Camera Module Adhesive Gap Control for Optical Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of image capture devices with small depth of focus faces challenges in maintaining optical quality due to adhesive shrinkage variations, which can lead to alignment errors and reduced camera performance, especially in applications like autonomous navigation.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves selecting an adhesive gap that minimizes shrinkage variations by carefully determining the thickness of the adhesive and using spacers to adjust the chimney height, ensuring precise alignment and optical quality even with small depths of focus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesive is used to bond the lens flange to the housing, then the lens assembly is secured in place, but adhesive shrinkage variations cause alignment errors and reduce optical quality
Solution Approach 1:
A spacer component is introduced as an intermediary element between the lens flange and the housing. The spacer provides a precise mechanical interface that eliminates reliance on adhesive bonding for critical alignment, thereby preventing alignment errors caused by adhesive shrinkage while maintaining secure bonding through the spacer structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the adhesive-based mechanical bonding system with a spacer-based mechanical interface system. The spacer provides precise dimensional control and alignment through its mechanical structure, substituting the unreliable adhesive shrinkage-based alignment with a controlled mechanical positioning system.
2Measurement precision
If the depth of focus is reduced to improve camera performance in autonomous navigation, then imaging precision is enhanced, but manufacturing and alignment become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer component is designed with pre-calculated dimensions and features that establish the correct optical alignment before final assembly. By pre-establishing the precise geometric relationship between the lens flange and housing through the spacer's designed dimensions, the system compensates for the reduced depth of focus and maintains manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the geometric parameters of the spacer component to accommodate the reduced depth of focus requirement. By adjusting the spacer's dimensions, thickness, and positioning features, the system maintains precise optical alignment even when the depth of focus is minimized for improved imaging performance in autonomous navigation applications.
3Manufacturing precision
If the adhesive gap is minimized to reduce shrinkage variations, then alignment precision improves, but the bonding strength and manufacturing ease are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding interface is segmented into two functional components: the spacer provides precise alignment and mechanical positioning, while the adhesive provides bonding strength. This segmentation allows the adhesive gap to be optimized for bonding performance rather than being constrained by alignment requirements, as the spacer handles the precision alignment function separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer acts as an intermediary that decouples the alignment function from the bonding function. By providing a precise mechanical interface, the spacer allows the adhesive to be applied with sufficient thickness for strong bonding while maintaining alignment precision, eliminating the trade-off between gap size and bonding strength.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach improves camera performance and manufacturing yield by reducing adhesive shrinkage variations, allowing for the use of lenses with small depths of focus while maintaining high optical quality.
Implementation Method 1
adhesive shrinkage variations
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods described herein can be used to improve camera modules (e.g., camera components), particularly when the camera lens depth of focus is very small. Improvement of a camera with a small depth of focus is particularly important in various applications, such as in cameras used in autonomous navigation (e.g., advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle (AV) systems).