Patent Description:
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.

<CIT> provides a jitter correction device for a camera with its drive unit having simple structure. The jitter correction device is provided with an inner frame for fixing the camera module inside, a middle frame surrounding the first axis from the outside of the inner frame and supporting the inner frame in a free shaking manner, an outer frame surrounding the second axis from the outside of the middle frame and supporting the middle frame in a free shaking manner, and a voice coil motor at the bottom of the inner frame and the bottom of the outer frame. The voice coil motor drives the inner frame and the middle frame to shake respectively around the first axis and the second axis.

<CIT> provides a camera which includes a lens barrel, a first rotary member including a first rotary shaft and a first contact part, a second rotary member including a second rotary shaft and a second contact part, a frame, and a control circuit. The first rotary member rotates about the first rotary shaft in a first direction by driving a first actuator, and the second rotary member rotates about the second rotary shaft in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction by driving a second actuator.

<CIT> provides a camera driving apparatus which includes: a camera section; a fixed unit including a protrusion section formed of a magnetic member at least partially; a movable unit for supporting the camera section, the movable unit including an attracting magnet for generating a magnetic attracting force for the magnetic member, the movable unit being freely pivotable with respect to a sphere center of the spherical face of the protrusion section; a panning driving section; a tilting driving section; a rolling driving section; a detector; and a fall preventive member.

This disclosure, as defined in the appended claims, discloses a camera module and an electronic device to resolve a problem of poor photograph quality of an existing electronic device due to ineffective anti-shake of the electronic device.

To resolve the foregoing problem, the following technical solutions are used in this disclosure:.

A camera module includes according to claim <NUM> a module housing, a first bracket, a camera, a second bracket, and a rolling-element bracket, where.

An electronic device includes the foregoing camera module.

The technical solutions provided in this disclosure can achieve the following beneficial effects:
In the camera module disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure, the camera, the second bracket and the first bracket as a whole rotate around the first hinge shaft relative to the module housing, and the camera and the second bracket as a whole rotate around the second hinge shaft relative to the first bracket. Because the axis of the first hinge shaft and the axis of the second hinge shaft intersect or lie on different planes, rotations of the camera 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 rotates around the axis of the first hinge shaft or the axis of the second hinge shaft, the camera is also able to rotate with the second bracket, thereby enabling the camera to achieve a larger field of view for shooting.

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:.

Reference signs are described as follows:.

To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the following clearly and completely 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>, 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 <NUM>, a first bracket <NUM>, a camera <NUM>, a second bracket <NUM>, and a rolling-element bracket <NUM>.

The module housing <NUM> is a basic component of the camera module, and the module housing <NUM> can provide a foundation for installing other components of the camera module. In this embodiment of this disclosure, the module housing <NUM> has an inner housing chamber <NUM>. The inner housing chamber <NUM> has an opening, and the opening serves as a bypass.

The first bracket <NUM> is at least partly disposed in the inner housing chamber <NUM>, and the camera <NUM> is at least partly disposed in the inner housing chamber <NUM>. The camera <NUM> can take shots through the opening of the inner housing chamber <NUM>.

In this embodiment of this disclosure, the first bracket <NUM> is hinged to the module housing <NUM> by a first hinge shaft <NUM>. The first bracket <NUM> can rotate around the first hinge shaft <NUM>. The camera <NUM> is fixedly connected to the second bracket <NUM>, and the rolling-element bracket <NUM> is disposed with a rolling element <NUM>. The rolling element <NUM> may be a ball or a roller. The second bracket <NUM> is connected to the rolling element <NUM> in a rolling mode, to allow relative rolling between the rolling-element bracket <NUM> and the second bracket <NUM>. Specifically, the camera <NUM> can rotate with the second bracket <NUM> around its lens axis by rolling.

The rolling-element bracket <NUM> is hinged to the first bracket <NUM> by a second hinge shaft <NUM>, and the camera <NUM> and the second bracket <NUM> can rotate with the rolling-element bracket <NUM> around the second hinge shaft <NUM>.

In this embodiment of this disclosure, an axis of the first hinge shaft <NUM> and an axis of the second hinge shaft <NUM> intersect or lie on different planes. The lens axis and the axis of the first hinge shaft <NUM> intersect or lie on different planes, and the lens axis and the axis of the second hinge shaft <NUM> intersect or lie on different planes. In other words, the rotating direction of the camera <NUM> and the second bracket <NUM> relative to the first bracket <NUM>, the rotating direction of the first bracket <NUM> relative to the module housing <NUM>, and the rotating direction of the camera <NUM> with the second bracket <NUM> relative to the rolling-element bracket <NUM> 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 <NUM>, the second bracket <NUM>, and the first bracket <NUM> as a whole rotate around the first hinge shaft <NUM> relative to the module housing <NUM>, and the camera <NUM> and the second bracket <NUM> as a whole rotate around the second hinge shaft <NUM> relative to the first bracket <NUM>. Because the axis of the first hinge shaft <NUM> and the axis of the second hinge shaft <NUM> intersect or lie on different planes, rotations of the camera <NUM> 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 <NUM> rotates around the axis of the first hinge shaft <NUM> or the axis of the second hinge shaft <NUM>, the camera <NUM> is also able to rotate with the second bracket <NUM>, thereby enabling the camera <NUM> to achieve a larger field of view for shooting.

