Flexible printed circuit board and small camera apparatus including the same

• US 9,091,802 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kyung-bae, Lee, Seung-hwan, Chun, Jong-hyeok
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Usman
• Application Number:
  US14/024,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 348/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/04 with mechanism for focusing or varying magnification
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2205/0015 by displacing one or more optical elements normal to the optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2205/0069 using electromagnetic actuators, e.g. voice coils
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 3/02 moving lens along baseboard
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 3/10 Power-operated focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 5/00 Adjustment of optical system relative to image or object surface other than for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals

Abstract

A small camera apparatus includes a base, a lens barrel, a lens driving assembly, and a first flexible printed circuit board. The lens barrel is disposed to be spaced apart from the image sensor in an optical axis direction and has at least one lens. The lens driving assembly has a supporting frame, a first moving frame supported on the supporting frame to be movable in the optical axis direction, and a second moving frame loaded with the lens barrel and supported on the first moving frame to be movable in directions perpendicular to the optical axis direction. The first flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) provides an electrical signal, for driving the second moving frame, to the first moving frame. At least a portion of the first FPCB is bent and is disposed between the base and the first moving frame. At least a portion of the bent portion is bonded to reduce a bending tension that occurs in a direction opposite to a bending direction when the first FPCB is bent.

Claims

1. A small camera apparatus comprising:

a base having an image sensor;

a lens barrel disposed to be spaced apart from the image sensor in an optical axis direction, the lens barrel having at least one lens;

a lens driving assembly having a supporting frame, a first moving frame supported on the supporting frame to be movable in the optical axis direction, and a second moving frame loaded with the lens barrel and supported on the first moving frame to be movable in directions perpendicular to the optical axis direction; and

a first flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) that provides an electrical signal, for driving the second moving frame, to the first moving frame,

wherein a continuous portion of the first FPCB which is disposed between the base and the first moving frame includes a bending portion where the FPCB is bent over itself to form a connection area where inner surfaces of the FPCB in the connection area are bonded together.

2. The small camera apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first FPCB comprises:

a fixing portion that is fixedly connected to the first moving frame;

a bending portion that extends from the fixing portion and of which at least a portion is bent and is disposed between the base and the first moving frame; and

a bonding portion that bonds a connection area of the bending portion.

3. The small camera apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first FPCB further comprises a terminal connection portion that extends from the bending portion and receives the electrical signal from an external terminal.

4. The small camera apparatus of claim 2, wherein the bending portion comprises at least two branch portions.

5. The small camera apparatus of claim 2, wherein the bending portion is configured to be bent or unbent in response to a movement of the first moving frame in the optical axis direction.

6. The small camera apparatus of claim 5, wherein a modification range of the bending portion is approximately 0.2 mm or less in the optical axis direction.

7. The small camera apparatus of claim 5, wherein a modification angle of the bending portion is approximately 2°

or less in the optical axis direction based on the bonding portion.

8. The small camera apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second moving frame is configured to move in directions perpendicular to the optical axis direction by an interaction between a magnet and a coil.

9. The small camera apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first moving frame comprises one from the magnet and the coil, and the second moving frame comprises the other one from the magnet and the coil.

10. The small camera apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first moving frame comprises a fine pattern coil, and the second moving frame comprises a magnet.

11. The small camera apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second moving frame is configured to move two-dimensionally in the directions perpendicular to the optical axis direction.

12. The small camera apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first moving frame comprises a plurality of first hole sensors that sense movement of the second moving frame in the directions perpendicular to the optical axis direction.

13. The small camera apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first FPCB is embedded with at least twelve wiring electrodes.

14. The small camera apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second FPCB that provides an electrical signal, for driving the first moving frame, to the supporting frame.

15. The small camera apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first moving frame is configured to move in the optical axis direction by an interaction between a magnet and a coil.

16. The small camera apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first moving frame comprises one from the magnet and the coil, and the supporting frame comprises the other one from the magnet and the coil.

17. The small camera apparatus of claim 14, wherein the supporting frame comprises a second hole sensor that senses movement of the first moving frame.

18. The small camera apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second FPCB is embedded with at least six wiring electrodes.

19. The small camera apparatus of claim 2, wherein the bending portion comprises a bending indication portion for a virtual bending line.

20. The small camera apparatus of claim 1, wherein a size of a plane of the small camera apparatus, which is perpendicular to the optical axis direction, is approximately 225 mm² or less.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) that provides an electrical signal for movement, in directions perpendicular to an optical axis direction, to a lens driving assembly which is loaded with a lens barrel and is configured to move the lens barrel in the optical axis direction and the directions perpendicular to the optical axis direction to perform an autofocus function and an optical image stabilization (OIS) function, respectively,

wherein a continuous portion of the FPCB which is disposed between a base, in which an image sensor is provided, and the lens driving assembly, includes a bending portion where the FPCB is bent over itself to form a connection area where inner surfaces of the FPCB in the connection area are bonded together.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the FPCB comprises

a fixing portion that is fixedly connected to the lens driving assembly;

a bending portion that extends from the fixing portion and of which at least a portion is bent and is disposed between the base and the lens driving assembly; and

a bonding portion that bonds a connection area of the bending portion.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the FPCB further comprises a terminal connection portion that extends from the bending portion and receives the electrical signal from an external terminal.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the bending portion comprises at least two branch portions.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the bending portion is configured to be bent or unbent in response to a movement of the lens driving assembly in the optical axis direction.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein a modification range of the bending portion is approximately 0.2 mm or less in the optical axis direction.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein a modification angle of the bending portion is approximately 2°

or less in the optical axis direction based on the bonding portion.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the FPCB further comprises a plurality of hole sensors that sense movement of the lens driving assembly in the directions perpendicular to the optical axis direction.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the FPCB is embedded with at least twelve wiring electrodes.