Camera module and head-mounted device including same

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a camera module may comprise: a lens assembly including a plurality of lenses and configured to focus or guide light incident from the outside; and an image sensor configured to detect the light focused or guided by the lens assembly. In an embodiment, the image sensor may be disposed to be inclined with respect to the optical axis of at least one of the plurality of lenses. In an embodiment, an electronic device and / or a head-mounted device may detect or track a user's gaze by using the camera module. Various other embodiments may also be possible.

Description

Camera module and head-mounting device including the same

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electronic devices, for example, to a camera module and a head-mounting device including the same.

[0002] With the development of electronic, information, and communication technologies, various functions are being integrated into a single electronic device. For example, an electronic device (e.g., a smartphone) includes communication functions as well as functions such as an audio player, an imaging device, or an electronic notebook, and even more diverse functions can be implemented on the smartphone through the additional installation of applications. In addition to executing installed applications or stored functions, the electronic device can receive various information in real time by connecting to a server or other electronic device via wired or wireless means.

[0003] As the use of electronic devices becomes commonplace, user demand for the portability and usability of such devices may increase. In response to these user demands, electronic devices that can be carried and used while worn on the body, similar to wristwatches or glasses (hereinafter referred to as "wearable electronic devices") have been commercialized. Among wearable electronic devices, those that can be worn on the face can be effectively utilized for implementing virtual reality or augmented reality. For example, wearable electronic devices can implement virtual reality by providing three-dimensional images of a virtual space within a game enjoyed on a television or computer monitor, while blocking images of the actual space where the user is located. Other types of wearable electronic devices can implement augmented reality by providing an environment where the user can visually perceive actual images of the space they are in, while simultaneously displaying virtual images to provide the user with various visual information. The "actual images of the space" may include, for example, images captured by a camera or images transmitted through see-through optics. 'Virtual images' may include information about the space where the user is staying, and / or information about various objects within the space.

[0004] The information described above may be provided as related art for the purpose of aiding understanding of the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the foregoing may be applied as prior art in relation to the present disclosure.

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a camera module and / or an electronic device including the same may include a lens assembly configured to focus or guide light incident from the outside, comprising a plurality of lenses, and an image sensor configured to detect light focused or guided by the lens assembly. In one embodiment, the image sensor may be positioned at an angle with respect to at least one optical axis of the plurality of lenses.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a head-mounting device may include a housing configured to be placed on or worn on a user's face, a display configured to be placed on the housing to be oriented toward the user's face and configured to output a screen along a first direction, and a camera module configured to be placed on the housing to be oriented toward the user's face and configured to receive light incident along a second direction inclined toward the first direction. In one embodiment, the camera module may include a plurality of lenses configured to be sequentially aligned along an optical axis parallel to the second direction and configured to focus or guide light incident along the second direction, and an image sensor configured to be placed inclined toward the optical axis and configured to detect light focused or guided by the plurality of lenses. In one embodiment, it may be configured to detect or track the user's gaze based on the light detected by the image sensor.

[0007] The aspects, configurations, and / or advantages described above regarding one embodiment of the present disclosure may become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electronic device in a network environment according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the internal configuration of a wearable electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIGS. 3 and 4 are drawings showing the front and rear of a wearable electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating a part of the configuration of a head mounting device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a first alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject.

[0013] FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject.

[0014] FIG. 8 is a drawing showing a camera module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject.

[0016] FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to the second alignment state of the camera module and the subject of FIG. 8.

[0017] FIG. 11 is a drawing showing a camera module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 12 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject.

[0019] FIG. 13 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to the second alignment state of the camera module and the subject of FIG. 11.

[0020] FIG. 14 is a drawing showing a camera module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 15 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject.

[0022] FIG. 16 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to the second alignment state of the camera module and the subject of FIG. 14.

[0023] FIG. 17 is a drawing showing a camera module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 18 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject.

[0025] FIG. 19 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to the second alignment state of the camera module and the subject of FIG. 17.

[0026] FIG. 20 is a drawing showing a camera module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 21 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject.

[0028] FIG. 22 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to the second alignment state of the camera module and the subject of FIG. 20.

[0029] FIG. 23 is a drawing showing a camera module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 24 is a drawing showing a camera module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 25 is a drawing showing a camera module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 26 is a drawing showing a camera module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Throughout the attached drawings, similar parts, configurations, and / or structures may be assigned similar reference numbers.

[0034] A head-mounted device, which is worn on the user's face, can provide visual information, such as a screen, at a distance that is very close to the user's eyesight (e.g., within approximately 5 cm). For example, the head-mounted device can visually block the current real space while providing the user with a virtual space rendered as an image, or it can provide additional visual information while allowing the user to perceive the current real space. The image quality of the visual information provided by the head-mounted device may be perceived differently depending on the user's line of sight (or gaze). For example, even if an image of the same quality is provided to the user, the image quality may be perceived differently depending on the direction the user is looking. Therefore, the head-mounted device can suppress image quality deviations caused by changes in the user's gaze by detecting or tracking the user's line of sight and adjusting the image quality of the visual information provided to the user.

[0035] In head-mounted devices, camera modules can be utilized to detect the user's gaze. However, since the user's gaze is generally aligned with the display and the camera module is positioned so as not to visually interfere with the display's output (e.g., the screen), the accuracy of gaze detection may be reduced. For instance, in environments where alignment with the subject is difficult, it may be challenging to detect the user's gaze when a standard camera module is mounted on a head-mounted device. While the accuracy of gaze detection can be improved by deploying multiple camera modules, it may be difficult to place a larger number of camera modules on a device worn on the user's body (e.g., a head-mounted device).

[0036] One embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a camera module and / or an electronic device (e.g., a head-mounted device) comprising the same, which implements improved performance in detecting a user's gaze, in order to at least resolve the problems and / or disadvantages described above and at least provide the advantages described below.

[0037] One embodiment of the present disclosure can provide a camera module that can contribute to the miniaturization and / or weight reduction of a body-worn electronic device, such as a head-mounted device, by improving the performance of gaze detection.

[0038] The technical problems to be solved in this document are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0039] The following description relating to the attached drawings may provide an understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, including the claims and their corresponding contents. While the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the following description include various specific details to aid understanding, they are to be considered as one of various exemplary embodiments. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications to the various embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the scope and technical spirit of the disclosure. Additionally, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and configurations may be omitted.

[0040] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to their literal meanings but may be used to clearly and consistently describe an embodiment of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the disclosure is provided for illustrative purposes, not for the purpose of limiting the scope of the rights or the disclosure defined as equivalent thereto.

[0041] Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, it should be understood that the singular forms of "a," "an," and "the" include a plural meaning. Thus, for example, "component surface" can be understood to include one or more of the component surfaces.

[0042] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) in a network environment (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, in the network environment (100), the electronic device (101) may communicate with an electronic device (102) through a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network) or may communicate with at least one of an electronic device (104) or a server (108) through a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) through a server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), memory (130), input module (150), sound output module (155), display module (160), audio module (170), sensor module (176), interface (177), connection terminal (178), haptic module (179), camera module (180), power management module (188), battery (189), communication module (190), subscriber identification module (196), or antenna module (197). In one embodiment, at least one of these components (e.g., connection terminal (178)) may be omitted from the electronic device (101), or one or more other components may be added. In one embodiment, some of these components (e.g., sensor module (176), camera module (180), or antenna module (197)) may be integrated into a single component (e.g., display module (160)).

[0043] The processor (120) can control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) by executing software (e.g., program (140)), for example, and can perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or operations, the processor (120) can store commands or data received from other components (e.g., sensor module (176) or communication module (190)) in volatile memory (132), process the commands or data stored in volatile memory (132), and store the resulting data in non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., central processing unit or application processor) or an auxiliary processor (123) that can operate independently or together with it (e.g., graphics processing unit, neural processing unit (NPU), image signal processor, sensor hub processor, or communication processor). For example, if the electronic device (101) includes a main processor (121) and an auxiliary processor (123), the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use lower power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a designated function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as part thereof.

[0044] The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., display module (160), sensor module (176), or communication module (190)) on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., image signal processor or communication processor) may be implemented as part of another functionally related component (e.g., camera module (180) or communication module (190)). According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be generated through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, on the electronic device (101) itself where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers.An artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to the hardware structure, the artificial intelligence model may include a software structure, either additionally or substantially.

[0045] The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)). The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (e.g., program (140)) and related commands. The memory (130) may include volatile memory (132) or non-volatile memory (134).

[0046] The program (140) may be stored as software in memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0047] The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used for a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) from outside the electronic device (101) (e.g., user). The input module (150) may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0048] The sound output module (155) can output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device (101). The sound output module (155) may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver may be used to receive incoming calls. According to one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part thereof.

[0049] The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external (e.g., user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling said device. According to one embodiment, the display module (160) may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of the force generated by said touch.

[0050] The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal or, conversely, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150) or output sound through the sound output module (155) or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphones) that is directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

[0051] The sensor module (176) can detect the operating state of the electronic device (101) (e.g., power or temperature) or the external environmental state (e.g., user state) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biosensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0052] The interface (177) may support one or more specified protocols that can be used for the electronic device (101) to be connected directly or wirelessly to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0053] The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0054] The haptic module (179) can convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that the user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic senses. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulation device.

[0055] The camera module (180) can capture still images and video. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0056] The power management module (188) can manage the power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented, for example, as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0057] The battery (189) can supply power to at least one component of the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0058] The communication module (190) can support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between an electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., cellular communication module, short-range wireless communication module, or GNSS (global navigation satellite system) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., LAN (local area network) communication module, or power line communication module). The corresponding communication module among these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device through a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, WiFi (wireless fidelity) direct, or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) can identify or authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199) using subscriber information (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0059] The wireless communication module (192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following 4G networks, for example, new radio access technology. NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (massive machine type communications (mMTC)), or high reliability and low latency (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC)). The wireless communication module (192) can support a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate, for example. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in the high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large-scale antenna. The wireless communication module (192) can support various requirements specified by the electronic device (101), an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (104)), or a network system (e.g., a second network (199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a Peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for realizing eMBB, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for realizing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) each 0.5 ms or less, or round trip 1 ms or less) for realizing URLLC.

[0060] An antenna module (197) can transmit a signal or power to an external source (e.g., an external electronic device) or receive it from an external source. According to one embodiment, the antenna module may include an antenna comprising a radiator made of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as a first network (198) or a second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by a communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to one embodiment, in addition to the radiator, other components (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module (197).

