IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,276,898
Granted Patent B2
US 12,276,898 · App. 17/630,067 · Granted Apr 15, 2025

Camera module

Inventors: Young Bae Jang (Seoul, KR); Jong Hyun Kang (Seoul, KR); Sung June Park (Seoul, KR)
Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
G03B13/36G03B3/10G03B5/00G03B2205/0007G03B2205/0053G03B2205/0069
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,276,898
App. No.
17/630,067
Granted
Apr 15, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention relates to a camera module comprising: a housing; a lens assembly arranged in the housing; a first driving unit arranged in the lens assembly; a second driving unit which is arranged in the housing and which faces the first driving unit; sensor magnets arranged in the lens assembly and extended in the direction of an optical axis; and a plurality of sensors which are arranged in the housing and which face the sensor magnets, wherein the sensor magnets and the lens assembly are overlapped in a first direction that is vertical with respect to the direction of the optical axis, and in a second direction that is vertical with respect to the direction of the optical axis and the first direction.

Claims (60)

1. A camera module comprising:

a housing;

a lens assembly disposed in the housing;

a first driving unit disposed on the lens assembly;

a second driving unit disposed on the housing and facing the first driving unit;

a first guide unit disposed in the housing;

a second guide unit opposite to the first guide unit;

a substrate disposed on the housing; and

a sensor spaced apart from the lens assembly and configured to sense a position of the lens assembly in an optical axis direction and electrically connected to the substrate,

wherein the lens assembly comprises a first lens assembly configured to move along the first guide unit and a second lens assembly configured to move along the second guide unit,

wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor configured to sense a position of the first lens assembly and a second sensor configured to sense a position of the second lens assembly,

wherein the first sensor comprises two sensors spaced apart in the optical axis direction, and

wherein the second sensor comprises two sensors spaced apart in the optical axis direction.

2. The camera module of claim 1 , comprising:

a sensor magnet disposed on the lens assembly and extending in the optical axis direction,

wherein a length of the sensor magnet in the optical axis direction is greater than a movement stroke of the lens assembly.

3. The camera module of claim 2 , comprising a first yoke disposed between the lens assembly and the sensor magnet.

4. The camera module of claim 3 , wherein the first yoke surrounds surfaces of the sensor magnet other than a surface facing the plurality of sensors.

5. The camera module of claim 2 ,

wherein the sensor magnet comprises a first sensor magnet disposed on the first lens assembly and a second sensor magnet disposed on the second lens assembly, and

wherein the first sensor magnet and the second sensor magnet are spaced apart from each other in the first direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction, and have corresponding lengths.

6. The camera module of claim 5 , wherein the first driving unit comprises a first-first driving unit disposed on the first lens assembly and a first-second driving unit disposed on the second lens assembly, and

wherein the second driving unit comprises a second-first driving unit facing the first-first driving unit, and a second-second driving unit facing the first-second driving unit.

7. The camera module of claim 6 , comprising a second yoke disposed between the lens assembly and the first driving unit,

wherein the second yoke comprises a second-first yoke disposed between the first-first driving unit and the first lens assembly, and a second-second yoke disposed between the first-second driving unit and the second lens assembly.

8. The camera module of claim 6 , wherein a distance between the first-first driving unit and the first-second driving unit is greater than a distance between the first sensor magnet and the second sensor magnet.

9. The camera module of claim 6 , wherein the first lens assembly is configured to move by an interaction between the first-first driving unit and the second-first driving unit, and

wherein the second lens assembly is configured to move by an interaction between the first-second driving and the second-second driving unit so that the second lens assembly moves separately from the first lens assembly.

10. The camera module of claim 5 , wherein the first sensor magnet is not symmetric with the second sensor magnet with respective to an optical axis.

11. The camera module of claim 1 , wherein the first driving unit comprises a magnet,

wherein the second driving unit comprises a coil, and

wherein the coil is spaced apart from the lens assembly.

