Camera module

Abstract

The present invention provides a camera module, comprising: an image sensor; a substrate, the image sensor being disposed on a first side of the substrate; an extension portion consisting of a first circuit board and a second circuit board, connected to the substrate; an electrode portion consisting of a third circuit board and a fourth circuit board, the third circuit board being electrically connected to the first circuit board and the fourth circuit board being electrically connected to the second circuit board; a heat-conducting wire, the first end of the heat-conducting wire being fixed to a second side of the substrate opposite to the first side, and extending through the extension portion and the electrode portion; and a heat-conducting block connected to the second end of the heat-conducting wire.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a camera module. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In the field of biomedical testing, since endoscopes and some small medical devices are used in dark environments, these devices or camera modules need to be equipped with their own light sources. Because electronic components generate heat when powered on, the signal-capturing components will produce thermal noise, which increases the noise of the image sensor and reduces its signal sensitivity. Furthermore, since endoscopes and some small medical devices may come into direct contact with or be close to the human body, the high temperatures generated by the image sensor may reduce user acceptance of the medical device. Excessive heat may even cause injury to the user. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] The present invention provides a camera module to solve the heat dissipation problem of the micro-module of the camera module.

[0004] The present invention provides a camera module, comprising: an image sensor; a substrate, the image sensor being disposed on a first side of the substrate; an extension portion consisting of a first circuit board and a second circuit board, connected to the substrate; an electrode portion consisting of a third circuit board and a fourth circuit board, the third circuit board being electrically connected to the first circuit board, and the fourth circuit board being electrically connected to the second circuit board; a heat-conducting wire, the first end of the heat-conducting wire being fixed to a second side of the substrate opposite to the first side, and extending through the extension portion and the electrode portion; and a heat-conducting block connected to the second end of the heat-conducting wire.

[0005] In one embodiment of the present invention, the substrate, the first circuit board, the second circuit board, the third circuit board, and the fourth circuit board are integrally formed from the same flexible printed circuit board.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first circuit board is substantially parallel to the second circuit board, and the third circuit board is substantially parallel to the fourth circuit board.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the heat-conducting wire is greater than or equal to 32 AWG.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first end of the heat-conducting wire is fixed to the second side of the substrate by a fixing device, and the second end of the heat-conducting wire is connected to the heat-conducting block by welding or locking.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first end of the heat-conducting wire is bent into an L-shape.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixing device is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of the heat capacity of the heat-conducting block to the heat capacity of the image sensor is greater than or equal to 100.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the camera module further includes a fixing plate, the fixing plate having a hole in the center for the image sensor to pass through the fixing plate to fix the image sensor; a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged on the fixing plate in a manner surrounding the image sensor.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the camera module further includes: a tube for accommodating the image sensor, the substrate, the extension portion, the electrode portion, and a portion of the heat-conducting wire, wherein the image sensor is close to a first end of the tube; a window attached to the first end of the tube with optical adhesive and opposite to the image sensor; a tube end cap connected to a second end of the tube, wherein the heat-conducting wire extends through the tube end cap; and a curing adhesive for filling the gaps between the tubes.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the outer diameter of the tube is greater than or equal to 2.0 mm, and the wall thickness of the tube is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the tube body is made of a biocompatible metal material.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the thermal conductivity of the cured adhesive is greater than 0.50 W / (m·K).

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the curing adhesive is a thermosetting adhesive or a UV curing adhesive.

[0018] Based on the above, the heat-conducting wires and heat-conducting blocks in the camera module of the present invention can effectively dissipate the heat emitted by the image sensor and other components in the small-sized camera module, effectively reducing the temperature of the camera module. This not only reduces noise in the image sensor, thereby improving signal sensitivity, but also avoids the high temperatures generated by the image sensor, thus increasing user acceptance of the medical device and preventing injury to the user due to excessive heat.

Implementation Method

[0020] FIG1A is a side view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG1B is a cross-sectional view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG2 is a side view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a substrate, extension, electrode portion, and fixing plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Please refer to Figures 1A, 1B, 2 to 4 at the same time.