[0061] According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. According to one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent to a first surface (e.g., bottom surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a specified high frequency band (e.g., mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas) disposed on or adjacent to a second surface (e.g., top surface or side surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving a signal of the specified high frequency band.

[0062] At least some of the above components can be connected to each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)) and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other.

[0063] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) through a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102 or 104) may be the same or different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations performed on the electronic device (101) may be performed on one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104 or 108). For example, if the electronic device (101) needs to perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service instead of performing the function or service itself or additionally. One or more external electronic devices that receive the above request may execute at least part of the requested function or service, or additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may provide the result as is or additionally processed as at least part of the response to the request. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device (101) may provide ultra-low latency services using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included within the second network (199).The electronic device (101) can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0064] The electronic device according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure may be of various forms. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a consumer electronics device. The electronic device according to the embodiment of the present document is not limited to the devices described above.

[0065] The embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of said embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, phrases such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B or C,” “at least one of A, B and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C” each may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as “first,” “second,” or “first” or “second” may be used simply to distinguish said components from other said components and do not limit said components in any other aspect (e.g., importance or order). Where any (e.g., first) component is referred to as “coupled” or “connected” to another (e.g., second) component, with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicationly,” it may be understood that said any component may be connected to said other component directly (e.g., via a wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0066] The term “module” as used in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit, for example. A module may be a component formed integrally, or a minimum unit of said component or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0067] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as software (e.g., program (140)) comprising one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory (136) or external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., electronic device (101)) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be executed by an interpreter. The storage medium readable by the machine may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-temporary' merely means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and this term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the method according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure may be provided by being included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or an application store (e.g., Play Store). TM It can be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) through ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created on a device-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0069] According to one embodiment, each component (e.g., module or program) of the components described above may include a singular or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to one embodiment, one or more of the components or operations among the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Generally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the corresponding component among the multiple components prior to integration. According to one embodiment, operations performed by the module, program, or other components may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0070] FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the internal configuration of a wearable electronic device (200) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the wearable electronic device (200) of FIG. 2 (or the wearable electronic device (300) of FIG. 3 described below) may be substantially identical to the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 and may be implemented to be wearable on a user's body. In one embodiment, the wearable electronic device (200) may be used while being worn on a user's head or face and may be referred to as a 'head mounting device (HMD)'. In one embodiment, each of the external electronic devices (102, 104) of FIG. 1 may be the same or different type of device as the electronic device (101) or the wearable electronic device (200, 300). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations performed on the electronic device (101) or the wearable electronic device (200, 300) may be performed on one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when an electronic device (101) or a wearable electronic device (200, 300) needs to perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) or the wearable electronic device (200, 300) may request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a part of the function or service instead of performing the function or service itself or additionally. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may perform at least a part of the requested function or service, or additional functions or services related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101) or the wearable electronic device (200, 300). The electronic device (101) or the wearable electronic device (200, 300) may provide the result as is or additionally processed as at least part of the response to the request.For example, an external electronic device (102) renders content data executed in an application and transmits it to an electronic device (101) or a wearable electronic device (200, 300), and the electronic device (101) or the wearable electronic device (200, 300) that receives the data can output the content data to a display module. When the electronic device (101) or the wearable electronic device (200, 300) detects user movement through an inertial measurement unit sensor, etc., the processor of the electronic device (101) or the wearable electronic device (200, 300) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can correct the rendering data received from the external electronic device (102) based on the movement information and output it to a display module. Alternatively, the external electronic device (102) can transmit the movement information and request rendering so that the screen data is updated accordingly. According to various embodiments, the external electronic device (102) may be a device of various forms, such as a case device capable of storing and charging the electronic device (101).

[0072] Referring to FIG. 2, a wearable electronic device (200) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of a light output module (211), a display member (201), and a camera module (250). According to one embodiment, the light output module (211) may include a light source capable of outputting an image and a lens that guides the image to the display member (201). For example, an image output from the light output module (211) may be guided to the user's eye (e.g., the eye (UE) in FIG. 5) via the lens and / or the display member (201). According to one embodiment, the light output module (211) may include at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a digital mirror device (DMD), a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), a light emitting diode (LED) on silicon (LEDoS), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), or a micro light emitting diode (micro LED).

[0073] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the display member (201) may include a light waveguide. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an image output by a light output module (211) incident on one end of the light waveguide may propagate within the light waveguide and be provided to a user. For example, the display member (201) may be understood as an optical system that guides or focuses an image output by the light output module (211) to the user's eyes along a designated path.

[0074] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the display member (201) may include at least one of a diffractive optical element (DOE), a holographic optical element (HOE), or a reflective element (e.g., a reflective mirror) provided in an optical waveguide. For example, the display member (201) may guide an output image of an optical output module (211) to the user's eye by including at least one diffractive optical element, a holographic optical element, or a reflective element, and / or by including an optical waveguide.

[0075] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the camera module (250) can capture still images and / or video. According to one embodiment, the camera module (250) may be placed within a lens frame and around a display member (201).

[0076] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a first camera module (251) may capture and / or recognize the trajectory of a user's eye (e.g., pupil, iris) or gaze. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first camera module (251) may periodically or non-periodically transmit information related to the trajectory of the user's eye or gaze (e.g., trajectory information) to a processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1). For example, the first camera module (251) may detect or track the user's gaze. In one embodiment, the first camera module (251) may be implemented by the camera module (500) of FIG. 8 and may be used to perform user authentication, such as iris recognition. For example, a head-mounted device (e.g., wearable electronic device (200)) may perform user authentication using the first camera module (251).

[0077] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second camera module (253) can capture an external image.

[0078] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a third camera module (255) may be used for hand detection and tracking and user gesture (e.g., hand movements) recognition. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a third camera module (255) may be used for 3 degrees of freedom (3DoF), 6DoF head tracking, location (space, environment) recognition, and / or movement recognition. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a second camera module (253) may be used for hand detection and tracking and user gesture recognition. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the first camera module (251) to the third camera module (255) may be replaced with a sensor module (e.g., LiDAR sensor). For example, the sensor module may include at least one of a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), an infrared sensor, and / or a photodiode.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the wearable electronic device (200) may include a pair of display members (201) arranged side by side on one side of each other. For example, a user may wear the wearable electronic device (200) on their face, and while worn on the user's face, the display members (201) may be positioned to correspond to either of the user's eyes. In one embodiment, when including a pair of display members (201), the wearable electronic device (200) may provide visual information to the user through any one of the display members (201) and / or through each of the display members (201).

[0080] According to one embodiment, the wearable electronic device (200) may include at least one wearing member (202a, 202b) extending from or rotatably coupled to the display member (201). In the illustrated embodiment, the wearing member (202a, 202b) may be exemplified as a structure rotatably coupled (or connected) to the display member (201) by a hinge structure (H). For example, the wearing member (202a, 202b) may be in an overlapping or folded position with respect to the display member (201), at which time the user may easily carry or store the wearable electronic device (200). In one embodiment, the user may easily wear the wearable electronic device (200) on their face at a position where the wearing member (202a, 202b) is rotated by a specified angle (e.g., approximately 90 degrees) from the position overlapping with the display member (201). For example, the wearable electronic device (200) can be stably worn by supporting the display member (201) on the user's face and the wearing member (202a, 202b) on the user's head (e.g., ear).

[0081] According to one embodiment, by including a pair of wearable members (202a, 202b), the wearable electronic device (200) can be easily worn on a user's head (or face). In one embodiment, at least some of the components of FIG. 1 (e.g., processor (120), memory (130), acoustic output module (155), battery (189), communication module (190), and / or connection terminal (178)) may be placed on the wearable members (202a, 202b). In one embodiment, the wearable electronic device (200) may be worn on a user's body (e.g., head) with a display member (201) aligned with one of the user's eyes. For example, when a user wears the wearable electronic device (200), a lens frame (LF) that supports or secures the display member (201) may be configured to be positioned facing the user's face.

[0082] According to one embodiment, the wearable members (202a, 202b) may be positioned on the side of the user's head when the user wears the wearable electronic device (200). In one embodiment, an output device for outputting auditory information (e.g., the acoustic output module (155) of FIG. 1) may be embedded in at least one of these wearable members (202a, 202b). For example, the acoustic output module (155) of FIG. 1 may be positioned or aligned adjacent to the user's ear when the user wears the wearable electronic device (200). In one embodiment, such a positioning structure of the wearable members (202a, 202b) and the acoustic output module (155) may provide an environment that simplifies the acoustic path implemented within the wearable electronic device (200) and / or the wearable members (202a, 202b).

[0083] FIGS. 3 and FIGS. 4 are drawings showing the front and rear of a wearable electronic device (300) according to one embodiment.

[0084] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in one embodiment, camera modules (311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316) and / or a depth sensor (317) for acquiring information related to the surrounding environment of the wearable electronic device (300) may be disposed on the first surface (310) of the housing. In one embodiment, the camera modules (311, 312) may acquire images related to the surrounding environment of the wearable electronic device (300).

[0085] In one embodiment, camera modules (313, 314, 315, 316) can acquire images while the wearable electronic device (300) is worn by a user. Camera modules (313, 314, 315, 316) can be used for hand detection, tracking, and user gesture (e.g., hand movements) recognition. Camera modules (313, 314, 315, 316) can be used for 3DoF, 6DoF head tracking, location (space, environment) recognition, and / or movement recognition. In one embodiment, camera modules (311, 312) may be used for hand detection and tracking, and for recognizing, identifying, or tracking user gestures.

[0086] In one embodiment, the depth sensor (317) may be configured to transmit a signal and receive a signal reflected from a subject, and may be used for determining the distance to an object, such as time of flight (TOF). In place of or in addition to the depth sensor (317), camera modules (313, 314, 315, 316) may determine the distance to an object.

[0087] According to one embodiment, a face recognition camera module (325, 326) and / or a display (321) (and / or a lens) may be disposed on the second surface (320) of the housing.

[0088] In one embodiment, a face recognition camera module (325, 326) adjacent to the display (321) may be used to recognize the user's face or to recognize and / or track both of the user's eyes. For example, when the wearable electronic device (300) is worn on the user's body (e.g., head), the camera module (325, 326) may be positioned to face the user's face. In one embodiment, the camera module (325, 326) may periodically or non-periodically transmit information related to the trajectory of the user's eyes or gaze (e.g., trajectory information) to a processor (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1), similar to the first camera module (251) of FIG. 2. For example, the camera module (325, 326) may detect or track the user's gaze. In one embodiment, the camera module (325, 326) may be implemented by the camera module (500) of FIG. 8 and may be used to perform user authentication, such as iris recognition. For example, a head-mounted device (e.g., a wearable electronic device (300)) may perform user authentication using the camera module (325, 326).

