JP5678625B2 - Electronic camera - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic camera suitable as a camera module such as a mobile phone or an in-vehicle camera, and more particularly to an electronic camera capable of easily and quickly adjusting the focus of an imaging lens.

  As a conventional electronic camera of this type, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a method for manufacturing a camera module used in an imaging apparatus. In the method of manufacturing a camera module described in Patent Document 1, an adjustment top hook for focus adjustment is engaged with a plurality of notch grooves formed on an edge of an end surface of a lens holder provided with a light receiving lens. To do. Next, while rotating the adjustment top and screwing the lens holder into the cylindrical portion of the holder body, after aligning with the focus position of the light receiving lens, apply an adhesive to a plurality of locations along the edge of the lens holder, The edge of the lens holder and the edge of the cylindrical part are fixed. At that time, the position of the notch groove when the focus adjustment is completed is detected based on the focus adjustment start position and the rotation speed of the adjustment top from the start of the focus adjustment to the end of the adjustment. The moving mechanism for moving the adhesive application means is controlled based on the position of the notch groove when the focus adjustment is completed so that the adhesive can be applied to a position avoiding the notch groove. Yes.

JP 2008-5011 A

  However, in the above-described conventional example, the plurality of notch grooves formed on the edge of the end surface of the lens holder are engaged with the plurality of hooks of the adjustment top, and the adjustment top is rotated to attach the lens holder to the holder body. The focus was adjusted by screwing into the cylindrical part of the lens. However, the plurality of notch grooves are arranged at equiangular intervals, and any of the plurality of hooks of the adjustment top can be engaged. In addition, the position of the male screw portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lens holder and the position of the notch groove are different for each part, and the position at which the male screw portion and the female screw portion provided on the holder body start to engage is a position. It was falling apart. For this reason, since it is not known when screwing of the threaded part was started at the time of focus adjustment, it takes time to move the lens holder to the focus adjustment range, and focus adjustment takes a short time. There was a problem that could not be done quickly.

  The problem to be solved is that the conventional electronic camera requires time from rotating the lens holder to moving to the focus adjustment range, and the focus adjustment cannot be performed quickly in a short time. .

The electronic camera of the present invention includes a lens holder provided with an imaging lens and provided with an external thread portion on the outer peripheral surface, a casing provided with a through hole into which the lens holder is fitted, and a casing so as to close one end of the through hole. And a circuit board attached to the circuit board. The casing has a female screw portion that fits into the male screw portion, and the circuit board has an image pickup element that is provided so as to face the optical axis of the image pickup lens of the lens holder fitted in the through hole. . Further, two or more holders with which two or more jig side uneven portions of an adjustment jig for adjusting the focus position of the imaging lens with respect to the imaging element are engaged with the outer edge portion of the lens holder opposite to the circuit board. Side irregularities are provided. The male screw portion is provided with a start end positioned at a predetermined position of the lens holder, and the female screw portion is provided with a start end positioned at a predetermined position of the casing. Further, the two or more holder-side concavo-convex portions may have different depths or heights in the optical axis direction of the imaging lens between at least two holder-side concavo-convex portions, or may have a circumferential length or interval. Configured differently. Further, the positions of the two or more holder-side uneven portions are determined as predetermined positions with respect to the start end of the male screw portion, and the positional relationship between the two or more holder-side uneven portions and the start end of the male screw portion is uniquely set. The

