Patent Publication Number: US-2022224807-A1

Title: Camera module and electronic device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of International Application No. PCT/CN2020/117238 filed on Sep. 23, 2020, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201910942344.7 filed on Sep. 30, 2019, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to the field of communications device technologies, and in particular, to a camera module and an electronic device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With advancement of technologies, electronic devices (such as mobile phones and tablet computers) have been rapidly developed. As a powerful tool, an electronic device greatly facilitates life and work of users. Camera shooting is a basic function of the electronic device, which can meet user needs for shooting. Camera shooting is usually implemented by a camera module of the electronic device. 
     In a specific operation process, a user usually holds an electronic device to take pictures. Due to shaking in the hand-held process, quality of the pictures taken by the camera module is relatively poor. 
     SUMMARY 
     A camera module includes a module housing, a first bracket, a camera, a second bracket, and a rolling-element bracket, where 
     the module housing has an inner housing chamber; 
     the first bracket is at least partly disposed in the inner housing chamber, the camera is at least partly disposed in the inner housing chamber, the first bracket is hinged to the module housing by a first hinge shaft, and the first bracket is able to rotate around the first hinge shaft; 
     the camera is fixedly connected to the second bracket, the rolling-element bracket is disposed with a rolling element, the second bracket is connected to the rolling element in a rolling mode, the camera is able to rotate with the second bracket around its lens axis, the rolling-element bracket is hinged to the first bracket by a second hinge shaft, and the camera and the second bracket is able to rotate with the rolling-element bracket around the second hinge shaft; and 
     an axis of the first hinge shaft and an axis of the second hinge shaft intersect or lie on different planes, the lens axis and the axis of the first hinge shaft intersect or lie on different planes, and the lens axis and the axis of the second hinge shaft intersect or lie on different planes. 
     An electronic device includes the foregoing camera module. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The drawings described herein are intended for a further understanding of this disclosure and constitute a part of this disclosure. Example embodiments of this disclosure and descriptions thereof are intended to explain this disclosure, and do not constitute any inappropriate limitation on this disclosure. In the accompanying drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic exploded view of a camera module disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic structural diagram of a camera module disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is an A-A section view of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a B-B section view of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a partially enlarged diagram of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  are schematic structural diagrams of a camera module under different viewing angles disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure; and 
         FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9  are schematic structural diagrams of a second bracket under different viewing angles disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     Reference signs are described as follows: 
       100 . module housing;  110 . inner housing chamber;  120 . housing frame;  130 . first cover plate;  131 . second bypass hole;  140 . second cover plate; 
       200 . first bracket;  210 . bracket body;  211 . first bypass hole;  220 . first connecting arm;  221 . first hinge hole;  230 . second connecting arm;  231 . second hinge hole; 
       300 . camera;  310 . lens; 
       400 . second bracket;  410 . first depression;  420 . second depression; 
       510 . rolling-element bracket;  520 . rolling element;  530 . limiting protrusion; 
       610 . first hinge shaft;  620 . second hinge shaft; 
       700 . flexible printed circuit board; 
       810 . third bracket;  820 . electromagnet. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the following clearly describes the technical solutions of this disclosure with reference to specific embodiments of this disclosure and corresponding drawings. Apparently, the described embodiments are merely some rather than all the embodiments of this disclosure. All other embodiments that a person of ordinary skill in the art obtains without creative efforts based on the embodiments of this disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of this disclosure. 
     The technical solutions disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 9 , an embodiment of this disclosure discloses a camera module, and the disclosed camera module may be applied to an electronic device. The disclosed camera module includes a module housing  100 , a first bracket  200 , a camera  300 , a second bracket  400 , and a rolling-element bracket  510 . 
     The module housing  100  is a basic component of the camera module, and the module housing  100  can provide a foundation for installing other components of the camera module. In this embodiment of this disclosure, the module housing  100  has an inner housing chamber  110 . The inner housing chamber  110  has an opening, and the opening serves as a bypass. 
