Abstract
A method for producing a camera module. An objective is aligned with respect to an image sensor and is then fixed in position by being joined to a support that receives the image sensor, a housing that surrounds the image sensor, or an interposed connection structure as a joining partner. The objective is mounted on spacer elements, which are initially still movable, and is then aligned with respect to the image sensor by moving the spacer elements. After the objective is aligned, the spacer elements are welded to the objective and the joining partner. A camera module is also described.
Claims
1-11. (canceled)
12. A method for producing a camera module, in which an objective is aligned with respect to an image sensor and then fixed in position by being joined: to a support receiving the image sensor or to a housing enclosing the image sensor or to an interposed connecting structure, as a joining partner, the method comprising: mounting the objective on spacer elements, which are initially still movable; aligning the objective with respect to the image sensor by moving the spacer elements; and once the objective has been aligned, welding the spacer elements to the objective and the joining partner.
13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the spacer elements each have at least one spherical or partly spherical or cylindrical or partly cylindrical, contact contour.
14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the spacer elements are arranged at the same angular distance from one another around a cylindrical or conically shaped external contour of the objective.
15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the spacer elements are guided via a guide geometry, which is formed by the support or the housing, or via the connecting structure.
16. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the spacer elements are guided via a shared cage.
17. A camera module, comprising: an objective; an image sensor arranged on a support and enclosed by a housing; wherein the objective is mounted on spacer elements, which are welded to the objective on one side, and to the support, or to the housing, or to an interposed connecting structure on the other side.
18. The camera module as recited in claim 17, wherein the spacer elements each have at least one spherical or partly spherical or cylindrical or partly cylindrical, contact contour.
19. The camera module as recited in claim 17, wherein the spacer elements are arranged at the same angular distance from one another around a cylindrical or conically shaped external contour of the objective.
20. The camera module as recited in claim 17, wherein the spacer elements are received, at least in some portions, in a guide geometry and/or in a shared cage.
21. The camera module as recited in claim 17, wherein a sealing element is arranged between the objective and the support or between the objective and the housing or between the objective and the connecting structure.
22. The camera module as recited in claim 21, wherein the sealing element is a sealing ring.
23. The camera module as recited in claim 17, wherein the camera module is produced by: mounting the objective on the spacer elements, which are initially still movable; aligning the objective with respect to the image sensor by moving the spacer elements; and once the objective has been aligned, welding the spacer elements to the objective, and to the support or the housing or the connecting structure.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] FIGS. 1A to 1D are perspective views of rod-shaped spacer elements for a camera module according to an example embodiment of the present invention in different positions,
[0027] FIGS. 2A to 2D are perspective views of different spacer elements for a camera module according to example embodiments of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a first preferred specific embodiment of a camera module according to the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 3B is a sectional view the example embodiment of FIG. 3A.
[0030] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a second preferred specific embodiment of a camera module according to the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the example embodiment of FIG. 4A.
[0032] FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a third preferred specific embodiment of a camera module according to the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 5B is a sectional view of the example embodiment of FIG. 5A.
[0034] FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a fourth preferred specific embodiment of a camera module according to the present invention.
[0035] FIG. 6B is a sectional view of the example embodiment of FIG. 6A.
[0036] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a fifth preferred specific embodiment of a camera module according to the present invention.
[0037] FIG. 7B is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 7A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0038] A camera module 1 according to the present invention has spacer elements 7, which allow an objective 2 to be aligned on multiple axes with respect to an image sensor 3. The functioning of these spacer elements 7 will first be explained on the basis of FIGS. 1A-1D.
[0039] FIG. 1A shows three rod-shaped spacer elements 7 having a circular cross section and partly spherical ends, the ends forming contact contours 8. The three spacer elements 7 are placed along a circular line, having a diameter D.sub.1, and are each tilted inward such that the upper contact contours 8 rest on a shared circular line having a diameter D.sub.2. This circular line denotes the region of contact of the spacer elements 7 with an external contour 9 of the objective 2.