  According to the electronic camera of the present invention, the lens holder is moved at a high speed from the start of the focus adjustment of the lens holder to the focus adjustment through the start of the fitting of the threaded portion, and is low after entering the focus adjustment range. Move at speed. Thereby, the focus adjustment of the imaging lens can be reliably and quickly performed on the imaging element, and the highly accurate focus adjustment can be performed in a short time.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the 1st example of embodiment of the electronic camera of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which cut | disconnected the center part in the assembly state of the electronic camera shown in FIG. 1 to the vertical direction. FIGS. 3A and 3B show a first example of a lens holder according to the electronic camera of FIG. 1, FIG. 3A is a perspective view, and FIG. 3B is an explanation showing a positional relationship between three holder side uneven portions provided on an outer edge portion. FIG. FIGS. 4A and 4B show a second embodiment of the lens holder according to the electronic camera of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4A is a perspective view and FIG. 4B is an explanation showing the positional relationship between two holder-side concavo-convex portions provided on the outer edge portion. FIG. FIGS. 5A and 5B show a third embodiment of the lens holder according to the electronic camera of FIG. 1, FIG. 5A is a perspective view, and FIG. 5B is an explanation showing the mutual positional relationship of four holder side uneven portions provided on the outer edge portion. FIG. The example of implementation of the holder side uneven | corrugated | grooved part provided in the lens holder which concerns on the electronic camera of this invention is shown, Comprising: The XX line part of FIG. 6A is an example in which the cross-sectional shape is a square, FIG. 6B is an example in which the cross-sectional shape is a triangle, and FIG. 6C is an explanatory diagram showing a first example in which the cross-sectional shape is a combination of a square and a triangle. 6D is a second example in which the cross-sectional shape is a combination of a square and a triangle, FIG. 6E is a first example in which the cross-sectional shape is a combination of a square and a trapezoid, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which each showed the 2nd example. The example of implementation of the holder side uneven | corrugated | grooved part provided in the lens holder which concerns on the electronic camera of this invention is shown. That is, FIG. 7A is an example in which the side surface shape is a rectangle, FIG. 7B is an example in which the side surface shape is a triangle, FIG. 7C is an example in which the side surface shape is U-shaped, FIG. These are explanatory drawings showing examples in which the side surface has a trapezoidal shape. 1 is an external perspective view of a camera-equipped mobile phone showing an example of an embodiment of an electronic apparatus using the electronic camera of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the 2nd example of embodiment of the electronic camera of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which cut | disconnected the center part in the assembly state of the electronic camera shown in FIG. 9 to the vertical direction. It is a graph explaining the relationship between the movement distance of the optical axis direction of the lens holder which concerns on the electronic camera of this invention, and a resolution evaluation value.

  With the start end of the external thread provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lens holder as a reference position, a plurality of holder side irregularities are provided at a predetermined position from the reference position, and the start end is set at a predetermined position of a through hole provided in the casing. An internal thread part is provided, and the jig side uneven part is engaged with the holder side uneven part. The positional relationship between the male screw portion of the lens holder and the female screw portion of the through hole is uniquely determined so that the adjustment jig is always meshed with the lens holder only at one specific place. To do. As a result, the lens holder can be quickly moved to the focus adjustment area by the subsequent turning operation of the adjustment jig, and the just-focusing of the imaging lens held by the lens holder can be performed accurately in a short time. The electronic camera was realized with a simple configuration.

  1 and 2 show a first example of an embodiment of an electronic camera according to the present invention, which is an electronic camera 1 suitable for use in a mobile phone. The electronic camera 1 is not limited to use in a mobile phone, and can be applied to, for example, a personal computer, a vehicle-mounted camera, a video phone, a digital camera, and other various electronic devices.

  The electronic camera 1 includes a lens holder 3 that holds an imaging lens 2 that faces the subject, a casing 4 that supports the lens holder 3, and an imaging element 5 that is disposed on the optical axis of the imaging lens 2. The circuit board 6 is provided. The lens holder 3 is a cylindrical body with a bottom having a cylindrical shape in which one end in the axial direction is closed by a circular front plate 3a and the other end is released. A central hole 7 penetrating in the axial direction is provided in the central portion of the front plate 3 a of the lens holder 3 in order to expose the imaging lens 2. Inside the lens holder 3, an imaging lens 2 including a combination lens obtained by combining a plurality of lenses or a single lens composed of a single lens is integrated so that its optical axis OL coincides with the center of the central hole 7. Is attached.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the lens holder 3, a male screw portion 8 wound in a spiral shape sets its start end ME to the end opposite to the front plate 3a and extends the end to the vicinity of the front plate 3a. It is provided as such. In addition, three notches 10A, 10B, and 10C showing a specific example of the holder-side uneven portion are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the front plate 3a. The embodiment of the holder-side concavo-convex portion can employ the following combinations depending on the number, the portion (adjacent angle or circumferential length), and the depth thereof.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the number of holder-side concavo-convex portions can achieve the object of the present invention if it is at least two. Moreover, as shown to FIG. 5A and 5B, it can also be set as the structure which provides four holder side uneven | corrugated | grooved parts, or provides five or more holder side uneven | corrugated | grooved parts although not shown in figure. However, in view of manufacturing man-hours, focus adjustment work, and the like, an embodiment in which three holder side uneven portions are provided as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is most preferable.

Next, the position of the holder-side uneven portion, that is, the length of the holder-side uneven portion in the circumferential direction, and the angle (or interval) between adjacent holder-side uneven portions can be determined in relation to the depth of the holder-side uneven portion. The combination will be different.
First, when the depths of all the holder-side concavo-convex portions are the same, the angle between the adjacent holder-side concavo-convex portions (hereinafter referred to as “angle between the concavo-convex portions”) or the circumferential direction in at least two places. Set the length to be different.
On the other hand, when the depth of at least one holder-side concavo-convex portion is different from the depth of other holder-side concavo-convex portions, the angle between the concavo-convex portions or the length in the circumferential direction is made different at least at two locations. Of course, all the angles between the concave and convex portions or the circumferential lengths may be set equal.

