JP2007140243A - Camera module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a camera module achieving the prolongation of a life by always applying fixed load to a spring for stabilizing the position of a lens barrel. <P>SOLUTION: A body part 2 is equipped with a main body level difference part 21 on the upper surface of a bottom part, and the lens barrel 7 is equipped with a projection part 30 on a base, then the projection part 30 moves along the body level difference part 21 with rotating operation, whereby the lens barrel 7 is freely operated in an up-and-down direction. The body part 2 is equipped with an elastic part 60 urging the upper surface of the lens barrel 7 downward, and the elastic part 60 has a pressing part 61 urging the lens barrel 7 at a predetermined position in a periphery direction. The lens barrel 7 is equipped with a lens barrel level difference part 51 nearly as high as the body level difference part 21 at a position on the upper surface urged by the pressing part 61 of the elastic part 60 at the position in the periphery direction where the projection part 30 abuts on the body level difference part 21, so that the position of the pressing part 61 in the up-and-down direction is kept constant by the lens barrel level difference part 51 even when the lens barrel 7 is operated in the up-and-down direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera module capable of switching between a normal shooting mode and a macro shooting mode by operating a switching lever, and in particular, a barrel that moves up and down by operating the switching lever is urged by an elastic member to stabilize the height position. It relates to a camera module.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, camera modules that can switch between a normal shooting mode and a macro shooting mode are known, and such a camera module includes a lens adjustment mechanism that adjusts the focus of a lens in accordance with the mode switching. This lens adjustment mechanism is provided with a step on the fixed main body and a cam on the bottom of the lens barrel that houses the lens. The lens barrel moves up and down as the cam slides on the step in response to the lever operation, so that the lens can move in the optical axis direction and switch between the normal shooting position and the macro shooting position. Has been. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the configuration of such a camera module.
JP 2003-337279 A

  Since the lens barrel containing the lens moves up and down with respect to the main body in this way, the upper surface of the lens barrel is biased downward by a spring in order to stabilize the vertical position of the lens barrel. Since the spring is urged regardless of whether the lens barrel is up or down, the load applied with the vertical movement of the lens barrel fluctuated. However, if the load applied to the spring changes during each operation, the durability of the spring is affected and the life is shortened.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a camera module having a long life by constantly applying a constant load to a spring for stabilizing the position of the lens barrel. To do.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a camera module according to the present invention includes a lens barrel in which a lens is housed and a main body portion that accommodates the lens barrel, and the lens barrel is rotated in a circumferential direction with respect to the main body portion. In the camera module movable in the optical axis direction of the lens,
The main body portion has a main body step portion on the bottom top surface, the lens barrel has a protrusion portion on the bottom surface, and the protrusion moves up and down along the main body step portion in accordance with the rotation operation. It can move freely in the direction,
The main body portion includes an elastic portion that urges the upper surface of the lens barrel downward, the elastic portion includes a pressing portion that urges the lens barrel at a predetermined position in the circumferential direction, and the lens barrel includes the protrusion. A lens barrel step portion having a height substantially the same as the main body step portion is provided at an upper surface position urged by the pressing portion of the elastic portion at a circumferential position in contact with the main body step portion. The configuration is characterized in that the vertical position of the pressing portion remains unchanged even when the cylinder moves in the vertical direction.

  The camera module according to the present invention is characterized in that the main body step portion and the lens barrel step portion are formed by inclined surfaces having substantially the same angle.

  Furthermore, the camera module according to the present invention is characterized in that the lens barrel is provided with a switching lever on the peripheral surface.

  Still further, in the camera module according to the present invention, the elastic portion has a plurality of pressing portions, and the lens barrel step portion is pressed at a circumferential position of the lens barrel where the projection portion abuts the main body step portion. It is characterized by being formed at each position urged by the part.

  The camera module according to the present invention is characterized in that the body portion is provided with a cover member made of a metal plate material covering the upper surface and the side surface, and the elastic portion is integrally formed on the upper surface of the cover member. It is configured as.