In an optional solution, the axis of the first hinge shaft <NUM> may be perpendicular to the axis of the second hinge shaft <NUM>. 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 <NUM> and around the axis of the second hinge shaft <NUM> respectively, thereby facilitating angle compensation for the camera <NUM> during rotation.

The first bracket <NUM> may have various structures. In an optional solution, the first bracket <NUM> may include a bracket body <NUM> and a first connecting arm <NUM>, and a first end of the first connecting arm <NUM> is fixedly connected to the bracket body <NUM>. A second end of the first connecting arm <NUM> is a free end. The first hinge shaft <NUM> is fastened on the module housing <NUM>, the second end of the first connecting arm <NUM> may be disposed with a first hinge hole <NUM>, and the first hinge shaft <NUM> is hinged to the first hinge hole <NUM>. The first connecting arm <NUM> is hinged to the module housing <NUM> by the first hinge shaft <NUM>, helping reduce a space occupied by a hinge structure. In addition, the second end of the first connecting arm <NUM> is a free end, that is, the first connecting arm <NUM> is a cantilever structure. The second end of the first connecting arm <NUM> can extend into the inner housing chamber <NUM> to implement a hinged connection, helping miniaturize the entire camera module.

In an optional solution, the first bracket <NUM> may further include a second connecting arm <NUM>, where a first end of the second connecting arm <NUM> is fixedly connected to the bracket body <NUM>, and a second end of the second connecting arm <NUM> is a free end. The second end of the second connecting arm <NUM> is disposed with a second hinge hole <NUM>, and the second hinge hole <NUM> is hinged to the second hinge shaft <NUM>. Similarly, the second end of the second connecting arm <NUM> can extend into the inner housing chamber <NUM> to implement a hinged connection, helping miniaturize the entire module bracket. In addition, the second connecting arm <NUM> is a cantilever structure, and the second hinge hole <NUM> is disposed at the free end of the second connecting arm <NUM>, so it is easier to implement a hinge assembly by deformation of the second connecting arm <NUM>.

In an optional solution, to improve stability of the hinge, two such first connecting arm <NUM> and two such second connecting arm <NUM> may be provided. The two first connecting arms <NUM> may be arranged diagonally on both sides of the camera <NUM> respectively, that is, the two first connecting arms <NUM> may be symmetrically arranged on two sides of the camera <NUM> relative to the camera <NUM>; and the two second connecting arms <NUM> may be arranged diagonally on two sides of the camera <NUM> respectively, that is, the two second connecting arms <NUM> may be symmetrically arranged on two sides of the camera <NUM> relative to the camera <NUM>. The two first connecting arms <NUM> and the two second connecting arms <NUM> are evenly and alternately arranged on the peripheral side of the bracket body <NUM>. In this case, each first connecting arm <NUM> can be hinged to one first hinge shaft <NUM>, and each second connecting arm <NUM> can be hinged to one second hinge shaft <NUM>, which can undoubtedly improve the balance of rotation support.

In this embodiment of this disclosure, the bracket body <NUM> is the main body part of the first bracket <NUM>, and the bracket body <NUM> can ensure that the first connecting arm <NUM> and the second connecting arm <NUM> have a higher strength. The bracket body <NUM> may have various structures. The bracket body <NUM> is provided with a first bypass hole <NUM>. A lens <NUM> of the camera <NUM> is disposed opposite the first bypass hole <NUM>, and the lens <NUM> of the camera <NUM> may take pictures through the first bypass hole <NUM>.

Specifically, the lens <NUM> of the camera <NUM> may be completely located in the inner housing chamber <NUM>, or may be located in the first bypass hole <NUM>, or certainly, may extend out of the inner housing chamber <NUM> through the first bypass hole <NUM>. In an optional solution, to prevent opening of the first bypass hole <NUM> from being excessively large, the lens <NUM> of the camera <NUM> is located in the first bypass hole <NUM> or extends out of the module housing <NUM> through the first bypass hole <NUM>. In this case, it can be avoided that the opening of the first bypass hole <NUM> 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 <NUM> under a given opening size of the first bypass hole <NUM>. Certainly, the lens <NUM> of the camera <NUM> needs the first bypass hole <NUM> to form a gap around the lens <NUM>, and the gap allows the camera <NUM> to rotate in the rotating process of the camera <NUM>.

In an optional solution, to facilitate manufacturing and assembly, the first bracket <NUM> may be an integral structure. Specifically, the first bracket <NUM> may be an integral metal structure.

Specifically, in a specific anti-shake process, the camera <NUM> needs to rotate around the axis of the first hinge shaft <NUM> and/or the axis of the second hinge shaft <NUM>. The camera <NUM> 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 <NUM>, 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 <NUM> may be installed on a third bracket <NUM>, and the third bracket <NUM> is disposed on the module housing <NUM>. In this case, the permanent magnet is installed on a component capable of relative rotation. When the electromagnet <NUM> is electrified, the magnetic force generated by the electromagnet <NUM> and the permanent magnet can drive a corresponding component to rotate.

