CN107092069B

CN107092069B - Lens driving device, camera device and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN107092069B
Application number: CN201710079386.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 佐藤宽
Original assignee: New Shicoh Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: New Shicoh Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-02-17
Filing date: 2017-02-14
Publication date: 2023-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2037-02-14
Also published as: JP2017146441A; CN107092068B; KR102039392B1; CN107092068A; JP6617395B2; KR102183393B1; CN107092069A; KR20170096949A; CN206450888U; KR102071953B1; KR20200011533A; KR20190124190A

Abstract

The invention provides a lens driving device, a camera device and an electronic device which can be miniaturized, wherein the lens driving device comprises: a lens holder for fixing a lens barrel inside, a driving mechanism for moving the lens holder in an optical axis direction of the lens barrel, a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the lens holder, and a housing for housing the lens holder, the driving mechanism, and the guide mechanism; wherein the driving mechanism comprises: a drive shaft that extends in an optical axis direction of the lens barrel and is connected to the lens holder and supported by the housing, and a vibration member that is fixed to the drive shaft and vibrates the drive shaft in an axial direction; the lens holder is provided with an opening portion into which the lens barrel can be inserted from a direction intersecting an optical axis direction of the lens barrel. The invention provides a lens driving device, a camera device and an electronic device which can be miniaturized.

Description

Lens driving device, camera device and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The invention relates to a lens driving device, a camera device and an electronic device.

Background

Small cameras are mounted on electronic devices such as mobile phones and smart phones. Such a small camera is of an auto-focus type. An auto-focus type small camera is provided with a lens driving device for driving a lens barrel.

Patent document (JP 2010-134409A) discloses a lens driving device that fixes a lens barrel inside a lens holder, and performs focusing by moving the lens holder in the optical axis direction of the lens barrel.

In the above-described conventional structure, an opening is formed in the main body so as to open in the optical axis direction of the lens barrel, the lens barrel is inserted in the optical axis direction through the opening, and the lens barrel is fixed to the lens holder. The lens barrel and the lens bracket are not threaded, and the lens barrel is inserted into the lens bracket in a sliding way. Therefore, as described in the above patent document, screw threads are not required to be formed on both the lens barrel and the lens holder, so that the lens driving device can be miniaturized accordingly.

However, since the lens barrel is slidably inserted into the lens holder from the optical axis direction, the lens holder needs to have a wall surface for sliding the lens barrel over the entire circumference thereof, and the lens holder cannot be reduced in size, which may hinder miniaturization of the lens driving device.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the drawbacks of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a lens driving device, a camera device and an electronic apparatus that can be miniaturized.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the invention is as follows:

a lens driving device is provided with: a lens holder for fixing a lens barrel inside, a driving mechanism for moving the lens holder in an optical axis direction of the lens barrel, a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the lens holder, and a housing for housing the lens holder, the driving mechanism, and the guide mechanism; wherein the driving mechanism comprises: a drive shaft extending in an optical axis direction of the lens barrel and connected to the lens holder and supported by the housing, and a vibration member fixed to the drive shaft and vibrating the drive shaft in an axial direction; the housing includes a member constituting a side surface, and the lens holder is provided with: an opening portion for inserting the lens barrel from a direction perpendicular to an optical axis direction of the lens barrel before one member of the constituent side face of the housing is mounted, and the opening portion faces the one member of the constituent side face of the housing after the one member of the constituent side face of the housing is mounted.

Preferably, an upper end portion of an inner side surface in the opening portion in the lens holder is parallel to an optical axis direction of the lens barrel from a front end to a rear end, and a height of the lens barrel is the same as a height of the lens holder, and the guide mechanism is provided on an opposite side of the drive mechanism sandwiching the lens barrel.

Preferably, the guide mechanism includes: a guide portion extending in an optical axis direction of the lens barrel, and a guided portion formed on the lens holder and in contact with the guide portion, and slidably supporting the lens holder. The guide portion may be provided in the housing.

Preferably, at least one of the guide portion and the guided portion is formed with a protrusion protruding toward the other.