[0089] In one embodiment, the display (321) (and / or lens) may be disposed on a second surface (320) of the wearable electronic device (300). In one embodiment, the wearable electronic device (300) may not include the camera module(s) designated as '315' and / or '316' among a plurality of camera modules (313, 314, 315, 316). Although not illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the wearable electronic device (300) may further include at least one of the configurations illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0090] As described above, according to one embodiment, the wearable electronic device (300) may have a form factor for being worn on a user's head. The wearable electronic device (300) may further include a strap for being secured on a part of the user's body and / or a wearing member (e.g., the wearing member (202a, 202b) of FIG. 2). The wearable electronic device (300) may provide a user experience based on augmented reality, virtual reality, and / or mixed reality while being worn on the user's head.

[0091] FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating a part of a head mounting device (e.g., a wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., a display unit (401)).

[0092] FIG. 5 may illustrate a display unit (401) of a head-mounting device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 and / or the wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 to 4). In one embodiment, the display unit (401) may include a display (411) (and / or an optical system for the display) and a camera module (413). In one embodiment, the display (411) of FIG. 5 may be at least partially identical to the display member (201) of FIG. 2 or the display (321) of FIG. 4. In one embodiment, the camera module (413) of FIG. 5 may be at least partially identical to the first camera module (251) of FIG. 2 or the camera module (325, 326) of FIG. 4.

[0093] According to one embodiment, the display (411) may output an image along a first direction (D1) and provide it to the user's eye (UE). In one embodiment, the display (411) may include an optical system to focus or guide the output image to the user's eye (UE). The optical system may include optical components, such as, for example, a diffraction element, a lens, a rotor, and / or a polarizer. In one embodiment, an optical axis (DO) for the display may be implemented by a combination of optical components. In one embodiment, it may be understood that the optical components are aligned with the optical axis (DO) for the display. In one embodiment, the optical axis (DO) for the display may be substantially parallel to the first direction (D1). In the illustrated embodiment, an optical path (e.g., an image guiding path) by refraction, reflection, and / or diffraction may be implemented depending on the combination or arrangement of optical components, and the optical axis (DO) for the display may be defined differently from that illustrated in FIG. 5 depending on the implemented optical path.

[0094] According to one embodiment, the camera module (413) may include a lens assembly (LA) and an image sensor (I). In one embodiment, the camera module (413) may include an optical filter (F) positioned in front of the image sensor (I) (e.g., between the lens assembly (LA) and the image sensor (I). The optical filter (F) may be configured, for example, to have a transmittance for light of a specified wavelength band higher than the transmittance for light of the remaining wavelength bands. The lens assembly (LA) may focus or guide light incident from the outside to the image sensor (I), and the image sensor (I) may receive light focused or guided by the lens assembly (LA).

[0095] According to one embodiment, in the embodiments described below, the alignment direction of the subject (e.g., a first direction (D1) to which the user's gaze is aligned) may be aligned at an angle with respect to the shooting direction of the camera (e.g., a second direction (D2) to which the camera module (413) is directed). For example, the incident direction of light corresponding to the subject may be inclined with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, although not illustrated, the head-mounting device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1 and / or the wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 to 4) may further include a refractive member positioned in front of the camera module (413) or the lens assembly (413). For example, by using the refractive member, the angle of inclination of light with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera (e.g., the incident direction of light corresponding to the subject) may be reduced, thereby suppressing image distortion of the subject acquired by the image sensor (I).

[0096] According to one embodiment, the camera module (413) can receive light incident from a second direction (D2) different from the first direction (D1). For example, the optical axis (CO) for the camera may be aligned substantially parallel to the second direction (D2) and / or inclined with respect to the first direction (D1). In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) and the image sensor (I) (e.g., the imaging plane (img)) may be aligned along the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, the optical axis (CO) for the camera may be understood to be realized by the alignment of the lens assembly (LA) and the image sensor (I). In one embodiment, the angle of inclination of the second direction (D2) with respect to the first direction (D1) or the angle of inclination of the optical axis (CO) for the camera with respect to the optical axis (DO) for the display may be referred to as the 'first angle (IA1)'. In one embodiment, the optical axis (DO) for the display may be understood to be aligned with the user's eye (UE) or line of sight.

[0097] According to one embodiment, when the wearable electronic device (200, 300) is worn on the user's body (e.g., head or face), the display (411) may be positioned to face the user's face or eye (UE). In one embodiment, when the wearable electronic device (200, 300) is worn on the user's body (e.g., head or face), the camera module (413) may be positioned to face the user (e.g., eye (UE)). In one embodiment, the camera module (413) may transmit through a portion of the display (411) (or optical system) to detect or track the user's gaze. In one embodiment, when the camera module (413) is positioned at a substantially different location from the display (411), similar to the lens frame (LF) of FIG. 2 or the second surface (320) of the housing of FIG. 4, the camera module (413) may be positioned so as to be directed directly toward the user's eye (UE) without passing through the display (411).

[0098] According to one embodiment, since the display (411) is an output device that provides visual information to the user, it can be aligned with the user's eye (UE). In one embodiment, the camera module (413) can be positioned so as not to interfere with the image path (e.g., the optical axis (DO) for the display) between the user's eye (UE) and the display (411). For example, the camera module (413) can be positioned so as not to interfere with the image information provided to the user or so as not to distort the image information provided to the user. In one embodiment, the camera module (413) is positioned at a first distance (EC1) of a specified size from the optical axis (DO) for the display or the user's line of sight, so that the user can perceive the image information without interference from the camera module (413). Thus, the direction in which the display (411) outputs the screen (e.g., the first direction (D1)) or the optical axis (DO) for the display is substantially aligned with the user's eye, whereas the direction in which the camera module (413) faces (e.g., the second direction (D2)) or the optical axis (CO) for the camera may be positioned at an angle relative to the user's line of sight. For example, when the wearable electronic device (200, 300) is worn on the user's body, the optical axis (CO) for the camera may be inclined by approximately the first angle (IA1) relative to the user's line of sight. Consequently, the eye tracking results obtained using the eye tracking camera (e.g., the camera module (413)) positioned in the wearable electronic device (200, 300) may be distorted.

[0099] According to one embodiment, when acquiring an image or tracking a user's gaze based on light focused or guided by a lens assembly (LA), distortion of the image (or measurement result) may occur. Image distortion may occur due to differences in the refractive index of the lens assembly (LA) caused by various factors, such as the distance from the subject (e.g., user's eye (UE) or gaze) or the wavelength of the incident light. It can be understood that the better the optical performance of the lens assembly (LA), the more this distortion is suppressed. In one embodiment, assuming that the subject, the lens assembly (LA), and / or the image sensor (I) are properly aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera, distortion may intensify as one moves away from the center of the acquired image. In one embodiment, when the subject, the lens assembly (LA), and / or the image sensor (I) are not properly aligned, image distortion may be further intensified. The image distortion phenomenon will be examined further with reference to FIGS. 6 and FIGS. 7.

[0100] FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a first alignment state between a conventional camera module and a subject. FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state between a conventional camera module and a subject.

[0101] The grid indicated by 'SI' in FIGS. 6 and 7 may represent a subject (e.g., the user's eye (UE) or gaze in FIG. 6), and the grid indicated by 'CI' may represent an image of the subject obtained through a camera module. The subject image 'CI' in FIGS. 6 and 7 may be obtained by taking a picture with a camera module (413) having the same specifications for the lens assembly (LA) and the image sensor (I), but with a different alignment state of the camera module (413) relative to the subject. For example, the subject image (CI) of FIG. 6 illustrates an image obtained in a first alignment state in which the subject grid (SI), the lens assembly (LA), and the image sensor (I) are aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the subject image (CI) of FIG. 7 illustrates an image obtained in a second alignment state in which the lens assembly (LA) and the image sensor (I) are aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera, but the subject grid (SI) is inclined with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, the second alignment state may refer to a state in which the user's line of sight and the optical axis (CO) for the camera are inclined by the first angle (IA1) of FIG. 5.

[0102] According to one embodiment, the subject grid (SI) may be point-symmetric with respect to the center point (0mm, 0mm) of the horizontal and vertical fields of view. It can be seen that the subject image (CI) of FIG. 6 obtained in the first alignment state has substantially no distortion at the center point (0mm, 0mm) and that the distortion increases as it moves away from the center point (0mm, 0mm). In one embodiment, the subject image (CI) of FIG. 6 obtained when the subject (e.g., subject grid (SI)) and the camera module (413) are properly aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera may be point-symmetric with respect to the center point (0mm, 0mm). The subject image (CI) of FIG. 7 obtained in the second alignment state may be understood as being left-right symmetric in the horizontal direction and up-down asymmetric in the vertical direction. For example, when a camera module (413) that has acquired the subject image (CI) of FIG. 7 tracks the user's gaze, it can be understood that the camera module (413) (e.g., the optical axis (CO) for the camera) is aligned with the user's gaze in the left-right direction of the user, but is positioned at an angle of approximately the first angle (IA1) in the up-down direction. In one embodiment, the phrase “the camera module (413) is aligned with the user's gaze in the left-right direction of the user” may refer to the fact that when two displays (e.g., the display (321) of FIG. 4) are provided with the optical axes (DO) for the display parallel to each other, the optical axis (CO) for the camera is aligned with the user's gaze on a single plane where the optical axes (DO) for the display are aligned.

[0103] According to one embodiment, when a head-mounting device (e.g., the wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) is worn on a user's head, the camera module (413) (e.g., the optical axis (CO) for the camera) is positioned at an angle of approximately a first angle (IA1) with respect to the user's gaze in the up-down direction, so that distortion may occur in the user's gaze detected or tracked through the camera module (413). Depending on the position of the gaze-tracking camera module (413) on the actual manufactured wearable electronic device (200, 300), the shape or angle of the subject image (CI) captured by the subject grid (SI) may appear differently from FIG. 7.