[0022] The camera module 10 includes: an image sensor 12, a substrate 14, an extension 16, an electrode 18, a heat-conducting wire 26, and a heat-conducting block 40.

[0023] The image sensor 12 is used to convert incident light into electrical signals to generate a digital image. In this embodiment, the image sensor 12 is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. In this embodiment, the dimensions of the image sensor 12 are 0.65 mm long x 0.65 mm wide x 1.198 mm high. The image sensor 12 has a resolution of 400x400, a maximum frame rate of 30 FPS (frames per second), and an average power consumption of 25.0 mW, with a maximum power consumption of up to 26.4 mW. The above describes the image sensor 12 in this embodiment, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, and an image sensor with similar characteristics can be selected according to actual needs.

[0024] The image sensor 12 is disposed on a first side of the substrate 14. In some embodiments, the substrate 14 is a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). The image sensor 12 is bonded to the substrate 14 using surface mount technology (SMT). In some embodiments, the second side of the substrate 14 opposite to the first side further includes a substrate fixing block 14A to improve the strength of the substrate 14 and prevent the substrate 14 from deforming.

[0025] The extension 16, composed of a first circuit board 16A and a second circuit board 16B, is connected to the substrate 14. In this embodiment, the first circuit board 16A and the second circuit board 16B are substantially parallel to each other. In this embodiment, the first circuit board 16A and the second circuit board 16B are flexible printed circuit boards. The substrate 14 is connected to the first circuit board 16A, and the substrate 14 is bonded to the second circuit board 16A. As shown in Figures 1B and 2, there is a space between the first circuit board 16A and the second circuit board 16B to allow the heat-conducting wire 26 to pass through it.

[0026] The electrode section 18 is composed of a third circuit board 18A and a fourth circuit board 18B. The third circuit board 18A is electrically connected to the first circuit board 16A, and the fourth circuit board 18B is electrically connected to the second circuit board 16B. In this embodiment, the third circuit board 18A and the fourth circuit board 18B are substantially parallel to each other. In this embodiment, the third circuit board 18A and the fourth circuit board 18B are flexible printed circuit boards. The third circuit board 18A is connected to the first circuit board 16A, and the fourth circuit board 18B is connected to the second circuit board 16B. As shown in Figures 1B and 2, there is a space between the third circuit board 18A and the fourth circuit board 18B to allow the heat-conducting wire 26 to pass through it. As shown in Figures 1B and 2, the distance between the first circuit board 16A and the second circuit board 16B is greater than the distance between the third circuit board 18A and the fourth circuit board 18B. As shown in Figure 3, the fourth circuit board 18B further includes an electrode 20 for electrically connecting to the image sensor 12 and the light-emitting element 24 to provide the power required for the operation of the image sensor 12 and the light-emitting element 24.

[0027] The heat-conducting wire 26 is used to transfer the heat generated by the image sensor 12. The first end of the heat-conducting wire 26 is fixed to the second side of the substrate 14 opposite to the first side, and extends through the extension portion 16 and the electrode portion 18. The second side of the substrate 14 is also referred to as the back side of the substrate 14. In this embodiment, the wire diameter of the heat-conducting wire 26 is 32 AWG (0.20 mm) or more. In this embodiment, the first end of the heat-conducting wire 26 is fixed to the second side of the substrate 14 by a fixing device 27. In some embodiments, the heat-conducting wire 26 with a wire diameter of 32 AWG can be bent into an L-shape and attached to the second side of the substrate 14, so that it contacts the substrate 14 at the rear end of the image sensor 12, thereby increasing its contact area. In this embodiment, the heat-conducting wire 26 is fixed to the second side of the substrate 14 by the fixing device 27. In this embodiment, the fixing device 27 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). In the space between the extensions 16, the heat-conducting wire 26 is fixed by the fixing block 28 to ensure that the heat-conducting wire 26 will not move arbitrarily, causing poor contact and reducing heat conduction efficiency.

