CN116566158A

CN116566158A - Optical element driving device

Info

Publication number: CN116566158A
Application number: CN202310073403.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 安藤润
Original assignee: Alps Electric Co Ltd
Current assignee: Alps Alpine Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-02-07
Filing date: 2023-02-07
Publication date: 2023-08-08
Also published as: JP2023114905A

Abstract

The invention provides an optical element driving device capable of inhibiting generation of foreign matters. The optical element driving device (100) is provided with a base member (18), an optical element holding member (2), three balls (11) arranged between the base member and the optical element holding member, a magnetic attraction Mechanism (MA) for generating a force for attracting the optical element holding member and the base member to each other, and a Driving Mechanism (DM) for moving the optical element holding member relative to the base member in the Y-axis direction. The magnetic attraction mechanism includes an attraction magnet (8) fixed to the optical element holding member and a magnetic member (13) provided to the base member. The other magnetic member (17) provided on the base member is disposed so as to be separated from the attracting magnet in the Y-axis direction so that a repulsive force acts between the attracting magnet and the magnetic member (17). The base member is provided with a protruding portion (18W) which is in contact with the optical element holding member moving in the Y-axis direction.

Description

Optical element driving device

Technical Field

The present application relates to an optical element driving device.

Background

Conventionally, a driving device is known in which an optical element such as a lens mounted on a driving frame is moved relative to a fixed portion by a magnet and a coil (see patent document 1). The driving device is configured to move the driving frame in the optical axis direction by the magnet and the coil. The driving device includes a coil spring that presses the driving frame against the fixing portion in the optical axis direction in an initial state in which no current is supplied to the coil. The coil spring can prevent the drive frame from moving in an undesired manner in the initial state.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2020-043703

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in this driving device, foreign matter such as abrasion powder may be generated due to repeated contact of the coil spring with other members.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an optical element driving device capable of suppressing the generation of foreign matter.

Means for solving the problems

An optical element driving device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a fixed side member including a supporting member; an optical element holding member having a through hole penetrating in the vertical direction, in which an optical element can be arranged; at least three balls arranged between the support member and the optical element holding member in the up-down direction; a magnetic attraction mechanism that generates a force that causes the optical element holding member and the support member, which are disposed so as to sandwich the ball in the up-down direction, to attract each other; and a driving mechanism that moves the optical element holding member relative to the supporting member in a first direction orthogonal to a vertical direction, wherein the magnetic attraction mechanism includes an attraction magnet fixed to the optical element holding member, and a magnetic member provided to the supporting member so as to apply an attraction force between the magnetic attraction mechanism and the attraction magnet, and wherein the fixing-side member has another magnetic member that is disposed apart from the attraction magnet in the first direction so as to apply a magnetic force between the attraction magnet and the other magnetic member, and wherein the fixing-side member is provided with a restricting portion that abuts against the optical element holding member that moves in the first direction.

Effects of the invention

The optical element driving device can inhibit the generation of foreign matters.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an example of an optical element driving device.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the optical element driving device of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a lower member constituting the optical element driving device of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of an optical element holding member constituting the optical element driving device of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a fixed-side member constituting the optical element driving device of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a three-view of a magnetic system constituting the optical element driving apparatus of fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the ball housing structure.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a driving magnet, a attracting magnet, a ball, and a magnetic member constituting the optical element driving device of fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of another example of the optical element driving apparatus.

Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the optical element driving device of fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a lower member constituting the optical element driving device of fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a bottom view of an optical element holding member constituting the optical element driving device of fig. 9.

Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a fixed-side member constituting the optical element driving device of fig. 9.

Fig. 14 is a three-view of a magnetic system constituting the optical element driving apparatus of fig. 9.

Fig. 15 is a plan view of a driving magnet, a attracting magnet, a ball, and a magnetic member constituting the optical element driving device of fig. 9.

Description of the reference numerals

2 optical element holding member 2C corner 2C1 first corner 2C2 second corner 2C3 third corner 2C4 fourth corner 2E side 2E1 first side 2E2 second side 2E3 the third side portion 2E4, the fourth side portion 2F···the protruding portion 2K, the through hole 2P, the recess 2P1, the first recess 2P2, the second recess 2R, the recess 2S, the recess 2S1, the first recess 2S2, the second recess 2S3 third recess 2T contact portion 2T1 first contact portion 2T1 second contact portion 2W1 first hole portion 2W1 second hole portion 4A outer peripheral wall portion 4A1 first side plate portion 4A1 second side plate portion 4A3 third side plate portion 4A4 fourth side plate portion 4B roof portion 4K through hole 4S housing portion 5 drive magnet 8A a magnet for attraction 8B second magnet for attraction 9 coil 10 magnetic sensor 11A first ball 11B second ball 11C third ball 13 magnetic part 13A first magnetic part 13B second magnetic part 13C third magnetic part 14A first non-magnetic part 14A second non-magnetic part 15 insulating substrate 17A first magnetic part 17B second magnetic part 18B recess 18K through hole 18P protrusion 18R recess 18R1 first recess 18R2 second recess 18S1 first recess 18S2 second recess 18S3 third recess 18U1 first recess 18U2 second recess 18U3 third recess 18W1 first protrusion 18W2 second protrusion 100, 100A … optical element driving device AM … damping mechanism AM1 … first damping mechanism AM2 … second damping mechanism BM … force applying mechanism BM1 … first force applying mechanism BM2 … second force applying mechanisms CG1, CG2, CG11, CG12 … points CP1, CP2 the CP 11-CP 14 … contact DM … driving mechanism FB … driving mechanism HS … housing LB … lower side member MA … magnetic attraction mechanism MA1 … first magnetic attraction mechanism MA2 … second magnetic attraction mechanism MA3 … third magnetic attraction mechanism MB … movable side member OE … optical element PD … position detecting mechanism ST … stopper mechanism ST1 … first stopper mechanism ST2 … second stopper mechanism TR1, TR11 … first triangle TR2, TR12 … second triangle TR1 … F11 first side TR1 … S … second side TR1 … T … third side TR1 …

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an optical element driving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an optical element driving device 100. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the optical element driving device 100 including the case 4 and the lower member LB, and shows a state in which the case 4 is separated from the lower member LB. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lower member LB, showing a state in which the movable member MB is separated from the fixed member FB. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the optical element holding member 2 constituting the optical element driving device 100. Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the fixed side member FB.

In fig. 1 to 5, X1 represents one direction of an X axis constituting a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and X2 represents the other direction of the X axis. Further, Y1 represents one direction of the Y axis constituting the three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and Y2 represents the other direction of the Y axis. Likewise, Z1 represents one direction of the Z axis constituting the three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and Z2 represents the other direction of the Z axis. In fig. 1, the X1 side of the optical element driving device 100 corresponds to the front side (front side) of the optical element driving device 100, and the X2 side of the optical element driving device 100 corresponds to the rear side (back side) of the optical element driving device 100. The Y1 side of the optical element driving device 100 corresponds to the left side of the optical element driving device 100, and the Y2 side of the optical element driving device 100 corresponds to the right side of the optical element driving device 100. The Z1 side of the optical element driving device 100 corresponds to the upper side of the optical element driving device 100, and the Z2 side of the optical element driving device 100 corresponds to the lower side of the optical element driving device 100. The same applies to other components in other figures.

