasonic cleaning and decontaminating device

Abstract

According to the ultrasonic cleaning and decontaminating device applied to the camera, the piezoelectric ceramic is integrated below the front-end lens of the lens, and the piezoelectric ceramic piece is connected to the connector on the circuit board assembly through the FPC, so that the electrical connection stability and the process manufacturability are greatly improved, and the piezoelectric material can be powered through the FPC to realize high-frequency vibration; by the adoption of the device, the problem that an ultrasonic cleaning device is not high in control precision can be solved, frost or ice or stains on the camera lens can be rapidly removed, a driver can conveniently use and observe the camera lens, the performance of the camera is improved, and the visual field of the driver is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of lenses, specifically to an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras and a camera module for the application therein. Background Technology

[0002] Nowadays, with the continuous improvement of automotive intelligence, the number of in-vehicle cameras typically reaches 10-20 per vehicle. The clarity and capability of these cameras are directly related to driving safety. However, in rainy or snowy weather, cameras are often obstructed by frost or ice on the lens, or even by mud and water stains, resulting in blurry images and affecting driving safety. Utility Model Content

[0003] To address the problem that existing camera equipment cannot clean the lens surface in a timely manner, this invention provides an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras. This device not only solves the problem of low control precision in ultrasonic cleaning devices, but also quickly removes frost, ice, or stains from camera lenses, making it convenient for drivers to use and observe, improving camera performance, and enhancing the driver's field of vision.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras, including a lens barrel, a front lens, and a circuit board assembly. The front lens is located on the front side of the lens barrel, and the circuit board assembly is located on the rear side. It also includes a piezoelectric ceramic that abuts against the front lens. The circuit board assembly is provided with a connector. The piezoelectric ceramic is electrically connected to the connector through an FPC. The piezoelectric ceramic is used to convert the electrical signal transmitted by the FPC into mechanical energy, thereby driving the front lens to vibrate.

[0005] As described above, an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras includes an FPC with 6 pins, where 3 pins form a contact solder joint, marked as positive and negative signals respectively.

[0006] As described above, an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras includes a circuit board assembly comprising PCBA-1 board and PCBA-2 board that are electrically connected in a stacked manner from front to back, with the connector located on the rear end face of the PCBA-2 board.

[0007] The ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras described above uses a ZIF connector.

[0008] As described above, an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras is provided with current and voltage sensors on PCBA-1 and PCBA-2 boards respectively.

[0009] As described above, an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras has a mounting cavity on the front side of the lens barrel, and the front lens and the piezoelectric ceramic are disposed in the mounting cavity.

[0010] As described above, an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras has a gap between the piezoelectric ceramic and the lens barrel.

[0011] As described above, an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras is provided in the mounting cavity, the outer side of the front lens rests on the step, and the upper surface of the piezoelectric ceramic is bonded to the lower surface of the front lens.

[0012] As described above, an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for a camera has a wire-passing groove on the inner wall of the lens barrel that communicates with the mounting cavity, and the FPC extends through the wire-passing groove to the rear end or side end of the lens barrel.

[0013] An ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for a camera, as described above, further includes a pressure cap that engages with the front end of the lens barrel to lock the front lens onto the lens barrel.

[0014] Another object of this application is to provide a camera module, including a housing and an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for a camera as described above, disposed within the housing.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application are as follows:

[0016] This application provides an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras. By integrating piezoelectric ceramics under the front lens of the camera lens, and connecting the piezoelectric ceramic sheet to a connector on the circuit board assembly using an FPC, the electrical connection stability and manufacturing process are greatly improved. The FPC can power the piezoelectric material to achieve high-frequency vibration, which drives the front lens to clean the dirt on the lens surface. By adopting the above device, not only can the problem of low control precision of ultrasonic cleaning devices be solved, but also frost, ice or stains on the camera lens can be quickly removed, which is convenient for the driver to use and observe, improves the performance of the camera and improves the driver's field of vision. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device applied to a camera in an embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device applied to a camera according to an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a bottom view of an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device applied to a camera in an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device applied to a camera according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the camera module in an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the camera module in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0024] like Figure 1-6 As shown, this application provides an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for a camera, including a lens barrel 1, a front lens 2, a pressure cap 3, and a circuit board assembly 7. The lens barrel 1 has a mounting cavity 10 on its front side, and the front lens 2 is disposed in the mounting cavity 10. The pressure cap 3 cooperates with the front end of the lens barrel 1 to lock the front lens 2 onto the lens barrel 1. It also includes a piezoelectric ceramic 4 and an FPC 5, and includes a piezoelectric ceramic 4 that abuts against the front lens 2. The circuit board assembly 7 has a connector 70, and the piezoelectric ceramic 4 is electrically connected to the connector 70 through the FPC 5. The piezoelectric ceramic 4 is used to convert the electrical signal transmitted by the FPC 5 into mechanical energy, thereby driving the front lens 2 to vibrate.

