Camera module

Abstract

The application discloses a camera module, which comprises a lens barrel, a first lens and a second lens installed in the lens barrel, the lens barrel comprises a spacer ring, the object side of the spacer ring supports the first lens, the image side of the spacer ring abuts against the second lens, and the spacer ring is suitable for separating the first lens and the second lens; the lens barrel further comprises a containing groove, the containing groove is arranged on the outer circumferential side of the spacer ring in the circumferential direction, and a sealing ring is arranged in the containing groove. The application reduces the pressure intensity of the bearing position of the lens assembly of the camera module when the lens assembly is subjected to force, and improves the impact resistance of the lens of the camera module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to vehicle-mounted camera modules, and more particularly to a camera module. Background Technology

[0002] As people's demands for driving safety continue to increase, in-vehicle cameras have become an indispensable key component. However, the automotive environment is complex and varied, and camera modules mounted on the outside of the vehicle face a wide range of environmental challenges.

[0003] Currently, vehicle-mounted cameras or lenses are exposed, and the exposed surfaces are mostly glass components, making them very susceptible to breakage from impacts with external objects. This can completely disable the camera's functionality and subsequent vision-based intelligent driving features. Especially on roads with a lot of gravel, flying gravel from oncoming vehicles can easily damage the surface of vehicle-mounted cameras / lenses. Furthermore, exterior cameras in vehicles generally lack protective covers, making it even more urgent to improve the impact resistance of cameras / lenses against gravel.

[0004] Therefore, this patent proposes a lens structure design that is simple and easy to implement without increasing costs, and improves the resistance to rock fragment impact. Utility Model Content

[0005] One objective of this application is to improve the shock resistance of camera module lenses.

[0006] Another objective of this application is to reduce the pressure at the bearing position of the lens assembly of the camera module when it is subjected to force.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted in this application is as follows: a camera module, including a lens barrel, a first lens and a second lens installed in the lens barrel, the lens barrel including a spacer, the object side of the spacer receiving the first lens and the image side abutting the second lens, adapted to separate the first lens and the second lens;

[0008] The lens barrel also includes a receiving groove, which is circumferentially disposed on the outer periphery of the spacer, and a sealing ring is disposed in the receiving groove.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, an elastic component is provided between the bottom surface of the first lens and the lens barrel.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the elastic component is a heating wire or a SMOA sheet.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the lens barrel includes a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion. The first mounting portion is used to limit the periphery of the first lens. The second lens is mounted in the second mounting portion. The spacer and the first mounting portion are both located above the second mounting portion, and the spacer is spaced apart from the first mounting portion, thereby forming the receiving groove between the spacer and the first mounting portion. The inner side of the spacer extends inward and protrudes from the inner wall of the second mounting portion.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the spacer ring, the first mounting portion, and the second mounting portion are integrally formed.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the lens barrel includes a lens barrel body and a cover. The lens barrel body includes a first mounting portion, a second mounting portion, and the spacer ring. The cover is detachably connected to the lens barrel body and presses against the first lens.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, there is a gap between the cover and the top surface of the first mounting portion.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the spacer includes a first surface near the object side and a second surface near the image side. Both the first and second surfaces are planar. The first surface is used to receive the first lens, and the second surface is used to abut against the second lens. The area of ​​the first surface is larger than that of the second surface. The spacer also includes an inclined surface that connects obliquely upward from the second surface to the first surface. The inclined surface is inclined to the outer periphery of the lens barrel.

[0016] Preferably, the height of the sealing ring is not lower than the height of the spacer ring.

[0017] As a preferred option, the spacer is made of metal.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application are as follows:

[0019] (1) The first lens of this application is in contact with the spacer and the elastic sealing ring, and rests against the spacer and the sealing ring, which can reduce the pressure at the bearing position when the first lens is subjected to external force.

[0020] (2) This application separates the first lens and the second lens by using a spacer ring, which can prevent the first lens from being directly impacted by external pressure on the second lens, thereby protecting the second lens installed below the spacer ring from damage. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the camera module in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the camera module in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] In the diagram: 1. Lens tube; 11. Lens tube body; 111. Spacer; 1111. First surface; 1112. Second surface; 1113. Inclined surface;

[0024] 112. Receiving groove; 1121. Sealing ring; 113. First mounting part; 114. Second mounting part;

[0025] 12. Cover;

[0026] 2. Lens assembly; 21. First lens element; 22. Second lens element;

[0027] 3. Elastic components;

[0028] 4. Gap. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present application will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be noted that, without conflict, the various embodiments or technical features described below can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments.

