Vehicle Camera Module Stacking for Compact Sealed Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle camera modules face challenges in miniaturization and maintaining tight internal sealing, especially when exposed to varying environmental conditions, and current designs do not adequately address the need for compactness and robust sealing.
Innovation Solution
A camera module is designed with a stacked structure using area-reduced substrates, featuring a housing with a through hole for the lens module, a connector for external connection, and substrate units with specific coupling mechanisms and flexible substrates for electrical connection and sealing, ensuring tight internal sealing and compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the camera module is miniaturized by reducing substrate area, then the installation space is reduced, but the internal sealing becomes more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is divided into multiple separate components (first substrate, second substrate, third substrate) that are stacked and connected through coupling parts. This segmentation allows each substrate to be independently sealed and connected, maintaining internal sealing integrity while enabling miniaturization of the overall camera module structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple substrates are arranged in a stacked configuration where the first substrate, second substrate, and third substrate are nested vertically within the housing. This nesting approach reduces the horizontal footprint and enables miniaturization while maintaining the sealing structure through vertical integration rather than horizontal expansion.
2Volume of moving object
If multiple substrates are stacked to reduce size, then the camera module becomes more compact, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling parts serve multiple functions: they mechanically connect adjacent substrates, provide electrical connection pathways between substrates, and contribute to the sealing structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity despite the stacked multi-substrate configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling parts integrate mechanical support, electrical connection, and sealing functions into single components that bridge adjacent substrates. By merging these functions into unified components rather than using separate elements for each function, the complexity of the overall coupling structure is reduced.
Data Source
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AI summary
An embodiment of the present invention relates to a camera module comprising: a housing comprising a through hole; a lens module disposed in the through hole; a connector penetrating the housing and extending to an outside from an inside of the housing; a first substrate unit located inside the housing and having an image sensor mounted thereon; a second substrate unit disposed inside the housing and connected to the connector; and a flexible substrate for electrically connecting the first substrate and the second substrate unit, wherein the flexible substrate is coupled to a lower surface of the first substrate unit and a side surface of the second substrate.