The present invention relates to a camera module, the camera module including a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) formed with an image sensor, a holder formed at an upper surface of the PCB and mounted therein with at least one or more lenses, an actuator positioned at the holder, and an electronic circuit pattern layer formed on the holder.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A camera module, the camera module comprising: a PCB (Printed Circuit Board); an image sensor disposed on the PCB; a housing including a base disposed at an upper surface of the PCB, a holder disposed at an upper surface of the base and mounted with at least one lens; an actuator disposed at the holder; and an electronic circuit pattern layer formed on a surface of the housing, and connected to a terminal of the actuator and a terminal of the PCB, wherein the holder is integrally formed with the base, and wherein the housing is nonconductive, and includes an impurity for changing a portion exposed to heat or light in order to form the electronic circuit pattern layer.
2. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit pattern layer formed on the surface of the housing is provided by MID (Molded Interconnect Device) technology.
3. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit pattern layer is formed only on one side of the housing.
4. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit pattern layer is formed on an outside and an inside of the housing.
5. The camera module of claim 1 , further comprising: a conductive layer of conductive material disposed on a surface of the electronic circuit pattern layer, wherein the conductive layer has a shape corresponding to the electronic circuit pattern layer, and wherein power and a control signal are received through the conductive layer or the electronic circuit pattern layer.
6. The camera module of claim 5 , wherein the conductive layer is formed at the upper side of the electronic circuit pattern layer using any one technical engineering of coating and plating.
7. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit pattern layer is directly mounted with electronic components.
8. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is formed with at least two connection terminals.
9. The camera module of claim 8 , wherein one of the connection terminals is connected to a positive terminal and the other of the connection terminals is connected to a ground terminal.
10. The camera module of claim 8 , wherein the connection terminals are conductively connected to the electronic circuit pattern layer by way of any one method of soldering, wire bonding and AG epoxy bonding.
11. The camera module of claim 8 , wherein the connection terminals are conductively and directly connected to the electronic circuit pattern layer.
12. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the terminal of the PCB is conductively connected to the electronic circuit pattern layer by way of any one method of soldering, wire bonding and AG epoxy bonding.
13. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the terminal of the PCB is conductively and directly connected to the electronic circuit pattern layer.
14. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the actuator performs any one of auto focusing function, hand-shake prevention function, shutter function and zooming function.
15. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is formed with one of an optical diaphragm on an optical path of the lenses and a liquid crystal micro lens, wherein either the optical diaphragm on an optical path of the lenses or the liquid crystal micro lens adjusts refraction of light passing the lenses to focus an image captured by the image sensor.
16. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is formed with any one of a non-MEMS actuator including a MEMS actuator, a liquid crystal lens and a piezo polymer lens, a silicon type actuator and a liquid lens.
17. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the holder is a cylindrical camera unit formed at an upper surface of the base, where a diameter of the holder at a portion arranged with a lens with a larger diameter and a diameter of the holder at a portion arranged with a relatively smaller diameter are differently formed.
18. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the holder is formed with a constant diameter toward the upper surface of the base.
19. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit pattern layer is formed along an outer surface of the housing to exposed outside, and wherein one of the electronic circuit pattern layer and the outer surface of the housing is not protruded from the other.
20. The camera module of claim 5 , wherein the conductive layer includes metal materials.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
May 17, 2012
February 23, 2016
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