The optical element driving device 100 is a device that moves the optical element OE shown in fig. 2 on a virtual plane parallel to the XY plane. In fig. 2, the optical element OE is shown as having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape for clarity, but the optical element OE may have other shapes such as a cylindrical shape. In addition, in the figures other than fig. 2, illustration of the optical element OE is omitted for clarity. The optical element OE is a lens body, a mirror, a prism, a diffraction grating, a light emitting element, a light receiving element, an imaging element, an optical filter, or the like. The lens body is a cylindrical lens barrel provided with at least one lens. In this embodiment, the optical element OE is a lens body. Therefore, hereinafter, the upper side of the optical element driving device 100 may be referred to as "subject side", and the lower side of the optical element driving device 100 may be referred to as "imaging element side".

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the optical element driving device 100 includes a housing 4 as a part of the fixed-side member FB and a lower-side member LB.

The housing 4 is a cover member covering the lower member LB. In the present embodiment, the case 4 is manufactured by performing punching (japanese drawing) and drawing (japanese drawing) or the like on a plate material made of a nonmagnetic metal such as austenitic stainless steel. Since it is formed of a nonmagnetic metal, the housing 4 does not adversely affect magnetism of a driving mechanism DM (described later) or the like using electromagnetic force.

As shown in fig. 2, the housing 4 has a rectangular cylindrical shape with a cover defining a housing portion 4S. Specifically, the housing 4 includes a substantially rectangular tubular outer peripheral wall portion 4A, and a substantially rectangular annular flat plate-shaped top plate portion 4B provided continuously with an upper end (Z1 side end) of the outer peripheral wall portion 4A. A substantially rectangular through hole 4K is formed in the center of the top plate 4B. The outer peripheral wall portion 4A includes first to fourth side plate portions 4A1 to 4A4. The first side plate portion 4A1 and the third side plate portion 4A3 are opposed to each other, and the second side plate portion 4A2 and the fourth side plate portion 4A4 are opposed to each other. The second side plate portion 4A2 and the fourth side plate portion 4A4 extend perpendicularly to the first side plate portion 4A1 and the third side plate portion 4 A3. Further, as shown in fig. 1, the housing 4 is joined to the base member 18 by an adhesive to constitute a case HS together with the base member 18.

As shown in fig. 3, the lower member LB includes a coil 9, a magnetic sensor 10, a magnetic member 13, a non-magnetic member 14, an insulating substrate 15, magnetic members 17 and a base member 18, a ball 11, and a movable member MB as part of the fixed member FB.

The ball 11 is configured to support the movable side member MB so as to be movable relative to the fixed side member FB in a direction parallel to the Y axis. In the present embodiment, the balls 11 are spherical rolling elements made of a hard material such as resin, ceramic, or metal, and include first to third balls 11A to 11C. The ball 11 is disposed between a recess 18S as an upward recess formed in the base member 18 and a recess 2S (see the upper view of fig. 4) as a downward recess formed in the optical element holding member 2. Specifically, the first ball 11A is disposed between the first recess 18S1 and the first recess 2S1 (see the upper view of fig. 4). The second ball 11B is disposed between the second recess 18S2 and the second recess 2S2 (see the upper view of fig. 4). The third ball 11C is disposed between the third recess 18S3 and the third recess 2S3 (see the upper view of fig. 4). According to this configuration, the movable side member MB is supported by the ball 11 so as to be movable relative to the fixed side member FB in a direction parallel to the Y axis.

The coil 9 is one of the members constituting the driving mechanism DM, and is fixed to the base member 18 so as to face the driving magnet 5, which is the other member constituting the driving mechanism DM, with a gap therebetween in the vertical direction. In the example shown in fig. 3, the coil 9 is a winding type coil. However, the coil 9 may be of a laminated type or a film type. The coil 9 may be constituted by a combination of a plurality of coils.

The magnetic member 13 is one of members constituting a magnetic attraction mechanism MA (described later), and is fixed to the base member 18 so as to face the driving magnet 5 and the attraction magnet 8, which are other members constituting the magnetic attraction mechanism MA, respectively, with a space therebetween in the up-down direction, and to magnetically attract each other with respect to the driving magnet 5 and the attraction magnet 8, respectively. In the illustrated example, the magnetic member 13 includes a first magnetic member 13A, a second magnetic member 13B, and a third magnetic member 13C that are adhesively fixed to the upper surface of the base member 18. The magnetic member 13 is a plate-like member made of, for example, iron or magnetic stainless steel.

The nonmagnetic member 14 is one of members constituting the damping mechanism AM (described later), and is fixed to the base member 18 so as to face the attracting magnet 8 as the other member constituting the damping mechanism AM with a gap therebetween in the vertical direction, and to function as an eddy current sensor plate that generates eddy current when the attracting magnet 8 moves. Typically, the nonmagnetic member 14 is formed of a metal having higher conductivity than the magnetic member 13, and is provided on the upper side of the magnetic member 13. In the illustrated example, the nonmagnetic member 14 is a plate-like member made of aluminum which is a nonmagnetic metal, and includes a first nonmagnetic member 14A adhesively fixed to the upper surface of the first magnetic member 13A, and a second nonmagnetic member 14B adhesively fixed to the upper surface of the second magnetic member 13B. The nonmagnetic member 14 may be made of other nonmagnetic metal such as copper, or may be made of a nonmagnetic conductor other than metal.

In the illustrated example, the first magnetic member 13A and the first non-magnetic member 14A have the same shape and the same size in a plan view. The second magnetic member 13B and the second non-magnetic member 14B have the same shape and the same size in a plan view. The first magnetic member 13A and the second magnetic member 13B have the same shape and the same size in a plan view. In addition, the thickness of the first magnetic member 13A is smaller than the thickness of the first non-magnetic member 14A, and the thickness of the second magnetic member 13B is smaller than the thickness of the second non-magnetic member 14B.

The magnetic member 17 is one of the members constituting the urging means BM (described later), and is disposed so as to face the attracting magnets 8, which are the other members constituting the urging means BM, with a space therebetween in the Y-axis direction, and to apply magnetic forces to each other with respect to the attracting magnets 8. In the example shown in the figure, the magnetic member 17 is a rectangular parallelepiped permanent magnet that is magnetized in two poles, and the inner side (Y1 side) is magnetized as the S pole and the outer side (Y2 side) is magnetized as the N pole. Fig. 3 shows a portion magnetized to the N-pole in a dot pattern. The same applies to the driving magnet 5 and the attracting magnet 8. Specifically, the magnetic member 17 includes a first magnetic member 17A and a second magnetic member 17B that are adhesively fixed to the upper surface of the base member 18. The attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 17 are disposed such that the S-pole portions of the attracting magnet 8 and the S-pole portions of the magnetic member 17 face each other.

The driving mechanism DM includes a coil 9 provided on the base member 18, and a driving magnet 5 disposed so as to be spaced apart from the coil 9 in the Z-axis direction.

The optical element driving device 100 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is mounted on a main substrate (not shown), for example. The coil 9 is connected to a current supply source via an insulating substrate 15 and a main substrate. If a current flows into the coil 9, the driving mechanism DM generates electromagnetic force in a direction parallel to the Y axis.

