Abstract
A camera module that includes an objective lens with an electrical interface and a device for electrically contacting the objective lens in the area of the electrical interface. The device for electrically contacting are also connected to an electronics system, in particular to a circuit board, of the camera module. The electrical interface is formed at the objective lens on the outer circumferential side, and the device for electrical contacting includes an annular body situated on the objective lens on the outer circumferential side, with contacts formed on the inner circumferential side. A method for manufacturing a camera module is also provided.
Claims
1-12. (canceled)
13. A camera module, comprising: an objective lens with an electrical interface; a device configured to electrically contact the objective lens in an area of the electrical interface, the device configured to electrically contact also being connected to an electronics system of the camera module; wherein the electrical interface is formed at the objective lens on an outer circumferential side of the objective lens, and the device configured to electrically contact includes an annular body situated on the objective lens on the outer circumferential side of the objective lens, with contacts formed on an inner circumferential side of the annular body.
14. The camera module as recited in claim 13, wherein the electronics system includes a circuit board.
15. The camera module as recited in claim 13, wherein the annular body is connected to the objective lens in a force-fit and/or firmly bonded manner.
16. The camera module as recited in claim 13, wherein the annular body is made of an elastically deformable material, at least in areas, and rests against the objective lens on the outer circumferential side, under radial pretensioning.
17. The camera module as recited in claim 13, wherein the annular body includes a slot and is configured as an open ring.
18. The camera module as recited in claim 13, wherein the annular body is connected to the electronics system of the camera module via at least one electrical conductor.
19. The camera module as recited in claim 18, wherein the at least one electrical conductor includes a cable.
20. The camera module as recited in claim 13, wherein the annular body is fastened to a housing part of the camera module via a flexible sheet material.
21. The camera module as recited in claim 20, wherein the housing part is an objective lens holder.
22. The camera module as recited in claim 20, wherein the flexible sheet material is a fabric or a mesh or a film or a diaphragm.
23. The camera module as recited in claim 20, wherein the sheet material is held in the housing part of the camera module via a mounting ring.
24. The camera module as recited in claim 23, wherein the sheet material includes or forms strip conductors that connect the contacts of the annular body to an electrical interface that is formed at the mounting ring.
25. The camera module as recited in claim 13, wherein the objective lens includes a cone and/or an annular collar, in an end section facing the electronics system.
26. A method for manufacturing a camera module, the method comprising the following steps: inserting an objective lens into a housing part and aligning the objective lens with respect to an image sensor of the camera module; wherein, for electrical contacting, the objective lens, upon insertion into the housing part, is introduced into an annular body, so that an electrical interface of the objective lens, formed on an outer circumferential side of the objective lens, comes into contact with contacts formed at the annular body on an inner circumferential side of the annular body.
27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the housing part is an objective lens holder.
28. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein a force-fit and/or firmly bonded connection between the objective lens and the annular body is established upon insertion of the objective lens into the annular body.
29. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein the annular body is directly or indirectly held at the housing part before the objective lens is inserted.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] FIG. 1 shows a schematic longitudinal section of a first and a second camera module according to an example embodiment of the present invention during installation.
[0031] FIG. 2 shows a schematic longitudinal section of the first and the second camera module of FIG. 1 after installation.
[0032] FIG. 3 shows a schematic longitudinal section of a third camera module according to an example embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 4 shows a) a schematic longitudinal section and b) a schematic top view onto the annular body of the camera modules of FIG. 1.
[0034] FIG. 5 shows a) a schematic longitudinal section and b) a schematic top view onto an alternative annular body for the camera modules of FIG. 1.
[0035] FIG. 6 shows a) a schematic longitudinal section and b) a schematic top view onto the annular body of the camera module of FIG. 3.
[0036] FIG. 7 shows a) a schematic longitudinal section and b) a schematic top view onto an alternative annular body for the camera module of FIG. 3.
[0037] FIG. 8 shows the annular body of FIG. 7, a) before installation and b) after installation;
[0038] FIG. 9 shows a schematic longitudinal section of a fourth camera module according to an example embodiment of the present invention during installation,
[0039] FIG. 10 shows a schematic longitudinal section of the camera module of FIG. 9 after installation.
[0040] FIG. 11 shows a schematic top view onto the annular body of the camera module of FIG. 9, together with the sheet material and the housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0041] Two camera modules 1 according to the present invention are shown in FIG. 1, a first camera module on the left side and a second camera module on the right side. The camera modules differ with regard to the design of their objective lenses 2.
[0042] Both camera modules 1 share the common feature that objective lens 2 is inserted into a housing part 10 or an objective lens holder, and is surrounded by an annular body 5 in the area of an electrical interface 3 that is formed on the outer circumferential side.
[0043] As is shown in particular from FIGS. 4a) and 4b), annular body 5 includes diametrically opposed contacts 6 that are formed on the inner circumferential side. Annular body 5 is made of a plastic for electrical insulation. Contacts 6 on the inner circumferential sides are made of a conductive foam material.