[0040] Since the contact contours 8 are each partly spherical, there is in each case punctiform contact of the spacer elements 7 with the external contour 9 of the objective 2 on one side, and with the placement surface on the other side. The partly spherical ends thus form contact contours 8 by means of which the spacer elements 7 can roll on each contact surface. This allows the tilt angles of the spacer elements 7 to be changed in order to align the objective 2 on multiple axes.
[0041] As shown by way of example in FIG. 1B, the tilt angle of the spacer elements 7 can be decreased in order to reduce the distance between the objective 2 and the image sensor 3. Since in the present case the outer limits of the diameter D.sub.1 are defined, substantially only the diameter D.sub.2 changes.
[0042] To bring the objective 2 into a slight tipped position, the spacer elements 7 can, as shown by way of example in FIGS. 1C and 1D, also be tilted to different extents. In this case, the spacer elements 7 follow the movement of the objective 2 during aligning.
[0043] In FIGS. 1C and 1D, the diameter D.sub.2 at the objective 2 does not have an exact circular shape, but rather has an elliptical shape, although this is negligible in the present case.
[0044] Alternative spacer elements 7 can be seen in FIGS. 2A-2D. FIG. 2A shows the rod-shaped spacer elements 7 from FIGS. 1A-1D having a circular cross section and partly spherical contact contours 8. FIG. 2B shows spacer elements 7 that are likewise rod-shaped but have a rectangular cross section and partly cylindrical contact contours 8. FIG. 2C shows spherical spacer elements 7 and FIG. 2D shows roll-like spacer elements 7. The possible uses of the different spacer elements 7 will be explained in more detail below on the basis of specific exemplary embodiments.
[0045] FIGS. 3A and 3B show a first camera module 1 according to the present invention, comprising an objective 2 and an image sensor 3. The image sensor 3 is arranged on a support 4, which, in the present case, is a circuit board via which the necessary electrical contacts of the image sensor 3 are produced. The objective 2 is positioned at a distance above the image sensor 3 and is mounted via three rod-shaped spacer elements 7 in accordance with FIG. 1A. Unlike FIG. 1A, the objective 2 is contacted by the spacer elements 7, via their contact contours 8, on its external circumference rather than on its end face. The effect of this is that it is not the diameter D.sub.2 that can be changed but rather the diameter D.sub.1. If the tilt angle of the spacer elements 7 changes while the objective 2 is being aligned, the diameter D.sub.1 changes at the same time.
[0046] In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the spacer elements 7 are supported on the support 4 not directly, but rather indirectly via a connecting structure 6 arranged on the support 4. Said connecting structure is made of a metal material, so the spacer elements 7, which are likewise made of a metal material, can be welded to the connecting structure 6 once the objective 2 has been aligned. In this way, the objective 2 is fixed in position. Since the welded connection is particularly robust, a stable focus position of the objective 2 is simultaneously achieved.
[0047] In the specific embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the metal connecting structure 6 is simultaneously used as a guide geometry 10, by means of which the spacer elements 7 are guided while the objective 2 is being aligned. For this purpose, the guide geometry 10 has elevated side walls 13, which run in parallel with a radial and in parallel with a tangent to the objective 2. The side walls 13 running in parallel with the tangent form respective abutments for the spacer elements 7, such that the maximum diameter D.sub.1 is predetermined.
[0048] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, an annular sealing element 12 is additionally arranged between the objective 2 and the support 4. Since said sealing element is made of an elastically deformable material, it can participate in the movements of the objective 2 during aligning. In the present case, the sealing element 12 encloses an end portion of the objective 2, which end portion has a reduced external diameter such as to form an annular shoulder 14, which the sealing element 12 sealingly adjoins.