[0030] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "lateral", "longitudinal", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc., which indicate the orientation and positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, 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, and should not be construed as limiting the specific protection scope of this application.

[0031] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0032] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification and claims of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or device.

[0033] This application provides, as follows: Figure 1 The camera module shown includes a lens barrel 1 and a lens assembly 2 installed in the lens barrel 1.

[0034] The lens assembly 2 includes a first lens 21 and a second lens 22 arranged sequentially along the light-incident direction. It is understood that the lens assembly 2 may also include at least one lens disposed on the image side of the second lens 22; this application does not limit this.

[0035] Furthermore, the lens barrel 1 includes a spacer 111, the object side of which receives the first lens 21 and the image side which abuts against the second lens 22, which is suitable for separating the first lens 21 and the second lens 22 to avoid the first lens 21 being subjected to external pressure and the contact area between the first lens 21 and the second lens 22 being too small, resulting in the second lens 22 being damaged by the concentrated external force.

[0036] Furthermore, the lens barrel 1 also includes a receiving groove 112, which is circumferentially disposed on the outer periphery of the spacer 111. A sealing ring 1121 is disposed in the receiving groove 112. That is, the sealing ring 1121 is placed in the groove at the edge of the lens barrel 1, which further reduces the pressure at the bearing position between the lens assembly 2 and the spacer 111. It should be understood that, on the one hand, the sealing ring 1121 is disposed between the lens barrel 1 and the first lens 21, which can absorb the vibration of the lens barrel 1 when it is impacted by the lens assembly 2 (such as from drops or transportation), reducing the risk of lens displacement or cracking of the adhesive layer. On the other hand, the sealing ring 1121 filling the receiving groove 112 also helps to prevent external dust and moisture from entering the interior of the lens assembly 2, avoiding contamination or mold growth on the lens surface (especially in high humidity / dust environments).

[0037] Furthermore, an elastic component 3 is provided between the bottom surface of the first lens 21 and the lens barrel 1. The elastic component 3 can be a heating wire (FPC) or a SMOA sheet, and this application does not impose any specific restrictions on it.

[0038] In some embodiments, an additional heating wire (FPC) is attached to the bottom surface of the first lens 21. The heating wire (FPC) can not only serve as an elastic buffer material to further reduce the pressure on the lens assembly 2 when it faces instantaneous impact, but also generate heat when the heating wire (FPC) is energized, thereby achieving the defogging effect of the lens assembly 2.

[0039] In some embodiments, a SMOA sheet is attached to the bottom surface of the first lens 21. The SMOA sheet also serves as a buffer, reducing the risk of damage to the lens assembly 2 when subjected to instantaneous impact. It is worth mentioning that, compared to the prior art where the SMOA sheet is only used to block stray light from the edge or side of the lens and only serves a light-shielding function, the SMOA sheet attached to the bottom of the first lens 21 in this application, in addition to the traditional function of light shielding, can also serve a heating and defogging function, ensuring reliable imaging of the camera module in all weather conditions.

[0040] It is understandable that when lens assembly 2 is impacted, the elastic materials (such as the SOMA sheet and sealing ring 1121) deform, absorbing some of the energy, while simultaneously dispersing the impact force through the material's elastic restoring force. This design is similar to the principle of a buffer pad, using the elastic deformation and energy absorption of the material to delay the impact time and reduce the impact force. This effectively reduces the risk of damage to lens assembly 2 when subjected to instantaneous impacts, improving the reliability and lifespan of the camera module.

[0041] Furthermore, the lens barrel 1 includes a first mounting portion 113 and a second mounting portion 114. The first mounting portion 113 is used to limit the periphery of the first lens 21. Specifically, the first mounting portion 113 forms a rigid, precise boundary constraint on the periphery of the first lens 21 without the need for additional parts, thereby simultaneously achieving the effects of lens optical axis positioning, impact resistance and anti-eccentricity, zero assembly clearance, and simplified process. The second lens 22 is mounted in the second mounting portion 114. The spacer 111 and the first mounting portion 113 are both located above the second mounting portion 114, and the spacer 111 is spaced apart from the first mounting portion 113, thereby forming a receiving groove 112 between the spacer 111 and the first mounting portion 113. The inner side of the spacer 111 extends inward and protrudes from the inner wall of the second mounting portion 114, so that the spacer 111 mounted above the second mounting portion 114 provides further protection for the second lens 22, reducing the risk of the second lens 22 being directly impacted by external forces and improving the durability and stability of the camera module.

