JP2009014890A - Method for manufacturing lens drive unit, lens drive unit, camera and cellular phone with camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a lens drive unit by which a spring to be assembled in a lens drive unit is easily conveyed or transported, deformation and damage of the spring are prevented, and the degree of freedom in design is enhanced, a lens drive unit, a camera and a cellular phone with a camera. <P>SOLUTION: In the method for manufacturing the lens drive unit which moves a lens supporting body 7 in the optical axis direction of a lens by electromagnetic force generated by energizing a coil 15 via the spring 11 from terminals 33 and 35, the spring 11 has a plate-like shape and is arranged in a direction crossing an optical axis, and the terminals 33 and 35 are manufactured separately from the spring 11 and arranged in the optical axis direction. The terminals 33 and 35 are connected to the spring 11 when or after respective components 3, 7, 15 and 11 are assembled in a casing 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an autofocus lens driving device used in a small camera, a lens driving device manufactured by the method, a camera including the lens driving device, and a mobile phone with a camera.

  In Patent Document 1, a spring provided between a housing and a lens support supports the lens support so as to be movable in the optical axis direction with respect to the housing, and the spring is electrically connected to the coil. In addition, it is disclosed that a coil is energized through a spring from a terminal provided on the spring.

  The spring of Patent Document 1 is integrally provided with a terminal bent in the optical axis direction, and a lens driving device is manufactured by assembling a spring integrally formed with the terminal together with other components.

JP 2007-143210 A

  However, in the manufacturing method of the lens driving device described above, since the spring is bent to form the terminal, the spring is bulky, and it is difficult to transport the spring or transfer it in the factory. There is a problem that is easily damaged.

  Also, since the terminal portion is bent during manufacturing of the spring, there is a problem that the spring is easily deformed during processing.

  Since the bending position of the terminal is restricted based on the shape of the spring, there is a problem that the degree of freedom in design of the spring and terminal arrangement is limited.

  Since the spring and the terminal are integrally formed, if the thickness of the spring is changed due to restrictions such as the spring characteristics of the spring, the thickness of the terminal is also limited to the same thickness. For example, if the spring thickness is reduced In addition, the thickness of the terminal is also reduced, and there is a problem that the thickness cannot be designed according to the function.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a lens driving device manufacturing method, a lens driving device, which can easily carry and transfer a spring assembled to the lens driving device, prevent deformation and damage of the spring, and increase the degree of design freedom. The purpose is to provide a camera and a mobile phone with a camera.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an annular yoke, a lens support that holds the lens and is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the yoke, a coil that is fixed to the outer periphery of the lens support, a magnet that is provided on the yoke, A spring electrically connected to the coil, a terminal connected to the spring, and a housing are provided, and the spring is provided between the housing and the lens support so that the lens support is directed to the housing in the optical axis direction. And a lens driving device that moves the lens support in the direction of the optical axis of the lens by electromagnetic force generated by energizing the coil from the terminal. Arranged in the transverse direction, the terminal is manufactured separately from the spring and arranged in the optical axis direction, and the terminal is attached when or after assembling the yoke, lens support, coil, magnet, spring to the housing. Characterized by connecting to the pulling.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with a terminal insertion portion, and after the yoke, lens support, coil, magnet, and spring are assembled in the housing, The terminal is inserted into the terminal insertion portion of the housing and fixed to the spring.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the second aspect, the housing is provided with an exposed portion that exposes a connection portion between the terminal inserted through the terminal insertion portion and the spring, and from the outside of the housing. The terminal is fixed to the exposed spring.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the spring includes an outer ring portion fixed to the housing, an inner ring portion fixed to the lens support, an outer ring portion, and an inner ring portion. And the outer ring part and the inner ring part are composed of one side part and the other side part which are divided into two parts, and in each of the one side part and the other side part, The outer ring portion and the inner ring portion are connected by an arm portion.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the terminal is provided with a glue allowance surface that contacts the flat surface of the spring at the tip.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is a lens driving device manufactured by the method according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.

  The invention according to claim 7 is an annular yoke, a lens support that holds the lens and is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the yoke, a coil that is fixed to the outer periphery of the lens support, a magnet that is provided on the yoke, A spring electrically connected to the coil, a terminal connected to the spring, and a housing are provided, and the spring is provided between the housing and the lens support so that the lens support is directed to the housing in the optical axis direction. The lens driving device moves the lens support in the direction of the optical axis of the lens by electromagnetic force generated by energizing the coil from the terminal, and the terminal connection portion of the spring is exposed from the housing. The lens driving device is characterized in that a terminal is connected to the exposed terminal connection portion.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising the lens driving device according to the sixth or seventh aspect.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is a camera-equipped mobile phone in which the camera according to the eighth aspect is mounted.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the lens driving device for energizing the coil from the terminal via the spring, the terminal for supplying current to the spring is manufactured separately from the spring, and at or after the lens driving device is assembled. Since the terminal is connected to the spring, even if the plate-like spring and the terminal form a substantially right angle, the spring is not bulky as in the prior art, and the spring can be easily conveyed and transferred.