[0044] In FIG. 1, which shows camera modules 1 during installation, i.e., during insertion of objective lenses 2 into housing part 10, annular body 5 is held by housing part 10. For this purpose, annular body 5 rests against housing part 10 under slight radial pretensioning. Upon insertion of particular objective lens 2 into housing part 10, contacts 6 of annular body 5 come to rest against electrical interfaces 3 of particular objective lens 2, and the force fit between annular body 5 and housing part 10 is eliminated in the further course of the movement of objective lens 2. Annular body 5 is now connected only to objective lens 2 and is entrained by objective lens 2. For objective lens 2 on the left side, this is achieved solely via the particular diameter ratios. Objective lens 2 on the right side has an entrainer geometry in the form of an annular collar 15 for entrainment of annular body 5. The entrainment of annular body 5 allows an alignment of objective lens 2 with respect to an image sensor 16 of camera module 1. The alignment is used to compensate for manufacturing tolerances. After the alignment, objective lens 2 is fixed in position with the aid of adhesives 17 situated between objective lens 2 and housing part 10 (cf. FIG. 2).
[0045] Annular body 5 or its contacts 6 is/are connected to a circuit board 4 of camera module 1 via a cable that is used as an electrical conductor 8. Since the cable is flexible, it does not hinder the alignment of objective lens 2 with respect to image sensor 16. In the present case, image sensor 16 is situated on circuit board 4, which is fastened to housing part 10 with the aid of screws 19.
[0046] One alternative specific embodiment of an annular body 5 for camera modules 1 of FIG. 1 is illustrated in FIGS. 5a) and 5b). Annular body 5 is made of a plastic, and on the inner circumferential side includes two oppositely situated metallic contact springs as contacts 6. As an alternative to the plastic material, annular body 5 may be made of a metal and may be extrusion-coated with plastic. The same applies for annular body 5 of FIGS. 4a) and 4b).
[0047] A third preferred specific embodiment of a camera module 1 according to the present invention is apparent from FIG. 3. Objective lens 2 is already completely installed, and is fixed in position at housing part 10 with the aid of adhesive 17. Annular body 5 is designed as an open clamping ring according to FIGS. 6a) and 6b) or according to FIGS. 7a) and 7b). Annular body 5 according to FIGS. 6a) and 6b) includes two oppositely situated contacts 6 made of a conductive foam material, as well as a slot 7. The base material is plastic or a metal that is extrusion-coated with plastic. Annular body 5 of FIGS. 7a) and 7b) includes two oppositely situated contact springs as contacts 6, and is likewise made of plastic or a metal that is extrusion-coated with plastic.
[0048] As illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 8a) and 8b), annular body 5 designed as a clamping ring allows a force-fit connection to housing part 10 before objective lens 2 is inserted into housing part 10. For this purpose, a clamping web 18 whose width is greater than the width of slot 7 is formed at housing part 10. Accordingly, when the clamping ring is placed on clamping web 18, the clamping ring is expanded, so that in the circumferential direction the clamping ring is pretensioned with respect to the clamping web and is thus held (cf. FIG. 8a)). When objective lens 2 is subsequently inserted, with a cone 14 provided at objective lens 2 facilitating the insertion (cf. FIG. 3), annular body 5/the clamping ring comes to rest against objective lens 2, and is entrained by objective lens 2 and pulled from clamping web 18, so that the pretensioned clamping ring relaxes and rests around objective lens 2 (cf. FIG. 8b)).
[0049] As an alternative to the design according to FIGS. 8a) and 8b), instead of contacts 6 made of a conductive foam material the clamping ring may include metallic contact springs as contacts 6, analogously to FIGS. 5 and 7.
[0050] In addition, it is possible to equip objective lens 2 of the specific embodiment in FIG. 3 with an annular collar 15 as an entrainer geometry, analogously to the specific embodiment in FIG. 1 (right side).
[0051] In the specific embodiments in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, electrical interface 3 provided at objective lens 2 on the outer circumferential side is formed in each case by strip conductors that are mounted on the outer circumferential side, and that extend in the longitudinal direction, i.e., in parallel to longitudinal axis A of objective lens 2. If an annular collar 15 is provided, the strip conductors end at annular collar 15, since annular body 5 also cannot be slid onto objective lens 2 beyond annular collar 15. The strip conductors extending in the longitudinal direction allow a variable installation depth of objective lens 2 with respect to housing part 10, since the electrical contacting of objective lens 2 is establishable via annular body 5, regardless of the installation depth.
[0052] A fourth preferred specific embodiment of a camera module 1 according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. In this case, objective lens 2 is designed analogously to objective lens 2 of FIG. 3. In contrast to FIG. 3, annular body 5 is held in housing part 10 via a flexible sheet material 9 and a mounting ring 11, in particular not only prior to the insertion of objective lens 2 into housing part 10, but also afterward. Upon insertion of objective lens 2, annular body 5 slides onto objective lens 2, so that contacts 6 formed on the inner circumferential side come to rest against electrical interface 3 formed at objective lens 2, on the outer circumferential side. Here as well, the electrical interface is formed by strip conductors that extend in the longitudinal direction. As the result of sheet material 9 being flexible, objective lens 2 and annular body 5 may continue to move freely in order to align objective lens 2 with respect to image sensor 16. Due to the mounting ring 11 being installed in housing part 10 in a fixed position, in the area of an electrical interface 13 the mounting ring may be connected to circuit board 4 via a rigid plug 20. Electrical interface 13 at mounting ring 11 may be designed, for example, as a receptacle for plug 20. The connection of electrical interface 13 of mounting ring 11 to contacts 6 of annular body 5 is established via strip conductors 12 that are mounted on sheet material 9 or integrated into fabric 9, for example by weaving in (cf. FIG. 11).