[0104] According to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure, the image sensor (I) may be positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, the center of the image sensor (I) may be located at a second distance of a specified size from the optical axis (CO) for the camera (e.g., the second distance (EC2) of FIG. 8). In one embodiment, “center of the image sensor (I) or center of the imaging plane (img)” may refer to the intersection point of the diagonals of the imaging plane (img) when the image sensor (I) and / or the imaging plane (img) are approximately rectangular in shape. In one embodiment, the second distance (EC2) may be approximately 0.1 mm or more and approximately 0.2 mm or less. In one embodiment, the second distance (EC2) may be approximately 0.14 mm or more and approximately 0.18 mm or less. For example, a camera module (413) according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure may suppress distortion of an image acquired in a state of being aligned at an angle with respect to a subject (e.g., user eye (UE) or line of sight) by including an image sensor (I) positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera or at a specified distance. In one embodiment, the phrase “the image sensor (I) is positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera” may be understood as the image sensor (I) being positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis of any one of the lenses of the lens assembly (LA). In one embodiment, the phrase “the image sensor (I) is positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis” may refer to a state in which the imaging plane (img) of the image sensor (I) (or a plane including the imaging plane (img)) is not perpendicular to the optical axis of any one of the lenses. As will be seen with reference to FIG. 23, in one embodiment, the optical axis of one of the lenses (e.g., the fifth lens (L5) in FIG. 23) may be positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera (or the optical axis of the other lens). When the optical axis of one of the lenses is positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera, an embodiment in which the image sensor (I) is aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera may be implemented.The statement that 'the image sensor (I) is aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera' may refer, for example, that the imaging plane (img) of the image sensor (I) is perpendicular to the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the center of the imaging plane (img) is located on the optical axis (CO) for the camera.

[0105] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8 and the like, we will examine a configuration in which an image sensor (I) is positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (or optical axis for the camera) of the lenses (e.g., lens assembly (LA)). In the embodiments described below, the lenses of the lens assembly (LA) (e.g., the first to fourth lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) of FIG. 8) are generally aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the image sensor (I) is positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and by positioning the optical axis of one of the lenses at an angle with respect to at least one of the remaining lenses (or positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis (CO) for the camera), the camera module (413) can acquire a good image of the subject or provide good gaze detection performance even when positioned at an angle with respect to the subject (e.g., user's gaze).

[0106] FIG. 8 is a drawing showing a camera module (500) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the camera module (413) of FIG. 5).

[0107] The camera module (500) of FIG. 8 may be provided as the first camera module (251) of FIG. 2, the camera module (325, 326) of FIG. 4, or the camera module (413) of FIG. 5. For example, the camera module (500) of FIG. 8 may be placed on the lens frame of a head-mounting device (e.g., the lens frame (LF) of FIG. 2) or on the second surface of a housing (e.g., the second surface (320) of FIG. 4) to detect the user's eyes or gaze. In one embodiment, the head-mounting device (e.g., the wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) may use the camera module (500) to perform user authentication or track the movement of the user's gaze. In one embodiment, the camera module (500) may include a lens assembly (LA) and an image sensor (I), and the image sensor (I) may detect light incident from the outside and focused or guided by the lens assembly (LA). For example, a camera module (500) and / or a head-mounting device including the same can acquire an image of a subject, perform user authentication such as iris recognition, and / or track the user's gaze based on light detected through an image sensor (I).

[0108] According to one embodiment, the camera module (500) may include an optical filter (F) positioned between a lens assembly (LA) and an image sensor (I). In a camera module (500) for general subject photography, the optical filter (F) may have a low transmittance for infrared light and a higher transmittance for visible light. When the camera module (500) is positioned in a head-mounted device to track a user's gaze, the optical filter (F) may have a higher transmittance for infrared light than for visible light. For example, the optical filter (F) may be a band-pass filter, and the wavelength band of light transmitted or blocked may be set differently depending on the use of the camera module (500). In one embodiment, the optical filter (F) may be positioned on a circuit board not illustrated together with the image sensor (I), in which case the optical filter (F) may be positioned substantially parallel to the image sensor (I). In one embodiment, the optical filter (F) is aligned substantially perpendicular to the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the image sensor (I) (e.g., the normal (NA) of the imaging plane (img)) may be aligned at a specified angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera.

[0109] According to one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) may include a plurality of lenses. For example, the lens assembly (LA) may include at least three lenses. In the illustrated embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) includes four lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4), and the lens assembly (LA) of FIGS. 23 through 26 may be illustrated as including five lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5). In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) may include a first lens (L1), a second lens (L2), a third lens (L3), and / or a fourth lens (L4) arranged sequentially along an optical axis (e.g., an optical axis (CO) for a camera). In one embodiment, the first lens (L1) may be the lens positioned furthest from the image sensor (I), and the fourth lens (L4) may be the lens positioned closest to the image sensor (I). In one embodiment, when the lens assembly (LA) includes three lenses, the lens positioned closest to the image sensor (I) may be understood as the third lens (L3). In one embodiment, the first lens (L1) may have positive refractive power, and the second lens (L2), the third lens (L3), and / or the fourth lens (L4) may have positive refractive power or negative refractive power.

[0110] According to one embodiment, among a plurality of lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4), the lens furthest from the image sensor (I), for example, the first lens (L1), may have a positive refractive power. When the first lens (L1) has a positive refractive power, it may be easy to implement a lens assembly (LA) having an angle of view of approximately 60 to approximately 70 degrees. In one embodiment, when the lens assembly (LA) has an angle of view of approximately 60 to approximately 70 degrees, the camera module (500) may be suitable for mounting on a head-mounting device to perform iris recognition or eye tracking functions. In one embodiment, the fourth lens (L4) closest to the image sensor (I) may include a convex object-side surface (S9). When the object-side surface (S9) of the fourth lens (L4) has a convex shape, the lens assembly (LA) and / or camera module (500) may be miniaturized, and control of aberrations such as astigmatism may be easy. In one embodiment, to ensure miniaturization or aberration performance of the camera module (500), the fourth lens (L4) may include a concave sensor side surface (S10).

[0111] According to one embodiment, the image sensor (I) may be positioned at an angle with respect to an optical axis (e.g., the optical axis for the camera (CO)). In one embodiment, it may be understood that the normal line (NA) of the image sensor (I) or the imaging plane (img) is aligned at an angle with respect to the optical axis for the camera (CO). Hereinafter, the angle of inclination of the normal line (NA) of the imaging plane (img) with respect to the optical axis for the camera (CO) may be referred to as the 'second angle (IA2)'. The second angle (IA2) may be, for example, approximately -2 degrees or greater and approximately 2 degrees or less. Regarding the second angle (IA2), a range including 0 degrees was mentioned, but the statement “the normal (NA) of the image sensor (I) is positioned at an angle of -2 degrees or more and +2 degrees or less with respect to the optical axis” may refer to a state in which a straight line perpendicular to the imaging plane (img) of the image sensor (I) (e.g., normal (NA)) is not parallel to the optical axis (e.g., optical axis for the camera (CO)). For example, the imaging plane (img) of the image sensor (I) may be aligned in a state that is not perpendicular to the optical axis for the camera (CO). In one embodiment, the normal (NA) of the imaging plane (img) may be positioned at an angle of approximately 1.5 degrees or less with respect to the optical axis for the camera (CO).

[0112] According to one embodiment, the imaging plane (img) of the image sensor (I) can generally be aligned substantially perpendicular to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. For example, in a typical camera module, the image sensor (I) can be positioned so that the normal (NA) passing through the center of the imaging plane (img) coincides with the optical axis (CO) for the camera or the optical axis to which the lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) are aligned. When the camera module (500) according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure provides a gaze tracking function, the optical axis (CO) for the camera is aligned at a first angle (e.g., the first angle (IA1) in FIG. 5) with respect to the subject (e.g., user's eye or gaze), or the camera module (413) is positioned at a first distance (EC1) from the user's gaze, so that the image sensor (I) is positioned at a second angle (IA2) with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera, thereby suppressing image distortion according to the alignment state between the subject and the optical axis (CO) for the camera. The degree of distortion of the subject image when the image sensor (I) is aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the degree of distortion of the subject image acquired by the camera module (500) according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure will be examined with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

[0113] According to one embodiment, in compensating for image distortion of a subject acquired when the subject (e.g., user eye (UE) in FIG. 5) and the camera module (500) are tilted at a first angle (e.g., first angle (IA1) in FIG. 5), the center of the image sensor (I) (or the center of the imaging plane (img)) may be positioned at a second distance (EC2) of a specified size from the optical axis (CO) for the camera. It has been previously mentioned that the 'center of the image sensor (I)' may be the diagonal intersection point of the imaging plane (img) or the center of the radius. The position or orientation of the center of the image sensor (I) with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera may be selected by considering the position of the camera module (500) on the head-mounting device, or the relative position of the subject (e.g., user eye (UE)) and the camera module (500) when the head-mounting device is worn on the user's body. In one embodiment, when compensating for image distortion of a subject in a state where the subject and the camera module (500) are inclined at a first angle (IA1), the normal (NA) of the imaging plane (img) is aligned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the center of the image sensor (I) (or the center of the imaging plane (img)) may be positioned at a second distance (EC2) from the optical axis (CO) for the camera.

[0114] FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject. FIG. 10 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of the camera module (500) and a subject of FIG. 8.

[0115] The term "conventional camera module" for acquiring the subject image (CI) of FIG. 9 may refer to a camera module in which the normal (NA) passing through the center of the image sensor (I) is aligned substantially with the optical axis (CO) for the camera. As previously mentioned, the "second alignment state" may refer to a state in which the optical axis (e.g., the optical axis (CO)) of the camera module(s) for acquiring the subject image is aligned at a first angle (e.g., approximately 15 degrees) with respect to the subject, e.g., the user's line of sight. When a head-mounting device (e.g., the wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 or 3) is worn on the user's face, a camera module (e.g., the camera module (413, 500) of FIG. 5 or 8) may be positioned at a first distance (e.g., the first distance (EC1) of FIG. 5, approximately 11 mm) from the user's line of sight or the optical axis for display (e.g., the optical axis for display (DO) of FIG. 5).

[0116] According to one embodiment, in the camera module (500) of FIG. 8, the center of the image sensor (I) may be spaced apart from the optical axis (CO) for the camera by a second distance (e.g., the second distance (EC2) of FIG. 8, approximately 0.158 mm), and the normal (NA) of the image sensor (I) may be aligned at an angle (IA2) (e.g., approximately 1.181 degrees) with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. Depending on the measurement criteria of the first distance (EC1), the first angle (IA1), the second distance (EC2), and / or the second angle (IA2), a negative (-) or positive (+) sign may be indicated on the value, and even for camera modules (500) of the same specifications, the negative / positive sign may be indicated differently depending on the position in the head-mounting device.