  Since the spring is not processed by bending the terminal portion as in the prior art, the spring can be prevented from being deformed or damaged during processing.

  Since there is no bending of the spring, there is no restriction due to the bending position, so the flexibility of spring design and terminal arrangement is high.

Since the spring and the terminal are separate bodies, the thickness of the spring and the terminal can be freely set, and the thickness can be freely designed according to the function of the spring.
Further, the shape, length and arrangement of the terminals can be freely selected and changed after the motor is assembled.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the function and effect of the first aspect can be obtained, and the terminal is attached after the spring is assembled to the housing together with the respective parts such as the yoke and the lens support. If the parts such as the lens support member and the spring are defective or inconvenient and need to be replaced or reassembled before mounting, the terminals can be reassembled without obstructing them.

  Since the terminal is inserted through the terminal insertion portion of the housing and attached, the terminal is easily attached because the terminal installation is guided by the housing.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since the function and effect described in claim 1 can be obtained, and the housing is provided with the exposed portion that exposes the connection portion between the spring and the terminal. Since the connection between the spring and the terminal can be confirmed from the outside, the manufacturing is easy and the reliability of the connection can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the function and effect described in claim 1 can be obtained, and when the spring is separated into one side and the other side, one side and the other side are provided. The structure at the part tends to be unstable and difficult to handle, but since there are no bent or folded parts for terminals, deformation and damage are unlikely to occur.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, since the connection area between the spring and the terminal can be widened, the connection reliability can be improved.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, it is possible to provide a lens driving device that exhibits the function and effect described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

  According to the invention described in claim 7, it is possible to provide a lens driving device that exhibits the same effects as the invention described in claim 1.

  According to invention of Claim 8, the camera which has the effect of Claim 6 or 7 can be provided.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a camera-equipped mobile phone having the operational effect of the eighth aspect can be provided.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rear spring (spring), base (housing), and terminals shown in FIG. 3 extracted, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the spring, base, and terminals shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lens driving device according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the mounting of the terminals, and FIG. 3A is a view before the terminals are mounted on the housing. FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the lens driving device, FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the lens driving device after the terminal is mounted on the housing, and FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view showing the connection between the spring and the terminal. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining mounting of terminals, (a) is a perspective view of the lens driving device shown in FIG. 4 (a) as viewed from the rear side, and (b) is a lens driving device shown in FIG. 4 (b). FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lens drive device before terminal mounting, as viewed from the rear side. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the lens driving device in the optical axis direction.

  The lens driving device 1 according to the first embodiment is a lens driving device for an autofocus camera incorporated in a mobile phone. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the lens driving device 1 is disposed on the rear side of the annular yoke 3, the lens support 7, the front spring 9, the rear spring (spring) 11, and the yoke 3. A base 5 (housing) and a frame 6 disposed on the front side of the yoke 3 are provided. A coil 15 is fixed to the outer periphery of the lens support 7. An insulator (spacer) 17 is disposed between the yoke 3 and the rear spring 11. This lens driving device 1 is very small with about 10 mm in length and width and about 3.5 mm in height.

  The yoke 3 has a quadrilateral outer periphery when viewed from the front side and a circular inner periphery when viewed from the front, and the outer peripheral side wall 3a, the inner peripheral side wall 3b, and the outer peripheral side wall 3a and the inner peripheral side wall 3b are spaced apart. The outer peripheral side wall 3a, the inner peripheral side wall 3b, and the connecting wall 3c have a U-shaped cross section. On the inner peripheral side wall 3b, a cut portion 12 is formed from the rear end toward the front.

  At each corner 14 of the yoke 3, a magnet 13 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral side wall 3a. The magnet 13 is provided only at the corner portion 14 and is not located at a position corresponding to the cutout portion 12 formed in the inner peripheral side wall 3b.

  The lens support 7 has a substantially cylindrical shape. A lens 8 (see FIG. 7) is attached to the inner periphery of the lens support 7 so that the inner periphery of the yoke 3 can be moved in the direction of the optical axis (symbol X in FIG. 7). It has been. An annular coil 15 is mounted on the outer periphery of the lens support 7, and the coil 15 is bonded and fixed to a coil fixing portion 19 of the lens support 7.

