JP7411353B2 - optical unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an optical unit.

Conventionally, various optical units have been used that include a movable body that includes an optical module and a fixed body that displaceably holds the movable body. A filter on/off device may be attached to such an optical unit, which can turn the filter on and off in accordance with the illuminance of the environment in which it is used. However, if an external filter on/off device that can turn the filter on and off with respect to the optical module of the optical unit is attached to the optical unit, the overall size of the apparatus increases. Therefore, an optical unit has been disclosed that includes a built-in filter and can switch the filter on and off. Patent Document 1 discloses an optical unit having a filter switching function.

JP2019-86680A

The optical unit of Patent Document 1 can switch the filter on and off without increasing the size of the entire device. However, in the optical unit of Patent Document 1, since the filter switching mechanism is provided on the movable body, there is a possibility that the movable body becomes large and the load for moving the movable body increases. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical unit in which a filter can be turned on and off without increasing the size of the device or the movable body.

The optical unit of the present invention includes a movable body having an optical module, a fixed body, a support mechanism that swingably supports the movable body with respect to the fixed body, and a subject side of the optical module in the optical axis direction. a filter that is movable between a housing position that does not face each other and a facing position that faces the subject side of the optical module in the optical axis direction, and that the housing position is provided on the fixed body. Features.

According to this aspect, by incorporating the filter into the optical unit, it is possible to suppress the overall size of the apparatus from increasing. Furthermore, since the fixed body is provided with a housing position for the filter, it is possible to prevent the movable body from increasing in size. Therefore, the filter can be turned on and off without increasing the size of the device and the movable body.

In the optical unit of the present invention, the fixed body has an accommodation space for a flexible wiring board connected to the movable body on a first direction side intersecting the optical axis direction with respect to the movable body, and is preferably provided on the first direction side with respect to the movable body. This is because the area on the flexible wiring board accommodation space side (first direction side) in the fixed body can be used efficiently.

The optical unit of the present invention preferably includes an illuminometer and a filter moving mechanism that moves the filter to the housing position and the opposing position based on the measurement results of the illuminometer. This is because the filter can be automatically moved based on the measurement results of the illumination meter, saving the effort of manually moving the filter, and preventing forgetting to turn the filter on and off.

The optical unit of the present invention preferably includes a holding mechanism that holds the filter at the housing position and the opposing position. This is because it is possible to prevent the filter from moving unexpectedly.

In the optical unit of the present invention, it is preferable that the holding mechanism holds the filter in the housing position and the opposing position without energizing. This is because power consumption can be suppressed by holding the filter in a non-energized state.

In the optical unit of the present invention, one of a magnet and a coil may be provided at the accommodation position and the opposing position of the fixed body, and the other of the magnet and the coil may be provided at the filter. preferable. This is because the holding mechanism can be easily formed using a magnet and a coil.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical unit in which a filter can be turned on and off without increasing the size of the device and the movable body.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an optical unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a filter is in a housed position. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the internal configuration of an optical unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the fixing part and the like omitted. FIG. 2 is a side view of the internal configuration of an optical unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the fixing part and the like omitted. FIG. 2 is a side view of an optical unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a filter is in a housed position. FIG. 2 is a side view of an optical unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which filters are in opposing positions.

An optical unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In addition, in FIG. 3, the dashed line with the symbol L indicates the optical axis. In addition, in FIG. 2, a dashed-dotted line with the symbol L1 indicates a first axis that intersects the optical axis, and a dashed-dotted line with the symbol L2 indicates a second axis L2 that intersects with the optical axis L and the first axis L1. It shows. In each figure, the Z-axis direction is the optical axis direction, the X-axis direction is the direction that intersects the optical axis, in other words, the yawing axis direction, and the Y-axis direction is the direction that intersects the optical axis, in other words, the pitching direction. is in the axial direction.

<Overview of overall configuration of optical unit>
First, the configuration of the optical unit 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The optical unit 10 includes a movable body 14 including an optical module 12, and a movable body that can be displaced in a direction having a rotation axis in the Y-axis direction (pitching direction) and a direction having a rotation axis in the X-axis direction (yawing direction). A fixed body 16 that holds 14 is provided. Also, a rotational drive mechanism 18 that drives the movable body 14 in the pitching direction and the yawing direction, and a support mechanism 20 (thrust receiving member) that rotatably supports the movable body 14 in the pitching direction and the yawing direction with respect to the fixed body 16. It is equipped with Furthermore, the optical unit 10 includes a gimbal mechanism 21 having a gimbal frame section 25, and the gimbal frame section 25 is for a first support section extending along the optical axis direction from both ends of the first axis L1. It has an extending portion 27a and a second supporting portion extending portion 27b extending along the optical axis direction from both ends of the second axis L2.