For example, in the case where the optical element OE is a lens body, the optical element driving apparatus 100 can realize a shift function (hand shake correction function) by moving the lens body as the optical element OE in a direction parallel to the Y axis by electromagnetic force in the direction parallel to the Y axis caused by the driving mechanism DM.

As shown in fig. 3, the movable-side member MB includes an optical element holding member 2, a driving magnet 5, and a attracting magnet 8.

In the present embodiment, the driving magnet 5 is a rectangular parallelepiped permanent magnet that is magnetized in two poles, and the inner side (Y2 side) is magnetized as the S pole and the outer side (Y1 side) is magnetized as the N pole. The driving magnet 5 is disposed apart from the coil 9 so as to face the coil 9 in the Z-axis direction. Specifically, the driving magnet 5 is disposed such that an inner portion faces the inner linear portion of the coil 9 and an outer portion faces the outer linear portion of the coil 9. The driving magnet 5 may be magnetized to the N pole on the inner side (Y2 side) and magnetized to the S pole on the outer side (Y1 side). Alternatively, the driving magnet 5 may be constituted by a combination of a plurality of permanent magnets.

The driving magnet 5 also functions as a detection magnet for detecting the displacement of the optical element OE. Specifically, the driving magnet 5 functions as a detection magnet for detecting the displacement of the optical element OE in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the driving magnet 5 is disposed apart from the magnetic sensor 10 so as to face the magnetic sensor 10 in the Z-axis direction.

The attracting magnet 8 is one of the members constituting the magnetic attraction mechanism MA. In the illustrated example, the attracting magnet 8 is fixed to the optical element holding member 2 so that a magnetic attraction force acts between the attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 13 and faces the magnetic member 13 in the vertical direction through the nonmagnetic member 14. Specifically, the attraction magnet 8 includes: a first attracting magnet 8A disposed apart from the first magnetic member 13A so as to face the first magnetic member 13A in the up-down direction, and a second attracting magnet 8B disposed apart from the second magnetic member 13B so as to face the second magnetic member 13B in the up-down direction.

The optical element holding member 2 is configured to be able to hold the optical element OE, the driving magnet 5, and the attracting magnet 8. In the present embodiment, the optical element holding member 2 is formed by injection molding a synthetic resin such as a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP). As shown in fig. 3, the optical element holding member 2 includes a through hole 2K formed so as to extend parallel to the Z axis. The optical element OE is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 2K by an adhesive.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the optical element holding member 2. Specifically, the upper view of fig. 4 is a bottom view of the optical element holding member 2 when the driving magnet 5, the attracting magnet 8, and the ball 11 are not arranged, and the lower view of fig. 4 is a bottom view of the optical element holding member 2 when the driving magnet 5, the attracting magnet 8, and the ball 11 are arranged.

Specifically, the optical element holding member 2 is a substantially rectangular annular frame. The four side portions 2E constituting the frame body include first to fourth side portions 2E1 to 2E4. Further, in the third side portion 2E3, a protruding portion 2F protruding in the right direction (Y2 direction) is provided.

As shown in the upper view of fig. 4, a concave portion 2P recessed in the Z1 direction is provided on an end surface of the optical element holding member 2 on the imaging element side, i.e., on the lower side (Z2 side). As shown in the lower diagram of fig. 4, a magnet 8 for attraction is accommodated in the recess 2P. In the illustrated example, the attracting magnet 8 is fixed to the optical element holding member 2 by e-bonding. Specifically, the recess 2P includes a first recess 2P1 in which the first attracting magnet 8A is housed, and a second recess 2P2 in which the second attracting magnet 8B is housed. The first concave portion 2P1 is provided at a fourth corner portion 2C4 which is one corner portion of the four corner portions 2C of the optical element holding member 2, and the second concave portion 2P2 is provided at a third corner portion 2C3 which is the other corner portion of the four corner portions 2C of the optical element holding member 2.

As shown in the upper view of fig. 4, a concave portion 2R recessed in the Z1 direction is provided on the end surface of the lower side (Z2 side) of the first side portion 2E 1. As shown in the lower diagram of fig. 4, a driving magnet 5 is accommodated in the recess 2R. In the illustrated example, the driving magnet 5 is fixed to the optical element holding member 2 by an adhesive. The recess 2R opens not only to the lower side but also to the side (the radially outer side, i.e., the left side (Y1 side) in the illustrated example). However, the recess 2R may be formed so as not to open to the side (radially outward).

As shown in the upper view of fig. 4, a concave portion 2S as a downward concave portion recessed in the Z1 direction is provided on the end surface of the lower side (Z2 side) of the optical element holding member 2. As shown in the lower view of fig. 4, the upper portion of the ball 11 is accommodated in the recess 2S. In the illustrated example, the recess 2S includes a first recess 2S1 in which an upper portion of the first ball 11A is accommodated, a second recess 2S2 in which an upper portion of the second ball 11B is accommodated, and a third recess 2S3 in which an upper portion of the third ball 11C is accommodated. The first concave portion 2S1 is provided on the lower end surface (Z2 side) of the third side portion 2E3, the second concave portion 2S2 is provided on the lower end surface (Z2 side) of the second side portion 2E2, and the third concave portion 2S3 is provided on the lower end surface (Z2 side) of the fourth side portion 2E 4. Specifically, the first concave portion 2S1 is provided on the end surface of the lower side (Z2 side) of the protruding portion 2F protruding rightward from the right side surface of the optical element holding member 2.

The lower portions of the first to third balls 11A to 11C are accommodated in a recess 18S (see fig. 3) which is an upward recess formed in the upper surface of the base member 18. At least one of the recess 2P and the recess 2R may be a through hole penetrating the optical element holding member 2 in the vertical direction.

The base member 18 is formed by injection molding using a synthetic resin such as a liquid crystal polymer. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the base member 18 has a substantially rectangular outline in a plan view, and has a through hole 18K in the center. The coil 9, the insulating substrate 15 on which the magnetic sensor 10 is mounted, the magnetic member 13, and the nonmagnetic member 14 are fixed to the upper surface (the surface on the Z1 side) of the subject side of the base member 18 by an adhesive. The through hole 18K corresponds to the through hole 2K of the optical element holding member 2. Further, a recess 18U for accommodating the magnetic member 13 is formed on the upper surface of the base member 18. The recess 18U includes a first recess 18U1 accommodating the first magnetic member 13A, a second recess 18U2 accommodating the second magnetic member 13B, and a third recess 18U3 accommodating the third magnetic member 13C. Further, a convex portion 18P to which the coil 9 is fixed is formed on the upper surface of the base member 18. The convex portion 18P protrudes upward so as to enter the coil hole of the coil 9.

As shown in fig. 3, the optical element holding member 2 has a left side surface provided with a contact portion 2T protruding leftward, and a top surface of the base member 18 provided with a protruding portion 18W protruding upward. The protruding portion 18W functions as a restricting portion that restricts movement of the optical element holding member 2 with respect to the base member 18 in the Y-axis direction. That is, the abutting portion 2T of the optical element holding member 2 and the protruding portion 18W of the base member 18 constitute the stopper mechanism ST. The stopper mechanism ST is a mechanism for restricting movement of the optical element holding member 2 to the left with respect to the base member 18, and includes a first stopper mechanism ST1 and a second stopper mechanism ST2.

