TOF camera module and projection module thereof, and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12206964-B2
Application number	US-202017638390-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2020
Priority date	Aug 28, 2019
Publication date	Jan 21, 2025
Grant date	Jan 21, 2025

Abstract

The present invention provides a TOF camera module and a projection module thereof, and an electronic device, wherein the TOF camera module comprises a projection module and a receiving module, wherein the projection unit of the projection module is controlled by the driver chip to project detection light, and wherein the receiving module is disposed adjacent to the projection module, the receiving module receives reflected light of the detection light, and obtains depth information of an illuminated object based on the reflected light. The projection module comprises a transmitting circuit board, a support, an optical element, at least one projection unit and at least one driver chip, wherein the driver chip is conductively connected to the transmitting circuit board, and the driver chip controls the projection unit through the transmitting circuit board, and wherein the driver chip and the projection unit are located on the same side of the transmitting circuit board.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A projection module, comprising:
a transmitting circuit board;
a frame-shaped support, wherein the support is disposed on the transmitting circuit board and has an opening at its top surface;
an optical element, wherein the optical element is attached to the opening of the support, and an accommodating space is formed above the transmitting circuit board by means of the optical element and the support;
at least one projection unit, wherein the projection unit is disposed in the accommodating space, and the projection unit is conductively attached to the transmitting circuit board; and
at least one driver chip, wherein the driver chip is packaged into the accommodating space, the driver chip is conductively connected to the transmitting circuit board, the driver chip is on the same side as the projection unit, and the driving chip sends a light control signal to the projection unit based on the transmitting circuit board;
wherein the transmitting circuit board has an upper end surface and a lower end surface, wherein the driver chip is attached to the upper end surface of the transmitting circuit board in a manner adjacent to the projection unit; and
the transmitting circuit board comprises:

a transmitting circuit substrate;
a plurality of upper solder joints, wherein the upper solder joints are disposed on an upper end of the transmitting circuit substrate;
a plurality of lower solder joints, wherein the lower solder joints are disposed on a lower end of the transmitting circuit substrate; and
a plurality of conduction circuits, wherein the conduction circuits electrically connect the upper solder joints and the lower solder joints, and wherein the driver chip is conductively connected to the conduction circuits through the upper solder joints, and the lower solder joints are electrically connected to the upper solder joints through the conduction circuits.

2. The projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the projection module further comprises a connection layer, and the support is connected to the upper end surface of the transmitting circuit board by means of the connection layer.

3. The projection module according to claim 2 , wherein the connection layer is selected from a group consisting of an adhesive layer and a solder layer.

4. The projection module according to claim 2 , wherein the support contacts the driver chip in a thermally conductive manner, and heat generated by the driver chip is conducted by means of the support.

5. The projection module according to claim 4 , wherein the support has an accommodating cavity, the driver chip is disposed in the accommodating cavity, and the support covers the upper surface of the driver chip in a thermal contact manner.

6. The projection module according to claim 4 , wherein the support is selected from a group consisting of a ceramic sintered support and a molded support.

7. The projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the support is integrally formed on the upper end surface of the transmitting circuit board through a molding process.

8. The projection module according to claim 7 , wherein the driver chip is covered by the support, and heat generated by the driver chip is conducted by means of the support.

9. The projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the projection module further comprises a flexible board and a connector, wherein the lower solder joints of the transmitting circuit board are conductively connected to the flexible board, and the flexible board is conductively connected to the connector through the flexible board.

10. The projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the projection module further comprises a flexible board, and wherein one end of the flexible board is conductively connected to the transmitting circuit board.

11. The projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a support body and is further provided with a mounting groove and at least one air escape groove, wherein the mounting groove is formed at an upper end of the support body, the optical element is disposed in the mounting groove, the air escape groove communicates the accommodating space with an external environment, and air pressure is balanced between the accommodating space and the external environment by means of the air escape groove.

12. The projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a support body and is further provided with at least one glue painting area, and between the glue painting area and the optical element, a cured glue layer is formed by curing glue, and an air escape gap is formed at an interval, wherein the air escape gap communicates the accommodating space with an external environment, and air pressure is balanced between the accommodating space and the external environment by means of the air escape gap.

13. The projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the projection module further comprises at least one electrical element, wherein the electrical element is conductively connected to the transmitting circuit board.

14. The projection module according to claim 13 , wherein the electrical element comprises a photodiode for monitoring light changes in the projection module, and the photodiode is conductively connected to the driver chip, for the driver chip to control a working state of the projection unit based on detection information of the photodiode.

15. The projection module according to claim 13 , wherein the electrical element comprises a negative temperature coefficient device for monitoring a temperature of the projection unit, and the negative temperature coefficient device is conductively connected to the driver chip through the transmitting circuit board.

16. The projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting circuit substrate of the transmitting circuit board is selected from a group consisting of a ceramic substrate and a PCB board.

17. A TOF camera module, comprising:
the projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the projection unit of the projection module is controlled by the driver chip to project detection light; and
a receiving module, wherein the receiving module is disposed adjacent to the projection module, and the receiving module receives reflected light of the detection light, and obtains depth information of an illuminated object based on the reflected light.

18. An electronic device, comprising:
an electronic device host;
an electronic device mainboard, wherein the electronic device mainboard is disposed on the electronic device host; and
at least one TOF camera module, wherein the TOF camera module is conductively disposed on the electronic equipment mainboard, and the TOF camera module comprises:
the projection module according to claim 1 , wherein the projection unit of the projection module is controlled by the driver chip to project detection light; and
a receiving module, wherein the receiving module is disposed adjacent to the projection module, and the receiving module receives reflected light of the detection light, and obtains depth information of an illuminated object based on the reflected light.

Assignees

• Ningbo Sunny Opotech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wei Hangang
• Chen Feifan

Classifications

• H10F39/804

  Containers or encapsulations · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• G01S17/894

  Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar · CPC title