[0117] When comparing FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, it can be seen that the camera module (500) according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure can obtain a subject image (CI) in which distortion (e.g., asymmetry) in the vertical field of view is suppressed or improved by positioning the image sensor (I) at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, when the left-right symmetry of the subject image (CI) is maintained with respect to the origin (0mm) in the horizontal field of view, it can be understood that the camera module (500) is aligned substantially with the user's eyes or line of sight in the left-right direction. In FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, when the up-down asymmetry of the subject image (CI) with respect to the origin (0mm) in the vertical field of view is observed, it can be understood that the camera module (500) is aligned at a different height from the user's eyes (or line of sight) in the up-down direction. In this way, in a camera module (500) according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure, an image sensor (I) is positioned at a second angle (IA2) or a second distance (EC2) with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera, thereby suppressing or improving image distortion according to the alignment state of the camera module with respect to a subject (e.g., user's eye or gaze).

[0118] Even if some of the reference numbers assigned to the lens surfaces in the drawings of the embodiments(s) described below, including the camera module (500) of FIG. 8, are not directly explained, a person skilled in the art will be able to easily understand the configuration of each lens (L1, L2, L3, L4) or lens surfaces based on the lens data presented in the [Tables] described below. In the detailed description of the embodiments(s) of the present disclosure, the terms "concave" or "convex" regarding the object-side or sensor-side surfaces of the lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) may refer to the shape of the lens surface at a point intersecting the optical axis (e.g., the optical axis (CO) for the camera in FIG. 8) or in the paraxial region intersecting the optical axis (CO) for the camera. The shape referred to as "concave" may refer to the lens surface forming a curved surface in such a way that the lens thickness decreases as it approaches the optical axis (CO) for the camera in the paraxial region. The shape referred to as 'convex' may refer to a curved lens surface in which the lens thickness increases as it approaches the camera's optical axis (CO) in the paraxial region.

[0119] In addition, in the following detailed description, values ​​regarding the radius (or radius of curvature), effective focal length (f), OAL (overall length), TTL (total track length), air gap, thickness, or image height of the image sensor (I) of the lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) of the present disclosure may all have units of mm unless specifically noted. 'OAL' is the distance from the object-side surface of the first lens on the object side to the sensor-side surface of the first lens on the image sensor side, measured along the optical axis (e.g., the optical axis (CO) for the camera in FIG. 8), and 'TTL' is the distance from the top of the lens barrel that places or fixes the lenses to the image plane (img) of the image sensor (I), measured parallel to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. Additionally, the radii, effective focal length, OAL, air gap, or thickness of the lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) may be distances measured with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and / or the height of the image sensor (I) may be a distance measured along a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis (CO) for the camera from the point where the optical axis (CO) for the camera intersects.

[0120] The lens assembly of the camera module acquiring the subject image of FIG. 9 and the lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 8 may have substantially the same specifications. For example, the lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 8 may have a focal length of approximately 1.05 mm, an F-number of approximately 2.149, and an overall lens length (OTTL) of approximately 1.996 mm. The overall lens length (OTTL) may be measured from the optical axis (CO) for the camera, for example, as the distance from the vertex of the object side surface (S3) of the lens furthest from the image sensor (I) (e.g., the first lens (L1)) to the image sensor (I) (e.g., the imaging plane (img)). In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) may satisfy at least some of the above-described condition(s) and may be manufactured with the specifications exemplified in the following [Table 1]. Lens surface numbers, such as 'S1' and 'S2', which are listed in [Table 1] described below but omitted from the drawings, may refer to surfaces referenced in the fabrication / design of the lens assembly (LA) or camera module (500), such as the distal end (or top end) of the lens barrel. In the illustrated embodiment, the aperture stop of the camera module (500) may be understood to be positioned on the object-side surface (S3) of the first lens (L1). In [Table 1], 'S3' may be the object-side surface of the first lens (L1). In one embodiment, the aperture stop of the lens assembly (LA) may be understood to be positioned on the object-side surface of the first lens (L1). In [Table 1], 'S4' may be the sensor-side surface of the first lens (L1). In [Table 1], 'S5' may be the object-side surface of the second lens (L2). In [Table 1], 'S6' may be the sensor side of the second lens (L2). In [Table 1], 'S7' may be the object side of the third lens (L3). In [Table 1], 'S8' may be the sensor side of the third lens (L3). In [Table 1], 'S9' may be the object side of the fourth lens (L4).In [Table 1], 'S10' may be the sensor side of the fourth lens (L4). In [Table 1], 'S11' may be the object side of the optical filter (F). In [Table 1], 'S12' may be the sensor side of the optical filter (F).

[0121] Lens Surface (Surf) Radius of Curvature (Radius) Thickness (Thick) Focal Length (EFL) Refractive Index (nd) Abbe Number (vd) objinfinity0S1infinity16.10000S2infinity0.02500S3*(stop)-7.920100.193901.4691.5661933.08S4*-0.759380.17513S5*-1.323310.22208-4.6731.6539818.41S6*-2.48879 0.07193S7*-0.380220.27539214.6401.5268355.71S8*-0.473660.02030S9*0.388690.329001.9851.5467840.94S10*0.4 24410.20446S11infinity0.11000infinity1.5098464.2S12infinity0.00000S13infinity0.39956imginfinity-0.00556

[0122] The symbol '*' attached to the lens surface(s) in [Table 1] is an example of an aspherical surface, and the aspherical coefficients of the lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) are listed in [Table 2] and [Table 3] below, and the definition of an aspherical surface is as follows [Equation 1].

[0123]

[0124] In [Equation 1], "x" is the distance in the direction of the camera optical axis (CO) from the point where the optical axis (e.g., the camera optical axis (CO) in Fig. 8) passes through the lens surface, "y" is the distance from the camera optical axis (CO) in the direction perpendicular to the camera optical axis (CO), 'R' represents the radius of curvature at the vertex of the lens, 'K' represents the conic constant, and 'Ai' represents the aspherical coefficient; depending on the notation method, these may be written as 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', 'G', 'H', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', or 'O'. In [Table 2], E+01 is 10 1 Eul, E-02 is 10 -2 It can represent. The radius of curvature (R) can represent, for example, a value indicating the degree of curvature at each point of a surface or curve.

[0125] 렌즈면(surf)3_QCN4_QCN5_QCN6_QCN곡률반경(Radius)-7.92010E+00-7.59378E-01-1.32331E+00-2.48879E+00K(Conic)-1.00000E+00-1.66129E+011.56665E+01-1.41799E+01A(4th) / C4-1.33530E-02-4.10340E-02-2.43544E-02-1.24732E-02B(6th) / C5-1.12925E-033.10112E-04-5.77078E-04-7.27977E-03C(8th) / C6-1.36214E-04-3.66936E-042.63799E-042.87703E-03D(10th) / C7-2.90373E-05-1.93492E-06-2.76698E-05-2.37707E-04E(12th) / C8-5.76317E-06-1.46884E-056.30447E-06-1.18495E-05F(14th) / C9-1.05677E-061.58776E-061.63571E-06-1.23794E-05G(16th) / C100.00000E+000.00000E+00-5.77783E-070.00000E+00H(18th) / C110.00000E+000.00000E+001.98162E-070.00000E+00J(20th) / C120.00000E+000.00000E+00-1.49371E-080.00000E+00K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0126] 렌즈면(surf)7_QCN8_QCN9_QCN10_QCN곡률반경(Radius)-3.80225E-01-4.73655E-013.88687E-014.24412E-01K(Conic)-7.14263E+00-1.59405E+00-6.30984E+00-2.16559E+00A(4th) / C42.16708E-02-5.83757E-02-3.28088E-01-4.20882E-01B(6th) / C5-7.77575E-031.25778E-02-5.92651E-022.30150E-02C(8th) / C64.72971E-033.75642E-041.11601E-02-9.45400E-03D(10th) / C7-3.05931E-041.31234E-035.24370E-034.80734E-03E(12th) / C8-1.69951E-04-2.08270E-041.61349E-03-1.19878E-03F(14th) / C9-2.29613E-051.70316E-04-1.42259E-032.61878E-04G(16th) / C101.95882E-05-4.69082E-053.30704E-045.86575E-05H(18th) / C11-1.76516E-061.18244E-05-7.81919E-05-3.18367E-05J(20th) / C12-1.22393E-07-1.42774E-051.12450E-053.17571E-06K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0127] FIG. 11 is a drawing showing a camera module (600) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the camera module (413) of FIG. 5).

[0128] The lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 11 may have a focal length of approximately 1.05 mm, an F-number of approximately 2.132, and an overall lens length (OTTL) of approximately 2.075 mm. In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) may satisfy at least some of the above-described condition(s) and may be manufactured to the specifications exemplified in the following [Table 4]. In the illustrated embodiment, the aperture (stop) of the camera module (600) may be understood to be positioned on the object side (S3) of the first lens (L1).

[0129] In one embodiment, when a head-mounting device (e.g., the wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) is worn on the user's face, the camera module (600) of FIG. 11 is positioned at a first distance (EC1) of approximately 11 mm from the user's line of sight or the optical axis for display (e.g., the optical axis for display (DO) of FIG. 5) and may be aligned at a first angle (IA1) of approximately 15 degrees. In one embodiment, the center of the image sensor (600) of FIG. 11 may be spaced apart by a second distance (EC2) of approximately 0.149 mm from the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the normal (NA) of the image sensor (I) may be aligned at a second angle (IA2) of approximately 1.345 degrees with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 11 may be manufactured with the specifications exemplified in [Table 4] below and may have the aspherical coefficients of [Table 5] and [Table 6].