Preferably, the guided portion is a through hole provided in the lens holder in the optical axis direction, and the guide portion is a guide shaft fixed to the housing through the through hole.

Preferably, the guided portion is a notch penetrating the lens holder in the optical axis direction, and the guide portion is a guide shaft fixed to the housing through the notch.

Preferably, the guide mechanism includes: a guide groove extending in the optical axis direction, and a sphere disposed between the guide groove and the lens holder.

Preferably, the lens holder is supported on the drive shaft by a support mechanism,

the support mechanism includes: the lens driving device comprises a lens support, a clamping member arranged on the lens support and used for clamping the driving shaft, and a force application part arranged on the lens support and used for applying force to the driving shaft.

Preferably, an optical member forming a curved optical axis optical system is arranged along an optical axis direction of the lens barrel.

Another aspect of the present invention is a photographic apparatus including a lens driving device and an image sensor that receives light passing through the lens barrel.

The present invention is also an electronic device having the camera device.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following beneficial effects:

according to the present invention, since the lens holder is provided with the opening portion which can be inserted into the lens barrel from the direction intersecting the optical axis direction of the lens barrel, the size of the lens holder can be reduced, and the lens driving device, the camera device, and the electronic apparatus can be miniaturized.

Drawings

Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments, given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of one embodiment of a camera device embodying the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1 of one embodiment of a camera device embodying the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 1 of one embodiment of a camera device embodying the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an oblique view of an actuator for use with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of an actuator and drive circuit for use in an embodiment embodying the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an oblique view of a support mechanism and its perimeter in one embodiment embodying the invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 3 in one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is an oblique view of a vibration member of an actuator and its periphery embodying one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 9 (a) and (b) are schematic cross-sectional views of other guide mechanisms in one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another guide mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure:

10. the photographing device, 12, the housing, 14, the first lens barrel, 16, the second lens barrel, 22, the first side, 24, the second side, 26, the third side, 28, the fourth side, 30, the fifth side, 52, the first lens holder, 54, the second lens holder, 52a, the first opening, 54a, the second opening, 58, the actuator, 60, the vibration member, 62, the driving shaft, 80, the support mechanism, 82, the first guide, 84, the second guide, 86, the first guided portion, 88, the second guided portion, 94, the first protrusion, 96, the second protrusion, 106, the clamping member, 112, the pressing member, 116, the guide mechanism, 120, the urging portion, 122, the bushing (elastic member), 130, the first support protrusion, 132, the second support protrusion, 138, the first lens position detector, 140, the second lens barrel position detector.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to specific examples. The following examples will assist those skilled in the art in further understanding the present invention, but are not intended to limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that variations and modifications could be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the inventive concept. These are all within the scope of the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 to 3 show a photographic apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The camera device 10 may be used as an auto-focus type compact camera device for use in electronic equipment such as mobile phones and smart phones.

The photographing device 10 includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 12 having a long side in one direction.

The housing 12 is provided with a first lens barrel 14 for zooming and a second lens barrel 16 for focusing, which will be described later, and a lens driving device 18 for driving the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16, respectively.

For ease of understanding, the housing 12 is shown by a two-dot chain line in fig. 1.

Further, the optical axes of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 are set to coincide. As shown in fig. 1, in this specification, one side in the optical axis direction of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16, which will be described later, is referred to as "front", the other side is referred to as "rear", one side facing the direction in which the optical axis directions of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 vertically intersect is referred to as "up", the other side is referred to as "down", and the other side is referred to as "left" and the other side is referred to as "right" with respect to the direction in which the optical axis directions vertically intersect. In addition, the optical axes of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 are sometimes simply referred to as "optical axes".

The housing 12 includes a first member 20 serving as a base, a second member 32 constituting the first side 22 and the second side 24, a third member 33 constituting the third side 26, a fourth member 34 constituting the fourth side 28, and a fifth member 36 constituting the fifth side 30.