  1 to 3 show an embodiment in which three notches 10A, 10B, and 10C are provided as holder-side uneven portions. The three notches 10A, 10B, and 10C are formed as arc-shaped notches in which a space having a rectangular cross-sectional shape is continuous in the circumferential direction. The depths H1, H2, and H3 of the three notches 10A to 10C are set to be equal (H1 = H2 = H3). On the other hand, all the three notches 10A, 10B, and 10C are set to have different angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 between the adjacent concave and convex portions (θ1> θ2> θ3). Further, the circumferential lengths α, β, and γ of the three notches 10A to 10C are set to two types (α = β> γ).

  That is, the first notch 10A is formed as a notch α extending 50 degrees in the circumferential direction, and its depth is H1. The second notch 10B is formed as a notch β extending 50 degrees in the circumferential direction, and its depth is H2. Further, the third cutout portion 10C is formed as a cutout γ extending 45 degrees in the circumferential direction, and the depth thereof is H3. Therefore, the relationship between the circumferential lengths α, β, and γ of the three notches 10A to 10C is α = β> γ. The relationship between the depths H1, H2, and H3 of the three notches 10A to 10C is H1 = H2 = H3.

  Moreover, the uneven | corrugated | grooved part angle (theta) 2 between 10 A of 1st notches and the 2nd notch 10B is set to 80 degree | times. And the uneven | corrugated | grooved part angle (theta) 3 between the 2nd notch part 10B and the 3rd notch part 10C is set to 40 degree | times, and the 3rd notch part 10C and the 1st notch part 10A The angle θ1 between the concave and convex portions is set to 95 degrees. Therefore, the relationship between the three concavo-convex angles θ1 to θ3 is θ1> θ2> θ3. Three notches 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C having such a configuration are provided in the lens holder 3 with a predetermined positional relationship with the start end ME of the male screw portion 8. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the start end ME of the male screw portion 8 is set to an angle φ at 10 degrees from the end of the third notch portion 10C on the third uneven portion angle θ3 side. Is set.

  However, it is needless to say that the positional relationship between the start end ME of the male screw portion 8 and the three notches 10A to 10C is not limited to this embodiment. That is, in the present invention, it is only necessary that the positional relationship between the three notches 10A to 10C is clear with respect to the start end ME of the male screw portion 8.

  In addition, embodiment of the holder side uneven | corrugated | grooved part which consists of three notch parts 10A, 10B, 10C is not limited to the thing of the said Example. For example, when the depths of the three notches 10A to 10C are set equal to H1 = H2 = H3, θ1 = θ2> θ3 or θ1 = θ2 <θ3, or α = β <γ or α> β Any of> γ may be set. Further, when the depths of the three notches 10A to 10C are made different to satisfy H1> H2> H3, θ1 = θ2 = θ3, θ1 = θ2> θ3, θ1 = θ2 <θ3, θ1> θ2> θ3, or α = β = γ, α = β> γ, α = β <γ, α> β> γ may be used.

  Further, the same applies to the case where one depth of the three notches 10A to 10C is set to be different from that of H1 = H2> H3 or H1 = H2 <H3. That is, when H1 = H2> H3 or H1 = H2 <H3, θ1 = θ2 = θ3, θ1 = θ2> θ3, θ1 = θ2 <θ3, θ1> θ2> θ3, or α = β = γ, Either of α = β> γ, α = β <γ, α> β> γ may be set.

  Corresponding to the lens holder 3 having such a configuration, an adjusting jig 11 for rotating the lens holder 3 is provided. The adjustment jig 11 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 1 and is formed as a cylindrical member that fits on the front plate 3 a side of the lens holder 3. The outer diameter of the adjustment jig 11 is set to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the lens holder 3, and the inner diameter is substantially equal to the diameter of a circle that is in common contact with the bottom surfaces of the three notches 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C. They are set the same. And three engagement which shows one specific example of the jig | tool uneven | corrugated | grooved part engaged with the three notches 10A-10C provided in the lens holder 3 in one edge part of the axial direction of the adjustment jig | tool 11 Claws 12A, 12B, and 12C are provided.

  The three engagement claws 12A to 12C are formed so that their portions and depths correspond to each other so that the three notches 10A to 10C can be fitted. That is, the heights G1, G2, and G3 of the three engagement claws 12A to 12C are set to be equal (G1 = G2 = G3). Further, the angles between the three adjacent concave and convex portions, which are all of the three engaging claws 12A to 12C, coincide with the angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 between the concave and convex portions of the three notches 10A to 10C, and have the same angle. It is set (θ1> θ2> θ3). Further, the circumferential lengths of the three engaging claws 12A to 12C are set to the same lengths so as to coincide with the circumferential lengths α, β, and γ of the three notches 10A to 10C. (Α = β> γ).