[0130] Lens Surface (Surf) Radius of Curvature (Radius) Thickness (Thick) Focal Length (EFL) Refractive Index (nd) Abbe Number (vd) objinfinity0S1infinity16.10000S2infinity0.02500S3*(stop)-16.546600.216931.5531.5948226.31S4*-0.879300.15982S5*-1.921220.18651-11.1391.6539218.41S6*-2.7096 80.09825S7*-0.340810.32001-15.1721.5270055.53S8*-0.471340.02000S9*0.416940.312841.8551.5375846.51S10*0. 528510.20446S11infinity0.11000infinity1.5098464.2S12infinity0.00000S13infinity0.45218imginfinity-0.00599

[0131] 렌즈면(surf)3_QCN4_QCN5_QCN6_QCN곡률반경(Radius)-1.65466E+01-8.79305E-01-1.92122E+00-2.70968E+00K(Conic)-1.00000E+00-1.86553E+011.63649E+01-2.63427E+02A(4th) / C4-2.98899E-03-1.43151E-02-2.25790E-03-3.64467E-03B(6th) / C5-1.52353E-043.30055E-04-2.50684E-03-7.99468E-03C(8th) / C6-1.43154E-05-1.20936E-042.00185E-041.25840E-03D(10th) / C77.67083E-066.54724E-06-7.01961E-054.62149E-05E(12th) / C8-9.60487E-06-8.09836E-065.47378E-06-2.27911E-06F(14th) / C91.11784E-065.26764E-06-1.03437E-054.20139E-06G(16th) / C100.00000E+000.00000E+006.66946E-060.00000E+00H(18th) / C110.00000E+000.00000E+00-1.23209E-060.00000E+00J(20th) / C120.00000E+000.00000E+007.40013E-080.00000E+00K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0132] 렌즈면(surf)7_QCN8_QCN9_QCN10_QCN곡률반경(Radius)-3.40812E-01-4.71343E-014.16937E-015.28511E-01K(Conic)-4.65765E+00-1.73750E+00-9.11749E+00-6.33133E+00A(4th) / C47.04630E-03-5.58624E-02-6.93100E-02-2.38073E-01B(6th) / C5-2.04346E-031.18980E-02-6.74651E-02-1.22224E-02C(8th) / C62.02913E-03-1.22047E-039.05858E-03-5.13582E-04D(10th) / C75.14522E-041.88804E-03-2.32079E-031.05155E-03E(12th) / C8-1.34795E-04-5.83621E-041.95458E-03-3.06272E-04F(14th) / C9-4.92105E-051.96483E-04-6.78693E-045.36786E-05G(16th) / C103.78140E-06-1.00580E-041.30378E-04-5.50069E-06H(18th) / C11-4.84504E-062.35307E-05-1.43255E-052.95325E-07J(20th) / C121.73064E-06-1.75633E-066.82869E-07-6.37694E-09K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0133] FIG. 12 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject. FIG. 13 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of the camera module (600) of FIG. 11 and a subject.

[0134] When referring to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 for comparison, the camera module (600) of FIG. 11 is aligned at an angle with respect to the subject, similar to what was observed in the embodiments of FIG. 8 through 10, so that distortion of the image (CI) or eye tracking result obtained in the second alignment state can be suppressed or improved. In the illustrated embodiments, for the sake of brevity of explanation, asymmetry with respect to the origin (0mm) of the vertical field of view regarding the distortion of the obtained image is illustrated, but the tendency of distortion of the obtained image may differ from that illustrated in the drawings depending on the position of the camera module in the head-mounted device or the position of the camera module (600) relative to the user's eyes while the user is wearing the head-mounted device.

[0135] FIG. 14 is a drawing showing a camera module (700) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the camera module (413) of FIG. 5).

[0136] The lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 14 may have a focal length of approximately 1.05 mm, an F-number of approximately 2.144, and an overall lens length (OTTL) of approximately 2.019 mm. In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) may satisfy at least some of the above-described condition(s) and may be manufactured to the specifications exemplified in the following [Table 7]. In the illustrated embodiment, the aperture (stop) of the camera module (700) may be understood to be positioned on the object side (S3) of the first lens (L1).

[0137] In one embodiment, when the head-mounting device is worn on the user's face, the camera module (700) of FIG. 14 is positioned at a first distance (EC1) of approximately 11 mm from the user's line of sight or the optical axis (DO) for the display, and may be aligned at a first angle (IA1) of approximately 15 degrees. In one embodiment, the center of the image sensor (I) of FIG. 14 may be spaced from the optical axis (CO) for the camera by a second distance (EC2) of approximately 0.158 mm, and the normal (NA) of the image sensor (I) may be aligned at a second angle (IA2) of approximately 1.245 degrees with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 14 may be manufactured with the specifications exemplified in the following [Table 7] and may have the aspherical coefficients of [Table 8] and [Table 9].

[0138] Lens Surface (Surf) Radius of Curvature (Radius) Thickness (Thick) Focal Length (EFL) Refractive Index (nd) Abbe Number (vd) objinfinity0S1infinity16.10000S2infinity0.02500S3*(stop)-11.392410.194321.3811.6053524.33S4*-0.783820.20677S5*-1.477080.25133-2.0351.6539818.41S6*14.371 400.07404S7*-0.439180.271335.7411.5268355.71S8*-0.465240.02000S9*0.387670.350331.9111.5268655.67S10*0.4 33860.20446S11infinity0.11000infinity1.5098464.2S12infinity0.00000S13infinity0.34126imginfinity-0.00525

[0139] 렌즈면(surf)3_QCN4_QCN5_QCN6_QCN곡률반경(Radius)-1.13924E+01-7.83818E-01-1.47709E+001.43714E+01K(Conic)-1.00000E+00-1.95100E+011.67940E+01-3.18586E+04A(4th) / C4-1.42411E-02-4.13651E-02-2.40329E-02-1.21902E-02B(6th) / C5-1.09174E-037.08185E-043.82601E-04-5.49164E-03C(8th) / C6-1.31745E-04-4.02148E-041.17878E-041.89388E-03D(10th) / C7-2.47531E-052.03957E-05-2.85966E-05-8.91227E-05E(12th) / C8-4.34997E-06-1.51123E-05-2.56746E-06-3.87777E-05F(14th) / C9-1.06040E-062.55399E-065.02115E-06-2.26659E-06G(16th) / C100.00000E+000.00000E+00-2.13567E-060.00000E+00H(18th) / C110.00000E+000.00000E+005.40296E-070.00000E+00J(20th) / C120.00000E+000.00000E+00-4.10395E-080.00000E+00K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0140] 렌즈면(surf)7_QCN8_QCN9_QCN10_QCN곡률반경(Radius)-4.39179E-01-4.65241E-013.87666E-014.33857E-01K(Conic)-8.24406E+00-8.02219E-01-6.22333E+00-2.79864E+00A(4th) / C42.30311E-02-1.96408E-02-1.67752E-01-3.31053E-01B(6th) / C5-8.95240E-039.96243E-03-5.97494E-023.56237E-03C(8th) / C63.96976E-031.55088E-033.30054E-03-6.83958E-03D(10th) / C71.16426E-041.50752E-03-1.12185E-032.68492E-03E(12th) / C8-2.48968E-04-3.58555E-043.21329E-03-1.37739E-04F(14th) / C9-1.62092E-051.13453E-04-1.03343E-03-1.26116E-04G(16th) / C101.35032E-05-4.55153E-052.13507E-041.85297E-05H(18th) / C111.31876E-061.91354E-05-4.04621E-051.01165E-05J(20th) / C12-5.96735E-07-1.17294E-053.43970E-06-1.80769E-06K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0141] FIG. 15 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject. FIG. 16 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of the camera module (700) of FIG. 14 and a subject.

[0142] When referring to Figures 15 and 16 for comparison, the camera module (700) of Figure 14 is aligned at an angle with respect to the subject, thereby suppressing or improving distortion of the image (CI) or eye tracking result obtained in the second alignment state. In the illustrated embodiment, for the sake of brevity of explanation, asymmetry with respect to the origin (0mm) of the vertical field of view regarding the distortion of the obtained image (CI) is illustrated, but the tendency of distortion of the obtained image (CI) may differ from that illustrated in the drawings depending on the position of the camera module (700) in the head-mounted device or the position of the camera module (700) relative to the user's eyes while the user is wearing the head-mounted device.

[0143] FIG. 17 is a drawing showing a camera module (800) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the camera module (413) of FIG. 5).

[0144] The lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 17 may have a focal length of approximately 1.05 mm, an F-number of approximately 2.178, and an overall lens length (OTTL) of approximately 1.975 mm. In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) may satisfy at least some of the above-described condition(s) and may be manufactured to the specifications exemplified in the following [Table 10]. In the illustrated embodiment, the aperture (stop) of the camera module (800) may be understood to be positioned on the object side (S3) of the first lens (L1).

[0145] In one embodiment, when the head-mounting device is worn on the user's face, the camera module (800) of FIG. 17 is positioned at a first distance (EC1) of approximately 11 mm from the user's line of sight or the optical axis (DO) for the display, and may be aligned at a first angle (IA1) of approximately 15 degrees. In one embodiment, the center of the image sensor (I) of FIG. 17 may be spaced from the optical axis (CO) for the camera by a second distance (EC2) of approximately 0.177 mm, and the normal (NA) of the image sensor (I) may be aligned at a second angle (IA2) of approximately 1.482 degrees with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 17 may be manufactured with the specifications exemplified in the following [Table 10] and may have the aspherical coefficients of [Table 11] and [Table 12].

[0146] Lens Surface (Surf) Radius of Curvature (Radius) Thickness (Thick) Focal Length (EFL) Refractive Index (nd) Abbe Number (vd) objinfinity0S1infinity16.10000S2infinity0.02500S3*(stop)3.820720.229381.2611.5505939.06S4*-0.830510.20988S5*-0.849550.242545.3911.5268355.71S6*-0.71835 0.10593S7*-0.412920.283244.0671.5901427.17S8*-0.442010.02000S9*0.829470.44900-4.7381.6539818.41S10*0.5 14270.20446S11infinity0.11000infinity1.5098464.2S12infinity0.00000S13infinity0.12347imginfinity-0.00319

[0147] 렌즈면(surf)3_QCN4_QCN5_QCN6_QCN곡률반경(Radius)3.82072E+00-8.30507E-01-8.49555E-01-7.18349E-01K(Conic)-1.00000E+00-8.23462E+005.62413E+001.95727E+00A(4th) / C4-9.92697E-03-2.44502E-02-7.02180E-03-1.17055E-02B(6th) / C5-5.84678E-04-3.38171E-044.42153E-041.71265E-03C(8th) / C6-6.79541E-05-1.20938E-04-9.88823E-06-5.32841E-04D(10th) / C7-8.59062E-06-1.00576E-05-2.23398E-083.72665E-05E(12th) / C8-8.39113E-06-3.85685E-064.50430E-095.09420E-06F(14th) / C95.39227E-061.86946E-06-9.50744E-11-4.85715E-07G(16th) / C100.00000E+000.00000E+009.33686E-130.00000E+00H(18th) / C110.00000E+000.00000E+00-4.52885E-150.00000E+00J(20th) / C120.00000E+000.00000E+00-1.82282E-160.00000E+00K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0148] 렌즈면(surf)7_QCN8_QCN9_QCN10_QCN곡률반경(Radius)-4.12924E-01-4.42006E-018.29474E-015.14272E-01K(Conic)-2.34114E+00-2.24884E+00-4.64520E+00-1.48606E+00A(4th) / C4-1.75715E-03-1.40654E-02-1.78944E-01-3.74806E-01B(6th) / C52.89911E-037.42136E-031.24455E-031.97925E-02C(8th) / C6-6.36154E-04-1.51493E-04-8.61232E-06-8.44480E-03D(10th) / C76.19567E-051.58217E-041.94672E-083.56674E-03E(12th) / C8-3.28247E-06-1.64512E-05-2.35109E-11-5.75861E-04F(14th) / C91.00674E-07-7.83288E-081.70150E-144.69173E-05G(16th) / C10-1.78924E-09-5.99246E-072.25514E-17-2.08083E-06H(18th) / C111.71447E-111.02271E-071.49620E-174.80445E-08J(20th) / C12-6.86803E-14-4.25236E-092.86229E-17-4.52718E-10K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0149] FIG. 18 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject. FIG. 19 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of the camera module (800) of FIG. 17 and a subject.