[0028] The heat-conducting block 40 is connected to the second end of the heat-conducting wire 26. As shown in FIG. 4, the second end of the heat-conducting wire 26 is connected to the heat-conducting block 40 by welding or fastening. In this way, the heat emitted by the image sensor 12 can be conducted from the substrate 14 to the heat-conducting block 40 through the heat-conducting wire 26. In this embodiment, the ratio of the heat capacity of the heat-conducting block 40 to the heat capacity of the image sensor 12 is greater than or equal to 100, but is not limited thereto. Since the heat capacity of the heat-conducting block 40 is much greater than the heat capacity of the image sensor 12, the heat-conducting block 40 can effectively absorb the heat emitted by the image sensor 12, thereby effectively cooling the image sensor 12.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1B and 2, the camera module 10 further includes a fixing plate 22 and multiple light-emitting elements 24.

[0030] A fixing plate 22 is used to fix the image sensor 12. Specifically, the fixing plate 22 has a hole in the center that mates with the image sensor 12, allowing the image sensor 12 to pass through the fixing plate 22 for fixing. In this embodiment, the fixing plate 22 is a flexible printed circuit board. In this embodiment, the fixing plate 22 is connected to the fourth circuit board 18B. In some embodiments, the side of the fixing plate 22 opposite to the substrate 14 further includes a fixing block 22A to improve the strength of the fixing plate 22 and prevent deformation of the fixing plate 22.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, the substrate 14, the first circuit board 16A, the second circuit board 16B, the third circuit board 18A, the fourth circuit board 18B, and the fixing plate 22 are integrally formed from the same flexible printed circuit board. By cutting and bending the flexible printed circuit board, the substrate 14, the first circuit board 16A, the second circuit board 16B, the third circuit board 18A, the fourth circuit board 18B, and the fixing plate 22 can be formed simultaneously.

[0032] A plurality of light-emitting elements 24 are arranged on the mounting plate 22 in a manner surrounding the image sensor 12. In this embodiment, the number of light-emitting elements 24 is four, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 24 are light-emitting diodes. The dimensions of the light-emitting elements 24 are 0.6 mm in length and 0.3 mm in width, but are not limited thereto. The maximum power consumption of the light-emitting elements 24 can reach 21.2 mW, corresponding to a luminous flux of 9.9 lumens. The luminous flux required for actual operation is 2-4 lumens. Taking 4 lumens as an example, the corresponding power consumption is approximately 8.39 mW. In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 24 are bonded to the mounting plate 22 using surface mount technology (SMT).

[0033] As shown in Figures 1B and 2, the camera module 10 further includes: a tube body 30, a window 32, a pipeline end cap 34, and a curing adhesive 30A.

[0034] The tube body 30 is used to house the image sensor 12, the substrate 14, the extension 16, the electrode portion 18, and a portion of the heat-conducting wire 26. The image sensor 12 is located near the first end of the tube body 30. In this embodiment, the tube body 30 is made of a biocompatible metal. In this embodiment, the outer diameter D of the tube body 30 is greater than or equal to 2.0 mm and less than or equal to 4.0 mm, and the wall thickness of the tube body 30 is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm and less than or equal to 0.7 mm. Because the wall of the tube body 30 is extremely thin, the heat emitted by the image sensor 12 can be conducted to the outside through the tube body 30 in a radiative manner.

[0035] The curing adhesive 30A is used to fill the gaps between the tube bodies 30. As mentioned above, the diameter of the heat-conducting wire 26 is 32 AWG (0.20 mm) or larger, and the solder joints are extremely small. Therefore, in addition to being covered by the tube bodies 30, the gaps between the tube bodies 30 are filled with curing adhesive 30A to assist heat conduction and to fix the solder joints, preventing open circuits. In this embodiment, the thermal conductivity of the curing adhesive 30A is greater than 0.50 W / (m·K), but this disclosure is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the curing adhesive 30A can be a thermosetting adhesive or a UV-curing adhesive, and this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0036] The window 32 is attached to the first end of the tube 30 with optical clear adhesive 32A, and is opposite to the image sensor 12. In this embodiment, the window 32 is made of a light-transmitting material such as glass or plastic, and the window 32 is bonded to the tube 30 and the fixing plate 20 with transparent optical clear adhesive (OCA) 32A.