The first member 20 is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the camera device 10. The upper surface of the first member 20 is formed with a light receiving window 38. A prism lens 40 is disposed below the light receiving window 38. The prism lens 40 is a member forming a curved optical axis optical system, and includes, for example, a 45 ° reflecting surface 42, and reflects light received from above through the light receiving window 38 via the reflecting surface 42 and guides the light in the longitudinal direction of the photographic apparatus 10. In addition, a first intermediate lens barrel 44 is disposed on the first member 20 subsequent to the prismatic lens 40. One end of the second member 32, the third member 33, and the fourth member 34 is fixed to the first member 20. And the fifth member 36 is fixed to the other ends of the second member 32, the third member 33, and the fourth member 34.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the first side 22, the second side 24, the third side 26, and the fourth side 28, which are constituted by the second member 32, the third member 33, and the fourth member 34, constitute a frame having a square cross section. I.e. the first side 22 is for instance a lower surface (bottom surface) and the second side 24 is integrally raised with the first side 22 at 90 deg.. The third side 26 is then, for example, the upper surface, again at 90 ° to the second side 24. The fourth side 28 faces downwardly at 90 ° to the third side 26 and is secured to the lower surface first side 22 at the lower end of the fourth side 28.

As shown in fig. 1, the first lens barrel 14 for zooming, the second intermediate lens barrel 46, and the second lens barrel 16 for focusing are disposed in the space surrounded by the first to fourth side surfaces 22 to 28, from the first intermediate lens 44 to the longitudinal direction. An image sensor 48 is disposed on the rear side of the second lens barrel 16 for focusing. The image sensor 48 is fitted into an image sensor mounting hole 50 (shown in fig. 3) formed in the fifth member 36 for fixing.

The first intermediate lens barrel 44, the first zoom lens barrel 14, the second intermediate lens barrel 46, and the second focus lens barrel 16 are arranged along one optical axis, and light received by the prism lens 40 is imaged by the image sensor 48.

The lens driving device 18 includes a first lens holder 52 for zooming and a second lens holder 54 for focusing. The first lens holder 52 for zooming and the second lens holder 54 for focusing are formed as square frames, respectively, and the first lens barrel 14 for zooming and the second lens barrel 16 for focusing are fixed inside. The first lens holder 52 for zooming and the second lens holder 54 for focusing are supported so as to be movable in the space enclosed by the first side surface 22 to the fourth side surface 28 in the longitudinal direction (optical axis direction) of the photographic apparatus 10.

The second intermediate lens barrel 46 is supported by a second intermediate lens mount 56, but unlike the first lens barrel 14 for zooming and the second lens barrel 16 for focusing, the second intermediate lens barrel 46 is fixed to the housing 12.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 have first and

second openings

52a and 54a into which the first and second lens barrels 14 and 16 can be inserted. These opening portions are opened toward the direction in which the optical axes of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 intersect, such as upward. In assembly, the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 are inserted into the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 from above through these openings before the third member 33 is attached.

The lens driving device 18 includes an actuator 58 as a driving mechanism. As shown in fig. 4, the actuator 58 is a type of, for example, a bimorph piezoelectric actuator, and includes a vibration member 60 and a drive shaft 62 fixed to the vibration member 60. The driving shaft 62 extends in the optical axis direction, is connected to the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54, and is supported by the housing 12. Further, as will be described later, the drive shaft 62 vibrates in the axial direction by the action of the vibration member 60. The vibration member 60 includes 2 quadrilateral flat piezoelectric elements, namely, a first piezoelectric element 64 and a second piezoelectric element 66. The first piezoelectric element 64 and the second piezoelectric element 66 are sandwiched by plate-like electrode plates 68 having a similar quadrilateral shape. Namely, the first piezoelectric element 64, the second piezoelectric element 66 and the plate surface of the electrode plate 68 are overlapped and bonded to each other. As shown in fig. 5, the first electrode layer 70 and the second electrode layer 72 are formed on the front and back surfaces of the first piezoelectric element 64 and the second piezoelectric element 66. The drive shaft 62 is bonded to the first electrode layer 70 of the first piezoelectric element 64 on one side by an adhesive 74. The electrode plate 68 is made of, for example, a metal plate having elasticity. The electrode plate 68 has an energizing connection portion 76 protruding from a substantially central position of one side of the quadrangle.