[0150] When referring to Figures 18 and 19, the camera module (800) of Figure 17 is aligned at an angle with respect to the subject, thereby suppressing or improving distortion of the image (CI) or eye tracking result obtained in the second alignment state. In the illustrated embodiment, for the sake of brevity of explanation, asymmetry with respect to the origin (0mm) of the vertical field of view regarding the distortion of the obtained image (CI) is illustrated, but the tendency of distortion of the obtained image may differ from that illustrated in the drawings depending on the position of the camera module (800) in the head-mounted device or the position of the camera module (800) relative to the user's eyes while the user is wearing the head-mounted device.

[0151] FIG. 20 is a drawing showing a camera module (900) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the camera module (413) of FIG. 5).

[0152] The lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 20 may have a focal length of approximately 1.05 mm, an F-number of approximately 2.176, and an overall lens length (OTTL) of approximately 1.975 mm. In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) may satisfy at least some of the above-described condition(s) and may be manufactured to the specifications exemplified in the following [Table 13]. In the illustrated embodiment, the aperture (stop) of the camera module (900) may be understood as being positioned on the object side (S3) of the first lens (L1).

[0153] In one embodiment, when the head-mounting device is worn on the user's face, the camera module (900) of FIG. 20 is positioned at a first distance (EC1) of approximately 11 mm from the user's line of sight or the optical axis (DO) for the display, and may be aligned at a first angle (IA1) of approximately 15 degrees. In one embodiment, the center of the image sensor (I) of FIG. 20 may be spaced apart by a second distance (EC2) of approximately 0.162 mm from the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the normal (NA) of the image sensor (I) may be aligned at a second angle (IA2) of approximately 1.175 degrees with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, the lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 20 may be manufactured with the specifications exemplified in the following [Table 13] and may have the aspherical coefficients of [Table 14] and [Table 15].

[0154] Lens Surface (Surf) Radius of Curvature (Radius) Thickness (Thick) Focal Length (EFL) Refractive Index (nd) Abbe Number (vd) objinfinity0S1infinity16.10000S2infinity0.02500S3*(stop)4.205180.255364.4061.6539818.41S4*-8.936370.06604S5*4.147120.1932910.5991.6539818.41S6*10.13352 0.06946S7*-0.409490.180006.6941.5850028.22S8*-0.430880.02000S9*0.627210.509742.2721.6539818.41S10*0.73 6710.20446S11infinity0.11000infinity1.5098464.2S12infinity0.00000S13infinity0.37306imginfinity-0.00641

[0155] 렌즈면(surf)3_QCN4_QCN5_QCN6_QCN곡률반경(Radius)4.20518E+00-8.93637E+004.14712E+001.01335E+01K(Conic)-1.00000E+007.00094E+025.55463E+01-6.95275E+03A(4th) / C4-4.59627E-03-2.20787E-02-3.98288E-02-5.22513E-02B(6th) / C5-8.22810E-051.00577E-032.46777E-043.02672E-03C(8th) / C67.57033E-072.33759E-05-1.38321E-06-7.91750E-05D(10th) / C75.33894E-061.97976E-055.57251E-09-1.90179E-05E(12th) / C8-1.23620E-062.30421E-07-1.45158E-118.24522E-06F(14th) / C98.22217E-084.94991E-062.16357E-14-6.36736E-07G(16th) / C100.00000E+000.00000E+008.45678E-170.00000E+00H(18th) / C110.00000E+000.00000E+002.58311E-160.00000E+00J(20th) / C120.00000E+000.00000E+007.37258E-170.00000E+00K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0156] 렌즈면(surf)7_QCN8_QCN9_QCN10_QCN곡률반경(Radius)-4.09495E-01-4.30876E-016.27213E-017.36707E-01K(Conic)-4.15104E+00-8.11405E-01-2.47188E+00-1.16963E-01A(4th) / C4-9.69614E-038.58928E-03-2.85678E-01-3.72395E-01B(6th) / C52.17520E-03-4.26912E-03-7.26945E-04-1.19898E-04C(8th) / C6-3.04184E-04-1.36737E-057.44636E-04-1.07271E-07D(10th) / C71.29716E-04-1.26837E-06-5.04848E-054.95679E-11E(12th) / C8-2.81184E-051.90372E-061.90307E-06-7.42115E-15F(14th) / C91.01015E-05-1.37106E-07-4.05636E-081.73472E-17G(16th) / C10-2.51359E-064.06602E-094.85952E-10-1.30104E-17H(18th) / C112.64458E-07-5.63421E-11-3.10154E-12-2.60209E-18J(20th) / C12-9.70596E-093.02529E-138.41514E-151.04083E-17K(22th) / C130.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00L(24th) / C140.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00M(26th) / C150.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00N(28th) / C160.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00O(30th) / C170.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+000.00000E+00

[0157] FIG. 21 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of a conventional camera module and a subject. FIG. 22 is a drawing illustrating a distortion grid according to a second alignment state of the camera module (900) of FIG. 20 and a subject.

[0158] When referring to Figures 21 and 22 for comparison, the camera module (900) of Figure 20 is aligned at an angle with respect to the subject, thereby suppressing or improving distortion of the image (CI) or eye tracking result obtained in the second alignment state. In the illustrated embodiment, for the sake of brevity of explanation, asymmetry with respect to the origin (0mm) of the vertical field of view regarding the distortion of the obtained image (CI) is illustrated, but the tendency of distortion of the obtained image (CI) may differ from that illustrated in the drawings depending on the position of the camera module (900) in the head-mounted device or the position of the camera module (900) relative to the user's eyes while the user is wearing the head-mounted device.

[0159] The above-described embodiments(s) may exemplify a configuration in which the lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) are generally aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the image sensor (I) is positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera and / or at a second distance (EC2) of a specified size from the optical axis (CO) for the camera. However, it should be noted that the embodiments(s) of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, a camera module (e.g., camera module (413, 500) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 8) that is aligned at an angle with respect to a subject by having at least one of the three lenses positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera and / or at a specified distance from the optical axis (CO) for the camera may suppress or improve distortion of the subject image. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the phrase “the image sensor (I) is positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis and / or at a second distance of a specified size from the optical axis” may refer to the image sensor (I) being positioned at an angle or at a second distance with respect to the optical axis of any one of the lenses of the lens assembly (LA). A configuration in which the image sensor (I) and most of the lenses are aligned with the optical axis (CO) for the camera and any one or more of the lenses are angled (or positioned at a specified distance) with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera will be examined with reference to FIGS. 23 through 26.

[0160] FIG. 23 is a drawing showing a camera module (1000a) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the camera module (413) of FIG. 5).

[0161] Referring to FIG. 23, the camera module (1000a) may include a lens assembly (LA) comprising five lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) and an image sensor (I). The image sensor (I) may be aligned, for example, with the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the optical axis (L5A) of one of the five lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) (e.g., the fifth lens (L5)) may be positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (or the optical axis (CO)) of another lens among the plurality (e.g., five lenses). In one embodiment, it may be understood that the image sensor (I) of FIG. 23 has an optical filter (e.g., the optical filter (F) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 8) integrated therein, and the optical filter may be positioned substantially parallel to the imaging plane of the image sensor (I). In one embodiment, the optical axis (L5A) of the fifth lens (L5) may be aligned at an angle (IA3) of approximately 1.5 degrees or less with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, when the optical axis of any one of the plurality of lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) is aligned at an angle with respect to the optical axis of the remaining lenses or the optical axis (CO) for the camera, the normal of the image sensor (I) (e.g., normal (NA) in FIG. 8) may be aligned substantially parallel (or substantially coincident) with the optical axis (CO) for the camera. Although not illustrated, the lens aligned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera, e.g., the fifth lens (L5), may be positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis (CO) for the camera. The statement “the fifth lens (L5) is positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis (CO) for the camera” may refer to the object-side vertex and / or sensor-side vertex of the fifth lens (L5) being positioned away from the optical axis (CO) for the camera.

[0162] FIG. 24 is a drawing showing a camera module (1000b) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the camera module (413) of FIG. 5).

[0163] Referring to FIG. 24, the camera module (1000b) may include a lens assembly (LA) comprising five lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) and an image sensor (I). The image sensor (I) may be aligned with, for example, the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the optical axes (L2A, L4A) of at least one of the five lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) (e.g., the second lens (L2) and the fourth lens (L4)) may be positioned at a third distance (EC3) or a fourth distance (EC4) of a specified size from the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, the optical axes (L2A, L4A) of the second lens (L2) and the fourth lens (L4) may be positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and may be parallel to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In one embodiment, at least one optical axis (L2A, L4A) of the second lens (L2) and the fourth lens (L4) may be positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. The phrase “the optical axis of one of the plurality of lenses is positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis (or optical axis for the camera) of another of the plurality of lenses” may refer to at least one of the lens surface vertices of one of the lenses being positioned away from the optical axis of another lens. In one embodiment, the phrase “the optical axis of one of the plurality of lenses is positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis (or optical axis for the camera) of another of the plurality of lenses” may refer to all of the lens surface vertices of one of the lenses being positioned away from the optical axis (CO) for the camera.

[0164] FIG. 25 is a drawing showing a camera module (1000c) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the camera module (413) of FIG. 5).