[0037] The pipeline end cap 34 is connected to the second end of the pipe body 30 to seal the pipe body 30. The heat-conducting wire 26 extends through the pipeline end cap 34 and is connected to the heat-conducting block 40. The curing adhesive 34A is used to fill the gaps between the pipeline end caps 34 to assist in heat conduction. In this embodiment, the thermal conductivity of the curing adhesive 34A is greater than 0.50 W / (m·K), but this disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the curing adhesive 30A and the curing adhesive 34A are made of the same material.

[0038] When the heat-conducting wire 26 extends from the pipe end cap 34 to the heat-conducting block 40, the heat-conducting wire 26 has a pipe outer shell 36 to protect the heat-conducting wire 26.

[0039] Therefore, as shown in Figures 1A, 1B, 2 to 4, when the image sensor 12 and the light-emitting element 24 are working, the heat emitted can be conducted to the heat-conducting block 40 by means of heat-conducting wires 26 fixed to the substrate 14.

[0040] Figures 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams of temperature distribution of a camera module with a heat dissipation design that does not use an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 5A shows the temperature distribution on the surface of tube 30 after the image sensor 12 and the light-emitting element 24 have been operating for 64,800 seconds. As shown in Figure 5A, the temperature indicated by the index is approximately 43.547 degrees Celsius at the center of window 34.

[0042] Figure 5B shows the temperature distribution inside the tube 30 after the image sensor 12 and the light-emitting element 24 have been operating for 64,800 seconds. As shown in Figure 5B, the indicator shows that the temperature at this location of the image sensor 12 is approximately 46.322 degrees Celsius.

[0043] Generally speaking, the human body temperature is between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. Therefore, in the absence of a heat dissipation device, the temperature of the camera module is far higher than the human body temperature, which will cause discomfort to the user and may even cause injury.

[0044] Figures 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams of temperature distribution of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 6A shows the temperature distribution on the surface of tube 30 after the image sensor 12 and the light-emitting element 24 have been operating for 64,800 seconds. As shown in Figure 6A, the temperature indicated by the index is approximately 30.283 degrees Celsius at the center of window 34. Compared to the temperature of approximately 43.547 degrees Celsius at the center of window 34 in Figure 5A, the temperature has decreased by approximately 13 degrees Celsius.

[0046] Figure 6B shows the temperature distribution inside the tube 30 after the image sensor 12 and the light-emitting element 24 have been operating for 64,800 seconds. As shown in Figure 6B, the indicator shows that the temperature at this location of the image sensor 12 is approximately 30.592 degrees Celsius. Compared to the temperature of approximately 46.322 degrees Celsius at this location of the window image sensor 12 in Figure 5B, the temperature has decreased by approximately 15 degrees Celsius.

[0047] Therefore, under long-term operation, the temperature inside and outside the tube 30 is about 30 degrees Celsius, which can effectively cool the image sensor 12. Generally speaking, the human body temperature is about 35 to 37 degrees Celsius. The camera module temperature of the present invention can be lower than the human body temperature, which can avoid injury to the user or discomfort to the user, and can also maintain the signal quality of the image sensor.