<Optical module>
In this embodiment, the optical module 12 is formed into a substantially rectangular housing shape, and is used, for example, as a thin camera mounted on a camera-equipped mobile phone, a tablet PC, or the like. The optical module 12 includes a lens 12a on the subject side, and a rectangular housing 12b that includes optical equipment for capturing an image. The optical unit 10 in this embodiment includes, for example, pitching vibration (vibration in the rotational direction with the Y-axis direction as the rotational axis) and yawing vibration (vibration in the rotational direction with the X-axis direction as the rotational axis) that occurs in the optical module 12. It has a built-in actuator that corrects vibration (in the moving direction), and is configured to be able to correct pitching vibration and yawing vibration.

In this embodiment, the optical unit 10 has a configuration capable of correcting pitching shake and yawing shake, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the optical unit 10 can correct either pitching shake or yawing shake. It is also possible to have a configuration in which only the correction can be performed.

<Image sensor>
As shown in FIG. 3, the optical module 12 includes an image sensor 50 on the side opposite to the subject side. A flexible wiring board 51 is connected to the image sensor 50.

<Movable body>
The movable body 14 includes an optical module 12, a holder frame 22, and magnets 24A and 24B. The holder frame 22 is configured as a rectangular frame-shaped member provided so as to surround the remaining four sides excluding the front surface (object side surface) where the lens 12a of the optical module 12 is provided and the rear surface on the opposite side. . The holder frame 22 of this embodiment is configured such that, for example, the optical module 12 can be attached to and detached from it. Magnets 24A and 24B for pitching and yawing correction are attached to the outer surfaces of the two surfaces of the holder frame 22 that face the fixed body 16.

<Fixed body>
The fixed body 16 has a movable body accommodating section 161 that accommodates the movable body 14 and an FPC accommodating section 162 that accommodates the flexible wiring board 51. The movable body accommodating portion 161 is provided with coils 32A and 32B inside. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, when the movable body 14 is disposed within the fixed body 16, the magnet 24A and the coil 32A, and the magnet 24B and the coil 32B are opposed to each other. Further, in this embodiment, the pair of magnet 24A and coil 32A and the pair of magnet 24B and coil 32B constitute a rotational drive mechanism 18. The rotational drive mechanism 18 corrects pitching and yawing of the movable body 14. In this embodiment, the coil 32A and the coil 32B are configured as wire-wound coils, as an example, but they may also be formed into a pattern board (coil board) in which the coils are incorporated into the board wiring as a pattern.

Pitching and yaw correction is performed as follows. When a shake occurs in the optical unit 10 in both the pitching direction and the yawing direction, or in either one direction, the shake is detected by a shake detection sensor (gyroscope) not shown, and the rotation drive mechanism 18 is driven based on the result. . Thereafter, the rotational drive mechanism 18 operates to accurately correct the shake of the optical unit 10 using a magnetic sensor (Hall element), etc. (not shown). That is, current is applied to each of the coils 32A and 32B so as to move the movable body 14 in a direction that cancels out the shake of the optical unit 10, thereby correcting the shake.

The optical unit 10 of this embodiment includes a rotation drive mechanism 18 that rotates the movable body 14 with respect to the fixed body 16 about the first axis L1 and the second axis L2 as rotation axes. The rotation in the pitching axis direction and the yawing axis direction is caused by a combination of rotations in the first axis L1 and the second axis L2. Here, as in the present embodiment, the rotational drive mechanism 18 may be disposed at a position other than the side on which the first flexible wiring board 51a is disposed in the X-axis direction with respect to the movable body 14. preferable. Since the rotational drive mechanism 18 can be placed on the side where the first flexible wiring board 51a is not formed, the rotational drive mechanism 18, the second flexible wiring board 51b connected to the rotational drive mechanism 18, and the first flexible wiring board 51a This is because contact between and can be suppressed. Therefore, with such a configuration, there is no need to increase the size of the optical unit 10, and the optical unit 10 can be made smaller. Note that "rotation" in this specification does not require 360° rotation but includes rocking in the rotational direction.