As shown in fig. 5, the first electrode layer 70 and the second electrode layer 72 exposed from the surface of the vibration member 60 are connected to, for example, the positive end of the power supply control device 78, and the electrode plate 68 is connected to the negative end (ground) of the power supply control device 78 through the connection portion 76 for energization. When a pulse voltage is repeatedly applied between the first electrode layer 70 and the electrode plate 68, the first piezoelectric element 64 is energized, and the first piezoelectric element 64 stretches and contracts, so that the vibrating member 60 repeatedly deforms in one direction into a bowl shape and rapidly returns to an original flat plate shape due to the elasticity of the electrode plate 68. With the above operation, the drive shaft 62 also repeatedly moves slightly back and forth in the axial direction. When a pulse voltage is repeatedly applied between the second electrode layer 72 on the other side and the electrode plate 68, the second piezoelectric element 66 on the other side expands and contracts, and the vibration member 60 repeatedly deforms in the other direction into a bowl shape and rapidly returns to the original flat plate shape due to the elasticity of the electrode plate 68. With the above operation, the drive shaft 62 also repeatedly moves slightly back and forth in the axial direction.

While the actuator 58 is a bimorph type piezoelectric actuator in this embodiment, it is not limited thereto, and other types of piezoelectric actuators such as a single-wafer type and a laminated type, and electrostatic type actuators may be used. The shapes of the first piezoelectric element 64, the second piezoelectric element 66 and the electrode plate 68 need not be quadrangles, and other shapes such as circles may be used.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the actuator 58 is located in the housing 12 and disposed in a space formed between the first lens holder 52, the second lens holder 54 and the fourth side 28 so that the driving shaft 62 faces in different directions in the longitudinal direction. The first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 are slidably supported by a drive shaft 62 via a support mechanism 80 described later.

The first guide 82 and the second guide 84 are formed as guide mechanisms 116 at the corners between the first side 22 and the second side 24 and the corners between the second side 24 and the third side 26, across from the actuators 58 as driving mechanisms of the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54. In this embodiment, the first guide 82 protrudes upward and rightward (in the direction of the fourth side surface 28). And the second guide portion 84 protrudes downward and rightward (in the direction of the fourth side surface 28). The first guide 82 and the second guide 84 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the housing 12, i.e., the optical axis direction.

However, in the present embodiment, the first guide 82 is not formed in the portion of the second intermediate lens holder 56, but the front and rear portions of the second intermediate lens holder 56 are sandwiched by the first guide 82, so that the positioning with respect to the housing 12 of the second intermediate lens holder 56 is performed.

On the other hand, first guided portions 86 and second guided portions 88 are formed at upper and lower corners of the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 on the second side surface 24 side, corresponding to the first guide portions 82 and the second guide portions 84. In this embodiment, the first guided portion 86 and the second guided portion 88 are formed with a first groove 90 and a second groove 92 in the longitudinal direction so as to correspond to the protrusions of the first guide portion 82 and the second guide portion 84, and the first guide portion 82 and the second guide portion 84 form a track with the first guided portion 86 and the second guided portion 88. Further, first protrusions 94 and second protrusions 96 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the first and

second grooves

90 and 92 so as to protrude toward the first and

second guide portions

82 and 84. The first protrusion 94 and the second protrusion 96 are formed in a plurality of positions (two positions along the first guided portion 86 and the second guided portion 88 in this embodiment) of the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54, respectively, in a hemispherical shape, for example.

The upper and lower surfaces of the first guide 82 and the second guide 84 are in contact with the tips of the first protrusion 94 and the second protrusion 96 of the first guided portion 86 and the second guided portion 88. The first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 are held by first guide portions 82 and second guide portions 84 formed at upper and lower corners of the second side surface 24, and slidably supported in the longitudinal direction of the housing 12. Therefore, the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 are restricted from rotating about the drive shafts 62 (i.e., from the vertical direction of the first guided portion 86 and the second guided portion 88). The second side surface 24 is parallel to the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54, and has almost no gap, so that the widths of the first lens barrel 14, the second lens barrel 16, and the driving shaft 62 in the arrangement direction (left-right direction in fig. 2 and 3) can be reduced. Further, since the first guided portion 86 and the second guided portion 88 are in contact with only the tips of the first protrusion 94 and the second protrusion 96, the contact area with the housing 12 of the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 is small, friction occurring between the first lens holder 52, the second lens holder 54 and the housing 12 can be reduced, and the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 can be guided in the longitudinal direction of the housing 12, that is, in the optical axis direction.