[0048] In summary, the heat-conducting wires and blocks in the camera module of the present invention can effectively dissipate the heat generated by the image sensor and other components in the small-sized camera module, effectively reducing the temperature of the camera module. This not only reduces noise in the image sensor, thereby improving signal sensitivity, but also avoids the high temperatures generated by the image sensor, thus increasing user acceptance of the medical device and preventing injury to the user due to excessive heat. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0019] Various aspects of the present invention can be best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is worth noting that, according to industry standard practice, the various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, for clarity of discussion, the dimensions of various features can be arbitrarily increased or decreased. FIG1A is a side view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG1B is a cross-sectional view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG2 is a side view of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the substrate, extension, electrode portion, and fixing plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG5A and 5B are schematic diagrams of temperature distribution of a camera module without using the heat dissipation design of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG6A and 6B are schematic diagrams of temperature distribution of a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A camera module, comprising: An image sensor; A substrate, wherein the image sensor is disposed on a first side of the substrate; an extension, consisting of a first circuit board and a second circuit board, connected to the substrate; an electrode portion, consisting of a third circuit board and a fourth circuit board, the third circuit board being electrically connected to the first circuit board and the fourth circuit board being electrically connected to the second circuit board; a heat-conducting wire, the first end of which is fixed to a second side of the substrate opposite to the first side, and extends through the space between the first circuit board and the second circuit board of the extension portion and the electrode portion; a heat-conducting block connected to a second end of the heat-conducting wire; and a tube for accommodating the image sensor, the substrate, the extension portion, the electrode portion, and a portion of the heat-conducting wire, the image sensor being close to a first end of the tube; wherein the heat-conducting block is located outside the tube.

2. The camera module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate, the first circuit board, the second circuit board, the third circuit board, and the fourth circuit board are integrally formed from the same flexible printed circuit board.

3. The camera module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first circuit board is substantially parallel to the second circuit board, and the third circuit board is substantially parallel to the fourth circuit board.

4. The camera module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diameter of the heat-conducting wire is greater than or equal to 32 AWG.

5. The camera module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end of the heat-conducting wire is fixed to the second side of the substrate by a fixing device, and the second end of the heat-conducting wire is connected to the heat-conducting block by welding or locking.

6. The camera module as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first end of the heat-conducting wire is bent into an L-shape.

7. The camera module as described in claim 5, wherein the fixing device is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

8. The camera module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ratio of the heat capacity of the heat-conducting block to the heat capacity of the image sensor is greater than or equal to 100.

9. A camera module, comprising: An image sensor; A substrate, wherein the image sensor is disposed on a first side of the substrate; an extension portion, consisting of a first circuit board and a second circuit board, connected to the substrate; an electrode portion, consisting of a third circuit board and a fourth circuit board, wherein the third circuit board is electrically connected to the first circuit board and the fourth circuit board is electrically connected to the second circuit board; a heat-conducting wire, wherein a first end of the heat-conducting wire is fixed to a second side of the substrate opposite to the first side and extends through the extension portion and the electrode portion; a heat-conducting block, connected to a second end of the heat-conducting wire; a fixing plate, wherein the fixing plate includes a hole in the center for the image sensor to pass through the fixing plate to fix the image sensor; and a plurality of light-emitting elements, arranged on the fixing plate in a manner surrounding the image sensor.

10. A camera module, comprising: An image sensor; A substrate, wherein the image sensor is disposed on a first side of the substrate; an extension, consisting of a first circuit board and a second circuit board, connected to the substrate; an electrode portion, consisting of a third circuit board and a fourth circuit board, the third circuit board being electrically connected to the first circuit board and the fourth circuit board being electrically connected to the second circuit board; a heat-conducting wire, the first end of which is fixed to a second side of the substrate opposite to the first side and extends through the extension portion and the electrode portion; a heat-conducting block connected to a second end of the heat-conducting wire; a tube body for accommodating the image sensor, the substrate, the extension portion, the electrode portion, and a portion of the heat-conducting wire, the image sensor being close to the first end of the tube body; a window, attached to the first end of the tube body with optical adhesive, opposite to the image sensor; a tube end cap connected to the second end of the tube body, through which the heat-conducting wire extends; and a curing adhesive for filling the gaps between the tube bodies.

11. The camera module as claimed in claim 10, wherein the outer diameter of the tube is greater than or equal to 2.0 mm and the wall thickness of the tube is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm.

12. The camera module as claimed in claim 10, wherein the tube is made of a biocompatible metal.

13. The camera module as claimed in claim 10, wherein the thermal conductivity of the cured adhesive is greater than 0.50 W / (m·K).

14. The camera module as claimed in claim 10, wherein the curing adhesive is a thermosetting adhesive or a UV-curing adhesive.

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