  The configuration of the three notches 10A to 10C can be, for example, shapes as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6F and FIGS. 7A to 7E. FIGS. 6A to 6F show the shape of the notches 10A to 10C cut in the direction intersecting with the extending direction, and are explanatory views of a portion corresponding to the XX cross section of FIG. 3B. Moreover, it is explanatory drawing which shows the shape which looked at FIG. 7A-7E and notch part 10A-10C from the side surface.

  FIG. 6A shows the shape of the space 14 of the notch 10 (10A to 10C) as a quadrangle, and forms a basic form of the holder-side uneven portion as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. is there. In the case of the notch 10 having a quadrangular cross section, the area of the receiving surface that receives the rotational force by the adjustment jig 11 can be set large, and the rotational force of the adjustment jig 11 can be reliably transmitted.

  FIG. 6B is a diagram in which the space shape 15 of the notch 10 is a right triangle. In the case of the cutout portion 10 having a right-angled triangular cross section, it is possible to transmit the rotational force by the adjusting jig 11 while minimizing the spatial shape of the holder-side uneven portion. In particular, in the case of this embodiment, since it is necessary to dispose the imaging lens inside the lens holder 3, the portion to be deleted as the holder side uneven portion is minimized, and the thickness for holding the imaging lens is made as thick as possible. (Large) can be secured. Moreover, since the tapered shape is formed by the three notches 10A to 10C, when the adjustment jig 11 is pressed against the lens holder 3, the binding force between the adjustment jig 11 and the lens holder 3 is increased due to the wedge effect, and the adjustment is performed. The jig 11 can be made difficult to come off from the lens holder 3.

  FIG. 6C shows a first example in which the spatial shape 16 of the notch 10 is configured by a combination of a square area 16a and a triangular area 16b. In the first example of the quadrangular triangular combination shape, the triangular area 16b is formed on the substantially outer half of the bottom surface of the quadrangular area 16a. FIG. 6D shows a second example in which the space shape 17 of the notch 10 is configured by a combination of a square area 17a and a triangular area 17b. In the second example of the quadrangular triangular combination shape, the triangular area 17b is formed in the same size as the bottom surface of the rectangular area 17a.

  FIG. 6E shows an example in which the space shape 18 of the notch 10 is configured by a combination of a square area 18a and a trapezoid area 18b. In this square trapezoidal combination example, a trapezoidal region 18b is disposed inside a quadrangular region 18a, and the base of the trapezoidal region 18b is formed to be continuous with one side of the quadrangular region 18a. FIG. 6F shows an example in which the space shape 19 of the notch 10 is configured by a combination of a trapezoidal region 19a and a rectangular region 19b. In this trapezoidal square combination example, a rectangular area 19b is arranged inside the trapezoidal area 19a, and one side of the rectangular area 19b is continuous with the upper side of the trapezoidal area 19a.

  The embodiment shown in FIGS. 6C to 6F should be said to be a mixed form of the notch portion 10 having the rectangular space shape 14 shown in FIG. 6A and the notch portion 10 having the triangular space shape 15 shown in FIG. 6B. It has both advantages. That is, the notch 10 having the space shapes 16 to 19 makes the area of the receiving surface that receives the rotational force as large as possible to facilitate the transmission of the rotational force of the adjusting jig 11 while reducing the reduction in wall thickness. A decrease in strength can be suppressed.

  FIG. 7A shows the shape of the side surface of the notch 10 (10A to 10C) formed as a rectangular side surface 20, and the basic form of the holder-side uneven portion as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. It is what makes. In the case of the holder-side concavo-convex portion having the rectangular side surface portion 20, the area of the receiving surface that receives the rotational force by the adjustment jig 11 can be set large, and the rotational force of the adjustment jig 11 can be reliably transmitted. be able to.

  FIG. 7B shows the shape of the side surface of the notch 10 formed as a triangular side surface 21. In the case of the holder side uneven portion having the triangular side surface portion 21, the jig side uneven portion of the adjustment jig 11 becomes a triangular protruded portion, so that both sides can be smoothly engaged and disengaged from both sides. In addition, the strength at the time of meshing can be increased and a firm meshing can be realized. FIG. 7C shows the shape of the side surface of the notch 10 formed as a U-shaped side surface 22. In the case of the holder-side concavo-convex portion having the U-shaped side surface portion 22, the engagement / disengagement operation with respect to the side surface portion 22 by the jig-side concavo-convex portion can be smoothly performed from any of the circumferential directions.

