Patent Description:
<CIT> discloses a camera module according to the preamble of claim <NUM>. People who use portable devices demand optical devices that have high resolution, are small, and have various photographing functions (an autofocus (AF) function, a hand-tremor compensation or optical image stabilization (OIS) function, etc.). Such photographing functions may be realized by directly moving a plurality of lenses that are combined. In the case in which the number of lenses is increased, however, the size of an optical device may be increased.

The autofocus and hand-tremor compensation functions are performed by tilting or moving a lens module including a plurality of lenses, which are fixed to a lens holder in the state in which the optical axes of the lenses are aligned, along the optical axis or in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. An additional lens-moving apparatus is used to move the lens module. However, the lens-moving apparatus consumes a lot of power, requires driving members, such as magnets and coils, to move the lens module, and requires extra space corresponding to the moving range of the lens module in order to move the lens module, thus leading to an increase in the overall thickness of a camera module and an optical device.

Therefore, research has been conducted on a liquid lens configured to electrically adjust the curvature of an interface between two kinds of liquid in order to perform autofocus and hand-tremor compensation functions. <CIT> discloses a camera module with a liquid lens that moves its focus position by an application of voltage thereto. <CIT> discloses an image pickup device which includes a printed circuit board, an image sensor module, an optical lens module, a fluidic lens module, and a shutter module.

Embodiments provide a camera module including a liquid lens, in which electrical bonding between a liquid lens and a sensor board is conveniently realized without being influenced by a manufacturing tolerance of a connection board or the gap between a holder and a base.

A connection board is easily bent and conveniently bonded to another element, and is prevented from being damaged by stress.

The liquid lens may include a first plate including a cavity formed therein to accommodate a first liquid, which is conductive, and a second liquid, which is non-conductive, therein, a second plate disposed on the first plate, and a third plate disposed under the first plate. The electrode may include a first electrode disposed on the first plate, and a second electrode disposed under the first plate.

The connection board may be disposed so as to be electrically connected to the first electrode or the second electrode of the liquid lens. One side of the terminal plate may be coupled to a lower portion of the connection board, and the opposite side of the terminal plate may be coupled to the sensor board.

The width of the connection plate may gradually decrease from the horizontal plate to the vertical plate.

The concave portion may be disposed at each of opposite sides of the bent region.

The vertical plate may have a width smaller than the width of the terminal plate, and may have a vertical length to cover at least a portion of an upper region of the terminal plate.

In a camera module including a liquid lens and an optical device according to embodiments, since a connection board and a terminal plate are electrically coupled to each other, the electrical connection between a liquid lens and a sensor board may be more conveniently realized without being influenced by a manufacturing tolerance of the connection board or the coupling gap between a holder and a base.

In addition, the connection board includes a concave portion, so that the connection board may be more easily bent and conveniently bonded to the terminal plate, and may be prevented from being damaged by stress.

In addition, the connection board may include a lifting prevention portion, so that the connection board, connected to an electrode, may be prevented from lifting upwards or downwards.

Hereinafter, embodiments for accomplishing the aforementioned objects will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following description of the embodiments, it will be understood that, when each element is referred to as being "on" or "under" another element, it can be "directly" on or under another element or can be "indirectly" formed such that an intervening element is also present. In addition, when an element is referred to as being "on" or "under", "under the element" as well as "on the element" may be included based on the element.

<FIG> is a view of one example of a camera module. The camera module may include a lens assembly <NUM> and a control circuit <NUM>.