[0042] In some embodiments, the spacer 111 is integrally formed with the first mounting portion 113 and the second mounting portion 114, which allows the spacer 111 to have a larger area and the first lens 21 to have a larger supporting area, thereby reducing the pressure at the supporting position when the lens assembly 2 is under stress. Moreover, integral forming reduces the risk of the spacer 111 loosening, and can maintain the lens axis positioning rigidity even under long-term vibration environments (such as automotive lenses). The end faces of the integrally formed spacer 111 and the first mounting portion 113 and the second mounting portion 114 can be processed simultaneously, avoiding the slight tilting of the lens assembly 2 caused by assembly gaps in the split structure, and reducing the optical axis deflection and aberration degradation of the lens assembly 2. The spacer 111, which is integrally formed on the lens barrel 1, can also eliminate the step of installing the spacer 111 separately, avoiding foreign matter contamination (such as metal shavings) or uneven torque introduced during the assembly process.

[0043] Furthermore, the lens barrel 1 includes a lens barrel body 11 and a cover 12. The lens barrel body 11 includes a first mounting portion 113, a second mounting portion 114, and a spacer 111. The cover 12 is detachably connected to the lens barrel body 11 and presses against the first lens 21. It should be understood that the detachable cover 12 eliminates the need to disassemble the entire unit or damage the adhesive layer, significantly reducing maintenance costs. Moreover, the cover 12 only contacts the planar area outside the effective diameter of the first lens 21 (avoiding the light-transmitting area), forming a uniform circumferential pressure and avoiding lens distortion caused by local stress concentration. Furthermore, the cover 12 applies a controllable axial preload to the end face of the first lens 21, forming a "hard contact" between the first lens 21 and the elastic component 3 and the spacer 111 located below the first lens 21. This eliminates the axial floating that may occur with traditional clips or glue fixation, and the lens assembly 2 will not move along the optical axis during a drop impact.

[0044] Furthermore, a gap 4 exists between the cover 12 and the top surface of the first mounting portion 113. When temperature changes cause inconsistent linear expansion between the cover 12 and the first mounting portion 113, the gap 4 can act as a "thermal expansion and contraction buffer zone," preventing the cover 12 from excessively compressing the first lens 21 due to expansion. At the same time, the gap 4 allows the cover 12 to have a controllable axial travel margin during the locking process, ensuring that the cover 12 can always press the lens assembly 2 tightly without crushing the lens or generating excessive stress due to interference, thus improving the assembly yield.

[0045] Furthermore, such as Figure 2 As shown, the spacer 111 includes a first surface 1111 near the object side and a second surface 1112 near the image side. Both the first surface 1111 and the second surface 1112 are planar. The first surface 1111 is used to receive the first lens 21, and the second surface 1112 is used to abut against the second lens 22. It should be understood that the two planar surfaces of the first surface 1111 and the second surface 1112 respectively form a complete circular annular contact with the planar edges (or planar pressing edges) of the first lens 21 and the second lens 22, respectively. The contact area is maximized and the force is evenly distributed, which can reduce the pressure at the bearing position when the lens assembly 2 is subjected to force, further reduce the risk of the second lens 22 being directly impacted by external forces, and improve the durability and stability of the camera module.

[0046] Furthermore, since the area of ​​the first surface 1111 is larger than that of the second surface 1112, it can be understood that the larger the area of ​​the spacer 111 used to support the first lens 21, the greater the external impact force that the first lens 21 can withstand, and the less likely it is to be damaged. In addition, the larger the contact area between the spacer 111 and the first lens 21, the shorter the relative sliding distance of the first lens 21 when it is pressed downward, which can prevent the lens surface from being "scratched" or the coating from being scratched.

[0047] Furthermore, the spacer 111 also includes an inclined surface 1113, which connects obliquely upward from the second surface 1112 to the first surface 1111. The inclined surface 1113 is inclined towards the outer periphery of the lens barrel 1. Compared to a traditional vertical surface, the stress on the inclined surface 1113 no longer converges at right angles or sharp corners, but rather diffuses evenly along the inclined surface 1113 towards the central axis of the lens barrel 1. When the lens barrel 1 is subjected to a drop or vibration impact, the downward inertial force of the first lens 21 reaches the inclined surface 1113 through the first surface 1111 and then forms a radial component force on the inner wall of the lens barrel 1, thereby firmly pressing the lens assembly 2 against the center of the lens barrel 1 and suppressing eccentricity.