  FIG. 7D shows the shape of the side surface of the notch 10 formed as a J-shaped side surface 23. In the case of the holder side uneven portion having the J-shaped side surface portion 23, the engagement / disengagement operation with respect to the side surface portion 23 by the jig side uneven portion can be performed smoothly when the arc surface is provided. it can. And since the area of the receiving surface which receives the rotational force by the adjustment jig | tool 11 can be set largely, the rotational force of the adjustment jig | tool 11 can be transmitted reliably, the intensity | strength at the time of meshing is made high, and it is strong Engagement can be realized.

  FIG. 7E shows the shape of the side surface of the notch 10 formed as a trapezoidal side surface 24. In the case of the holder side uneven portion having the trapezoidal side surface portion 24, the engagement / disengagement operation with respect to the side surface portion 24 by the jig side uneven portion can be smoothly performed from the side with the inclined surface. And since the area of the receiving surface which receives the rotational force by the adjustment jig | tool 11 can be set largely, the rotational force of the adjustment jig | tool 11 can be transmitted reliably, the intensity | strength at the time of meshing is made high, and it is strong Engagement can be realized.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the casing 4 is formed as a block-shaped member having a square shape in which the length of one side is appropriately larger than the diameter of the lens holder 3. A through hole 30 is provided in a substantially central portion of the casing 4 so as to penetrate the front and back surfaces. A female screw portion 31 to which the male screw portion of the lens holder 3 is screwed is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 30. The female screw portion 31 is provided so as to clarify which positional relationship of the start end WE on the front side of the casing 4 is provided in which part of the casing 4. In this embodiment, the start end WE of the female screw portion 31 is set at a substantially central portion of one side of the casing 4.

  However, it goes without saying that the starting end WE of the female thread portion 31 in the through hole 30 is not limited to this embodiment. That is, the start end WE of the female screw portion 31 may be provided at any position of the through hole 30. What is necessary is that it is only necessary to clarify where the start end WE is.

  A circuit board 6 on which the image sensor 5 is mounted is fixed to the opposite side of the front surface of the casing 4. As the image pickup element 5, a CMOS image sensor, a CCD, or the like can be applied. The imaging element 5 and an electronic device or optical element (not shown) are mounted on a wiring pattern provided on one surface of the circuit board 6 and are electrically connected. The casing 4 is integrally fixed to the circuit board 6 so that the optical axis of the imaging lens 2 coincides with the substantially central portion of the light receiving surface of the imaging element 5. A flexible wiring board 35 for electrical connection with a power source and a control device (not shown) is attached to the surface of the circuit board 6 opposite to the casing 4.

  The electronic camera 1 having such a configuration can perform focus adjustment as follows, for example. The focus adjustment is performed by fixing the casing 4 to the circuit board 6 on which the image sensor 5 is mounted, and then fitting the lens holder 3 into the through hole 30 of the casing 4 and rotating the lens holder 3 to adjust the position. Is done. The focus adjustment operation will be described below with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the movement distance in the optical axis OL direction of the lens holder 3 fitted in the through hole 30 and the resolving power evaluation value of the imaging element 5 corresponding to the position of the imaging lens 2 held by the lens holder 3. Is a graph showing In FIG. 11, symbol CZ indicates a focus adjustment region, FZ indicates a pre-stage region of focus adjustment, and RZ indicates a screw accuracy allowable range of a male screw portion provided in a conventional lens holder having a notch groove. Reference numeral FS denotes a screw fitting start position where the male screw portion of the lens holder and the female screw portion of the through hole start to engage with each other, and JF denotes a resolution peak value (just focus). Further, S1 is an operation start position for starting the operation of inserting the lens holder into the through hole, S2 is an adjustment operation upper limit position for starting focus adjustment, S3 is an adjustment operation lower limit position representing a position exceeding the focus adjustment range, Respectively.

  The allowable screw accuracy range RZ indicates a range in which the position of the notch groove is not determined to be a predetermined position with respect to the start end of the male screw portion and the positional relationship is determined for each component in the conventional apparatus. It is. Therefore, for example, when considering three lens holders (2-1), (2-2), and (2-3) as conventional lens holders, the operation start position of the first lens holder (2-1) S1 is a time point r1. The operation start position S1 of the second lens holder (2-2) is a time point r2 (= S1), and the operation start position S1 of the third lens holder (2-3) is a time point r3. Accordingly, the movement distance from the operation start position S1 to the adjustment operation upper limit position S2 varies depending on each lens holder. Therefore, in the conventional focus adjustment (2), it is extremely possible to detect the resolution peak value JF. It becomes difficult.