The lens assembly <NUM> may include a liquid lens and/or a solid lens. The liquid lens may include a liquid, a plate, and an electrode. The liquid may include a conductive liquid and a non-conductive liquid, and the electrode may be disposed on or under the plate. In addition, the electrode may include a common terminal and a plurality of individual terminals. The common terminal may be single in number, and the individual terminal may be plural in number. The plate may include a first plate, which includes a cavity in which the liquid is disposed, and may further include a second plate, which is disposed on or under the first plate. In addition, the liquid lens may further include a third plate, and the first plate may be disposed between the second plate and the third plate. The shape of the interface formed between the conductive liquid and the non-conductive liquid may be changed in response to the driving voltage applied between the common terminal and each of the individual terminals, and accordingly the focal length may be changed. The control circuit <NUM> may supply a driving voltage to the liquid lens, and may be disposed on a sensor board <NUM> on which an image sensor is disposed. The camera module may further include a connector <NUM>. The connector <NUM> may be connected to the control circuit <NUM> via a connection part <NUM>, and may electrically connect the control circuit <NUM> to an external power source or other devices.

The configuration of the control circuit <NUM> may be designed differently in accordance with the specifications required for a photography device. In particular, in order to reduce the intensity of the operating voltage to be applied to the lens assembly <NUM>, the control circuit <NUM> may be implemented as a single chip. As a result, it is possible to further reduce the size of the camera module that is mounted in a portable device.

The lens assembly <NUM> may include a first lens unit <NUM>, a second lens unit <NUM>, a liquid lens <NUM>, a holder <NUM>, and a cover <NUM>. Any one of the first lens unit <NUM> and the second lens unit <NUM> may be omitted.

The illustrated structure of the lens assembly <NUM> is just one example, and the structure of the lens assembly <NUM> may be changed depending on the specifications required for the camera module.

The first lens unit <NUM> may be disposed at the front side of the lens assembly <NUM>, and may receive light incident thereon from the outside of the lens assembly <NUM>. The first lens unit <NUM> may be constituted by at least one lens, or two or more lenses may be aligned along a center axis to form an optical system. Here, the center axis may be the same as the optical axis of the optical system.

The first lens unit <NUM> may be constituted by two lenses. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

An exposure lens (not shown) may be provided on the front surface of the first lens unit <NUM>, and a cover glass may be disposed in front of the exposure lens. The exposure lens may protrude so as to be exposed to the outside of the holder <NUM>, and thus the surface thereof may be damaged. If the surface of the lens is damaged, the quality of the image captured by the camera module may be deteriorated. In order to prevent or minimize damage to the surface of the exposure lens, a method of disposing a cover glass, a method of forming a coating layer, or a method of forming the exposure lens using a wear-resistant material for preventing damage to the surface of the exposure lens may be applied.

The second lens unit <NUM> may be disposed at the rear of the first lens unit <NUM> and the liquid lens <NUM>, and the light incident on the first lens unit <NUM> from the outside may pass through the liquid lens <NUM> and may be incident on the second lens unit <NUM>. The second lens unit <NUM> may be spaced apart from the first lens unit <NUM> and may be disposed in a through-hole formed in the holder <NUM>. The second lens unit <NUM> may be constituted by at least one lens, and when two or more lenses are included, the lenses may be aligned along the center axis to form an optical system.

In order to distinguish the above-described first and second lens units <NUM> and <NUM> from the liquid lens <NUM>, the first and second lens units <NUM> and <NUM> may be referred to as first and second solid lens units, respectively.

The liquid lens <NUM> may be disposed under the first lens unit <NUM>, and the second lens unit <NUM> may be disposed under the liquid lens <NUM>. That is, the liquid lens <NUM> may be disposed between the first lens unit <NUM> and the second lens unit <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view showing the cross-section of the liquid lens of the camera module shown in <FIG>.

Specifically, the liquid lens <NUM> may include a first plate <NUM>, in which a cavity is formed to accommodate a first liquid <NUM>, which is non-conductive, and a second liquid <NUM>, which is conductive, therein, a first electrode <NUM> disposed on the first plate <NUM>, a second electrode <NUM> disposed under the first plate, a second plate <NUM> disposed on the first electrode <NUM>, and a third plate <NUM> disposed under the second electrode <NUM>.