In this embodiment of this disclosure, the module housing <NUM> may have various structures. Still referring to <FIG>, in a specific implementation, the module housing <NUM> may include a housing frame <NUM>, a first cover plate <NUM>, and a second cover plate <NUM>. The first cover plate <NUM> is disposed on an opening at one end of the housing frame <NUM>, the second cover plate <NUM> is disposed on an opening at the other end of the housing frame <NUM>. The first cover plate <NUM>, the second cover plate <NUM> and the housing frame <NUM> form the inner housing chamber <NUM>. The first cover plate <NUM> is provided with a second bypass hole <NUM>, and the second bypass hole <NUM> communicates with the inner housing chamber <NUM>. The module housing <NUM> with the foregoing structure is assembly friendly, facilitating the installation of the camera <NUM>. On the premise that the bracket body <NUM> is provided with the first bypass hole <NUM>, the first bypass hole <NUM> is located in the space encompassed by the hole wall of the second bypass hole <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in an optional solution, the second bracket <NUM> may be provided with a first depression <NUM>, the rolling-element bracket <NUM> is disposed in the first depression <NUM>, and the rolling element <NUM> is disposed between the rolling-element bracket <NUM> and the first depression <NUM>. A first bypass gap is present between the rolling-element bracket <NUM> and a side wall of the first depression <NUM>, and the rolling-element bracket <NUM> fits the side wall of the first depression <NUM> in a position limited manner in the rolling direction of the second bracket <NUM>, so that the second bracket <NUM> can rotate relative to the rolling-element bracket <NUM> 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 <NUM> may be provided with a second depression <NUM>, the second depression <NUM> communicates with the first depression <NUM>, the rolling-element bracket <NUM> is provided with a limiting protrusion <NUM>, and the limiting protrusion <NUM> extends into the second depression <NUM> through the first depression <NUM>, and forms a second bypass gap with a side wall of the second depression <NUM>. The limiting protrusion <NUM> fits the side wall of the second depression <NUM> in a position limited manner in the rolling direction of the second bracket <NUM>. The first bypass gap has the same function as the second bypass gap, and both can implement the relative rolling of the second bracket <NUM> relative to the rolling-element bracket <NUM>.

In an optional solution, to make the rolling more stable, at least two such rolling-element brackets <NUM> are provided. The rolling-element brackets <NUM> may be spaced apart in the rotating direction of the second bracket <NUM>, and a rolling element <NUM> is disposed between each of the rolling-element brackets <NUM> and the second bracket <NUM>.

To facilitate assembly, the second hinge shaft <NUM> and the rolling-element bracket <NUM> are an integral structure, as shown in <FIG>, 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 <NUM> can be electrically connected to the main board of the electronic device through a flexible printed circuit board <NUM> that runs through the module housing <NUM>, thereby implementing power supply to the camera <NUM>. The flexible printed circuit board <NUM> has a good ability to deform, and therefore can better adapt to the rotation of the camera <NUM>.

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.

Claim 1:
A camera module, comprising a module housing (<NUM>), a first bracket (<NUM>), a camera (<NUM>), a second bracket (<NUM>) and a rolling-element bracket (<NUM>), wherein
the module housing (<NUM>) has an inner housing chamber (<NUM>);
the first bracket (<NUM>) is at least partly disposed in the inner housing chamber (<NUM>), the camera (<NUM>) is at least partly disposed in the inner housing chamber (<NUM>), the first bracket (<NUM>) is hinged to the module housing (<NUM>) by a first hinge shaft (<NUM>), the first hinge shaft (<NUM>) is fastened on the module housing (<NUM>), and the first bracket (<NUM>) is able to rotate around the first hinge shaft (<NUM>);
the camera (<NUM>) is fixedly connected to the second bracket (<NUM>), the rolling-element bracket (<NUM>) is disposed with a rolling element (<NUM>), the second bracket (<NUM>) is connected to the rolling element (<NUM>) in a rolling mode, the camera (<NUM>) is able to rotate with the second bracket (<NUM>) around its lens axis, the rolling-element bracket (<NUM>) is hinged to the first bracket (<NUM>) by a second hinge shaft (<NUM>), the second hinge shaft (<NUM>) and the rolling-element bracket (<NUM>) are an integral structure, and the camera (<NUM>) and the second bracket (<NUM>) are able to rotate with the rolling-element bracket (<NUM>) around the second hinge shaft (<NUM>);
the first bracket (<NUM>) comprises a bracket body (<NUM>), the bracket body (<NUM>) is provided with a first bypass hole (<NUM>), and a lens (<NUM>) of the camera (<NUM>) is disposed opposite to the first bypass hole (<NUM>); and
the axis of the first hinge shaft (<NUM>) and the axis of the second hinge shaft (<NUM>) intersect or are not coplanar, the lens axis and the axis of the first hinge shaft (<NUM>) intersect or are not coplanar, and the lens axis and the axis of the second hinge shaft (<NUM>) intersect or are not coplanar.