[0165] Referring to FIG. 25, the camera module (1000c) may further include a lens assembly (LA) comprising five lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5), an image sensor (I), and / or a sensor driver (SD). The sensor driver (SD) may adjust, for example, the tilt angle of the image sensor (I) with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera (e.g., the second angle (IA2) in FIG. 8), or the distance between the optical axis (CO) for the camera and the center of the image sensor (I) (e.g., the second distance (EC2) in FIG. 8). In one embodiment, the sensor driver (SD) may adjust the tilt angle of the image sensor (I) with respect to the optical axis (CI) for the camera by rotating the image sensor (I) in the direction of arrow AA. In one embodiment, the sensor driver (SD) can adjust the distance from the optical axis (CO) for the camera to the center of the image sensor (I) by moving the image sensor (I) in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis (CO) for the camera (e.g., the direction of arrow AD). In one embodiment, the camera module (1000c) may further include lens driver (LD1, LD2, LD3)(s) for adjusting the tilt angle of at least one lens (e.g., the third angle (IA3) in FIG. 23) or the distance between the optical axis (CO) for the camera and at least one lens (e.g., the third distance (EC3) or the fourth distance (EC4) in FIG. 24). In one embodiment, by further including the sensor driver (SD) and / or lens driver (LD1, LD2, LD3)(s), differences in the accuracy of gaze detection or distortion deviations of the acquired image due to deviations in the user's body can be suppressed. For example, the sensor driver (SD) and / or lens driver (LD1, LD2, LD3)(s) can suppress changes in the quality of the image acquired through the camera module (1000c) or the accuracy of eye tracking depending on the actual wearing environment. In one embodiment, the sensor driver (SD) and / or lens driver (LD1, LD2, LD3)(s) may be included outside the camera module (1000c).In one embodiment, the sensor driver (SD) and / or lens driver (LD1, LD2, LD3)(s) may be implemented as part of an auto-focusing driving unit or an optical image stabilizer. In one embodiment, the sensor driver (SD) and / or lens driver (LD1, LD2, LD3)(s) may be implemented independently of the auto-focusing driving unit and / or optical image stabilizer.

[0166] FIG. 26 is a drawing showing a camera module (1000d) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., the camera module (413) of FIG. 5).

[0167] Referring to FIG. 26, the camera module (1000d) may include a lens housing (1001) (e.g., lens barrel) that accommodates or places lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5). When the optical axis of at least one of the lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) (e.g., second lens (L2) and / or fourth lens (L4)) is positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera or is positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis (CO) for the camera, the outer shape of the lens housing (1001) or the inner wall shape of the lens housing (1001) may be at least partially asymmetric with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera. In the illustrated embodiment, the second lens (L2) and the fourth lens (L4) may be arranged in an asymmetrical state with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera, and the first part (P1) and the second part (P2), or the third part (P3) and the fourth part (P4) around the second lens (L2) and the fourth lens (L4) in the lens housing (1001) may be asymmetrical with respect to the optical axis (CO) for the camera.

[0168] As described above, a camera module according to an embodiment(s) of the present disclosure (e.g., camera module (413, 500) of FIG. 5 or 8) may provide enhanced performance in detecting a user's gaze when mounted on a head-mounted device (e.g., wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 or 3) by including an image sensor (e.g., image sensor (I) of FIG. 5 or 8) positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis for the camera (e.g., optical axis for the camera (CO) of FIG. 5 or 8). In one embodiment, a body-worn electronic device, such as a head-mounted device, may be miniaturized and / or lighter by including a camera module with enhanced gaze detection performance. For example, the head-mounted device may have good performance in detecting a user's gaze or user authentication (e.g., iris recognition) while including a smaller number of camera modules.

[0169] The effects obtainable from the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs from the description of the above-described embodiment(s).

[0170] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a camera module (e.g., camera module (413, 500) of FIG. 5 or 8) and / or an electronic device including the same (e.g., wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 or 3) may include a lens assembly (e.g., lens assembly (LA) of FIG. 5 or 8) configured to focus or guide light incident from the outside, comprising a plurality of lenses (e.g., lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) of FIG. 8), and an image sensor (e.g., image sensor (I) of FIG. 5 or 8) configured to detect light focused or guided by the lens assembly. In one embodiment, the image sensor may be positioned at an angle with respect to at least one optical axis of the plurality of lenses (e.g., the optical axis for the camera (CO) of FIG. 8 or the optical axis indicated as 'L5A' of FIG. 23).

[0171] According to one embodiment, the camera module described above may be configured to detect or track the user's gaze based on light detected by the image sensor.

[0172] According to one embodiment, the center of the image sensor may be positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis (e.g., the second distance (EC2) in FIG. 8).

[0173] According to one embodiment, the center of the image sensor may be positioned at a distance of 0.1 mm or more and 0.2 mm or less from the optical axis.

[0174] According to one embodiment, the plurality of lenses includes at least three lenses, and the object-side surface (e.g., the surface indicated as 'S9' in FIG. 8) of the lens closest to the image sensor among the plurality of lenses (e.g., the fourth lens (L4) in FIG. 8) may be convex.

[0175] According to one embodiment, the plurality of lenses includes at least three lenses, and the sensor side surface (e.g., the surface indicated as 'S10' in FIG. 8) of the lens closest to the image sensor among the plurality of lenses (e.g., the fourth lens (L4) in FIG. 8) may be concave.

[0176] According to one embodiment, the camera module described above may further include a band-pass filter (e.g., the optical filter (F) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 8) disposed between the plurality of lenses and the image sensor.

[0177] According to one embodiment, the bandpass filter may be positioned parallel to the image sensor.

[0178] According to one embodiment, the normal of the image sensor (e.g., the normal (NA) in FIG. 8) may be positioned to be inclined at -2 degrees or more and +2 degrees or less with respect to the optical axis.

[0179] According to one embodiment, the plurality of lenses includes four lenses arranged sequentially along the optical axis, and among the four lenses, the lens furthest from the image sensor (e.g., the first lens (L1) of FIG. 8) may have positive refractive power.

[0180] According to one embodiment, the camera module described above may further include a sensor driving unit (e.g., the sensor driving unit (SD) of FIG. 25). In one embodiment, the sensor driving unit may be configured to move the image sensor in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, or to rotate the image sensor to adjust the angle of inclination of the image sensor with respect to the optical axis.

[0181] According to one embodiment, the optical axis of one of the plurality of lenses may be positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis of another of the plurality of lenses.

[0182] According to one embodiment, the optical axis of any one of the plurality of lenses may be positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis of another of the plurality of lenses.

[0183] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a head-mounting device (e.g., a wearable electronic device (200, 300) of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) may include a housing configured to be placed on or worn on a user's face (e.g., a lens frame (LF) of FIG. 2 or a second surface (F2) of the housing of FIG. 4), a display (e.g., a display (411) of FIG. 5) placed on the housing to be oriented toward the user's face and configured to output a screen along a first direction (e.g., a first direction (D1) of FIG. 5), and a camera module (e.g., a camera module (413, 500) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 8) placed on the housing to be oriented toward the user's face and configured to receive light incident along a second direction (e.g., a second direction (D2) of FIG. 5) inclined toward the first direction. In one embodiment, the camera module may include a plurality of lenses (e.g., lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) of FIG. 8) configured to be sequentially aligned along an optical axis parallel to the second direction (e.g., optical axis (CO) for the camera in FIG. 5 or FIG. 8) and configured to focus or guide light incident along the second direction, and an image sensor (e.g., image sensor (I) of FIG. 5 or FIG. 8) configured to be positioned at an angle with respect to the optical axis and configured to detect light focused or guided by the plurality of lenses. In one embodiment, it may be configured to detect or track the user's gaze based on the light detected by the image sensor.

[0184] According to one embodiment, user authentication can be configured to be performed based on light detected by the image sensor.

[0185] According to one embodiment, the center of the image sensor may be positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis (e.g., the second distance (EC2) in FIG. 8).

[0186] According to one embodiment, the center of the image sensor may be positioned at a distance of 0.1 mm or more and 0.2 mm or less from the optical axis.

[0187] According to one embodiment, the normal of the image sensor (e.g., the normal (NA) in FIG. 8) may be positioned to be inclined at -2 degrees or more and +2 degrees or less with respect to the optical axis.

[0188] According to one embodiment, the plurality of lenses includes four lenses arranged sequentially along the optical axis, and the object-side surface (e.g., the surface indicated as 'S9' in FIG. 8) of the lens closest to the image sensor among the four lenses (e.g., the fourth lens (L4) in FIG. 8) may be convex.

[0189] According to one embodiment, the plurality of lenses includes four lenses arranged sequentially along the optical axis, and the sensor side surface (e.g., the surface indicated as 'S10' in FIG. 8) of the lens closest to the image sensor among the four lenses (e.g., the fourth lens (L4) in FIG. 8) may be concave.

[0190] Although the present disclosure has been described by way of example with respect to one embodiment, it should be understood that the embodiment is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detailed configuration may be made without departing from the whole context of the present disclosure, including the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. In a camera module (413; 500), A lens assembly (LA) comprising a plurality of lenses (L1, L2, L3, L4) configured to focus or guide light incident from the outside; and It includes an image sensor (I) configured to detect light focused or guided by the lens assembly above, and The image sensor is a camera module positioned at an angle with respect to at least one optical axis (CO; L5A) among the plurality of lenses.

2. A camera module configured to detect or track a user's gaze based on light detected by the image sensor in claim 1.

3. In any one of claims 1 to 2, the center of the image sensor is a camera module positioned at a specified distance (EC2) from the optical axis.

4. In claim 3, the center of the image sensor is a camera module positioned at a distance of 0.1 mm or more and 0.2 mm or less from the optical axis.

5. A camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of lenses comprises at least three lenses, and the object side surface (S9) of the lens (L4) closest to the image sensor among the plurality of lenses is convex.

6. A camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of lenses comprises at least three lenses, and the sensor side surface (S10) of the lens (L4) closest to the image sensor among the plurality of lenses is concave.

7. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 6, A camera module further comprising a band pass filter (F) disposed between the plurality of lenses and the image sensor.

8. In claim 7, the bandpass filter is a camera module positioned parallel to the image sensor.

9. A camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the normal (NA) of the image sensor is positioned such that it is inclined at -2 degrees or more and +2 degrees or less with respect to the optical axis.

10. In any one of claims 1 to 9, the plurality of lenses comprises four lenses sequentially aligned along the optical axis, The lens (L1) among the four lenses placed furthest from the image sensor is a camera module having positive refractive power.

11. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 10, It further includes a sensor driving unit (SD), and The above sensor driving unit is, The image sensor is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, or, A camera module configured to adjust the tilt angle of the image sensor with respect to the optical axis by rotating the image sensor.

12. A camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the optical axis of any one of the plurality of lenses is arranged to be inclined with respect to the optical axis of another of the plurality of lenses.

13. A camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the optical axis of any one of the plurality of lenses is positioned at a specified distance from the optical axis of another of the plurality of lenses.

14. In a head mounting device, Housing configured to be placed on or worn on the user's face; A display positioned in the housing to face the user and configured to output a screen along a first direction; and A head-mounting device comprising a camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 13, which is positioned in the housing to be oriented toward the user's face and configured to receive light incident along a second direction inclined toward the first direction.

15. A head-mounting device according to claim 14, configured to perform user authentication based on light detected by the image sensor.

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