The first plate <NUM> may be disposed between the second plate <NUM> and the third plate <NUM>, and may include upper and lower openings having a predetermined inclined surface (e.g. an inclined surface having an angle of about <NUM> to <NUM> degrees, specifically an angle of <NUM> to <NUM> degrees). The region surrounded by the aforementioned inclined surface, the opening contacting the second plate <NUM>, and the opening contacting the third plate <NUM> may be referred to as a 'cavity'.

The first plate <NUM> is a structure that accommodates the first and second liquids <NUM> and <NUM> therein. Each of the second plate <NUM> and the third plate <NUM> may include a region through which light passes, and thus may be made of a light-transmissive material such as, for example, glass. The second plate <NUM> and the third plate <NUM> may be made of the same material for convenience of processing.

In addition, the first plate <NUM> may include impurities so that light does not easily pass therethrough.

The second plate <NUM> is a structure through which light incident thereon from the first lens unit <NUM> travels to the interior of the cavity, and the third plate <NUM> is a structure through which the light that has passed through the cavity travels to the second lens unit <NUM>.

The aforementioned cavity may be filled with the first liquid <NUM> and the second liquid <NUM>, which have different properties from each other, and an interface may be formed between the first liquid <NUM> and the second liquid <NUM>. The curvature and the inclination of the interface formed between the first liquid <NUM> and the second liquid <NUM> may be changed.

That is, a configuration in which the surface tension of the first and second liquids <NUM> and <NUM> is changed using electrical energy may reduce the size of a camera module compared to a configuration in which a focal length is adjusted by moving solid lenses (adjusting the distance between the lenses), and may consume a small amount of power compared to a configuration in which lenses are mechanically moved using a motor or the like.

The first liquid <NUM> may be oil, e.g. phenyl-based silicon oil.

The second liquid <NUM> may be made of, for example, a mixture of ethylene glycol and sodium bromide (NaBr).

Each of the first liquid <NUM> and the second liquid <NUM> may include at least one of a sterilizing agent or an antioxidant. The antioxidant may be a phenol-based antioxidant or a phosphorus (P)-based antioxidant. The sterilizing agent may be any one of an alcohol-based sterilizing agent, an aldehyde-based sterilizing agent, and a phenol-based sterilizing agent.

The first electrode <NUM> may be spaced apart from the second electrode <NUM>, and may be disposed on the upper surface, the side surface, and a portion of the lower surface of the first plate <NUM>. The second electrode <NUM> may be disposed on a portion of the lower surface of the first plate <NUM>, and may be in direct contact with the second liquid <NUM>.

The side surface of the first plate <NUM> or the side surface of an insulation layer <NUM> may form the inclined surface or the side wall of the cavity. The first electrode <NUM> may be in contact with the first liquid <NUM> and the second liquid <NUM>, with the insulation layer <NUM> interposed therebetween, which will be described later. The second electrode <NUM> may be in direct contact with the second liquid <NUM>.

An electrical signal received from an external sensor board <NUM> may be applied to the first electrode <NUM> and the second electrode <NUM> in order to control the interface between the first liquid <NUM> and the second liquid <NUM>.

The first electrode <NUM> and the second electrode <NUM> may be made of a conductive material, e.g. metal, and specifically may include chrome (Cr). Chromium or chrome is a glossy silver rigid transition metal, which is not fragile, does not readily discolor, and has a high melting point.

Further, since an alloy including chromium exhibits high corrosion resistance and rigidity, chromium may be used in the state of being alloyed with other metals. In particular, since chrome (Cr) is not easily corroded or discolored, chrome exhibits high resistance to the conductive liquid in the cavity.

The insulation layer <NUM> may be disposed so as to cover the lower surface of the second plate <NUM> on the upper surface of the cavity, the first electrode <NUM> forming the side wall of the cavity, the first electrode <NUM> on the lower surface of the first plate <NUM>, the first plate <NUM> on the lower surface of the first plate <NUM>, and a portion of the second electrode <NUM> on the lower surface of the first plate <NUM>. The insulation layer <NUM> may be implemented as, for example, a parylene C coating agent, and may further include a white dye. The white dye may increase the degree to which light is reflected by the insulation layer <NUM> forming the side wall i of the cavity.

