Camera Module Housing Grounding to Avoid VCM Magnetic Interference

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional camera modules experience magnetic interference due to nickel plating of the housing, which affects the voice coil motor's operation and increases costs, and assembly challenges arise from small pin terminals on the module circuit board.

Innovation Solution

The camera module design includes a base with a plastic piece and a metal piece that are fastened together, allowing the housing to be nickel-plated only in local regions, avoiding magnetic interference while ensuring strong connections and grounding to reduce radio frequency and electrostatic interference.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the entire housing is nickel-plated to ensure soldering reliability, then the housing can be reliably tinned in the soldering process, but magnetic interference is caused to the voice coil motor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesoldering reliabilityVSAvoidmagnetic interference
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local nickel plating only on specific areas of the housing that require soldering, rather than plating the entire housing. This localized approach maintains soldering reliability at the connection points while avoiding magnetic interference in other areas, directly resolving the contradiction between reliable soldering and magnetic interference prevention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The housing is segmented into different functional zones: nickel-plated areas for soldering connections and non-plated areas to avoid magnetic interference. This segmentation allows different surface treatments on different parts of the same housing, enabling both reliable soldering and reduced magnetic interference simultaneously

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-affected harmful factors

If local nickel-plating is applied only to necessary areas, then magnetic interference is avoided, but the cost increases due to complex plating processes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemagnetic interferenceVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

By applying nickel plating only where absolutely necessary for soldering connections rather than uniformly across the entire housing, the patent reduces the total amount of plating material and processing time required, thereby lowering manufacturing costs while still preventing magnetic interference in the non-plated areas

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Device complexity

If the housing is directly soldered to the module circuit board, then assembly is simplified, but the small pin terminal area makes assembly difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly complexityVSAvoidassembly ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a base component as an intermediary between the housing and the module circuit board. This base provides a larger, more accessible area for soldering connections, making assembly easier while maintaining the simplicity of the overall structure. The base acts as a mediator that resolves the conflict between simplified direct soldering and the practical difficulty of working with small pin terminals

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 design prevents magnetic interference, reduces costs, and enhances assembly reliability by using a metal piece to strengthen the base and facilitate connections, while also minimizing nickel plating, thus improving the camera module's overall performance and reducing interference.

Implementation Method 1

the metal piece is electrically connected to a ground pin of the module circuit board

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrical conduction: Conduction (electrical)

Implementation Method 2

the voice coil motor includes a base, a driving mechanism, and a housing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic force: Lorentz Force

Data Source

PatentEP4697734A1Camera module and electronic device
Publication Date: 2026.02.18 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4697734A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4697734A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4697734A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

This application provides a camera module and an electronic device. The camera module includes a voice coil motor, a lens, a module circuit board, and an image sensor, where the voice coil motor includes a base, a driving mechanism, and a housing, the lens is mounted in the driving mechanism, the driving mechanism is connected to the base, both the base and the image sensor are disposed on the module circuit board, the image sensor is located on a light exit side of the lens, and the housing is fastened to the base and covers at least a part of the driving mechanism; the base includes a plastic piece and a metal piece, and the metal piece is fastened to the plastic piece; and the housing includes a metal portion, the metal portion is fastened to the metal piece, and the metal piece is electrically connected to a ground pin of the module circuit board. In one aspect, the housing in this application can no longer be entirely nickel-plated, and the housing no longer causes magnetic interference to a magnetic piece of the voice coil motor. In another aspect, the metal portion of the housing in this application can be grounded via the metal piece, and this can avoid radio frequency interference and electrostatic interference caused by another component of the electronic device to the camera module.