[0025] This application provides an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras. By integrating piezoelectric ceramics under the front lens of the lens, and connecting the piezoelectric ceramic sheet to the ZIF connector on the circuit board assembly using an FPC, the electrical connection stability and manufacturing process are greatly improved. The FPC can supply power to the piezoelectric material to achieve high-frequency vibration, which drives the front lens to clean the dirt on the lens surface. By adopting the above device, not only can the problem of low control precision of ultrasonic cleaning devices be solved, but also frost, ice or stains on the camera lens can be quickly removed, which is convenient for the driver to use and observe, improves the performance of the camera and improves the driver's field of vision.

[0026] As a further limitation of this application, in order to limit the driving current and driving voltage, a suitable adapter FPC is selected. The FPC5 includes 6 pins, of which 3 pins are used as a contact solder point, which are marked as positive signal and negative signal respectively to drive the piezoelectric ceramic to oscillate in the positive and negative directions. This can drive the piezoelectric transducer to vibrate rapidly in the positive and negative directions to achieve the effect of oscillation to remove sewage.

[0027] Furthermore, the circuit board assembly 7 includes PCBA-1 board 71 and PCBA-2 board 72, which are stacked and electrically connected from front to back. It is composed of two rigid PCB boards, which are fixed to the front and rear shells with screws respectively, and connected in the middle by a floating connector. The connector 70 is located on the rear end face of the PCBA-2 board 72. Each of the two PCB boards has a current and voltage sensor, which are located at different positions inside the module. This allows for more accurate sensing of current changes inside the camera module, thereby enabling negative feedback processing of the piezoelectric transducer and preventing excessive current and voltage from burning out the PCBA and piezoelectric ceramics.

[0028] Furthermore, the piezoelectric ceramic 4 is disposed in the mounting cavity 10 and abuts against the first lens 2, and there is a gap between the piezoelectric ceramic 3 and the lens barrel 1. One end of the FPC 5 is electrically connected to the piezoelectric ceramic 3, and the other end extends to the rear side of the lens barrel 1. The piezoelectric ceramic 4 is used to convert the electrical signal transmitted by the FPC 5 into mechanical energy, thereby driving the front lens 2 to vibrate. The gap between the piezoelectric ceramic and the lens barrel can avoid affecting the imaging clarity of the optical lens. Compared with the traditional camera module, the camera module of this application adds an ultrasonic cleaning function, which can achieve cleaning of rainwater and dust.

[0029] Furthermore, the piezoelectric ceramic 4 is ring-shaped, with an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the front lens 2 and an inner diameter larger than the light-transmitting aperture of the front lens 2. This design avoids the piezoelectric ceramic from affecting the lens imaging. In a specific embodiment of this application, the upper surface of the piezoelectric ceramic 4 is bonded to the lower surface of the front lens 2. The upper surface of the piezoelectric ceramic ring is bonded to the front lens 2 with adhesive. The mounting cavity 10 has a stepped portion 101, and the outer side of the front lens 2 rests on the stepped portion 101. The front lens 2 is supported by the stepped surface of the lens barrel 5. Top adhesive ensures front-end sealing performance. At this time, the piezoelectric ceramic 2 is in a suspended state. There is a gap between the piezoelectric ceramic and the lens barrel to reduce vibration transmitted to the lens module 8 through the lens barrel and improve imaging quality.

[0030] Furthermore, both electrodes of the piezoelectric ceramic 4 are guided to its lower surface, and the piezoelectric ceramic 4 is bonded to the FPC 5 by welding or conductive adhesive. Specifically, the connector 70 is a ZIF connector, which is connected to the ZIP connector of the PCBA-2 inside the camera module through the FPC or wires to obtain power. It is connected to the ZIF connector on the drive board through the piezoelectric ceramic sheet via the FPC, which greatly improves the stability of electrical connection and processability. This utility model can not only solve the problem of low control accuracy of ultrasonic cleaning devices, but also quickly remove frost, ice or dirt on the camera lens, making it convenient for the driver to use and observe, improving the performance of the camera and improving the driver's field of vision.

[0031] In a specific embodiment of this application, the inner wall of the lens barrel 1 is provided with a wire passage groove 11 that communicates with the mounting cavity 10. The FPC5 extends through the wire passage groove 11 to the rear end or side end of the lens barrel 1, and the power supply wire or FPC3 extends out from the bottom of the lens barrel through the internal slot of the lens barrel 5.