As illustrated, the first liquid <NUM> may be in surface contact with the second plate <NUM>, with the insulation layer <NUM> interposed therebetween, and the second liquid <NUM> may be in direct surface contact with the third plate <NUM>.

The cavity may include a first opening that is oriented toward the second plate <NUM> and a second opening that is oriented toward the third plate <NUM>. The cross-sectional size O1 of the first opening may be smaller than the cross-sectional size O2 of the second opening, or vice versa. Here, when each of the first and second openings has a circular cross-section, the size of the openings may refer to a diameter thereof, and when each of the openings has a square cross-section, the size of the openings may refer to a diagonal length thereof.

Each of the second plate <NUM> and the third plate <NUM> may have rectangular edges. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

The first electrode <NUM> may be exposed from at least one region of the edges of the second plate <NUM>, and the second electrode <NUM> may be exposed from at least one region of the edges of the third plate <NUM>.

In addition, a first connection electrode <NUM> may be disposed on the first electrode <NUM> in the outer region of the second plate <NUM>, and a second connection electrode <NUM> may be disposed on the second electrode <NUM> in the outer region of the third plate <NUM>.

Although not illustrated, a conductive epoxy may be disposed between the first electrode <NUM> and the first connection electrode <NUM>, and may also be disposed between the second electrode <NUM> and the second connection electrode <NUM>.

The first connection electrode <NUM> may be integrally formed with the first electrode <NUM>, and the second connection electrode <NUM> may be integrally formed with the second electrode <NUM>.

The first connection electrode <NUM> and the second connection electrode <NUM> may be connected to a terminal plate <NUM> via a connection board <NUM>, and may be electrically connected to a terminal <NUM> of a flexible sensor board <NUM>.

The liquid lens <NUM> described above may be coupled to a spacer <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and thus may be easily mounted in and removed from the holder <NUM> in a modular form. The spacer <NUM> may have a polygonal planar structure surrounding the liquid lens <NUM>, and the polygonal shape may be, for example, a quadrangular shape. In addition, the spacer <NUM> may have a closed curve structure having an open center region and a quadrangular periphery. The liquid lens <NUM> coupled to the spacer <NUM> may be stably mounted in the holder <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the holder <NUM> may include an open upper portion, an open lower portion, and a through-hole formed therein. The first lens unit <NUM>, the second lens unit <NUM>, and the liquid lens <NUM> may be disposed in the through-hole formed in the holder <NUM>. In detail, the first lens unit <NUM> may be disposed in the upper portion of the holder <NUM> and may be coupled thereto, and the second lens unit <NUM> may be disposed in the lower portion of the holder <NUM> and may be coupled thereto.

The liquid lens <NUM>, the first lens unit <NUM> disposed on the liquid lens, and the second lens unit <NUM> disposed under the liquid lens may be disposed in the holder <NUM> so as to be fixed thereto. The liquid lens <NUM> may be aligned along the center axis in the same manner as the first lens unit <NUM> and the second lens unit <NUM>.

The cover <NUM> may be disposed so as to surround the first lens unit <NUM>, the second lens unit <NUM>, the liquid lens <NUM>, and the holder <NUM>. The cover <NUM> and the holder <NUM> may be disposed on a base <NUM>. The base <NUM> may be integrally formed with the holder <NUM>. The holder <NUM> may act as the base <NUM> as needed. In this case, the base <NUM> may be omitted.

The sensor board <NUM> may be disposed under the base <NUM>, and may include an image sensor (not shown) and a terminal <NUM>. A light-receiving element of the image sensor may be provided in the sensor board <NUM>. The width and/or the length of a unit pixel of the image sensor may be, for example, <NUM> (micrometers) or less.

