TECHNICAL FIELD

The teachings in accordance with exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of this invention relate generally to a camera module, and more particularly to a camera module configured to reduce the number of parts and to simplify the assembly process in response to the reduced number of parts.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, camera modules generating an image by photographing a subject have been widely used in various fields. For example, the camera modules are widely used for smart phones, tablet PCs and CCTVs, and the camera modules are widely used by being mounted on a front side or a rear side of a vehicle to photograph a travel image and a parking image of a vehicle.

The camera modules mounted on a front side or a rear side of a vehicle are manufactured with a very small size, where the vehicular camera module may include a housing, a lens assembly mounted on the housing, an image sensor disposed at an inside of the housing and a circuit board.

In general, when a vehicular camera module is manufactured with a very small size, a circuit board contained in the vehicular camera module may be formed in a plural number, and the plurality of circuit boards may be stacked in a mutually parallel manner inside the housing.

Furthermore, in order to inhibit the circuit boards disposed in a layered manner inside the housing from moving inside the housing, the circuit boards may be mutually coupled by a plurality of screws. However, when the circuit boards are mutually coupled by using screw-connection, many numbers of circuit boards are disadvantageously required because of reduced use area of circuit boards due to screw-connection, whereby the number of parts caused by screw-connection is greatly increased and the number of assembly processes is greatly increased in order to implement the screw-connection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Technical Subject

The present invention provides a camera module configured to improve a use area of circuit board by supporting circuit boards disposed in a layered manner inside a housing without recourse to use of coupling screws, and to reduce the number of assembly processes by reducing the number of parts without recourse to use of coupling screws.

Technical Solution

In one general aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera module comprising:a housing;a lens assembly that is fixed to the housing and comprises at least one lens;a circuit board that is arranged inside the housing and comprises a first circuit board and a second circuit board, on which image sensors arranged to face the lens are mounted, respectively; anda first shield can arranged inside the housing so as to support edges of the first and second circuit boards.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the first circuit board may be mounted with the image sensor, and the first and second circuit boards may be electrically connected by a first flexible circuit board.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the housing may include a front housing including a floor plate formed with a through hole exposing the lens and a circuit board fixing part fixing the first circuit board by being protruded from a surrounding of the through hole in the floor plate, and a rear housing coupled to the floor plate by accommodating the first shield can.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the first shield can may include at least one circuit board support part protruded toward an inside of the first shield can in order to support the edges of the circuit board, and a circuit board disengagement prevention part protruded toward an inside of the first shield can in order to inhibit the circuit board supported to the circuit board support part from being disengaged from the first shield can.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the first shield can may be manufactured with a metal material, and edges of the circuit board may be formed with a ground part electrically grounded to the first shield can.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the camera module may further comprise: a second shield can coupled to the first shield can; anda third circuit board fixed to the second shield can by being electrically connected to the circuit board using a flexible circuit board.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the second shield can may be coupled with a first coupling part, and the second shield can may be coupled with a second coupling part coupled with the first coupling part.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the third circuit board may be formed with a connector.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the second shield can may include a circuit board support part protruded toward an inside of the second shield can in order to support the third circuit board, and a circuit board disengagement prevention part protruded toward an inside of the second shield can in order to inhibit the third circuit board from being disengaged.

Advantageous Effects

The camera module according to the present invention has an advantageous effect in that reduction of use area of a plurality of circuit boards can be inhibited by supporting at least two circuit boards disposed in a layered manner inside a housing without recourse to using a coupling screw, an increase in the number of parts caused by using the coupling screw can be inhibited, and an increase in the number of assembly processes due to use of coupling screw can be inhibited.