The first projection 94 and the second projection 96 are preferably brought into contact with the first guide 82 and the second guide 84 with a slight clearance, rather than being kept in contact with each other all the time, when the first lens holder 52 or the second lens holder 54 is to perform the above-described rotation operation. Wear of the first and

second protrusions

94, 96 can be prevented and unnecessary driving resistance can be reduced. Of course, there is no problem in maintaining the connected state at all times. The first guide 82 and the second guide 84 are formed at the corners of the housing 12 facing the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 with the support mechanism 80 interposed therebetween, and even if the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 perform the above-described rotation operation within a predetermined range, the amount of operation of the centers of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 is smaller than that.

The first guide 82 and the second guide 84 may be formed on the first side 22 and the third side 26. At this time, the first guided portion 86 and the second guided portion 88 (the first projection 94 and the second projection 96) formed on the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 are preferably brought into contact with the first guide portion 82 and the second guide portion 84, and the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 are preferably sandwiched between the first guide portion 82 and the second guide portion 84 for guiding. That is, the upper and lower surfaces may be formed as the first guide 82 and the second guide 84, and the first guided portion 86 and the second guided portion 88 may be connected to the upper and lower surfaces. In this case, the first guide 82 and the second guide 84 need not be provided at the corners between the first side 22 and the second side 24 and between the second side 24 and the third side 26, respectively, and may be provided on the first side 22 and the third side 26, respectively.

In any case, the guide mechanism does not have to extend the arm portions from the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 to the opposite sides of the drive shaft 62 sandwiching the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16, and therefore, the size in the lateral direction can be reduced, and the lens driving device 18 can be miniaturized.

The support mechanism 80 has the same structure on both the zoom lens side and the focus lens side. For example, the focus lens side will be described below. As shown in fig. 2 and 6, the support portion 98 of the support mechanism 80 protrudes from the second lens holder 54 for focusing to the fourth side surface 28 side in a block shape, and is integrated with the second lens holder 54. The support portion 98 has a support groove 100 formed therein so as to open in a V-shape toward the drive shaft 62 and parallel to the drive shaft 62. Further, the support portion 98 is provided with a fitting portion 102 protruding toward the fourth side surface 28 in the upper and lower directions, following the support groove 100. The fitting portions 102 are each formed with a fitting groove 104.

The clamp member 106 includes: a fitting piece 108 fitted in the fitting groove 104 of each fitting portion 102, and a holding portion 110 provided between the upper and lower fitting pieces 108. The drive shaft 62 side of the clamping portion 110 forms a concave nearly semicircular shape. The clamping portion 110 sandwiches the drive shaft 62. The clamping portion 110 and the drive shaft 62 are in contact with each other at 2 points (total 4 points) in the vertical direction in the cross section direction. Further, the clamping portion 110 on the fourth side surface 28 side is pressed toward the drive shaft 62 side by the urging portion 120 of the pressing member 112. Therefore, at least one of the upper fitting piece 108 and the lower fitting piece 108 is separated from each other.

The pressing member 112 is provided with a C-shaped stopper 114 as seen from above. On the other hand, a protruding portion 118 protruding upward is formed on the upper surface of the support portion 98, and the protruding portion 118 is clamped by the clamping portion 114 from both sides of the protruding portion 118, and is clamped around the protruding portion 118, thereby fixing the pressing member 112 to the support portion 98. Thus, the fastening portion 114 of the pressing member 112 is fitted into the projection 118 of the supporting portion 98 and fixed, so that the upward projection of the supporting portion 98 can be reduced, and the width of the photographic apparatus 10 in the vertical direction can be reduced. Further, the pressing member 112 is formed with a flat plate-like urging portion 120 extending downward from the stopper 114, and the clamping portion 110 clamps the drive shaft 62 by the elasticity of the urging portion 120. With such a structure of the supporting mechanism 80, the second lens holder 54 generates appropriate friction against and is supported by the driving shaft 62.