The terminal <NUM> may supply current to the first and second electrodes <NUM> and <NUM> (refer to <FIG>) of the liquid lens <NUM> using the connection board. This will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a view showing one example of electrically bonding the terminal to the connection board in the camera module.

As shown in <FIG>, first to third regions (region <NUM> to region <NUM>) may be provided inside the holder <NUM>. The first lens unit <NUM> may be inserted into the first region (region <NUM>), the liquid lens <NUM> may be disposed in the second region (region <NUM>), and the second lens unit <NUM> may be disposed in the third region (region <NUM>). Here, the first region (region <NUM>) may be located on the second region (region <NUM>), and the third region (region <NUM>) may be located under the second region (region <NUM>). The aforementioned through-hole formed in the holder <NUM> may include the first to third regions (region <NUM> to region <NUM>).

The second region (region <NUM>) may include an opening, which is formed in the side surface of the holder <NUM> so as to be used as an entrance through which the liquid lens <NUM> is inserted into the holder. Thus, the liquid lens <NUM> may be inserted into the holder <NUM> through the side opening formed in the holder <NUM>, and may be accommodated in the second region (region <NUM>) of the holder <NUM>.

The liquid lens <NUM> accommodated in the holder <NUM> may be electrically connected to the terminals <NUM> of the sensor board <NUM> using the connection board 380a, which is exposed to the outside of the holder <NUM>. Here, the connection board 380a may be, for example, a flexible printed circuit board.

The connection board 380a may include an upper terminal unit including a plurality of terminals and a lower terminal unit including a plurality of terminals. The upper terminal unit may be coupled to the first and second connection electrodes <NUM> and <NUM> of the liquid lens <NUM>, and thus may be connected to the first electrode <NUM> or the second electrode <NUM>. Although it is illustrated in <FIG> that the upper terminal unit of the connection board 380a is connected to the second electrode <NUM> of the liquid lens <NUM>, the upper terminal unit of the connection board 380a may be connected to the first electrode <NUM>. Alternatively, the upper terminal unit of the connection board 380a may be integrated with first and second connection electrodes <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> so as to be connected to the first electrode <NUM> or the second electrode <NUM> of the liquid lens <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the connection board 380a is formed so as to be bent from the horizontal direction of the liquid lens <NUM> to the vertical direction thereof such that the lower terminal unit is bonded to the terminal <NUM> of the sensor board <NUM>.

However, if a manufacturing tolerance of the connection board 380a occurs, for example, when the length of the connection board 380a becomes shorter or longer than a reference value, it may be difficult to realize bonding to the terminal <NUM> of the sensor board <NUM>.

In addition, if an error occurs in the gap in the process of coupling the holder <NUM>, in which the liquid lens <NUM> is accommodated, to the base <NUM>, it may also be difficult to realize bonding between the connection board 380a and the terminal <NUM> of the sensor board <NUM>.

Therefore, it is required to more conveniently realize the electrical connection between the liquid lens <NUM> and the sensor board <NUM> without being influenced by a manufacturing tolerance of the connection board 380a or the coupling gap between the holder <NUM> and the base <NUM>.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view showing the process of coupling the connection board to the terminal plate shown in <FIG>.

Unlike the above-described configuration, the embodiment may be configured such that the connection board <NUM> and the terminal plate <NUM> are provided separately from each other.

The connection board <NUM> may be disposed so as to be connected to the first electrode <NUM> or the second electrode <NUM> of the liquid lens <NUM>. The connection board <NUM> may be, for example, a flexible printed circuit board.

The connection board <NUM> may include an upper terminal unit including a plurality of terminals and a lower terminal unit including a plurality of terminals. The upper terminal unit may be coupled to the first and second connection electrodes <NUM> and <NUM> of the liquid lens <NUM>, and thus may be connected to the first electrode <NUM> or the second electrode <NUM>. The upper terminal unit of the connection board <NUM> may be integrated with first and second connection electrodes <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> so as to be connected to the first electrode <NUM> or the second electrode <NUM> of the liquid lens <NUM>. The lower terminal unit of the connection board <NUM> may be electrically connected to the terminal plate <NUM>, which will be described later.