  On the other hand, in the present invention, the position of the notch 10 is determined in advance as a predetermined position with respect to the start end ME of the male screw portion 8, and the three notches 10A to 10C and the start end of the male screw portion 8 are determined. The positional relationship with the ME is uniquely set. Furthermore, the three notches 10A to 10C of the lens holder 3 and the three engaging claws 12A to 12C of the adjustment jig 11 are engaged only at one place where all the conditions such as the position and the height thereof match. It has a combined structure. Therefore, when the adjustment jig 11 is aligned with the lens holder 3 of the present invention and inserted into a predetermined position rather than being tilted or lifted and engaged in a complete state, the start end ME of the male screw portion 8 is previously It is always located at the determined predetermined position.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, the movement distance from the operation start position S1 to the adjustment operation upper limit position S2 is always a constant distance. Therefore, the lens holder 3 can be moved by the adjustment jig 11 at a high speed, and the focus adjustment operation can be started early (1). In this regard, in the conventional apparatus, the operation start position S1 is different for each lens holder 2-1 to 2-3. For this reason, it is necessary to detect the adjustment operation upper limit position S2 while checking the current position, such as time points t1, t2,..., Tn-1, tn, and much time is spent before starting the focus adjustment operation. (2).

  The adjustment work after the lens holder 3 reaches the adjustment operation upper limit position S2 and enters the next focus adjustment area CZ in this way is the same as the conventional one. That is, the resolution peak value (just focus JP) tm is searched while finely adjusting the lens holder 3 in the front-rear direction (time tn + 1, tm + 1, etc.). Then, the lens holder 3 is fixed to the casing 4 with an adhesive at the position tm where the peak value JP of the resolution is obtained. Thereby, the focus adjustment of the imaging lens 2 can be performed quickly and reliably with respect to the imaging element 5, and the highly accurate focus adjustment can be performed quickly in a short time.

  4A and 4B show a second example of the lens holder according to the electronic camera 1 of the present invention. This lens holder 40 is provided with two notches 41A and 41B as holder-side uneven portions. It is a thing. The lens holder 40 is a cylindrical body with a bottom having a cylindrical shape in which one end in the axial direction is closed by a circular front plate 40a and the other end is released. A central hole 7 is provided at the center of the front plate 40 a of the lens holder 40, and the imaging lens 2 is integrally held inside the lens holder 40 so that the optical axis OL coincides with the center of the central hole 7. ing.

  Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the lens holder 40, a male thread portion 8 wound in a spiral shape sets its start end ME to an end opposite to the front plate 40a and extends the end to the vicinity of the front plate 40a. It is provided to exist. Furthermore, two notches 41A and 41B showing a second specific example of the holder-side uneven portion are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the front plate 40a. The two notches 41A and 41B are formed as arc-shaped notches in which a space having a rectangular cross-sectional shape is continuous in the circumferential direction (FIGS. 6A and 7A).

  The depths H1 and H2 of the two notches 41A and 41B are set to be equal (H1 = H2), and the angles θ1 and θ2 between the two adjacent concave and convex portions are set to be different (θ1> θ2). Furthermore, the circumferential lengths α and β of the two notches 41A and 41B are also set to be different (α> β). That is, the first notch 41A is formed as a notch α extending 50 degrees in the circumferential direction, and the depth thereof is H1. And the 2nd notch part 41B is formed as the notch (beta) extended 45 degree | times to the circumferential direction, The depth is made into H2.

  Note that the embodiment of the holder-side concavo-convex portion including the two notches 41A and 41B is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, when the depths of the two notches 41A and 41B are set equal to H1 = H2, θ1 and θ2 are made the same and α and β are made different, or α and β are made the same and θ1 is made. A configuration in which θ2 is different may be employed. Further, when the depths of the two notches 41A and 41B are made different to satisfy H1> H2 (including the case where H1 <H2), θ1 and θ2 are made the same and α and β are made different or It is possible to make α and β the same and make θ1 and θ2 different, or make θ1 and θ2 and α and β the same or different.

  The two notches 41A and 41B having such a configuration are provided in the lens holder 40 with a predetermined positional relationship with the start end ME of the male screw portion 8. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the start end ME of the male screw portion 8 is set to an angle φ at 5 degrees from the end of the second notch portion 41B on the second uneven portion angle θ2 side. Is set. However, it goes without saying that the positional relationship between the start end ME of the male screw portion 8 and the two notches 41A and 41B is not limited to this embodiment. That is, in the present invention, the positional relationship between the two notches 41A and 41B with respect to the start end ME of the male screw portion 8 only needs to be clear. An adjustment jig having the same shape and structure as the adjustment jig 11 shown in FIG. 1 is provided for rotating the lens holder 40 in correspondence with the lens holder 40 having such a configuration.