The first stopper mechanism ST1 is constituted by a first abutment portion 2T1 formed on the left side surface of the optical element holding member 2, and a first protruding portion 18W1 formed on the left front portion of the upper surface of the base member 18. The second stopper mechanism ST2 is constituted by a second abutment portion 2T2 formed on the left side surface of the optical element holding member 2, and a second protruding portion 18W2 formed on the left rear portion of the upper surface of the base member 18.

The first contact portion 2T1 is provided to contact the first projection 18W1 of the base member 18 when the optical element holding member 2 moves to the left (Y1 direction) beyond the predetermined position, and the second contact portion 2T2 is provided to contact the second projection 18W2 of the base member 18 when the optical element holding member 2 moves to the left (Y1 direction) beyond the predetermined position.

The magnetic sensor 10 is configured to be able to detect the position of the optical element OE. In the present embodiment, the magnetic sensor 10 is provided so as to be able to detect displacement of the optical element holding member 2 to which the optical element OE is fixed in the Y-axis direction. In the illustrated example, as shown in fig. 5, four terminals of the magnetic sensor 10 are soldered to the insulating substrate 15, respectively. The insulating substrate 15 is fixed to the base member 18 with an adhesive.

In the example shown in the drawing, the magnetic sensor 10 includes a hall element, and is configured to be able to detect the position of the movable-side member MB including the driving magnet 5 by measuring the output voltage of the hall element that varies according to the magnitude of the magnetic field received by the hall element from the driving magnet 5. However, the magnetic sensor 10 may be configured to detect the position of the optical element OE by using a magnetoresistive element such as a giant magnetoresistance effect (Giant Magneto Resistive effect:gmr) element, a magnetoresistive semiconductor (Semiconductor Magneto Resistive:smr) element, an anisotropic magnetoresistance (Anisotropic Magneto Resistive:amr) element, or a tunnel magnetoresistance (Tunnel Magneto Resistive:tmr) element.

Further, a recess 18S as an upward recess for accommodating the ball 11 is formed on the upper surface of the base member 18. Specifically, three concave portions 18S (first concave portion 18S1 to third concave portion 18S 3) for accommodating the three balls 11 (first ball 11A to third ball 11C) are formed in the base member 18.

Further, a recess 18R as an upward recess for accommodating the magnetic member 17 is formed on the upper surface of the base member 18. Specifically, two columnar portions protruding upward are formed in the base member 18, and two recesses 18R (first recess 18R1 and second recess 18R 2) for accommodating the two magnetic members 17 (first magnetic member 17A and second magnetic member 17B) are formed in the two columnar portions.

Next, the positional relationship among the magnet 5 for driving the magnetic system, the magnet 8 for attracting, the coil 9, the magnetic sensor 10, the magnetic member 13, the nonmagnetic member 14, and the magnetic member 17 will be described with reference to fig. 3 and 6. Fig. 6 is a three-view (front view, top view, and right view) of the magnetic system mounted on the optical element driving device 100 of fig. 1.

The magnetic system is a system using magnetic force, and includes an attenuation mechanism AM, a biasing mechanism BM, a driving mechanism DM, a magnetic attraction mechanism MA, and a position detection mechanism PD.

The driving mechanism DM is a mechanism for driving the optical element OE in the XY plane. In the illustrated example, the drive mechanism DM is configured to enable movement of the optical element OE along the Y-axis direction. Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, the driving mechanism DM includes a coil 9 provided on the base member 18, and a driving magnet 5 disposed so as to be spaced apart from the coil 9 in the Z-axis direction. As shown in fig. 6, the driving magnet 5 and the coil 9 are disposed to face each other with a small gap therebetween in the Z-axis direction.

As indicated by a broken line arrow AR1, when a current flows into the coil 9, the optical element holding member 2 (driving magnet 5) moves leftward (Y1 direction) with respect to the base member 18 while being guided by a ball guide structure described later including the balls 11. Further, as indicated by a broken-line arrow AR2, if a current flows into the coil 9, the optical element holding member 2 (driving magnet 5) moves rightward (Y2 direction) with respect to the base member 18 while being guided by the ball guide structure. This is because the lorentz force acts on charged particles moving in the wire constituting the coil 9 fixed to the base member 18, and the driving magnet 5 is moved to the left or right by the reaction force thereof.

The position detection means PD is a means for detecting the position of the optical element OE fixed to the optical element holding member 2 on a virtual plane parallel to the XY plane. In the illustrated example, the position detection mechanism PD is configured to be able to detect the position of the optical element OE in the Y-axis direction. Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, the position detection mechanism PD includes a driving magnet 5 and a magnetic sensor 10 arranged at a distance from each other in the vertical direction.

The magnetic attraction mechanism MA is a mechanism that generates a magnetic force that causes the two members to attract each other. In the example shown in the drawing, the magnetic attraction mechanism MA is configured to generate a magnetic attraction force that attracts the optical element holding member 2 and the base member 18 to each other in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction). Specifically, the magnetic attraction mechanism MA includes the driving magnet 5, the attraction magnet 8, and the magnetic member 13. More specifically, as shown in fig. 3, the magnetic attraction mechanism MA includes a first magnetic attraction mechanism MA1, a second magnetic attraction mechanism MA2, and a third magnetic attraction mechanism MA3.

The first magnetic attraction mechanism MA1 is configured to apply a magnetic attraction force between the first attraction magnet 8A and the first magnetic member 13A, which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The second magnetic attraction mechanism MA2 is configured to apply a magnetic attraction force between the second attraction magnet 8B and the second magnetic member 13B, which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The third magnetic attraction mechanism MA3 is configured to apply a magnetic attraction force between the driving magnet 5 and the third magnetic member 13C, which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction.

With this configuration, the magnetic attraction mechanism MA can attract the optical element holding member 2 and the base member 18 to each other. Specifically, the concave portion 2S formed on the lower surface of the optical element holding member 2 is pressed against the upper side portion of the ball 11. The lower portion of the ball 11 is accommodated in a recess 18S formed in the upper surface of the base member 18. Therefore, the magnetic attraction mechanism MA can stably maintain a state in which the optical element holding member 2 is in contact with the upper side portion of the ball 11 and the lower side portion of the ball 11 is in contact with the base member 18.

In the illustrated example, the first to third balls 11A to 11C constituting the ball 11 are held between the optical element holding member 2 and the base member 18 in a state of being capable of rolling in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the optical element holding member 2 is not rotated (tilted) about the X axis, and is not rotated (tilted) about the Y axis, but is capable of parallel movement along the Y axis.

In the optical element driving device 100, the distance between the first magnetic member 13A and the first attracting magnet 8A in the Z-axis direction is the same as the distance between the second magnetic member 13B and the second attracting magnet 8B in the Z-axis direction. However, the distance between them is smaller than the distance between the third magnetic member 13C and the driving magnet 5 in the Z-axis direction. This is because the magnetic forces of the first attracting magnet 8A and the second attracting magnet 8B are the same, and the magnetic force of the driving magnet 5 is larger than the magnetic forces of the first attracting magnet 8A and the second attracting magnet 8B. That is, this is because the magnitudes of the distances are adjusted so that the magnetic attractive forces generated by the first, second, and third magnetic attractive mechanisms MA1, MA2, and MA3 are the same.