The connection board <NUM> includes a horizontal plate <NUM>, which is coupled to the first electrode <NUM> or the second electrode <NUM>, and a vertical plate <NUM>, which is bent from the horizontal plate <NUM> and is coupled to the terminal plate <NUM>. The above-described upper terminal unit may be included in the horizontal plate <NUM>, and the lower terminal unit may be included in the vertical plate <NUM>.

For example, the horizontal plate <NUM> may have a rectangular band shape so as to be in close contact with the first electrode <NUM> or the second electrode <NUM> of the liquid lens <NUM>. The horizontal plate <NUM> may have a predetermined length such that the outer side thereof is exposed to the outside of the holder.

The vertical plate <NUM> is formed so as to extend from the outer side of the horizontal plate <NUM> and to be bent downwards. For example, the vertical plate <NUM> may have a band shape having a length longer than the length of the horizontal plate <NUM>.

The lower region of the vertical plate <NUM> may cover the outer side of the terminal plate <NUM> so as to realize electrical bonding. Thus, the vertical plate <NUM> may have a vertical length so that the vertical plate <NUM> may cover at least the upper region of the terminal plate <NUM>. For example, the vertical plate <NUM> may be electrically bonded to the terminal plate <NUM>, so long as the length of the vertical plate <NUM> is set such that the end of the vertical plate <NUM> is located between the upper region of the terminal plate <NUM> and the lower region thereof. That is, the electrical bonding between the connection board <NUM> and the terminal plate <NUM> may not be greatly affected by a manufacturing tolerance of the connection board <NUM>.

The vertical plate <NUM> may have a width smaller than the width of the terminal plate <NUM>. Since the lower end portion of the vertical plate <NUM> is electrically bonded to the terminal plate <NUM>, the connection board <NUM> and the terminal plate <NUM> may be provided separately from each other, thereby preventing the connection board <NUM> from being formed to be larger than necessary.

The connection board <NUM> described above has a concave portion <NUM>, which is recessed in the bent region between the horizontal plate <NUM> and the vertical plate <NUM>. Due to the concave portion <NUM> formed at the connection board <NUM>, the vertical plate <NUM> may be easily bent in the vertical direction from the horizontal plate <NUM>, and the bent region between the horizontal plate <NUM> and the vertical plate <NUM> may be prevented from being damaged by stress.

For example, the concave portion <NUM> may have a semicircular shape in which the side surface of the connection portion between the horizontal plate <NUM> and the vertical plate <NUM> is recessed in order to disperse the stress. The concave portion <NUM> may be formed at each of opposite sides of the bent region of the connection board <NUM> in order to further facilitate the bending and to evenly disperse the stress.

The concave portion <NUM> may be formed in any of various shapes, such as a U shape, a V shape, and a <NUM>-degree rotated U shape, without being limited to the aforementioned shape, and may be disposed at only one side of the bent region.

The terminal plate <NUM> may include a conductive metal material and may be coupled to the base <NUM>. For example, the terminal plate <NUM> may a height extending from the terminal <NUM> of the sensor board <NUM> to the upper portion of the base <NUM> and may be coupled to the side surface of the base <NUM>. Thus, the lower region of the terminal plate <NUM> may be easily bonded to the terminal <NUM> of the sensor board <NUM> using a solder ball <NUM> or the like regardless of the connection board <NUM>.

As such, a portion of the terminal plate <NUM> (a portion from the upper region to the lower region) may be coupled to the lower portion of the connection board <NUM>, and another portion of the terminal plate <NUM> (the lower region) may be coupled to the terminal <NUM> of the sensor board <NUM>.