Further, each drive shaft 62 is supported on the housing 12 at, for example, the root portion and the tip portion 2 via bushings (elastic members) 122 made of an elastic material, respectively, and is allowed to vibrate freely on the housing 12.

That is, as shown in fig. 7, the bush 122 includes flange portions 124 disposed on both front and rear sides and engagement portions 126 disposed between the flange portions 124. The engagement portion 126 is formed as a concave portion having a circular circumference. The bushing 122 has an insertion hole 128 formed at the center thereof, and the driving shaft 62 is inserted into the insertion hole 128 and expands the insertion hole 128. The bushing 122 located far from the vibration member 60 is bonded to the drive shaft 62, while the bushing 122 located near is not bonded to the drive shaft 62.

A first support protrusion 130 is formed on the inner side of the first side surface 22 (lower surface) of the housing 12, and faces the engagement portion 126 of the bush 122. On the inner side of the third side surface 24 (upper surface) of the housing 12, a second supporting protrusion 132 is formed to face the engagement portion 126 of the bush 122. The first support protrusion 130 has a semicircular first engagement groove 134 recessed downward, and the second support protrusion 132 has a semicircular second engagement groove 136 recessed upward. The first support protrusion 130 is in contact with the tip of the second support protrusion 132, and the first engagement groove 134 and the second engagement groove 136 clamp the circular engagement portion 126 of the bushing 122, thereby supporting the drive shaft 62 to vibrate freely on the housing 12 (in particular, in the axial direction of the drive shaft 62).

A first lens barrel position detector 138 for zooming and a second lens barrel position detector 140 for focusing are provided in the housing 12. Each of the first lens barrel position detector 138 and the second lens barrel position detector 140 has the same configuration, and is configured by alternately disposing first magnetic pole members 142 and second magnetic pole members 144 of different magnetic poles (S-pole and N-pole) in the longitudinal direction of the photographing apparatus 10, and first MR sensor 146 and second MR sensor 148 (only the second MR sensor 148 is shown in fig. 6) for detecting the magnetic field intensity. The first MR sensor 146 and the second MR sensor 148 are fixed to MR sensor fixing portions 150 that are integrally formed with the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 below the support portions 98 of the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 and protrude toward the fourth side surface 28, respectively. The first and second

magnetic pole members

142, 144 are fixed to the first side 22 of the housing 12 facing the first and second MR sensors 146, 148. When the first and

second lens holders

52, 54 move, the first and second MR sensors 146, 148 can detect the movement amounts and movement directions of the respective first and

second lens holders

52, 54 to reflect the change in the magnetic field strength, and signals indicating the detected change in the magnetic field strength can be output from the first and second MR sensors 146, 148.

The first MR sensor 146 on one side is connected to a first MR sensor flexible circuit board (hereinafter referred to as a first MR FPC) 152. The first MR FPC152 is bent from a first connection portion 154 connected to the first MR sensor 146, extends upward toward the zoom lens, extends downward through a space 156 formed in the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the housing 12 by the notch of the first side surface 22, and is led out from the lower side of the first side surface 22 toward the fifth side surface 30. The second MR sensor 148 on the other side is connected to a second MR sensor flexible circuit board (hereinafter referred to as second MR FPC) 158. The second MR FPC158 is bent from the second connection portion 160 connected to the second MR sensor 148, extends upward toward the focus lens, is integrated with the first MR FPC152 at the space portion 156, and is led out toward the fifth side surface 30.