  5A and 5B show a third example of the lens holder according to the electronic camera 1 of the present invention, and this lens holder 50 has four notches 51A, 51B, 51C as holder-side uneven portions. , 51D. The lens holder 50 is a cylindrical body with a bottom having a cylindrical shape in which one end in the axial direction is closed by a circular front plate 50a and the other end is released. A central hole 7 is provided at the center of the front plate 50 a of the lens holder 50, and the imaging lens 2 is integrally held inside the lens holder 50 so that the optical axis OL coincides with the center of the central hole 7. ing.

  Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the lens holder 50, a male thread portion 8 wound in a spiral shape has its start end ME set at the end opposite to the front plate 50a and the end extending to the vicinity of the front plate 50a. It is provided to exist. Furthermore, four notches 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D showing a third specific example of the holder-side concavo-convex portion are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the front plate 50a. The four notches 51A to 51D are formed as arc-shaped notches in which a space having a rectangular cross-sectional shape is continuous in the circumferential direction (FIGS. 6A and 7A). The depths H1, H2, H3, and H4 of the four notches 51A to 51D are set to be equal to each other as H1 = H2 = H3 = H4. Also, the four adjacent concavo-convex angles θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 are all set as different values (θ1> θ3> θ2> θ4). Further, the circumferential lengths α, β, γ, and δ of the four notches 51A, 51B, 51C, and 51D are set to coincide with α and γ, while β is set larger than α and δ is set smaller than γ. (Β> α = γ> δ).

  That is, the first notch 51A is formed as a notch α extending 45 degrees in the circumferential direction, and its depth is H1. The second notch 51B is formed as a notch β extending 50 degrees in the circumferential direction, and its depth is H2. The third notch 51C is formed as a notch γ that extends 45 degrees in the circumferential direction, and its depth is H3. The fourth notch 51D is formed as a notch δ extending 30 degrees in the circumferential direction, and the depth thereof is H4.

  In addition, embodiment of the holder side uneven | corrugated | grooved part which consists of four notch parts 51A-51D is not limited to the thing of the said Example. For example, when the depths of the four notches 51A to 51D are set equal to H1 = H2 = H3 = H4, any one, two, or three of θ1 to θ4 are made different, or α , Β, γ, and δ may be different from each other. If all of θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 are the same, at least one of α, β, γ, and δ needs to be different. Similarly, when all of α, β, γ, and δ are made the same, at least one of θ1 to θ4 needs to be different.

  The four notches 51 </ b> A to 51 </ b> D having such a configuration are provided in the lens holder 50 with a predetermined positional relationship with the start end ME of the male screw portion 8. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, the start end ME of the male screw portion 8 has an angle φ of 5 degrees from the end portion on the first notch portion 51A side of the fourth unevenness portion angle θ4. Is set. However, it is needless to say that the positional relationship between the start end ME of the male screw portion 8 and the four notches 51A to 51D is not limited to this embodiment. That is, in the present invention, the positional relationship between the four notches 51A to 51D with respect to the start end ME of the male screw portion 8 only needs to be clear. An adjustment jig having the same shape and structure as the adjustment jig 11 shown in FIG. 1 is provided for rotating the lens holder 50 in correspondence with the lens holder 50 having such a configuration.

  FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of a camera-equipped mobile phone 100 showing a specific example of an electronic device in which the electronic camera 1 having the above-described configuration is mounted. The camera-equipped mobile phone 100 includes a first casing 101 having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and a second casing 102 that is separate from the first casing 101 and has substantially the same shape and size. ing. The first casing 101 and the second casing 102 are connected to each other by a hinge portion not shown in the figure so as to be freely opened and closed. The first housing 101 includes a display unit, the second housing 102 includes an operation unit, and the electronic camera 1 is provided in the second housing 102.

  Although not shown, the display unit is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, for example, and displays an operation screen, an address book, a mail screen, an image photographed by the image sensor 5 through the imaging lens 2, and the like. The The operation unit also includes a numeric keypad for inputting numbers, characters, and the like, a cursor key for selecting items displayed on the display unit, a determination key, and the like, and also has a function of a shutter button of the electronic camera 1. ing. When the camera-equipped mobile phone 100 is folded at the hinge portion, the display portion of the first housing 101 and the operation portion of the second housing 102 are overlapped to face each other.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the electronic camera 1 is attached to the second housing 102 such that the imaging lens 2 is exposed on the surface of the second housing 102 opposite to the operation unit. A speaker 104 is built in the vicinity of the electronic camera 1 of the second housing 102. Reference numeral 105 denotes a battery pack cover attached to the second housing 102 so as to be opened and closed in order to insert and remove a battery pack (not shown). It should be noted that the camera-equipped mobile phone 100 according to this embodiment includes, in addition to these units, a portion provided as a normal mobile phone, such as a receiver, a transmitter, a connection terminal of an external device, and the like. is there.