The damping mechanism AM damps the movement of the optical element holding member 2 moved by the driving mechanism DM. In the illustrated example, the damping mechanism AM is configured to generate a force that dampens the reciprocation of the optical element holding member 2 along the Y axis caused by the urging mechanism BM and the driving mechanism DM. Specifically, the damping mechanism AM includes the attracting magnet 8 and the nonmagnetic member 14. More specifically, as shown in fig. 3, the damping mechanism AM includes a first damping mechanism AM1 and a second damping mechanism AM2.

The first damping mechanism AM1 is configured to apply detent force between the first attracting magnet 8A and the first nonmagnetic member 14A, which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The second damping mechanism AM2 is configured to apply detent force between the second attracting magnet 8B and the second nonmagnetic member 14B, which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction.

According to this configuration, the damping mechanism AM can damp the movement of the optical element holding member 2 with respect to the base member 18.

The urging mechanism BM is a mechanism that generates a magnetic force between two members in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction). In the illustrated example, the biasing mechanism BM is configured to generate a force that presses the optical element holding member 2 against the base member 18 in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction). Specifically, the biasing mechanism BM includes the attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 17, and is configured to press the optical element holding member 2 (attracting magnet 8) to the left against the base member 18 (magnetic member 17) by a repulsive force (repulsive force) acting between the attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 17. More specifically, as shown in fig. 3, the biasing mechanism BM includes a first biasing mechanism BM1 and a second biasing mechanism BM2.

The first biasing mechanism BM1 is configured to apply a magnetic repulsive force between the first attracting magnet 8A and the first magnetic member 17A, which are arranged at a distance from each other in the lateral direction. The second biasing mechanism BM2 is configured to apply a magnetic repulsive force between the second attracting magnet 8B and the second magnetic member 17B, which are arranged at a distance from each other in the lateral direction.

According to this configuration, the urging mechanism BM can bring the left end surface (end surface on the Y1 side) of the contact portion 2T of the optical element holding member 2 into contact with the right side surface (side surface on the Y2 side) of the protruding portion 18W of the base member 18. Therefore, the urging mechanism BM can stably maintain the state in which the optical element holding member 2 is pressed against the base member 18 in the Y-axis direction.

In the example shown in the drawing, the biasing mechanism BM is configured to be capable of maintaining a state in which the right side surface (the side surface on the Y2 side) of the protruding portion 18W of the base member 18 is in contact with the left end surface (the end surface on the Y1 side) of the contact portion 2T of the optical element holding member 2 in the initial state of the optical element driving device 100. The initial state of the optical element driving device 100 refers to a state of the optical element driving device 100 when no current is supplied to the coil 9. In addition, the position of the optical element holding member 2 when the optical element driving apparatus 100 is in the initial state is also referred to as "initial position".

Alternatively, the biasing mechanism BM may be configured to press the optical element holding member 2 (attracting magnet 8) against the base member 18 (magnetic member 17) by using an attractive force acting between the attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 17. In this case, the magnetic member 17 may be a permanent magnet or a magnetic body that is a non-permanent magnet. Specifically, the biasing means BM may be a non-permanent magnet magnetic body that is fixed to the fixed-side member FB (base member 18) so as to attract the attracting magnet 8 to the left, and so as to face the attracting magnet 8 to the left of the attracting magnet 8.

Next, a ball housing structure will be described with reference to fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the ball housing structure. Specifically, the left view of fig. 7 shows a cross section of the optical element holding member 2, the second ball 11B, and the base member 18 in a virtual plane parallel to the XZ plane including the broken line L1 in the lower view of fig. 4. The right diagram of fig. 7 shows a cross section of the optical element holding member 2, the third ball 11C, and the base member 18 in a virtual plane parallel to the XZ plane including the broken line L2 in the lower diagram of fig. 4.

The ball housing structure is a structure for housing the ball 11. Specifically, the ball housing structure is constituted by a pair of wide grooves that do not limit the movement direction of the balls 11 and two pairs of narrow grooves that limit the movement direction of the balls 11.

Further, two pairs of narrow grooves restricting the moving direction of the ball 11 constitute a ball guide structure. The ball guide structure is a structure that guides the moving direction of the ball 11. In the illustrated example, the ball guide structure is configured to guide the movement of the ball 11 in the Y-axis direction.

Specifically, as shown in the left view of fig. 7, a pair of wide grooves in the ball housing structure is a combination of an upward second recess 18S2 formed in the upper surface of the base member 18 and a downward second recess 2S2 formed in the lower surface of the optical element holding member 2.

Further, as shown in the left diagram of fig. 7, in the pair of wide grooves in the ball housing configuration, the second ball 11B is in contact with the second concave portion 2S2 through one contact CP1 and in contact with the second concave portion 18S2 through one contact CP2 while being sandwiched between the second concave portion 18S2 and the second concave portion 2S 2.

That is, as shown in the left view of fig. 7, in the pair of wide grooves in the ball housing structure, the width of the opening (open end) of the second concave portion 2S2 in the X-axis direction and the width of the opening (open end) of the second concave portion 18S2 in the X-axis direction are both formed to be larger than the diameter D1 of the second ball 11B. Further, the width D2 of the bottom surface of the second concave portion 2S2 in the X-axis direction and the width D3 of the bottom surface of the second concave portion 18S2 in the X-axis direction are formed to be larger than the diameter D1 of the second ball 11B.

As shown in the right view of fig. 7, one of the two pairs of narrow grooves in the ball housing structure is a combination of an upward third recess 18S3 formed in the upper surface of the base member 18 and a downward third recess 2S3 formed in the lower surface of the optical element holding member 2. The other pair of the two pairs of the narrow grooves (not shown in fig. 7) in the ball housing structure is a combination of the upward first concave portion 18S1 (see fig. 5) formed on the upper surface of the base member 18 and the downward first concave portion 2S1 (see the upper view of fig. 4) formed on the lower surface of the optical element holding member 2.

As shown in the right view of fig. 7, in one of the two pairs of narrow grooves in the ball housing structure, the third ball 11C is held between the third recess 18S3 and the third recess 2S3 so as to be in contact with the third recess 2S3 by the two contacts CP11 and CP12 and in contact with the third recess 18S3 by the two contacts CP13 and CP 14. In the other pair of the two pairs of the narrow grooves (not shown) in the ball housing structure, the first ball 11A is held between the first concave portion 18S1 and the first concave portion 2S1 so as to be in contact with the first concave portion 2S1 through two contacts and in contact with the first concave portion 18S1 through two contacts.

That is, as shown in the right diagram of fig. 7, in one of the two pairs of narrow grooves in the ball housing structure, the width of the opening (open end) of the third recess 2S3 in the X-axis direction and the width of the opening (open end) of the third recess 18S3 in the X-axis direction are both formed to be larger than the diameter D11 of the third ball 11C. Further, the width D12 of the bottom surface of the third recess 2S3 in the X-axis direction and the width D13 of the bottom surface of the third recess 18S3 in the X-axis direction are each formed smaller than the diameter D11 of the third ball 11C. In other words, the third concave portion 2S3 and the third concave portion 18S3 are each configured such that the distance between the two side surfaces facing each other in the X-axis direction increases toward the open end (opening). The same applies to the other pair of narrow grooves (not shown in fig. 7) of the two pairs of narrow grooves in the ball housing structure.

With the ball guide structure, which is two pairs of narrow grooves in the ball housing structure, the ball 11 is guided to move in the Y-axis direction while being restricted from moving in the X-axis direction.