Note that the drive source for the vibration correcting operation is not limited to a voice coil motor configured by each pair of coils 32A and 32B and magnets 24A and 24B, such as the rotational drive mechanism 18. It is also possible to use a stepping motor, a piezo element, or the like as another driving source.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, magnets 44A and 44B are provided at the position of the subject side surface 161a of the movable body accommodating section 161 and at the position in the FPC accommodating section 162 on the extension line of the subject side surface 161a. A filter unit 40, a guide shaft 41 which is two rails that guide the movement of the filter unit 40 along the X-axis direction, a coil 42A and a magnetic body 43A provided at the end of the guide shaft 41 on the side of the movable body housing section 161. , a coil 42B and a magnetic body 43B are provided at the end of the guide shaft 41 on the FPC accommodating portion 162 side. The moving structure of the filter unit 40 of this embodiment will be described later.

<Gimbal mechanism>
The gimbal mechanism 21 is a mechanism that has spring properties and is formed by bending a metal flat plate material. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 etc., the gimbal mechanism 21 of this embodiment has a gimbal frame section 25, and the light is emitted from the four corners of the gimbal frame section 25 to the side opposite to the subject side. It is configured by including two first support part extension parts 27a and two second support part extension parts 27b, which are bent by 90 degrees in the axial direction. Note that all of the first support part extension part 27a and the second support part extension part 27b do not necessarily have to be plate-shaped, and only a part of them may be formed into a plate-shape to improve springiness. You may also make it work. The gimbal mechanism 21 of this embodiment has such a configuration and is configured to be able to apply pressurization toward the outside.

<Support mechanism>
The support mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 2 rotatably supports the movable body 14 with respect to the fixed body 16 about the first axis L1 and the second axis L2 as rotation axes. The support mechanism 20 includes two first thrust receiving members 20a that support the first supporting part extension part 27a, two second thrust receiving members 20b that support the second supporting part extending part 27b, have. The first thrust receiving members 20a are disposed at two opposing locations among the four corners of the rectangular frame-shaped portion of the movable body accommodating portion 161 of the fixed body 16, and the second thrust receiving members 20b are arranged in the movable rectangular frame-shaped portion of the fixed body 16. They are placed at two opposing locations at the four corners of the holder frame 22 of the body 14. That is, the first thrust receiving member 20a is fixed to the fixed body 16, and the second thrust receiving member 20b is fixed to the movable body 14. Note that the rectangular frame portion of the movable body housing portion 161 and the rectangular frame-shaped movable body 14 are arranged so that their four corners are aligned, and the first thrust receiving member 20a and the second thrust receiving member 20b are located at the four corners. one each.

Note that the first support part extension part 27a is provided with a spherical concave surface, and the first thrust receiving member 20a is provided with a spherical convex surface, and when the spherical concave surface and the spherical convex surface come into contact with each other, the first support part extension part 27a is provided with a spherical concave surface. The extending portion 27a is supported by the first thrust receiving member 20a. Similarly, the second support part extension part 27b is provided with a spherical concave surface, and the second thrust receiving member 20b is provided with a spherical convex surface, and when the spherical concave surface and the spherical convex surface abut, the second The support part extension part 27b is supported by the second thrust receiving member 20b. Since each of the two first support part extension parts 27a and each of the two second support part extension parts 27b is configured to be pressurized outward, the pressurization As a result, each spherical concave surface presses against each corresponding spherical convex surface, and the first support part extension part 27a and the second support part extension part 27b press against the corresponding first thrust receiving member 20a and second support part extension part 27a. It is supported by the thrust receiving member 20b.

<Flexible wiring board>
As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the flexible wiring board 51 is connected to an image sensor 50 provided on the movable body 14. The flexible wiring board 51 is arranged on one side of the X-axis direction (the first direction side intersecting the optical axis direction) with respect to the movable body 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the flexible wiring board 51 has a bent region R formed on the first direction side with respect to the movable body 14 so as to overlap when viewed from the optical axis direction. The FPC accommodating portion 162 accommodates the bending region R of the flexible wiring board 51.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bent portion of the flexible wiring board 51 is provided with a bent holding portion 11 that holds the bent portion. Then, the bending holding section 11 bends the flexible wiring board 51 by 180 degrees at the bending portion, and holds the bent flexible wiring boards 51 so that they do not come into contact with each other. By having the bending holding portion 11 in this manner, the wiring area of the flexible wiring board 51 can be effectively miniaturized, and damage to the flexible wiring board 51 due to contact between the flexible wiring boards 51 can be suppressed.