Here, at least one of the two following methods may be used for the electrical connection between the terminal plate <NUM> and the connection board <NUM> described above.

For example, as indicated by "A" in <FIG>, electrical bonding may be applied to the region at which the outer side of the terminal plate <NUM> and the inner side of the vertical plate <NUM> of the connection board <NUM> contact each other. As indicated by "B" in <FIG>, electrical bonding may be applied to the outer side of the region at which the end portion of the terminal plate <NUM> and the end portion of the vertical plate <NUM> contact each other.

Here, the bonding may be realized using any of various electrical connection methods such as soldering and a solder ball.

As described above, in the camera module including the liquid lens and the optical device according to the embodiments, since the connection board and the terminal plate are electrically coupled to each other, the electrical connection between the liquid lens and the sensor board may be more conveniently realized without being influenced by a manufacturing tolerance of the connection board or the coupling gap between the holder and the base.

<FIG> are front views showing the coupled state of the connection board and the terminal plate according to a second example, a third example, and a fourth example of the camera module, and <FIG> is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the liquid lens in the camera module shown in <FIG>.

The connection boards <NUM>, 380a, 380b and 380c may be formed in any of various forms, as shown in the second to fourth examples.

The connection board 380a shown in <FIG> may include a V recess 382a-<NUM> recessed in the end portion of the vertical plate 382a. The V recess 382a-<NUM> may lead to an increase in the length of the side defining the end portion of the vertical plate 382a, thus expanding the region that is bonded to the terminal plate <NUM>. The bonding force may be increased and the bonding process may be realized easily and conveniently due to the expansion of the bonding region.

The connection board 380b shown in <FIG> may include a semicircular recess 382b-<NUM> recessed in the end portion of the vertical plate 382b. The semicircular recess 382b-<NUM> may lead to an increase in the length of the side defining the end portion of the vertical plate 382b, thus expanding the region that is bonded to the terminal plate <NUM>. The bonding force may be increased and the bonding process may be realized easily and conveniently due to the expansion of the bonding region. The semicircular recess may be more effective in terms of dispersion of stress.

The connection board 380c shown in <FIG> may include a through-hole 382c-<NUM> formed in the end portion of the vertical plate 382c. The though-hole 382c-<NUM> may be formed in any of various shapes such as a circle, an oval, a quadrangle, and a rectangle. The through-hole 382c-<NUM> may lead to an increase in the length of the region around the through-hole 382c-<NUM> in the end portion of the vertical plate 382c, thus expanding the bonding region, with the result that the bonding force may be increased and the bonding process may be realized easily and conveniently.

<FIG> and <FIG> are views showing examples of the connection board including a lifting prevention portion.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may include a horizontal plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>, which is coupled to the first electrode <NUM> (refer to <FIG>) or the second electrode <NUM> (refer to <FIG>) of the liquid lens <NUM>, and a vertical plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>, which is bent from the horizontal plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>. Here, the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may be coupled to the liquid lens <NUM> to form the first electrode <NUM> and the second electrode <NUM>.

<FIG> shows the connection board <NUM>-<NUM>, which is coupled to the first electrode (the upper electrode) of the liquid lens <NUM> or forms the first electrode, and <FIG> shows the connection board <NUM>-<NUM>, which is coupled to the second electrode (the lower electrode) of the liquid lens <NUM> or forms the second electrode.

The connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) or a metal plate. For example, the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> shown in <FIG> may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), and the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> shown in <FIG> may be a metal plate.

The above-described connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may be connected to the electrode of the liquid lens <NUM>, and may be bent downwards so as to be coupled to the terminal plate <NUM> (refer to <FIG>) and to be electrically bonded to the terminal <NUM> (refer to <FIG>).

However, when a general connection board is bent, it may lift upwards or downwards from an electrode due to the stiffness thereof. This lifting phenomenon may cause an unstable connection to the electrode, resulting in a defect.