[0048] Furthermore, the spacer 111 is made of a metal material, such as stainless steel, copper alloy, aluminum alloy, or nickel-silver alloy. This application does not impose specific limitations on this. Compared to plastic materials, the metal spacer 111 has extremely high structural rigidity, which reduces the contact deformation between the first surface 1111 and the first lens 21 to the micrometer level when the lens assembly 2 is subjected to drops, vibrations, or impacts from flying stones. It has strong compressive strength and a long service life.

[0049] In some embodiments, the height of the sealing ring 1121 is the height of the camera module along the optical axis, and the height of the sealing ring 1121 is not lower than the height of the spacer 111, that is, the height of the sealing ring 1121 along the optical axis is not lower than the height of the spacer 111 along the optical axis. It should be understood that the sealing ring 1121 will undergo a certain deformation after being squeezed by the first lens 21. Therefore, the height of the sealing ring 1121 is set to be slightly higher than the spacer 111. The first lens 21 first contacts the elastic sealing ring 1121, which can release part of the impact force first. When the first lens 21 abuts against the spacer 111, the impact force on the spacer 111 is significantly reduced, thereby reducing the pressure on the spacer 111. At the same time, it protects the first lens 21 supported above the sealing ring 1121 and the spacer 111 and the second lens 22 abutting below the spacer 111 from being easily damaged by external impacts.

[0050] Compared to existing technologies where the sealing ring is designed on the side of the lens assembly and does not provide a buffering effect, the elastic component 3 is attached below the first lens 21 of the camera module in this application, and the sealing ring 1121 is located below the elastic component 3, which plays a double role in buffering external pressure. This can effectively prevent the lens from being damaged by instantaneous impact, and improve the reliability and service life of the lens.

[0051] This application increases the bearing area of ​​the first lens 21 by increasing the area of ​​the first surface 1111 of the integrally formed spacer 111, thereby greatly increasing the force-bearing area of ​​the lens and reducing the pressure. Simultaneously, this application further reduces the pressure on the lens assembly 2 when subjected to instantaneous impact by adding an elastic component 3, such as an SOMA sheet or a heating wire (FPC), below the first lens 21, and placing an elastic sealing ring 1121 below the elastic component 3 as a buffer. These measures significantly reduce the risk of lens breakage when the lens assembly 2 is subjected to external impacts, especially from impacts with gravel.

[0052] The basic principles, main features, and advantages of this application have been described above. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely the principles of this application. Various changes and modifications can be made to this application without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claims. The scope of protection claimed by this application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A camera module, comprising a lens barrel, a first lens and a second lens mounted in the lens barrel, characterized in that, The lens barrel includes a spacer, the object side of which receives the first lens and the image side which abuts against the second lens, adapted to separate the first lens and the second lens; The lens barrel also includes a receiving groove, which is circumferentially disposed on the outer periphery of the spacer, and a sealing ring is disposed in the receiving groove.

2. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, An elastic component is provided between the bottom surface of the first lens and the lens barrel.

3. The camera module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The elastic component is a heating wire or a SMOA sheet.

4. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The lens barrel includes a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion. The first mounting portion is used to limit the periphery of the first lens. The second lens is mounted in the second mounting portion. The spacer and the first mounting portion are both located above the second mounting portion, and the spacer is spaced apart from the first mounting portion, thereby forming the receiving groove between the spacer and the first mounting portion. The inner side of the spacer extends inward and protrudes from the inner wall of the second mounting portion.

5. The camera module according to claim 4, characterized in that, The spacer ring, the first mounting part, and the second mounting part are integrally formed.

6. The camera module according to claim 4, characterized in that, The lens barrel includes a lens barrel body and a cover. The lens barrel body includes a first mounting part, a second mounting part, and the spacer ring. The cover is detachably connected to the lens barrel body and presses against the first lens.

7. The camera module according to claim 6, characterized in that, There is a gap between the cover and the top surface of the first mounting part.

8. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The spacer includes a first surface near the object side and a second surface near the image side. Both the first and second surfaces are planar. The first surface is used to receive the first lens, and the second surface is used to abut against the second lens. The area of ​​the first surface is larger than that of the second surface. The spacer also includes an inclined surface that connects obliquely upward from the second surface to the first surface. The inclined surface is inclined to the outer periphery of the lens barrel.

9. The camera module according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The height of the sealing ring is not lower than the height of the spacer ring.

10. The camera module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spacer ring is made of metal.

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