Image stabilizing apparatus for camera module

• US 20090303594A1
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Park, No Cheol, Song, Myeong Gyu, Park, Jae Hyuk, Jeong, Ho Seop, Moon, Jae Ho, Lim, Soo Cheol
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/554
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/646 compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/687 by shifting the lens or sensor position

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image stabilizing apparatus for a camera module capable of effectively stabilizing an image of the camera module, implementing miniaturization and slimness, and reducing a manufacture cost of the camera module by supplying a two-axial correction structure to perform correction in an X axial direction or an Y axial direction of an automatic focusing unit through a ball holder having upper balls and lower balls.

To achieve the object, the present invention provides an image stabilizing apparatus for a camera module including; an automatic focusing unit with slide grooves having lengths in an X axial direction or in an Y axial direction perpendicular to an optical axis on a bottom surface; a driving unit for moving the automatic focusing unit in the X axial direction or the Y axial direction; a ball holder installed on the bottom surface of the automatic focusing unit and provided with upper balls slidably coupled to the slide grooves on a top surface and lower balls on a bottom surface; and a lower guide which is installed on the bottom surface of the ball holder and includes slide grooves on a top surface, wherein the slide grooves are slidably coupled with the lower balls of the ball holder and have lengths in the Y axial direction or the X axial direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the slide grooves of the automatic focusing unit.

Claims

1. An image stabilizing apparatus for a camera module comprising:

an automatic focusing unit including slide grooves with lengths in an X axial direction or in an Y axial direction perpendicular to an optical axis on a bottom surface;

a driving unit for moving the automatic focusing unit in the X axial direction or the Y axial direction;

a ball holder which is installed on the bottom surface of the automatic focusing unit and includes upper balls slidably coupled to the slide grooves on a top surface and lower balls on a bottom surface; and

a lower guide which is installed on the bottom surface of the ball holder and includes slide grooves on a top surface, wherein the slide grooves are slidably coupled with the lower balls of the ball holder and include lengths in the Y axial direction or the X axial direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the slide grooves of the automatic focusing unit.

2. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 1, wherein the upper ball and the lower ball are provided on the top surface and the bottom surface of the ball holder respectively by exposing each of the balls to both the top surface and the bottom surface of the ball holder.

3. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 1, wherein the upper balls and the lower balls are provided on the top surface and the bottom surface separately, wherein the upper balls and the lower balls are provided on the same line along an optical axial direction of the automatic focusing unit.

4. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 1, wherein the upper balls and the lower balls are arranged by a 3 point support method.

5. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 1, wherein the slide grooves of the automatic focusing unit are formed in a “

V”

shape.

6. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 1, further comprising:

a lower housing installed at a lower part of the lower guide; and

an upper housing coupled to the lower housing to surround the automatic focusing unit, and

the driving unit includes;

an X axial moving actuator provided with an X axial voice coil installed at a portion of a circumference positioned in the X axial direction of the circumference of the automatic focusing unit and an X axial magnet installed inside the upper housing to correspond to the X axial voice coil; and

an Y axial moving actuator provided with an Y axial voice coil installed at a portion of the circumference positioned in the Y axial direction of the circumference of the automatic focusing unit and an Y axial magnet installed inside the upper housing to correspond to the Y axial voice coil.

7. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 6, wherein the lower housing mounts an image sensor on a bottom surface inside.

8. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 1, wherein the automatic focusing unit includes a lens barrel with a lens group and a driving device for reciprocating the lens barrel in the optical direction inside.

9. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 1, wherein the slide grooves of the lower guide are formed in a “

V”

shape.

10. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 1, wherein the lower guide includes elastic buffering members on a lower surface.

11. The image stabilizing apparatus for the camera module of claim 1, further comprising:

a position detection device to detect a moving position of the automatic focusing unit in the X axial direction or a moving position thereof in the Y axial direction.