  The coil 15 is disposed between the outer peripheral side wall 3 a and the inner peripheral side wall 3 b of the yoke 3, but the magnet 13 is positioned between the magnet 13 and the inner peripheral side wall 3 b at the corner portion 14 where the magnet 13 is located. 3 is moved in the front-rear direction.

  The base 5 has an outer wall 5a located on the outer periphery of the yoke 3 and a base portion 5b located on the rear side of the yoke 3 (rear side in the optical axis direction of the lens). An outer peripheral side portion 11b (described later) of the rear spring 11 is placed.

  On one side of the base 5, two terminal insertion portions 5c and 5c are provided. In the present embodiment, the two terminal insertion portions 5c and 5c are integrally formed side by side. The structure of the terminal insertion portions 5c and 5c will be described later.

  The front spring 9 is an annular leaf spring, and is provided with an inner peripheral side portion 9a and an outer peripheral side portion 9b. The inner peripheral side portion 9a is attached to the lens support 7, and the outer peripheral side portion 9b is connected to the yoke 3. It is sandwiched and fixed between the frame 6. The inner peripheral side portion 9a and the outer peripheral side portion 9b are connected by an elastically deformable arm portion 9c.

  Although the rear spring 11 is an annular leaf spring as a whole, in the present embodiment, it is composed of one side part (half body) 30 and the other side part (half body) 32 divided into left and right. The outer peripheral side portions 11 b and 11 b of the rear spring 11 are sandwiched between the base 5 and the yoke 3 via an insulator (spacer) 17, and the insulator 17 is formed between the rear spring 11 and the yoke 3. The electrical insulation between them is intended. The inner peripheral side portions 11 a and 11 a are attached to the rear end of the lens support 7. Each inner peripheral side portion 11a and outer peripheral side portion 11b of the rear spring 11 are connected by an elastically deformable arm portion 11c.

  One side 30 is electrically connected to one end of the coil 15, and the other side 32 is electrically connected to the other end of the coil 15 by soldering or the like, and the coil 15 is energized from the rear spring 11. Yes.

  In the present embodiment, a terminal connection portion 22 for connecting to the terminal 33 is formed on one side portion 30 constituting the rear spring 11, and a terminal for connecting to the terminal 35 is formed on the other side portion 32. A connecting portion 24 is formed. Each terminal connection part 22, 24 is a flat surface.

  The terminals 33 and 35 are manufactured separately from the rear side spring (spring) 11, and after assembling each component such as the lens support 7 and the front side spring 9 of the lens driving device 1, the terminals 33 and 35 are connected to each end. The (tips) 33 a and 35 a are respectively inserted into the terminal insertion portions 5 c and 5 c of the base (housing) 5 and are bonded and fixed to the terminal connection portions 22 and 24 of the rear spring 11. The other ends 33b and 35b of the terminals 33 and 35 are connected to a power supply terminal of a substrate circuit (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the terminals 33 and 35 have the same shape, and the other ends 33b and 35b are formed by bending the intermediate portion 36 so as to be located on the inner peripheral side of the housing 5 with respect to the ends 33a and 35a. It is. Further, a stopper 38 is formed at the bent portion so as to project the width of each terminal 33, 35.

  Here, the terminal insertion part 5c provided in the base 5 is demonstrated. The terminal insertion portion 5c is formed with a terminal insertion hole 26 in the optical axis direction. Between the rear spring 11 and the terminal insertion portion 5c, one ends 33a and 35a of the terminals 33 and 35 and the rear spring 11 are provided. The terminal connection portions 22 and 24 are exposed as exposed portions (spaces) 28, and the ends 33 a and 35 a of the terminals 33 and 35 and the terminal connection portions 22 and 24 of the rear spring 11 can be seen from the outside of the base 5. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a stopper receiver 39 for receiving the stopper 38 is formed on the rear side of the terminal insertion portion 5c in the optical axis direction so that the terminals 33 and 35 can be positioned.

  The frame 6 is disposed on the front side of the lens support 7, holds the outer peripheral side portion 9 b of the front spring 9 between the yoke 3, and fits and fixes to the base 5 to fix the base 5 and the frame 6. The casing is formed with.

  Next, the manufacture, operation, and effect of the lens driving device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. At the time of manufacturing the lens driving device 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the rear spring 11, the insulator (spacer) 17, the lens support 7 with the coil 15 attached to the base 5, the yoke 3 to which the magnet 13 is fixed, the front side The spring 9 and the frame 6 are assembled. The one side portion 30 of the rear spring is soldered to one end of the coil 15, and the other side portion 32 is soldered to the other end of the coil 15.