     The first bracket  200  is at least partly disposed in the inner housing chamber  110 , and the camera  300  is at least partly disposed in the inner housing chamber  110 . The camera  300  can take shots through the opening of the inner housing chamber  110 . 
     In this embodiment of this disclosure, the first bracket  200  is hinged to the module housing  100  by a first hinge shaft  610 . The first bracket  200  can rotate around the first hinge shaft  610 . The camera  300  is fixedly connected to the second bracket  400 , and the rolling-element bracket  510  is disposed with a rolling element  520 . The rolling element  520  may be a ball or a roller. The second bracket  400  is connected to the rolling element  520  in a rolling mode, to allow relative rolling between the rolling-element bracket  510  and the second bracket  400 . Specifically, the camera  300  can rotate with the second bracket  400  around its lens axis by rolling. 
     The rolling-element bracket  510  is hinged to the first bracket  200  by a second hinge shaft  620 , and the camera  300  and the second bracket  400  can rotate with the rolling-element bracket  510  around the second hinge shaft  620 . 
     In this embodiment of this disclosure, an axis of the first hinge shaft  610  and an axis of the second hinge shaft  620  intersect or lie on different planes. The lens axis and the axis of the first hinge shaft  610  intersect or lie on different planes, and the lens axis and the axis of the second hinge shaft  620  intersect or lie on different planes. In other words, the rotating direction of the camera  300  and the second bracket  400  relative to the first bracket  200 , the rotating direction of the first bracket  200  relative to the module housing  100 , and the rotating direction of the camera  300  with the second bracket  400  relative to the rolling-element bracket  510  are different from each other. 
     In a specific shooting process, the camera module may tilt due to shaking, eventually affecting the photograph quality. In the camera module disclosed in this embodiment of this disclosure, the camera  300 , the second bracket  400 , and the first bracket  200  as a whole rotate around the first hinge shaft  610  relative to the module housing  100 , and the camera  300  and the second bracket  400  as a whole rotate around the second hinge shaft  620  relative to the first bracket  200 . Because the axis of the first hinge shaft  610  and the axis of the second hinge shaft  620  intersect or lie on different planes, rotations of the camera  300  in the above two directions can compensate for the angular components of the tilt in these two directions caused by shaking of the camera module, thereby implementing effective anti-shake for the camera module. When the camera  300  rotates around the axis of the first hinge shaft  610  or the axis of the second hinge shaft  620 , the camera  300  is also able to rotate with the second bracket  400 , thereby enabling the camera  300  to achieve a larger field of view for shooting. 
     In an optional solution, the axis of the first hinge shaft  610  may be perpendicular to the axis of the second hinge shaft  620 . In this case, an inclination angle generated by shaking of the entire camera module during shooting is easily resolved into two angular components around the axis of the first hinge shaft  610  and around the axis of the second hinge shaft  620  respectively, thereby facilitating angle compensation for the camera  300  during rotation. 
     The first bracket  200  may have various structures. In an optional solution, the first bracket  200  may include a bracket body  210  and a first connecting arm  220 , and a first end of the first connecting arm  220  is fixedly connected to the bracket body  210 . A second end of the first connecting arm  220  is a free end. The first hinge shaft  610  may be fastened on the module housing  100 , the second end of the first connecting arm  220  may be disposed with a first hinge hole  221 , and the first hinge shaft  610  is hinged to the first hinge hole  221 . The first connecting arm  220  is hinged to the module housing  100  by the first hinge shaft  610 , helping reduce a space occupied by a hinge structure. In addition, the second end of the first connecting arm  220  is a free end, that is, the first connecting arm  220  is a cantilever structure. The second end of the first connecting arm  220  can extend into the inner housing chamber  110  to implement a hinged connection, helping miniaturize the entire camera module. 