[0049] FIGS. 4A and 4B show a second preferred specific embodiment of a camera module 1 according to the present invention. In this case, the objective 2 is supported by way of the spacer elements 7 not on the support 4 but on a housing 5. The support 4 is rigidly connected to the housing 5. The design of the objective 2 and of the spacer elements 7 corresponds substantially to that in FIGS. 3A and 3B. A sealing element 12 between the objective 2 and the housing 5 is likewise provided, the sealing element 12 being arranged on a hollow-cylindrical extension 15 of the housing 5.
[0050] Portions 16 of a guide geometry 10 extend radially outward from the hollow-cylindrical extension 15. The guide geometry 10 is thus integrated in the housing 5. The number of portions 16 corresponds to the number of spacer elements 7. Each portion 16 has two side walls 13 running in parallel with a radial, and one side wall 13 running in parallel with a tangent. Said latter side wall forms an abutment such that the diameter D.sub.1 is limited outwardly. The diameter D.sub.2 is predetermined by the objective 2, since in this case too the spacer elements 7 contact the cylindrical external contour 9 of the objective 2 on the external circumference thereof.
[0051] This is different in the camera module 1 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. In this case, in the region of the shoulder 14, the objective 2 has a conically shaped external contour 9, which the spacer elements 7 contact. This means that the diameter D.sub.2 can be changed depending on the position of the spacer elements 7 on the conical external contour 9 of the objective 2. Since the spacer elements 7 are not guided by means of a guide geometry 10 at the other end either, the diameter D.sub.1 can also be changed. At the same time, guidance of the spacer elements 7 is achieved by way of a cage 11 in which the spacer elements 7 are movably mounted. For this purpose, the cage 11 has sleeve-shaped receptacles 17, which are connected by way of a ring 18 and are each rotatably mounted such that the cage 11 allows the tilt angles of the spacer elements 7 to change.
[0052] At their base points, the spacer elements 7 are supported on the support 5 indirectly via a metal connecting structure 6. To fix the objective 2 in position, the spacer elements 7 are welded to the connecting structure 6 on one side, and to the external contour 9 of the objective 2 on the other side. In the present case, the sealing element 12 is arranged between the objective 2 and the connecting structure 6.
[0053] FIGS. 6A and 6B show an additional preferred specific embodiment of a camera module 1 according to the present invention. In this case, the spacer elements 7 are spherical and contact a conically shaped external contour 9 of the objective 2. In the present case, the conically shaped external contour 9 is formed on an annular collar portion 19 of the objective 2. The spherical spacer elements 7 roll on a metal connecting structure 6, which is arranged on a support 4 and allows the spacer elements 7 to be welded once the objective 2 has been aligned. The sealing element 12 is arranged between the objective 2 and the connecting structure 6.
[0054] Instead of spherical spacer elements 7, roll-like spacer elements 7 can also be used. A corresponding specific embodiment is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The objective 2 is configured similarly to FIGS. 6A and 6B, such that the rolls contact a conically shaped external contour 9 of the objective 2. Facing the external contour 9 of the objective 2 is a metal connecting structure 6, which is arranged on the support 4. The connecting structure 6 is formed as a ring, on which the roll-like spacer elements 7 roll when the objective 2 is being aligned. After the alignment, the spacer elements 7 are welded to the connecting structure 6. The sealing element 12 is arranged between the objective 2 and the support 4.
[0055] In addition to the exemplary embodiments shown, a multiplicity of further specific embodiments are possible which reflect the fundamental concept of the present invention. Generally speaking, spacer elements 7 that are spherical or roll-like in accordance with FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A and 7B require a conically shaped contact surface in order to be able to follow the movements of the objective 2 during aligning. The conically shaped contact surface can be formed either by the external contour 9 of the objective 2 or by a conically shaped contact surface of the housing 5, of the support 4 or of the connecting structure 6. In the case of rod-shaped spacer elements 7, the external contour 9 of the objective 2 can also be cylindrical since rod-shaped spacer elements 7 can change their tilt angle if at least one diameter D.sub.1 and/or D.sub.2 is variable.