  In this assembled state, each terminal connecting portion 22, 24 of the rear spring is disposed at a position facing the terminal insertion hole 26 of the terminal insertion portion 5 c as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1.

  Next, one end (tip) 33a, 35a of each terminal 33, 35 is inserted into the terminal insertion portion 5c of the base 5 from the rear side in the optical axis direction, and the stopper 38 of each terminal 33, 35 contacts the stopper receiver 39. By pushing in until it comes into contact, one end (tip) 33 a of the terminal 33 comes into contact with the terminal connection portion 22 of the rear spring, and one end (tip) 35 a of the terminal 35 comes into contact with the terminal connection portion 24.

  Then, the one end 33a of the terminal 33 and the terminal connecting portion 22 are bonded with a conductive thermosetting adhesive, and the one end 35a of the terminal 35 and the terminal connecting portion 24 are bonded with a conductive thermosetting adhesive.

  The lens driving device 1 according to this embodiment is driven by electromagnetic force acting on the coil 15 when the coil 15 is energized from the terminals 33 and 35, and the lens support 7 is biased by the front spring 9 and the rear spring 11. And stops at a position where the forces of the springs 9 and 11 are balanced.

  According to the present embodiment, the terminals 33 and 35 for supplying current to the rear spring 11 are manufactured separately from the rear spring (spring) 11, and the terminals 33 are connected to the rear spring 11 when the lens driving device is assembled. , 35 are connected to each other so that the spring 11 is not bulky as compared with a conventional spring in which the spring 11 and the terminals 33, 35 that are perpendicular to each other are integrally manufactured. Damage is unlikely to occur.

  Since the rear spring 11 is not processed by bending an integrally formed terminal portion as in the prior art, deformation and damage of the spring 11 during processing can be prevented.

  Since the rear spring 11 is not subjected to bending processing of the spring 11, there is no restriction due to the bending position, and thus the degree of freedom in design of the spring 11 and terminal arrangement is high.

  Since the rear spring 11 has the terminals 33 and 35 as separate bodies, the thickness of the rear spring 11 and the terminals 33 and 35 can be freely set, and the thickness can be designed according to the function of the rear spring 11 and the function of the terminal. You can do it freely. Further, the shape, length and arrangement of the terminals can be freely selected and changed after the lens driving device is assembled.

  After assembling each part to the base (housing) 5, the terminals 33 and 35 are inserted through the base 5 and attached. Therefore, before the terminals 33 and 35 are mounted, the support member 7, the front spring 9, the rear spring 11, etc. When the parts are replaced or defective or need to be reassembled, the terminals 33 and 35 can be reassembled without getting in the way. Since the terminals 33 and 35 are inserted into the base 5, the terminals 33 and 35 can be easily attached because the terminals can be positioned and guided along the base.

  Since the base 5 is provided with an exposed portion 28 that exposes the connection portion between the terminal connection portions 22 and 24 of the rear spring 11 and the terminals 33 and 35, the rear spring 11 is exposed from the outside of the base (housing) 5. And the terminals 33 and 35 can be confirmed, which can be easily manufactured and can improve the connection reliability.

  Since the other end 33b, 35b of each terminal 33, 35 is formed by bending the intermediate portion 36 so as to be located on the inner peripheral side of the housing 5 with respect to the one end 33a, 35a, the lens driving device is mounted. Since the position of the power supply terminal of the circuit board can be inside the lens driving device, it is possible to flexibly cope with the terminal connection position of different circuit boards.

  In the present embodiment, the rear spring 11 is configured to be divided into one side portion 30 and the other side portion 32, and the structure of each one side portion 30 and the other side portion 32 is likely to be unstable and difficult to handle. However, since there are no bent or folded portions for the terminals, deformation and damage are unlikely to occur.

  Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals are given to the portions having the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above. Therefore, the detailed description of the portion is omitted, and in the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the rear spring (spring) 11 and the terminals 33 and 35 extracted from the lens driving device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the second embodiment, a paste margin surface 41 is provided at the tip (one end) of each terminal 33, 35 so as to come into contact with the plane of the terminal connection portion 22, 24 of the rear spring 11 on the surface.

  According to the second embodiment, since the connection area between the rear spring 11 and the terminals 33 and 35 can be increased, the connection reliability can be improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the antinodes (surfaces) of the terminals 33 and 35 may be brought into contact with the ends of the terminal connection portions 22 and 24 of the rear spring 11.

  The rear spring 11 is not divided into the one side portion 30 and the other side portion 32, and the terminal 33 is attached to the front spring 9 and the terminal 35 is attached to the rear spring 11, and the front spring 9 and the rear spring 11 are attached to the coil 15. It may be electrically connected so that a current flows between the front spring 9, the coil 15, and the rear spring.