12. A camera module comprising:

a housing;

a lens assembly disposed on the housing;

a first driving unit disposed in the lens assembly;

a second driving unit disposed on the housing and facing the first driving unit;

a sensor magnet disposed on the lens assembly and extending in an optical axis direction; and

a plurality of sensors disposed on the housing and facing the sensor magnet,

wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a first sensor and a second sensor spaced apart from the first sensor in the optical axis direction, and

wherein a sum of a distance between the first sensor and the second sensor and a movement stroke of the lens assembly corresponds to a length of the sensor magnet in the optical axis direction.

13. The camera module of claim 12 , wherein a distance between the sensor magnet and a center of the lens assembly is shorter than a distance between the first driving unit and the center of the lens assembly.

14. The camera module of claim 12 , wherein, in the optical axis direction, a length of the sensor magnet is greater than a length of the second driving unit.

15. A camera module comprising:

a housing;

a first lens assembly disposed in the housing;

a second lens assembly disposed in the housing;

a first driving magnet disposed on the first lens assembly;

a second driving magnet disposed on the second lens assembly;

a substrate disposed on the housing;

a first coil disposed on the substrate and configured to interact with the first driving magnet;

a second coil disposed on the substrate and configured to interact with the second driving magnet;

a sensor magnet disposed on at least any one of the first lens assembly and the second lens assembly; and

a plurality of sensors configured to sense the sensor magnet,

wherein the plurality of sensors are spaced apart from each other in an optical axis direction, and

wherein a length of the sensor magnet in the optical axis direction is greater than a spaced distance between the plurality of sensors in the optical axis direction.

16. The camera module of claim 15 , wherein the length of the sensor magnet in the optical axis direction is greater than a length of the first coil in the optical axis direction.

17. The camera module of claim 15 , wherein the sensor magnet comprises a first sensor magnet disposed on the first lens assembly and a second sensor magnet disposed on the second lens assembly, and

wherein a distance between the first driving magnet and the second driving magnet is greater than a distance between the first sensor magnet and the second sensor magnet.

18. The camera module of claim 17 , wherein the first sensor magnet is not symmetric with the second sensor magnet with respective to an optical axis.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 12, 2023
From: JANG, YOUNG BAE; KANG, JONG HYUN; PARK, SUNG JUNE
To: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 062359/0784 →
Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2019-0091162 · Jul 26, 2019 · national
KR 10-2019-0092860 · Jul 31, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220276462A1 · Sep 1, 2022
References Cited (38)
US 10887498B2 · Hu · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20020112543A1 · Nogushi · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 20070153404A1 · Rouvinen et al. · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20080317452A1 · Kim · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20100295952A1 · Oh et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20130162851A1 · Shikama et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20150378169A1 · Kim et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20180003920A1 · Hu et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20180017844A1 · Yu · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180100986A1 · Kim et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 20190377155A1 · Bachar · 2019 [cited by examiner]
CN 1740837A · 2006 [cited by applicant]
CN 107924064A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
JP 886949A · 1996 [cited by applicant]
JP 200658512A · 2006 [cited by applicant]
JP 200665129A · 2006 [cited by applicant]
JP 2006178085A · 2006 [cited by applicant]
JP 2007256144A · 2007 [cited by applicant]
JP 200876193A · 2008 [cited by applicant]
JP 200876194A · 2008 [cited by applicant]
JP 3200481U · 2015 [cited by applicant]
JP 201758523A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020150073368A · 2015 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020160005927A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
KR 101653762B1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020170033663A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020180137278A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020190087801A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO 2018007981A1 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
WO 2018044083A1 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
Office Action dated May 7, 2024 in Japanese Application No. 2022-502962. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report dated Dec. 30, 2020 in International Application No. PCT/KR2020/008298. [cited by applicant]
Supplementary European Search Report dated Jan. 11, 2023 in European Application No. 20847540.0. [cited by applicant]
Office Action dated Apr. 27, 2023 in Chinese Application No. 202080053980.5. [cited by applicant]
Office Action dated Dec. 10, 2024 in Japanese Application No. 2022-502962. [cited by applicant]
European Office Action dated Jan. 3, 2025 in European Application No. 20 847 540.0. [cited by applicant]
Office Action dated Oct. 5, 2024 in Korean Application No. 10-2019-0092860. [cited by applicant]
Office Action dated Oct. 5, 2024 in Korean Application No. 10-2019-0091162. [cited by applicant]