  By using the electronic camera 1 of this embodiment for the camera-equipped mobile phone 100 having such devices, functions, etc., the productivity of the camera-equipped mobile phone 100 can be improved. That is, the focus adjustment of the electronic camera 1 can be performed quickly in a short time, so that the productivity of this type of mobile phone can be improved and the performance can be improved.

  FIGS. 9 and 10 show a second example of the embodiment of the electronic camera of the present invention, which is an electronic camera 60 suitable for use in a mobile phone. The electronic camera 60 is different from the electronic camera 1 described above in that the lens holder 61 is provided with three protrusions 62A, 62B, and 62C showing a fourth specific example of the holder-side uneven portion. And it is set as the structure which provides the three recessed parts 64A, 64B, and 64C which show the 4th specific example of a jig side uneven | corrugated | grooved part in the adjustment jig 63 corresponding to these three projection parts 62A-62C. is there. Since other configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the lens holder 60 is formed of a cylindrical body with a bottom having a cylindrical shape in which one end in the axial direction is closed by a circular front plate 60a and the other end is released. A central hole 7 is provided in the central portion of the front plate 60a, and the imaging lens 2 is held therein. Similarly, the external thread part 8 wound helically on the outer peripheral surface of the lens holder 60 is provided, and the start end ME of the external thread part 8 is set to the end part on the opposite side to the front plate 60a. . And three protrusion part 62A, 62B, 62C which protrudes in an optical axis direction is provided in the outer periphery of the front board 60a.

  The three protrusions 62A to 62C are formed as arc-shaped ridges in which a portion having a rectangular cross-sectional shape is continuous in the circumferential direction. The heights P1, P2, and P3 of the three protrusions 62A to 62C are set to be equal to each other as P1 = P2 = P3, and the angles between the three adjacent uneven portions are all set to different values. Further, the circumferential lengths of the three protrusions 62A to 62C are set so that all have the same length.

  Corresponding to the lens holder 60, an adjusting jig 63 for rotating the lens holder 60 is provided. The adjustment jig 63 is formed as a cylindrical member having an outer diameter comparable to that of the lens holder 60, and three recesses 64A that can be engaged with the three protrusions 62A to 62C on the outer peripheral edge of the end face. , 64B, 64C are provided. The relationship between the circumferential lengths, heights, and concavo-convex angles of the three protrusions 62A to 62C and the three recesses 64A to 64C is the same as in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. To do. Further, the number of protrusions and recesses is not limited to three in this embodiment, but may be two or four or more. By configuring in this way, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a fixed-focus electronic camera has been described.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,60 ... Electronic camera, 2 ... Imaging lens, 3, 40, 50, 61 ... Lens holder, 3a, 40a, 50a, 61a ... Front plate, 4 ... Casing, 5 ... Imaging element, 6 ... Circuit board, 7 ... Central hole, 8 ... male screw part, 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 41A, 41B, 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D ... Notch part (holder side uneven part), 11, 63 ... Adjusting jig, 12A, 12B, 12C ... engaging claw (jig side uneven part), 30 ... through hole, 31 ... female screw part, 62A, 62B, 62C ... projection part (holder side uneven part), 64A, 64B, 64C ... recessed part (jig) Side uneven part), 100 ... mobile phone with camera (electronic device), 101 ... first casing, 102 ... second casing

Claims (4)

A lens holder in which an imaging lens is provided and a male screw portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface;
A casing having a female screw part that fits into the male screw part and provided with a through hole into which the lens holder is fitted;
A circuit board having an imaging element attached to the casing so as to close one end of the through hole and provided to face the optical axis of the imaging lens of the lens holder fitted in the through hole; With
Two or more jig-side uneven portions of an adjustment jig for adjusting the focus position of the imaging lens with respect to the imaging element are engaged with an outer edge portion of the lens holder opposite to the circuit board. The holder side uneven part of
The male screw portion is provided with a start end positioned at a predetermined position of the lens holder,
The female thread portion is provided with a start end positioned at a predetermined position of the casing,
The two or more holder-side concavo-convex portions have different depths or heights in the optical axis direction of the imaging lens between at least two holder-side concavo-convex portions, or have a circumferential length or interval. Configure differently
The positions of the two or more holder-side concavo-convex parts are determined at predetermined positions with respect to the start end of the male screw part,
An electronic camera in which a positional relationship between the two or more holder-side uneven portions and a start end of the male screw portion is uniquely set . The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the holder-side concavo-convex portion includes a cutout portion that is concave in the optical axis direction. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the holder-side concavo-convex portion includes a protrusion that is convex in the optical axis direction. The electronic camera according to claim 1, wherein the holder-side concavo-convex portion includes a slope portion that is inclined in the optical axis direction of the imaging lens.

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