     In an optional solution, the first bracket  200  may further include a second connecting arm  230 , where a first end of the second connecting arm  230  is fixedly connected to the bracket body  210 , and a second end of the second connecting arm  230  is a free end. The second end of the second connecting arm  230  is disposed with a second hinge hole  231 , and the second hinge hole  231  is hinged to the second hinge shaft  620 . Similarly, the second end of the second connecting arm  230  can extend into the inner housing chamber  110  to implement a hinged connection, helping miniaturize the entire module bracket. In addition, the second connecting arm  230  is a cantilever structure, and the second hinge hole  231  is disposed at the free end of the second connecting arm  230 , so it is easier to implement a hinge assembly by deformation of the second connecting arm  230 . 
     In an optional solution, to improve stability of the hinge, two such first connecting arm  220  and two such second connecting arm  230  may be provided. The two first connecting arms  220  may be arranged diagonally on both sides of the camera  300  respectively, that is, the two first connecting arms  220  may be symmetrically arranged on two sides of the camera  300  relative to the camera  300 ; and the two second connecting arms  230  may be arranged diagonally on two sides of the camera  300  respectively, that is, the two second connecting arms  230  may be symmetrically arranged on two sides of the camera  300  relative to the camera  300 . The two first connecting arms  220  and the two second connecting arms  230  are evenly and alternately arranged on the peripheral side of the bracket body  210 . In this case, each first connecting arm  220  can be hinged to one first hinge shaft  610 , and each second connecting arm  230  can be hinged to one second hinge shaft  620 , which can undoubtedly improve the balance of rotation support. 
     In this embodiment of this disclosure, the bracket body  210  is the main body part of the first bracket  200 , and the bracket body  210  can ensure that the first connecting arm  220  and the second connecting arm  230  have a higher strength. The bracket body  210  may have various structures. In an optional solution, the bracket body  210  may be provided with a first bypass hole  211 . A lens  310  of the camera  300  may be disposed opposite the first bypass hole  211 , and the lens  310  of the camera  300  may take pictures through the first bypass hole  211 . 
     Specifically, the lens  310  of the camera  300  may be completely located in the inner housing chamber  110 , or may be located in the first bypass hole  211 , or certainly, may extend out of the inner housing chamber  110  through the first bypass hole  211 . In an optional solution, to prevent opening of the first bypass hole  211  from being excessively large, the lens  310  of the camera  300  is located in the first bypass hole  211  or extends out of the module housing  100  through the first bypass hole  211 . In this case, it can be avoided that the opening of the first bypass hole  211  is too large under the same shooting field of view, or the above solution can undoubtedly achieve a larger shooting field of view of the lens  310  under a given opening size of the first bypass hole  211 . Certainly, the lens  310  of the camera  300  needs the first bypass hole  211  to form a gap around the lens  310 , and the gap allows the camera  300  to rotate in the rotating process of the camera  300 . 
     In an optional solution, to facilitate manufacturing and assembly, the first bracket  200  may be an integral structure. Specifically, the first bracket  200  may be an integral metal structure. 
     Specifically, in a specific anti-shake process, the camera  300  needs to rotate around the axis of the first hinge shaft  610  and/or the axis of the second hinge shaft  620 . The camera  300  can be driven to rotate in various ways. 
     In an optional solution, the electronic device disclosed in this embodiment of this disclosure may further include a drive mechanism, and the drive mechanism may include a permanent magnet and an electromagnet. Specifically, the electronic device may be configured with a drive mechanism that matches each movement direction. Various types of drive components may be used, for example, implementing direct driving by a drive motor, or implementing driving by a drive motor in cooperation with a transmission mechanism. In an optional solution, each drive component may include a permanent magnet and an electromagnet  820 , and drive a movement by a magnetic force between the electromagnet and the permanent magnet after the electromagnet is electrified. 