[0032] Preferably, the piezoelectric ceramic 4 is made of PZT-4 material. This utility model innovatively integrates a PZT-4 piezoelectric ceramic ring under the front lens 2. High-frequency vibration can be achieved by supplying power to the piezoelectric material, which drives the front lens 2 to clean dirt on the lens surface. Compared with piezoelectric ceramics of other materials, PZT-4 material has more stable performance and less impact on the lens module imaging, thus ensuring the imaging quality of the camera device.

[0033] As a further limitation of this application, when the piezoelectric ceramic 4 drives the front lens 2 to vibrate, the maximum amplitude of the front lens 2 along the lens axis is less than the sensitivity of the lens itself. This design does not affect the image sharpness of the optical lens itself, thus improving image quality.

[0034] This application provides a camera module, including a housing 6, an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for a camera disposed on and exposed therefrom the housing 6, and a circuit board assembly 7 disposed within the housing 6. The other end of the FPC 5 extends to the rear side of the lens barrel 1 and is electrically connected to the circuit board assembly 7. Compared to traditional camera modules, this camera module adds an ultrasonic cleaning function, enabling cleaning from rainwater and dust. Unlike existing industry solutions that use an external ultrasonic lens cap device fixed to the front of the camera module, resulting in a large size and heavy weight, this solution only adds a piezoelectric ceramic sheet under the front lens, with almost no change in size and weight.

[0035] In a specific embodiment, the housing 6 includes a front housing 61 and a rear housing 62. The front and rear housings are laser welded to ensure connection and sealing. The optical lens (with an ultrasonic cleaning module) is fixed to the front housing of the camera module using the AA process. PCBA-71 and PCBA-72 are fixed to the front housing with screws. The two PCBAs are connected and communicated with each other using a BTB connector. The piezoelectric ceramic ring power supply harness or FPC is connected to the PCBA-2 circuit board through a connector.

[0036] The working principle of this solution is as follows: When the camera module is connected to the host and working, dust, rainwater, etc. cause dirt on the lens surface, resulting in a blurry image and affecting the clarity of the image. At this time, the user can issue a cleaning command through the host. The camera module receives the signal and supplies power to the piezoelectric ceramic ring through the P2 board. By controlling the driver chip to output an oscillation frequency waveform, it drives the piezoelectric ceramic sheet to oscillate. Due to the inverse piezoelectric effect, the piezoelectric ceramic ring inside the optical lens resonates with the front lens at the corresponding frequency, and the dirt and water droplets on the lens surface are bounced away, thus cleaning the lens.

[0037] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for a camera, comprising a lens barrel (1), a front lens (2), and a circuit board assembly (7), wherein the front lens (2) is disposed on the front side of the lens barrel (1) and the circuit board assembly (7) is disposed on the rear side, characterized in that: It also includes a piezoelectric ceramic (4) that abuts against the front lens (2). The circuit board assembly (7) is provided with a connector (70). The piezoelectric ceramic (4) is electrically connected to the connector (70) through an FPC (5). The piezoelectric ceramic (4) is used to convert the electrical signal transmitted by the FPC (5) into mechanical energy, thereby driving the front lens (2) to vibrate.

2. The ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that: The FPC (5) includes 6 pins, of which 3 pins are used as a contact solder joint, and are marked as positive signal and negative signal respectively.

3. The ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that: The circuit board assembly (7) includes PCBA-1 board (71) and PCBA-2 board (72) which are stacked and electrically connected from front to back, and the connector (70) is located on the rear end face of the PCBA-2 board (72).

4. An ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The connector (70) is a ZIF connector.

5. An ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras according to claim 3, characterized in that: Current and voltage sensors are respectively provided on PCBA-1 board (71) and PCBA-2 board (72).

6. The ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lens barrel (1) has a mounting cavity (10) on the front side, and the front lens (2) and the piezoelectric ceramic (4) are located in the mounting cavity (10).

7. An ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for a camera according to claim 6, characterized in that: There is a gap between the piezoelectric ceramic (4) and the mirror tube (1).

8. The ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for cameras according to claim 6, characterized in that: The mounting cavity (10) is provided with a stepped portion (101), the outer side of the front lens (2) rests on the stepped portion (101), and the upper surface of the piezoelectric ceramic (4) is bonded to the lower surface of the front lens (2); and / or The inner wall of the lens barrel (1) is provided with a wire groove (11) that communicates with the mounting cavity (10), and the FPC (5) extends through the wire groove (11) to the rear end or side end of the lens barrel (1).

9. An ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for a camera according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that: It also includes a pressure cap (3), which cooperates with the front end of the lens barrel (1) to lock the front lens (2) onto the lens barrel (1).

10. A camera module, characterized in that: Includes a housing (6) and an ultrasonic cleaning and decontamination device for a camera as described in any one of claims 1-9, disposed within the housing (6).

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