  According to the camera module of the present invention, the lens barrel is substantially the same height as the main body step portion at the upper surface position urged by the pressing portion of the elastic portion at the circumferential position where the projection portion contacts the main body step portion. A step portion is provided, and the vertical position of the pressing portion remains unchanged even when the lens barrel is moved in the vertical direction by the lens barrel step portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the elastic portion from being deteriorated and extend its life.

  In addition, according to the camera module of the present invention, the main body stepped portion and the lens barrel stepped portion are formed by inclined surfaces having substantially the same angle, so that the lens barrel can be smoothly moved up and down and moved up and down. The impact at the time can be reduced and the load applied to the elastic portion can be reduced.

  Furthermore, according to the camera module of the present invention, since the lens barrel is provided with the switching lever on the peripheral surface, the lens barrel can be easily rotated by the switching lever.

  Furthermore, according to the camera module of the present invention, the elastic portion has a plurality of pressing portions, and the lens barrel step portion is attached to each pressing portion at the circumferential position of the lens barrel where the projection portion contacts the main body step portion. By forming each at the position to be urged, the lens barrel can be urged stably.

  According to the camera module of the present invention, the main body portion is provided with a cover member made of a metal plate that covers the upper surface and the side surface, and the elastic portion is integrally formed on the upper surface of the cover member. The electromagnetic wave shield can be easily attached at low cost.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the camera module in the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, in the camera module according to the present embodiment, a hollow body portion 2 is disposed on a flat substrate 1, and a cam member 3, a lens barrel body portion 4 and a lever are disposed in the body portion 2. A lens barrel 7 comprising a member 5 is rotatably accommodated, and an elastic plate 6 is provided on the upper portion thereof.

  An image sensor 12 is disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 1. The imaging element 2 is formed by integrating a large number of photoelectric conversion elements on a plane, and receives light from a subject to be photographed via an optical system of a camera module and outputs it as image data. A filter 11 is disposed on the bottom surface of the main body 2. The filter 11 is a so-called IR filter, and is provided to remove infrared rays from the light from the optical system.

  The outer peripheral side of the bottom surface of the main body 2 has an outer rail surface 20 formed one step higher along the circumferential direction, so that the protrusion 30 formed on the bottom surface of the lens barrel 7 contacts the outer rail surface 20. Has been. Further, an opening 24 is formed in the wall surface that becomes the peripheral surface of the main body 2, and the switching lever 50 provided in the lens barrel 7 is projected outward. The opening 24 is formed in a horizontally long shape so that the protruding switching lever 50 can be operated to the left and right.

  The cam member 3 constituting the lens barrel 7 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and has a protrusion 30 on the lower surface. The lower end of the protrusion 30 abuts on the outer rail surface 20 of the main body 2, and moves along the outer rail surface 20 when the lens barrel 7 rotates with respect to the main body 2. Further, notched engagement portions 31 are formed on the upper surface of the cam member 3 in four circumferential directions so as to engage with the engagement portions 52 of the lever member 5.

  The lens barrel main body 4 has a lens 10 contained therein, and an outer peripheral surface thereof is fitted and fixed to an inner peripheral surface of the cam member 3. The lever member 5 has a switching lever 50 that is formed in a substantially ring shape and protrudes outward on the outer peripheral surface. In addition, a plurality of lens barrel step portions 51 are formed on the upper surface of the lever member 5. Furthermore, an engaging portion 52 is formed on the lower surface of the lever member 5, and the lever member 5 is fixed to the cam member 3 by engaging with an engaged portion 31 formed on the upper surface of the cam member 3. The

  The elastic plate 6 is made of a metal plate, the center portion is cut out in a circular shape, and the peripheral portion thereof is cut out in four places along the circumferential direction in a concentric arc shape, thereby providing a thin spring having elasticity. A portion 60 is formed. Each of the spring portions 60 is bent downward, and the central portion is the lowest point to form a pressing portion 61. The pressing portion 61 presses the upper surface of the lever member 5 constituting the lens barrel 7 and urges the lens barrel 7 downward. The elastic plate 6 is formed with fixing holes 62 in the vicinity of the four corners thereof, and the elastic plate 6 is fitted to the elastic plate fixing portion 25 formed on the upper surface of the main body portion 2, so that the elastic plate 6 has the main body portion. 2 is fixed.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the main body 2 and the lens barrel 7 are assembled. In this figure, the wall portion of the main body 2 is omitted. As described above, the outer rail surface 20 is formed on the bottom surface of the main body 2 along the circumferential direction. A main body step portion 21 is formed on the outer rail surface 20, and an inclined surface 21a is formed between the upper stage and the lower stage.

