KR-20260066018-A - Camera module and Camera Apparatus including the same

Abstract

A camera actuator according to an embodiment includes a housing; a prism unit disposed within the housing; and a driving unit for tilting the prism unit, wherein a ball bearing and a pulling magnet that generate an attractive force between each other are disposed in the prism unit and the housing, and the prism unit is supported in the housing by the attractive force between the ball bearing and the pulling magnet.

Inventors

• 이성민

Assignees

• 엘지이노텍 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20260422

Claims (18)

1. Lens part; A prism unit that transmits light to the lens unit above; A housing providing a receiving space for accommodating the above-mentioned prism unit; A cover member covering the above housing; A driving unit for tilting the above prism unit; and It includes a ball bearing positioned on the optical axis direction passing through the center of the lens portion, and The above ball bearing is a camera module that provides a tilting axis for tilting the prism unit along a first direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction and a second direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the optical axis direction.
2. In paragraph 1, It further includes a magnet that supports the prism unit together with the ball bearing, and A camera module in which at least a portion of the magnet overlaps with the ball bearing along the optical axis direction.
3. In paragraph 2, The above prism unit is a camera module that is tiltably positioned while supported in the housing by the ball bearing and the magnet.
4. In paragraph 3, The above ball bearing is a camera module containing a magnetic material.
5. In paragraph 3, The above prism unit is a camera module supported in the housing by the attractive force generated between the ball bearing and the magnet.
6. In paragraph 2, A camera module in which at least a portion of the magnet is spaced apart from the ball bearing along the optical axis direction.
7. In paragraph 2, The above magnet is a camera module positioned further from the prism unit than the ball bearing along the optical axis direction.
8. In paragraph 2, The above cover member includes an inner wall, and The above magnet is placed on the inner wall of the cover member, and The above housing is a camera module comprising a first recess into which at least a portion of the magnet is inserted along the optical axis direction.
9. In paragraph 8, The above prism unit includes an outer wall that overlaps with the inner wall along the optical axis direction, and A camera module having a second recess formed on the outer wall of the prism unit in which the ball bearing is disposed.
10. In Paragraph 9, The above housing includes a partition wall disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall, and The above bulkhead includes an outer surface facing the inner wall and an inner surface facing the outer wall, A third recess is formed on the outer surface of the above bulkhead, in which at least a portion of the magnet is disposed, and A camera module having a fourth recess formed on the inner surface of the above bulkhead, wherein at least a portion of the ball bearing is disposed therein.
11. In Paragraph 10, A camera module in which the size of the third recess and the size of the fourth recess are different.
12. In paragraph 1, The above lens portion is a camera module comprising a first lens assembly and a second lens assembly that move along the optical axis direction.
13. In Paragraph 12, A first lens driving unit that moves the first lens assembly in the direction of the optical axis; and A camera module further comprising a second lens driving unit that moves the second lens assembly in the direction of the optical axis.
14. In paragraph 1, A camera module further comprising an image sensor that receives light passing through the lens portion.
15. In paragraph 2, The above magnet is a camera module placed on the above cover member.
16. In paragraph 2, It further includes a circuit board disposed on the outside of the above housing and on which the driving unit is disposed, and The above magnet is a camera module placed on the circuit board.
17. In Paragraph 16, A camera module in which at least a portion of the magnet is in direct contact with the circuit board.
18. In Paragraph 16, The above circuit board includes a substrate region comprising an inner surface and an outer surface opposite to each other along the optical axis direction, and The above magnet is disposed on the inner surface of the substrate region of the circuit board, and The above prism unit includes an outer wall facing the substrate region along the optical axis direction, and The above ball bearing is a camera module placed on the outer wall of the above prism unit.

Description

Camera module and camera apparatus including the same The embodiments relate to a camera module and a camera device including the same. Camera modules perform the function of capturing subjects and saving them as images or videos, and are installed in mobile devices such as mobile phones, laptops, drones, vehicles, etc. Meanwhile, portable devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and laptops have built-in ultra-small camera modules, and these camera modules can perform an autofocus (AF) function that aligns the focal length of the lens by automatically adjusting the distance between the image sensor and the lens. In addition, recent camera modules can perform zooming functions, such as zooming up or zooming out, by increasing or decreasing the magnification of distant subjects through a zoom lens. In addition, recent camera modules employ image stabilization (IS) technology to correct or prevent image shaking caused by camera movement resulting from unstable mounting devices or user movements. These image stabilization (IS) technologies include optical image stabilizer (OIS) technology and image stabilization technology using image sensors. OIS technology corrects motion by changing the path of light, and while image stabilization technology using image sensors corrects motion through mechanical and electronic methods, OIS technology is being adopted more widely. In addition, automotive camera modules are products designed to transmit images of the vehicle's surroundings or interior to a display, and can be primarily used in parking assistance and driving assistance systems. In addition, the vehicle camera module detects lanes and vehicles around the vehicle and collects and transmits related data, thereby enabling the ECU to issue warnings or control the vehicle. Meanwhile, a zoom actuator is used for the zooming function in camera modules. However, frictional torque is generated during lens movement due to the mechanical motion of the actuator, and this frictional torque causes technical problems such as reduced driving force, increased power consumption, or deterioration of control characteristics. In particular, to achieve optimal optical characteristics using multiple zoom lens groups in a camera module, the alignment between the multiple lens groups and the alignment between the multiple lens groups and the image sensor must be well matched. However, if decentering occurs, where the spherical center of the lens groups deviates from the optical axis, or if tilting occurs, or if the center axis of the lens group and the image sensor is not aligned, the angle of view changes or focus is lost, which adversely affects image quality and resolution. Meanwhile, when increasing the distance in the friction-generating area to reduce frictional torque resistance during lens movement for zooming functions in a camera module, a technical problem contradiction arises in which lens decentering or lens tilting intensifies during zoom movement or reversal of zoom motion. Meanwhile, as image sensors increase in pixel count, the resolution rises and the pixel size decreases; consequently, smaller pixels reduce the amount of light received in the same amount of time. Therefore, in high-pixel cameras, image blur caused by hand shake—which occurs as the shutter speed slows down in dark environments—appears more severely. Accordingly, OIS features have recently become essential for capturing distortion-free images using high-resolution cameras in dark nighttime conditions or in video. Meanwhile, OIS technology is a method that corrects image quality by moving the camera lens or image sensor to modify the optical path. In particular, OIS technology detects camera movement using a gyro sensor and calculates the distance the lens or image sensor needs to move based on this. For example, OIS correction methods include lens shifting and module tilting. The lens shifting method moves only the lens within the camera module to realign the center of the image sensor with the optical axis. On the other hand, the module tilting method moves the entire module, including the lens and the image sensor. In particular, the module tilting method has the advantage of having a wider correction range compared to the lens movement method, and because the focal distance between the lens and the image sensor is fixed, image distortion can be minimized. Meanwhile, the lens movement method uses a Hall sensor to detect the position and movement of the lens. On the other hand, the module tilting method uses a photoreflector to detect the movement of the module. However, both methods use a gyro sensor to detect the movement of the camera user. The OIS controller uses data recognized by the gyroscope sensor to predict the position where the lens or module needs to move to compensate for user movement. According to recent technological trends, ultra-slim and ultra-compact camera modules are required. However, due to space constraints for OIS operation i