     To facilitate assembly, the electromagnet  820  may be installed on a third bracket  810 , and the third bracket  810  is disposed on the module housing  100 . In this case, the permanent magnet is installed on a component capable of relative rotation. When the electromagnet  820  is electrified, the magnetic force generated by the electromagnet  820  and the permanent magnet can drive a corresponding component to rotate. 
     In this embodiment of this disclosure, the module housing  100  may have various structures. Still referring to  FIG. 1 , in a specific implementation, the module housing  100  may include a housing frame  120 , a first cover plate  130 , and a second cover plate  140 . The first cover plate  130  is disposed on an opening at one end of the housing frame  120 , the second cover plate  140  is disposed on an opening at the other end of the housing frame  120 . The first cover plate  130 , the second cover plate  140  and the housing frame  120  form the inner housing chamber  110 . The first cover plate  130  is provided with a second bypass hole  131 , and the second bypass hole  131  communicates with the inner housing chamber  110 . The module housing  100  with the foregoing structure is assembly friendly, facilitating the installation of the camera  300 . On the premise that the bracket body  210  is provided with the first bypass hole  211 , the first bypass hole  211  is located in the space encompassed by the hole wall of the second bypass hole  131 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6  to  FIG. 9 , in an optional solution, the second bracket  400  may be provided with a first depression  410 , the rolling-element bracket  510  is disposed in the first depression  410 , and the rolling element  520  is disposed between the rolling-element bracket  510  and the first depression  410 . A first bypass gap is present between the rolling-element bracket  510  and a side wall of the first depression  410 , and the rolling-element bracket  510  fits the side wall of the first depression  410  in a position limited manner in the rolling direction of the second bracket  400 , so that the second bracket  400  can rotate relative to the rolling-element bracket  510  only within a given angle range, so as to implement a small angle adjustment of the shooting field of view. 
     To improve the ease of assembly, the second bracket  400  may be provided with a second depression  420 , the second depression  420  communicates with the first depression  410 , the rolling-element bracket  510  is provided with a limiting protrusion  530 , and the limiting protrusion  530  extends into the second depression  420  through the first depression  410 , and forms a second bypass gap with a side wall of the second depression  420 . The limiting protrusion  530  fits the side wall of the second depression  420  in a position limited manner in the rolling direction of the second bracket  400 . The first bypass gap has the same function as the second bypass gap, and both can implement the relative rolling of the second bracket  400  relative to the rolling-element bracket  510 . 
     In an optional solution, to make the rolling more stable, at least two such rolling-element brackets  510  are provided. The rolling-element brackets  510  may be spaced apart in the rotating direction of the second bracket  400 , and a rolling element  520  is disposed between each of the rolling-element brackets  510  and the second bracket  400 . 
     To facilitate assembly, the second hinge shaft  620  and the rolling-element bracket  510  may be an integral structure, as shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , so as to implement an integral installation with fewer installation steps. 
     Based on the camera module disclosed in this embodiment of this disclosure, an embodiment of this disclosure discloses an electronic device, and the disclosed electronic device includes the camera module described above. The camera  300  can be electrically connected to the main board of the electronic device through a flexible printed circuit board  700  that runs through the module housing  100 , thereby implementing power supply to the camera  300 . The flexible printed circuit board  700  has a good ability to deform, and therefore can better adapt to the rotation of the camera  300 . 
     The electronic device in this embodiment of this disclosure may be a smart phone, a tablet computer, an e-book reader, a wearable device, or the like. The embodiments of this disclosure do not limit the specific type of the electronic device. 
     The above embodiments of this disclosure focus on the differences between the embodiments. Provided that different features of improvement in the embodiments are not contradictory, they can be combined to form a more preferred embodiment. Further descriptions are omitted herein for the purpose of brevity. 
     The foregoing descriptions are only embodiments of this disclosure, but this disclosure is not limited to such embodiments. For a person skilled in the art, this disclosure may have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made without departing from the spirit and principle of this disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of the claims of this disclosure.