Next, the positional relationship among the driving magnet 5, the attracting magnet 8, the ball 11, and the magnetic member 17 will be described with reference to fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the driving magnet 5, the attracting magnet 8, the ball 11, and the magnetic member 17 constituting the optical element driving device 100.

The first triangle TR1 indicated by a broken line is a triangle formed by connecting the center of the driving magnet 5 and the centers of the two attracting magnets 8 (the first attracting magnet 8A and the second attracting magnet 8B). The center of each component is, for example, the center of gravity of each component. The same applies to the following description.

The second triangle TR2 indicated by a broken line is a triangle formed by connecting the centers of the three balls 11 (the first ball 11A, the second ball 11B, and the third ball 11C). In addition, the second triangle TR2 is substantially inverted with respect to the first triangle TR 1.

In the illustrated example, the first ball 11A is arranged to be located outside the first triangle TR1 and to be opposed to the third side TR1T of the first triangle TR 1. The second ball 11B is arranged to be located outside the first triangle TR1 and to be opposed to the first side TR1F of the first triangle TR 1. The third ball 11C is arranged to be located outside the first triangle TR1 and to be opposed to the second side TR1S of the first triangle TR 1.

The point CG1 is the center of gravity of the first triangle TR1, and the point CG2 is the center of gravity of the second triangle TR 2. In the illustrated example, the point CG1 and the point CG2 are both located in the area where the first triangle TR1 overlaps the second triangle TR 2. In fig. 8, for clarity, the area where the first triangle TR1 overlaps the second triangle TR2 is marked with a cross pattern.

With this arrangement, the optical element holding member 2 is supported on the base member 18 via the three balls 11 so as not to rotate about three axes of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis in a balanced manner, and so as not to move in parallel with the X axis direction and the Z axis direction, and so as to move in parallel with the Y axis direction.

With the above-described configuration, the optical element driving device 100 has an effect that generation of foreign matter can be suppressed, as compared with a configuration in which a restoring mechanism (urging mechanism) for restoring the optical element holding member (movable side member) to the initial position by a member such as a coil spring or a shaft can be realized. This is because the biasing mechanism BM that moves the optical element holding member 2 in the first direction (Y-axis direction) with respect to the support member (base member 18) can be realized by magnetic force. That is, this is because in this configuration, the biasing mechanism BM for returning the optical element holding member 2 to the initial position can be realized without using a member such as a coil spring or a shaft.

Next, an optical element driving device 100A, which is another configuration example of the optical element driving device 100, will be described with reference to fig. 9 to 15. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the optical element driving device 100A, corresponding to fig. 1. Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the optical element driving device 100A including the case 4 and the lower member LB, and shows a state in which the case 4 is separated from the lower member LB, corresponding to fig. 2. Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the lower member LB, showing a state in which the movable member MB is separated from the fixed member FB, corresponding to fig. 3. Fig. 12 is a bottom view of the optical element holding member 2 constituting the optical element driving device 100A, corresponding to fig. 4. Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a fixed side member FB constituting the optical element driving device 100A, corresponding to fig. 5. Fig. 14 is a three-view (front view, top view, and right view) of the magnetic system mounted on the optical element driving device 100A, and corresponds to fig. 6. Fig. 15 is a plan view of the driving magnet 5, the attracting magnet 8, the ball 11, and the magnetic member 17 constituting the optical element driving device 100A, and corresponds to fig. 8.

The optical element driving device 100A is different from the optical element driving device 100 in which the stopper mechanism ST shown in fig. 11 is disposed on the same side as the driving mechanism DM with respect to the optical element OE in the point that the stopper mechanism ST is disposed on the opposite side of the driving mechanism DM with respect to the optical element OE as shown in fig. 3.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 11, in the optical element driving device 100A, the stopper mechanism ST is constituted by a hole 2W provided in the third side portion 2E3 of the optical element holding member 2, and a protruding portion 18W provided on the upper surface of the base member 18. As shown in fig. 3, in the optical element driving device 100, the stopper mechanism ST is constituted by a contact portion 2T provided on the first side portion 2E1 of the optical element holding member 2, and a protruding portion 18W provided on the upper surface of the base member 18.

In the example shown in fig. 11, the hole portion 2W is a substantially rectangular through hole penetrating the optical element holding member 2 in the vertical direction. However, the hole portion 2W may be a downward concave portion formed on the lower surface of the optical element holding member 2. That is, the hole 2W does not have to penetrate the optical element holding member 2 in the vertical direction.

More specifically, in the optical element driving device 100A, the hole portion 2W includes a first hole portion 2W1 and a second hole portion 2W2, and the projection 18W includes a first projection 18W1 and a second projection 18W2. The stopper mechanism ST includes a first stopper mechanism ST1 constituted by the first hole portion 2W1 and the first protruding portion 18W1, and a second stopper mechanism ST2 constituted by the second hole portion 2W2 and the second protruding portion 18W2.

In the first stopper mechanism ST1, when the optical element holding member 2 moves to the left (Y1 direction) beyond a predetermined position, the first protruding portion 18W1 is configured such that the right side surface (Y2 side surface) thereof is pressed against the right (Y2 side) inner wall surface of the first hole 2W 1. Similarly, in the second stopper mechanism ST2, when the optical element holding member 2 moves to the left (Y1 direction) beyond the predetermined position, the second protruding portion 18W2 is pressed against the right (Y2 side) inner wall surface of the second hole 2W 2.

In the example shown in fig. 11, the biasing mechanism BM including the attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 17 is configured to be capable of maintaining a state in which the right side surface (Y2 side surface) of the protruding portion 18W of the base member 18 is in contact with the right side (Y2 side surface) inner wall surface of the hole portion 2W of the optical element holding member 2 in the initial state of the optical element driving device 100A. The initial state of the optical element driving device 100A refers to a state of the optical element driving device 100A when no current is supplied to the coil 9.

The optical element driving device 100A is different from the optical element driving device 100 in which the coil 9 (see fig. 5) is mounted on the upper surface of the base member 18 in that the coil 9 is formed on the insulating substrate 15 shown in fig. 11.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 11, in the optical element driving device 100A, the insulating substrate 15 is a multilayer substrate in which a plurality of layers are laminated, and the plurality of layers are formed with a swirl-shaped conductive pattern constituting the coil 9. As shown in fig. 13, the magnetic sensor 10 is accommodated in a recess 18B formed in the upper surface of the base member 18 in a state of being mounted on the lower surface of the insulating substrate 15. In fig. 13 and 14, the coil 9 is schematically shown with the coil in the insulating substrate 15 formed of a conductive pattern drawn out.

The optical element driving device 100A is different from the optical element driving device 100 having the nonmagnetic member 14 (the attenuation mechanism AM) in that the nonmagnetic member 14 (the attenuation mechanism AM) is omitted. However, the optical element driving device 100A may be configured to have the nonmagnetic member 14 (the attenuation mechanism AM). In this case, the nonmagnetic member 14 may include a first nonmagnetic member 14A adhesively fixed to the upper surface of the first magnetic member 13A, and a second nonmagnetic member 14B adhesively fixed to the upper surface of the second magnetic member 13B.

Next, the positional relationship between the driving magnet 5, the attracting magnet 8, the ball 11, and the magnetic member 17 in the optical element driving device 100A will be described with reference to fig. 15.