A flexible circuit board is also connected to the vibration member 60 of the actuator 58. That is, as shown in fig. 8, each of the vibrating members 60 is exposed to the space 156, and a first vibrating member flexible circuit board (hereinafter referred to as a first vibrating member FPC) 162 connected to one of the vibrating members 60 extends downward from one of the vibrating members 60 and is led out from the lower side of the first side surface 22 to the side of the fifth side surface 30. A second vibration member flexible circuit board (hereinafter referred to as a second vibration member FPC) 164 connected to the other vibration member 60 extends downward from the other vibration member 60, is integrated with the first vibration member FPC162, and is led out from the lower side of the first side surface 22 to the side of the fifth side surface 30. The first and second vibrating

member FPCs

162 and 164 are divided into three terminal portions, and the electrode layer 70 on the driving shaft 62 side of the vibrating member 60 is connected to the first terminal portion 166, the electrode layer 72 on the rear surface side is connected to the second terminal portion 168, and the current-carrying connection portion 76 of the electrode plate 68 is connected to the third terminal portion 170 by solder or the like. The first terminal portion 166 is formed in a meniscus shape near the corner of the vibration member 60 away from the drive shaft 62, and the center of the circular arc is made to be the corner, so that the adhesive 74 for fixing the drive shaft 62 is not touched. The second terminal portion 168 is formed in an annular shape at a central portion of the vibration member 60. The third terminal 170 corresponds to the current-carrying connection portion 76, protrudes from the vibration member 60, and is formed in a square annular shape surrounding the current-carrying connection portion 76.

The following describes a case where the second lens holder 54 for focusing is moved by the actuator 58. As described above, when a pulse voltage is repeatedly applied to the actuator 58, the vibration member 60 repeatedly deforms in one direction into a bowl shape and rapidly returns to an original flat plate shape due to the elasticity of the electrode plate 68. With the above operation, the drive shaft 62 also repeatedly moves slightly back and forth in the axial direction. When deformed into a bowl shape in one direction, the second lens holder 54 is supported by the support mechanism 80 and brought into frictional contact with the drive shaft 62 of the actuator 58, so that the second lens holder 54 moves together with the drive shaft 62. On the other hand, when the vibration member 60 is to be rapidly restored to the original flat plate shape, the driving shaft 62 is also moved at a high speed in the opposite direction, and the second lens holder 54 cannot follow the operation of the driving shaft 62 due to the high speed, and cannot return to the original position and stay at the current position. Accordingly, the second lens holder 54 moves by one operation according to the magnitude of the deformation amplitude of the vibration member 60. By repeatedly applying a pulse voltage to repeat the movement operation, the second lens holder 54 can be moved to a desired position.

In this case, the second lens holder 54 is supported by the driving shaft 62 provided at a position near the center in the up-down direction on one side and the first guide 82 and the second guide 84 of the housing 12 as the guide mechanism provided at the up-down position on the other side, and is guided in the longitudinal direction of the photographic apparatus 10, so that the second lens holder 54 can be stably moved.

The operation of the first lens holder 52 for zooming is also similar to that of the second lens holder 54 for focusing.

The first protrusion 94 and the second protrusion 96 are hemispherical in the illustrated example, but there is no problem in using dice or other shapes. The first projection 94 and the second projection 96 are provided in two places, but there is no problem in one place or three places. The first projection 94 and the second projection 96 may be formed of other members such as metal and fixed to the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54. Further, a lubrication structure may be employed for at least one of the first projection 94, the second projection 96, the first guide 82, and the second guide 84.

The first guide 82 and the second guide 84 are formed in shapes protruding from the corners, but may be formed such that the first side surface 22 and the third side surface 26 are directly connected to the first guided 86 and the second guided 88 as the first guide 82 and the second guide 84, respectively, instead of protruding.

In addition, although the actuator 58 is shown with the drive shafts 62 facing opposite longitudinal directions, they may be equally oriented. Further, only the one-side actuator 58 may be provided.

In the example, the housing 12 is divided into 5 parts from the first member 20 to the fifth member 36, but there is no problem in using other dividing methods.