Therefore, the embodiment may include a lifting prevention portion for preventing the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>, which is connected to the electrode, from lifting upwards or downwards. The lifting prevention portion may include a reinforcing pad <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>, which is coupled to at least one of the horizontal plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> or the vertical plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> of the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>, rather than to the bent region of the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>.

In the embodiments shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the reinforcing pad <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> is coupled to each of the horizontal plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> and the vertical plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> of the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>. However, the reinforcing pad <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may be selectively coupled to the horizontal plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> or the vertical plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> of the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>.

The reinforcing pad <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may be coupled to the lower side of the horizontal plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> or to the inner side of the vertical plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> of the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>, rather than to the bent region of the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>. The region of the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>, to which the reinforcing pad <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> is coupled, has stiffness greater than the stiffness of the bent region of the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>, and thus is not easily deformed, thereby preventing the lifting of the connection board <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> that is connected to the electrode and is formed so as to be bent.

For example, the reinforcing pad <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may have a shape and an area corresponding to the width of the horizontal plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> or the width of the vertical plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>. The reinforcing pad <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may have a thickness of <NUM> to <NUM>.

In addition, like the embodiments described above, the connection board may further include a concave portion <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> recessed in the bent region between the horizontal plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> and the vertical plate <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM>. The concave portion <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> may decrease the stiffness of the bent region, thereby facilitating the process of bending the connection board and preventing lifting of the connection board connected to the electrode. The effects may be further enhanced in the case in which the connection board is a metal plate.

In addition, the concave portion may cause the connection board to be more easily bent and conveniently bonded to the terminal plate and to be prevented from being damaged by stress. In addition, the lifting prevention portion provided at the connection board may prevent the connection board, connected to the electrode, from lifting upwards or downwards.

The camera module including the above-described liquid lens may be mounted in various digital devices, such as a digital camera, a smartphone, a laptop computer, and a tablet PC. In particular, the camera module may be mounted in mobile devices to realize an ultra-thin high-performance zoom lens.

For example, a display device, in which the camera module, including the liquid lens, the first and second lens units, the filter, and the light-receiving element, converts an image incident from the outside into an electrical signal, may include a display module including a plurality of pixels, the colors of which are changed by the electrical signal. The display module and the camera module may be controlled by a control unit.

Claim 1:
A camera module, comprising:
a liquid lens (<NUM>) comprising an electrode;
a holder (<NUM>) accommodating the liquid lens (<NUM>) therein;
a base (<NUM>) disposed under the holder (<NUM>);
a sensor board (<NUM>) disposed under the base (<NUM>), the sensor board (<NUM>) comprising an image sensor; and
a connection board (<NUM>) connected to at least a portion of the electrode of the liquid lens (<NUM>),
the camera module comprises a terminal plate (<NUM>) disposed at the base (<NUM>), the terminal plate (<NUM>) being electrically connected to the sensor board (<NUM>) and the connection board (<NUM>),
the connection board (<NUM>) and the terminal plate (<NUM>) are provided separately from each other,
the connection board (<NUM>) comprises:
a horizontal plate (<NUM>) disposed at a position corresponding to the electrode (<NUM> or <NUM>);
a vertical plate (<NUM>) configured to be electrically coupled to the terminal plate (<NUM>), the vertical plate (<NUM>) being disposed at a position corresponding to a side surface of the liquid lens (<NUM>); and
a connection plate disposed between the horizontal plate (<NUM>) and the vertical plate (<NUM>), and
a lower region of the vertical plate (<NUM>) covers an outer side of the vertically extending terminal plate (<NUM>) so as to realize electrical bonding between the sensor board and the vertical plate of the connection board
wherein connection plate comprises a bent region and connects the horizontal plate (<NUM>) and the vertical plate (<NUM>) to each other, and
wherein the connection board (<NUM>) further comprises a concave portion (<NUM>) recessed in the bent region.