The first triangle TR11 indicated by a broken line is a triangle formed by connecting the center of the driving magnet 5 and the centers of the two attracting magnets 8 (the first attracting magnet 8A and the second attracting magnet 8B).

The second triangle TR12 indicated by a broken line is a triangle formed by connecting the centers of the three balls 11 (the first ball 11A, the second ball 11B, and the third ball 11C).

In the illustrated example, the first ball 11A is arranged to be located outside the first triangle TR11, and to be opposed to the third side TR11T which is one side of the first triangle TR 11. The second ball 11B is arranged to be located outside the first triangle TR11, and to be opposed to the first side TR11F which is the other side of the first triangle TR 11. The third ball 11C is arranged to be located outside the first triangle TR11, and to be opposed to the second side TR11S which is the remaining side of the first triangle TR 11.

The point CG11 is the center of gravity of the first triangle TR11, and the point CG12 is the center of gravity of the second triangle TR 12. In the illustrated example, the point CG11 and the point CG12 are both located in the area where the first triangle TR11 overlaps the second triangle TR 12. In fig. 15, for clarity, the area where the first triangle TR11 overlaps the second triangle TR12 is marked with a cross pattern.

With this arrangement, the optical element holding member 2 can be supported on the base member 18 via the three balls 11 so as not to rotate about three axes of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis in a balanced manner, and not to move in parallel with the X axis direction and the Z axis direction, and not to move in parallel with the Y axis direction.

With the above-described configuration, the optical element driving device 100A has an effect that the generation of foreign matter can be suppressed, as compared with a configuration in which a biasing mechanism for restoring the optical element holding member to the initial position by a member such as a coil spring or a shaft can be realized, like the optical element driving device 100. This is because the biasing mechanism BM that moves the optical element holding member 2 in the first direction (Y-axis direction) with respect to the support member (base member 18) can be realized by magnetic force. That is, this is because the biasing mechanism BM can be realized without using a coil spring, a shaft, or the like in this configuration.

As described above, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the optical element driving device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes, for example: the fixed side member FB including a supporting member (base member 18); an optical element holding member 2 having a through hole 2K through which the optical element OE can be arranged in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction); at least three balls 11 disposed between the support member (base member 18) and the optical element holding member 2; a magnetic attraction mechanism MA that generates a force that causes the optical element holding member 2 and the support member (base member 18) arranged in the up-down direction with the ball 11 interposed therebetween to attract each other; and a driving mechanism DM for moving the optical element holding member 2 relative to the support member (base member 18) in a first direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the up-down direction. The magnetic attraction mechanism MA includes: a attracting magnet 8 fixed to the optical element holding member 2; and a magnetic member 13 (first magnetic member 13A and second magnetic member 13B) provided on the support member (base member 18) so as to apply attractive force between the magnetic member 13 (first magnetic member 13A and second magnetic member 13B) and the attracting magnet 8. Further, the fixed-side member FB has a magnetic member 17 different from the magnetic member 13. The magnetic member 17 is disposed apart from the attracting magnet 8 in the first direction so that a magnetic force (attraction force or repulsion force) acts between the attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 17. That is, the attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 17 constitute a biasing mechanism BM that generates a force to move the optical element holding member 2 in the first direction relative to the base member 18. The fixed-side member FB is provided with a restricting portion (protruding portion 18W) that abuts against the optical element holding member 2 that moves in the first direction. The same applies to the optical element driving device 100A shown in fig. 10 and 11. The support member may be the case 4.

This structure has an effect that the generation of foreign matter can be suppressed, as compared with a structure in which a biasing mechanism for restoring the optical element holding member to the initial position by a member such as a coil spring or a shaft can be realized. This is because the biasing mechanism BM that moves the optical element holding member 2 in the first direction (Y-axis direction) with respect to the support member (base member 18) can be realized by magnetic force. That is, this is because in this configuration, the biasing mechanism BM for returning the optical element holding member 2 to the initial position can be realized without using a member such as a coil spring or a shaft.

The attraction magnet 8 constituting the magnetic attraction means MA can also be used as the magnet constituting the biasing means BM.

The magnetic member 17 may be a magnet. In this case, the magnetic force acting between the attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 17 is a repulsive force (repulsive force).

This configuration brings about an effect that overshoot (overshoot) generated when the optical element holding member 2 is positioned at a desired position can be reduced. This is because the direction of the force generated by the driving mechanism DM and the direction of the force generated by the urging mechanism BM are opposite to each other.

Further, the attracting magnets 8 may be arranged in two in a second direction (X-axis direction) orthogonal to the first direction. In this case, the magnetic members 17 may be arranged so as to be separated from each other in the second direction so as to face the two attracting magnets 8. In the example shown in fig. 3, the attracting magnet 8 includes a first attracting magnet 8A and a second attracting magnet 8B. The magnetic member 17 includes a first magnetic member 17A disposed so as to be spaced apart from the first attracting magnet 8A in the first direction, and a second magnetic member 17B disposed so as to be spaced apart from the second attracting magnet 8B in the first direction. The attracting magnet 8 is disposed such that the distance between the first attracting magnet 8A and the second attracting magnet 8B in the second direction (X-axis direction) is larger than the width (length in the X-axis direction) of the through hole 18K in the base member 18. The same applies to the example shown in fig. 11.

This configuration brings about an effect that the biasing mechanism BM composed of the attracting magnet 8 and the magnetic member 17 can stably return the optical element holding member 2 to the initial position. This is because this configuration can suppress the rotation of the optical element holding member 2 about the Z axis, compared with the case where the urging means BM includes only either the first urging means BM1 or the second urging means BM 2.

As shown in fig. 3, the driving mechanism DM may include a driving magnet 5 and a coil 9. In this case, the driving magnet 5 may be provided in the optical element holding member 2. The coil 9 facing the driving magnet 5 may be provided on a support member (base member 18). Further, another magnetic member (third magnetic member 13C) may be disposed below the coil 9. In this case, attractive force acts between the other magnetic member (third magnetic member 13C) and the driving magnet 5. The same applies to the example shown in fig. 11.

This configuration brings about an effect of stably holding the ball 11 by the optical element holding member 2 and the base member 18. This is because the optical element holding member 2 and the base member 18 are attracted to each other with the ball 11 sandwiched between the optical element holding member 2 and the base member 18 by the three magnetic attraction mechanisms MA (first magnetic attraction mechanism MA1 to third magnetic attraction mechanism MA 3).

In addition, when three balls 11 are arranged between the support member (base member 18) and the optical element holding member 2, the three balls 11 may be arranged so as to be located outside the first triangle TR1 in a top view along the up-down direction, as shown in fig. 8. Further, the second ball 11B, which is one of the three balls 11, may be disposed so as to face the first side TR1F of the first triangle TR1, and the third ball 11C, which is the other of the three balls 11, may be disposed so as to face the second side TR1S of the first triangle TR1, and the first ball 11A, which is the remaining one of the three balls 11, may be disposed so as to face the third side TR1T of the first triangle TR 1.

The first triangle TR1 is a triangle formed by connecting the center of the driving magnet 5 and the centers of the two attracting magnets 8. The first side TR1F of the first triangle TR1 is a side connecting the center of the driving magnet 5 and the center of the second attracting magnet 8B, which is one of the two attracting magnets 8, the second side TR1S of the first triangle TR1 is a side connecting the center of the driving magnet 5 and the center of the first attracting magnet 8A, which is the other of the two attracting magnets 8, and the third side TR1T of the first triangle TR1 is a side connecting the centers of the two attracting magnets 8.