  The protrusion 30 of the lens barrel 7 that contacts the outer rail surface 20 moves between the upper and lower stages along the main body step portion 21 as the lens barrel 7 rotates by the operation of the switching lever 50. As a result, the lens barrel 7 moves in the vertical direction, and the distance between the lens 5 housed in the lens barrel main body 4 and the image pickup device 2 arranged in the main body 2 is changed, so that the normal photographing mode and the macro are changed. The shooting mode is switched.

  On the other hand, the upper surface of the lens barrel 7 is biased at a plurality of locations by the pressing portion 61 of the elastic plate 6 as described above, and has a lens barrel stepped portion 51. The lens barrel step portion 51 is arranged so as to be an urging position of the pressing portion 61 when the position of the lens barrel 7 with respect to the main body portion 2 is at a circumferential position where the projection portion 30 contacts the main body step portion 21. ing. Further, the lens barrel step portion 51 is configured by an inclined surface 51a between the upper and lower stages.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the protruding portion 30 of the lens barrel 7 is disposed on the upper stage side of the outer rail surface 20. The pressing part 61 is pressed. When the lens barrel 7 is rotated by operating the switching lever 50, the protrusion 30 moves to the lower side of the outer rail surface 20 through the inclined surface 21a of the main body step portion 21, and the lens barrel 7 is moved downward accordingly. Moving. At the same time, the urging position by the pressing portion 61 on the upper surface of the lens barrel 7 moves to the upper stage side through the inclined surface 51 a of the lens barrel stepped portion 51. If the switch lever 50 is operated from this state to rotate the lens barrel 7 in the reverse direction, the same operation is performed in the reverse direction. That is, the lens barrel 7 moves upward, and the urging position by the pressing portion 61 on the upper surface of the lens barrel 7 moves to the lower side.

  In this way, by forming the lens barrel step portion 51 so that the urging position by the pressing portion 61 of the spring portion 60 moves up and down with the vertical movement of the lens barrel 7, the urging by the pressing portion 61 is performed. Therefore, the spring part 60 is not displaced in accordance with the up-and-down movement of the lens barrel 7, and the life of the spring part 60 can be prevented from being deteriorated and the life thereof can be extended.

  FIG. 3 shows a side view of the camera module. In this figure, the front side of the wall surface of the main body 2 is omitted. This figure also shows a state in which the lens barrel 7 is on the lower side in the main body 2. As shown in this figure, when the protrusion 30 of the lens barrel 7 is on the lower side of the outer peripheral rail surface 20 of the main body 2, the pressing portion 61 of the spring portion 60 contacts the upper side of the upper surface of the lens barrel 7. Pressing.

  FIG. 4 is a side view of the camera module and shows a state in which the lens barrel 7 is on the upper side in the main body 2. This figure also shows the front side of the wall surface of the main body 2 in the same manner as in FIG. As shown in this figure, when the lens barrel 7 is rotated by operating the switching lever 50 from the state of FIG. 3, the protrusion 30 moves to the upper stage side of the outer peripheral rail surface 20 of the main body 2 through the main body step 21. At the same time, the pressing portion 61 of the spring portion 60 comes into contact with and presses the lower side of the upper surface of the lens barrel 7 through the lens barrel step portion 51.