  The terminals 33 and 35 have the other ends 33b and 35b fixed in advance to the circuit of the substrate on which the lens driving device 1 is mounted, and when the lens driving device 1 is mounted on the substrate, the tips 33a of the terminals 33 and 35 are provided. , 35b may be connected to the terminal connecting portions 22 and 24 of the spring 11 exposed from the housing.

  Further, the connection between the tips 33a and 35b of the terminals 33 and 35 and the terminal connection portions 22 and 24 of the spring 11 is not limited to adhesion but may be connection by fitting or the like.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a rear spring, a base (housing), and a terminal extracted from FIG. 3. It is the perspective view which looked at the rear side spring, base (housing), and terminal shown in FIG. 1 from the rear side. It is a disassembled perspective view of the lens drive device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a figure explaining mounting | wearing of a terminal, (a) is a perspective view of the lens drive device before mounting a terminal in a housing | casing, (b) is a perspective view of the lens drive device after mounting a terminal in a housing | casing. It is a figure and (c) is sectional drawing which shows the terminal insertion part of a housing, and its peripheral part. It is a figure explaining mounting | wearing of a terminal, (a) is the perspective view which looked at the lens drive device shown to Fig.4 (a) from the rear side, (b) is a lens drive device shown in FIG.4 (b). It is the perspective view seen from the rear side. It is the top view which looked at the lens drive device before terminal mounting from the back side. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the lens drive device in the optical axis direction. It is a perspective view which extracts and shows the back side spring and terminal of the lens drive device concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a modification which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and is sectional drawing which shows the connection part of a rear side spring and a terminal.

Explanation of symbols

1 Lens driving device 3 Yoke 5 Base (housing)
5c Terminal insertion part 7 Lens support body 9 Front side spring 11 Rear side spring (spring)
13 Magnet 15 Coil 22 Terminal connection part 24 Terminal connection part 28 Exposed part 30 One side part 32 The other side part 33, 35 terminal

Claims (9)

  An annular yoke, a lens support holding the lens and disposed on the inner periphery of the yoke, a coil fixed to the outer periphery of the lens support, a magnet provided on the yoke, and a spring electrically connected to the coil And a terminal connected to the spring and a housing, the spring is provided between the housing and the lens support and supports the lens support so as to be movable in the optical axis direction with respect to the housing. A method of manufacturing a lens driving device in which a lens support is moved in the optical axis direction of a lens by electromagnetic force generated by energizing a coil from a terminal, wherein the spring is plate-shaped and arranged in a direction crossing the optical axis, and the terminal is Manufactured separately from the spring and arranged in the optical axis direction, when connecting the yoke, lens support, coil, magnet, spring to the housing or connecting the terminal to the spring after assembly Manufacturing method of the lens driving device according to claim.   The housing has a terminal insertion part. After the yoke, lens support, coil, magnet, and spring are assembled in the housing, the terminal is inserted into the terminal insertion part of the housing and fixed to the spring. The method for manufacturing a lens driving device according to claim 1, wherein:   The housing includes an exposed portion that exposes a connection portion between the terminal inserted through the terminal insertion portion and the spring, and the terminal is fixed to the spring exposed from the outside of the housing. Method for manufacturing the lens driving device of the present invention.   The spring has an outer ring part fixed to the housing, an inner ring part fixed to the lens support, and an arm part that connects the outer ring part and the inner ring part, and the outer ring part and the inner ring part are It is composed of one side and the other side divided into two parts, and in each of the one side and the other side, the outer ring part and the inner ring part are connected by an arm part. The method for manufacturing a lens driving device according to claim 1, wherein:   The method for manufacturing a lens driving device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal has a glue margin surface that contacts the flat surface of the spring at the tip.   The lens drive device manufactured by the method as described in any one of Claims 1-5.   An annular yoke, a lens support holding the lens and disposed on the inner periphery of the yoke, a coil fixed to the outer periphery of the lens support, a magnet provided on the yoke, and a spring electrically connected to the coil And a terminal connected to the spring and a housing, the spring is provided between the housing and the lens support and supports the lens support so as to be movable in the optical axis direction with respect to the housing. A lens driving device that moves a lens support in the direction of the optical axis of a lens by electromagnetic force generated by energizing a coil from a terminal, wherein a terminal connection portion of a spring is exposed from the housing, and a terminal is connected to the exposed terminal connection portion. A lens driving device characterized by being connected.   A camera comprising the lens driving device according to claim 6.   A camera-equipped mobile phone, comprising the camera according to claim 8.

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