This configuration brings about an effect that the balls 11 can be stably held by the three magnets (the driving magnet 5, the first attracting magnet 8A, and the second attracting magnet 8B) with the base member 18 of the optical element holding member 2. As a result, this configuration has an effect of stabilizing the movement of the optical element holding member 2 with respect to the base member 18. As shown in fig. 8, this is because the first triangle TR1 is substantially reversely overlapped with the second triangle TR2 formed by connecting the centers of the three balls 11 (the first ball 11A, the second ball 11B, and the third ball 11C). The same applies to the example shown in fig. 15.

Further, the non-magnetic member 14 that generates eddy current when the attracting magnet 8 moves may be provided so as to overlap with the magnetic member 13. In this case, the nonmagnetic member 14 is preferably made of a metal having higher conductivity than the magnetic member 13, and is provided above the magnetic member 13. In the example shown in fig. 3, the nonmagnetic member 14 is formed of aluminum. The nonmagnetic member 14 may be formed of copper.

This configuration has an effect that the movement of the optical element holding member 2 with respect to the base member 18 can be quickly attenuated, as compared with the case where the nonmagnetic member 14 is not disposed. That is, this configuration can enhance the attenuation effect by the attenuation mechanism AM (the effect of attenuating the movement of the optical element holding member 2 moved by the driving mechanism DM).

As shown in fig. 11, the support member (base member 18) may be provided with a first projection 18W1 and a second projection 18W2 projecting upward, and the first projection 18W1 and the second projection 18W2 may be provided so as to be separated from each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The optical element holding member 2 may be provided with a first hole 2W1 into which the first projection 18W1 is inserted and a second hole 2W2 into which the second projection 18W2 is inserted. In this case, the first protruding portion 18W1 and the second protruding portion 18W2 constitute a restricting portion that restricts movement of the optical element holding member 2 with respect to the support member (base member 18) in the first direction. At least one ball 11 (first ball 11A) may be disposed between the first protruding portion 18W1 and the second protruding portion 18W2 in the second direction, and the magnetic members 17 (first magnetic member 17A and second magnetic member 17B) may be provided on the outer side of the first protruding portion 18W1 and the outer side of the second protruding portion 18W2 in the second direction, respectively. Further, the two attracting magnets 8 (the first attracting magnet 8A and the second attracting magnet 8B) may be fixed to the optical element holding member 2 so as to correspond to the two magnetic members 17.

In the example shown in fig. 11, the first ball 11A is arranged between the first protruding portion 18W1 and the second protruding portion 18W2 in the second direction, the first magnetic member 17A is arranged outside the first protruding portion 18W1 in the second direction, and the second magnetic member 17B is arranged outside the second protruding portion 18W2 in the second direction. The first attracting magnet 8A is fixed to the optical element holding member 2 so as to correspond to the first magnetic member 17A, and the second attracting magnet 8B is fixed to the optical element holding member 2 so as to correspond to the second magnetic member 17B.

This configuration has the effect that the dead space (dead space) in the housing HS can be reduced, and the optical element driving device 100A can be miniaturized, as compared with the case of the stopper mechanism ST composed of the abutting portion 2T of the optical element holding member 2 and the protruding portion 18W of the base member 18 shown in fig. 3.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above-described embodiments can be applied to various modifications, substitutions, and the like without departing from the scope of the present invention. The features described with reference to the above embodiments may be appropriately combined as long as they are not technically contradictory.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the driving mechanism DM is constituted by one driving magnet 5 and one coil 9, but may be constituted by a pair of driving magnets 5 and a pair of coils 9 which are arranged separately in the Y-axis direction.

In the above embodiment, the driving mechanism DM is constituted by the driving magnet 5 and the coil 9, but may be constituted by a piezoelectric element, a shape memory alloy wire, or the like.

Claims

1. An optical element driving device is characterized by comprising:

a fixed side member including a supporting member;

an optical element holding member having a through hole penetrating in the vertical direction, in which an optical element can be arranged;

at least three balls arranged between the support member and the optical element holding member in the up-down direction;

a magnetic attraction mechanism that generates a force that causes the optical element holding member and the support member, which are disposed so as to sandwich the ball in the up-down direction, to attract each other; and

a driving mechanism for moving the optical element holding member relative to the support member in a first direction orthogonal to the vertical direction,

the magnetic attraction mechanism includes: a magnet for attraction fixed to the optical element holding member; and a magnetic member provided on the support member so as to apply attractive force between the magnetic member and the attractive magnet,

In the optical element driving apparatus described above,

the fixed side part is provided with other magnetic parts,

the other magnetic member is disposed apart from the attracting magnet in the first direction so that a magnetic force acts between the attracting magnet and the other magnetic member,

the fixed-side member is provided with a restricting portion that abuts against the optical element holding member that moves in the first direction.

2. The optical element driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the other magnetic component is a magnet which,

the magnetic force acting between the attracting magnet and the other magnetic member is a repulsive force.

3. The optical element driving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

the attraction magnets are arranged in two directions separated from each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction,

the other magnetic members are disposed so as to be separated from each other in the second direction so as to face the two attracting magnets.

4. An optical element driving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,

the driving mechanism comprises a driving magnet and a coil,

The driving magnet is provided on the optical element holding member,

the coil facing the driving magnet is provided on the support member,

a further magnetic member is arranged on the lower side of the coil,

an attractive force acts between the other magnetic member and the driving magnet.

5. The optical element driving apparatus according to claim 4, wherein,

three of the balls are arranged between the supporting member and the optical element holding member,

the three balls are located outside a first triangle formed by connecting the center of the driving magnet and the centers of the two attracting magnets in a top view along the vertical direction,

one of the three balls is disposed so as to face a first side of the first triangle connecting a center of the driving magnet and a center of one of the two attracting magnets in a top view along a vertical direction,

the other of the three balls is disposed so as to face a second side of the first triangle connecting a center of the driving magnet and a center of the other of the two attracting magnets in a top view along a vertical direction,

The remaining one of the three balls is disposed so as to face a third side of the first triangle connecting centers of the two attracting magnets in a top view along a vertical direction.

6. The optical element driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,

a non-magnetic member that generates eddy current when the attracting magnet moves is provided so as to overlap with the magnetic member.

7. The optical element driving apparatus according to claim 6, wherein,

the non-magnetic member is formed of a metal having higher conductivity than the magnetic member, and is provided on the upper side of the magnetic member.

8. The optical element driving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein,

the non-magnetic component is formed of aluminum or copper.

9. The optical element driving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the support member is provided with a first protruding portion and a second protruding portion protruding upward, the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion are provided separately in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction,

the optical element holding member is provided with a first hole portion into which the first protruding portion is inserted and a second hole portion into which the second protruding portion is inserted,

The first protruding portion and the second protruding portion constitute the restricting portion,

at least one of the balls is arranged between the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion in the second direction, and the other magnetic members are arranged outside the first protruding portion and outside the second protruding portion in the second direction, respectively,

the two attracting magnets are fixed to the optical element holding member so as to correspond to the two other magnetic members.