  The lens barrel 7 by the pressing portion 61 of the spring portion 60 is obtained by making the arrangement relationship between the main body step portion 21 of the main body portion 2, the lens barrel step portion 51 of the lens barrel 7 and the projection portion 30 of the lens barrel 7 as described above. This urging position can be made unchanged in the vertical direction before and after the operation of the lens barrel 7. Further, since both the main body step portion 21 and the lens barrel step portion 51 are configured by smooth inclined surfaces 21a and 51a having substantially the same shape, the vertical movement of the lens barrel 7 can be performed smoothly.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 shows an exploded perspective view of the camera module in the present embodiment. In the camera module of this embodiment, the configurations of the main body 2 and the lens barrel 7 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the description is omitted. In the present embodiment, the cover member 8 is provided so as to cover the upper surface of the lens barrel 7 and the side surface of the main body 2.

  The cover member 8 is made of a metal plate, and the upper surface is configured in the same manner as the elastic plate 6 in the first embodiment. That is, the central portion is cut out in a circular shape, and the peripheral portion thereof is cut out at four locations along the circumferential direction in a concentric arc shape, thereby forming a narrow spring portion 80 having elasticity. Each of the spring portions 80 is bent downward, and the central portion is the lowest point to form a pressing portion 81. The pressing portion 81 presses the upper surface of the lever member 5 constituting the lens barrel 7 and urges the lens barrel 7 downward. In addition, fixing holes 82 are formed in the vicinity of the four corners on the upper surface of the cover member 8, and the cover members 8 are fitted into the elastic plate fixing portions 25 formed on the upper surface of the main body 2. It is fixed to the main body 2.

  The cover member 8 has a side portion 83 integrally with the upper surface portion. The side surface portion 83 is formed so as to substantially cover the side surface of the cover member 8, and a notched opening portion 84 is formed in a portion where the switching lever 50 of the lens barrel 7 is disposed. Thus, by covering the upper surface of the lens barrel 7 and the side surface of the main body 2 with the cover member 8 made of a metal plate, the electromagnetic wave shield of the camera module can be easily attached at low cost.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, application of this invention is not restricted to these embodiment, It can apply variously within the range of the technical idea.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the camera module in a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view of the state which assembled the main-body part and the lens-barrel. It is a side view of a camera module, and is a figure in a state where a lens barrel is on the lower side. It is a side view of a camera module, and is a figure in a state where a lens barrel is on the upper side. It is a disassembled perspective view of the camera module in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate 2 Main-body part 3 Cam member 4 Lens-barrel main-body part 5 Lever member 6 Elastic board 7 Lens-barrel 8 Cover member 10 Lens 11 Filter 12 Image pick-up element 20 Outer rail surface 21 Main body level | step-difference part 21a Inclined surface 30 Projection part 50 Switching lever 51 Lens barrel step portion 51a Inclined surface 60 Spring portion 61 Pressing portion

Claims (5)

In a camera module having a lens barrel containing a lens and a main body portion that accommodates the lens barrel, the lens barrel being movable in the optical axis direction of the lens along with a circumferential rotation with respect to the main body portion,
The main body portion has a main body step portion on the bottom top surface, the lens barrel has a protrusion portion on the bottom surface, and the protrusion moves up and down along the main body step portion in accordance with the rotation operation. It can move freely in the direction,
The main body portion includes an elastic portion that urges the upper surface of the lens barrel downward, the elastic portion includes a pressing portion that urges the lens barrel at a predetermined position in the circumferential direction, and the lens barrel includes the protrusion. A lens barrel step portion having a height substantially the same as the main body step portion is provided at an upper surface position urged by the pressing portion of the elastic portion at a circumferential position in contact with the main body step portion. A camera module characterized in that the vertical position of the pressing portion remains unchanged even when the cylinder moves in the vertical direction.   2. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the main body step portion and the lens barrel step portion are configured by inclined surfaces having substantially the same angle.   The camera module according to claim 1, wherein a switch lever is provided on a peripheral surface of the lens barrel.   The elastic part has a plurality of pressing parts, and the lens barrel stepped part is formed at a position where the protruding part is urged by each pressing part at a circumferential position of the lens barrel in contact with the main body stepping part. The camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:   The body part is provided with a cover member made of a metal plate covering the upper surface and side surfaces, and the elastic part is integrally formed on the upper surface of the cover member. Item 1. A camera module according to item 1.

Images