In the above embodiment, the upper ends of the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 are positioned above the upper ends of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16, but the height is quite high. Further, the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 can be made thinner by other guide mechanisms. For example, the arm may be extended from the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 to the opposite side of the drive shaft 62 sandwiching the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16. For example, as shown in fig. 9, a through hole 172 may be provided in the arm portion extending from the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 in the optical axis direction, and a guide shaft 174 extending in the optical axis direction may be inserted through the through hole 172 and fixed to the housing 12. As shown in fig. 9 (b), a notch 176 penetrating in the optical axis direction may be provided instead of the through hole 174. As shown in fig. 10, a first guide groove 180 and a second guide groove 182 extending in the optical axis direction may be provided in at least one of the housing 12 and the first and

second lens holders

52, 54, and a

first ball

184, 186 may be disposed in the first and second guide grooves as guide means. In fig. 10, for example, a wall surface standing upright from the first side surface 22 may be provided between the first lens holder 52, the second lens holder 54, and the actuator 58, and a sphere may be disposed between the wall surface and the first lens holder 52, the second lens holder 54.

In the above embodiment, the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 have no special members above, and therefore, the direction of inserting the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 into the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 is suitable, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first opening 52a and the second opening 54a of the first lens holder 52 and the second lens holder 54 may be formed, and the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 may be inserted from the left-right direction or from below. The configuration of the present invention is not limited to insertion from a direction perpendicular to the optical axis directions of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16, and insertion from a direction perpendicular to the optical axis directions of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 may be performed, for example, obliquely insertion of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16 with respect to the optical axis directions. In the structure of the above-described embodiment, the optical component prism lens 40 forming the optical system for bending the optical axis is provided along the optical axis direction of the first lens barrel 14 and the second lens barrel 16, and the present invention also includes a structure in which such an optical component is not provided.

The foregoing describes specific embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above, and that various changes or modifications may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims without affecting the spirit of the invention. The embodiments of the present application and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other arbitrarily without conflict.

Claims

1. A lens driving device is characterized by comprising:

a lens holder for fixing the lens barrel inside,

a drive mechanism that moves the lens holder in an optical axis direction of the lens barrel,

a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the lens holder,

a housing that houses the lens holder, the driving mechanism, and the guide mechanism;

wherein the driving mechanism comprises: a drive shaft extending in an optical axis direction of the lens barrel and connected to the lens holder and supported by the housing, and a vibration member fixed to the drive shaft and vibrating the drive shaft in an axial direction;

the housing comprises one component constituting a side surface,

the lens support is provided with: an opening portion for inserting the lens barrel from a direction perpendicular to an optical axis direction of the lens barrel before one member of the constituent side face of the housing is mounted, and the opening portion faces one member of the constituent side face of the housing after one member of the constituent side face of the housing is mounted.

2. The lens driving device according to claim 1, wherein an upper end portion of an inner side surface in the opening portion in the lens holder is parallel to an optical axis direction of the lens barrel from a front end to a rear end, and a height of the lens barrel is the same as a height of the lens holder, and the guide mechanism is provided on an opposite side of the driving mechanism sandwiching the lens barrel.

3. The lens driving apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the guide mechanism includes: a guide portion extending in an optical axis direction of the lens barrel, and a guided portion formed on the lens holder and in contact with the guide portion,

and the lens holder is slidably supported.

4. A lens driving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the guide portion is also provided on the housing.

5. A lens driving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the guide portion and the guided portion is formed with a protrusion protruding toward the other.

6. The lens driving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the guided portion is a through hole provided in the lens holder in the optical axis direction, and the guide portion is a guide shaft fixed to the housing through the through hole.

7. A lens driving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the guided portion is a notch penetrating the lens holder in the optical axis direction, and the guide portion is a guide shaft fixed to the housing through the notch.

8. The lens driving apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the guide mechanism includes:

a guide groove extending in the optical axis direction

And a ball disposed between the guide groove and the lens holder.

9. The lens driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the lens holder is supported on the drive shaft by a support mechanism,

the support mechanism includes:

a clamping member provided on the lens holder and clamping the drive shaft in frictional contact with the drive shaft, and

and a biasing portion provided on the lens holder and biasing the clamping member toward the drive shaft.

10. The lens driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an optical member forming a curved optical axis optical system is arranged along an optical axis direction of the lens barrel.

11. A photographic device is characterized by comprising:

the lens driving apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and

an image sensor that receives light passing through the lens barrel.

12. An electronic device provided with the camera device according to claim 11.