<Movement configuration of filter unit>
Next, the moving configuration of the filter unit 40 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the filter unit 40 of this embodiment includes a filter 40a, which is an infrared filter, and a groove portion provided on the outer periphery of the filter 40, in contact with a guide shaft 41, and extending in the X-axis direction. and an outer peripheral portion 40b. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, since the guide shaft 41 extends along the X-axis direction, the filter unit 40 is configured to be movable along the guide shaft 41. ing. Although not shown in detail in the figure, the guide shaft 41 has an eave formed along the X-axis direction on the subject side, and the groove portion of the outer peripheral portion 40b is configured to fit into the eave. As a result, the filter unit 40 is configured not to come off toward the subject.

Further, the filter unit 40 includes a magnet 44A and a magnet 44B. A coil 42A and a magnetic body 43A are provided at the end of the guide shaft 41 on the side of the movable body housing section 161, and a coil 42B and a magnetic body 43B are provided at the end of the guide shaft 41 on the FPC housing section 162 side. . The magnet 44A is placed on the side of the coil 42A and the magnetic body 43A, and the magnet 44B is placed on the side of the coil 42A and the magnetic body 43A. The optical unit 10 of this embodiment is configured to generate magnetic force along the X-axis direction by passing current through the coils 42A and 42B.

In FIG. 4, the filter unit 40 is in a position where it does not cover the subject side of the optical module 12, or in other words, the filter unit 40 is in a position where it does not face the optical module 12 in the optical axis direction and the filter 40a is turned off. It is located at the housing position P1 which is the standby position. When the filter unit 40 is located at the housing position P1, if no current is flowing through the coil 42B (if there is no current), the magnet 44B is attracted to the magnetic body 43B, and the filter unit 40 is held at the housing position P1. be done. However, by applying current to the coil 42B (energizing) while the filter unit 40 is located at the housing position P1, a magnetic force that repels the magnet 44B can be applied, and by applying such magnetic force, the filter The unit 40 can be moved to a position closer to the coil 42A and the magnetic body 43A (facing position P2).

On the other hand, in FIG. 5, the filter unit 40 is located at a position covering the subject side of the optical module 12, or in other words, at a position facing the optical module 12 in the optical axis direction, with the filter 40a turned on. It is located at a facing position P2. When the filter unit 40 is located at the facing position P2, if no current is flowing through the coil 42A (if there is no current), the magnet 44A is attracted to the magnetic body 43A, and the filter unit 40 is held at the facing position P2. be done. However, by applying current to the coil 42A (energizing) while the filter unit 40 is located at the facing position P2, it is possible to apply a repulsive magnetic force to the magnet 44A, and by applying such magnetic force, the filter The unit 40 can be moved to a position closer to the coil 42B and the magnetic body 43B (housing position P1).

In this way, the optical unit 10 of the present embodiment has an accommodation position P1 that does not face the subject side of the optical module 12 in the optical axis direction, and a facing position P2 that faces the subject side of the optical module 12 in the optical axis direction. It is equipped with a movable filter 40a. As shown in FIG. 4, the accommodation position P1 is provided in the FPC accommodation section 162 of the fixed body 16.

Although there are many optical units 10 to which an external type filter 40a can be attached, by incorporating the filter 40a as in the optical unit 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the overall size of the device from increasing. Further, by providing the housing position P1 of the filter 40a in the fixed body 16 as in the optical unit 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the movable body 14 from increasing in size. Therefore, the optical unit 10 of this embodiment has a configuration in which the filter 40a can be turned on and off without increasing the size of the entire device and the movable body 14. In addition, although the optical unit 10 of this embodiment is provided with the accommodation position P1 in the FPC accommodation part 162, it is not limited to such a structure, and the FPC of the fixed body 16 can be adjusted according to the shape of the fixed body 16, etc. The housing position P1 may be provided at a location other than the housing portion 162.

Furthermore, as described above, in the optical unit 10 of the present embodiment, the fixed body 16 has a space for accommodating the flexible wiring board 51 connected to the image sensor 50 of the movable body 14 in the optical axis direction with respect to the movable body 14. It is provided on the first direction side (one side in the X-axis direction) intersecting with the first direction. The accommodation position P1 is provided on the first direction side with respect to the movable body 14. With such a configuration, the region of the fixed body 16 on the accommodation space side (first direction side) for the flexible wiring board 51 (in this embodiment, the FPC accommodation section 162) can be efficiently utilized.

Here, in the optical unit 10 of this embodiment, the optical module 12 has a built-in illuminance meter. Based on the measurement results of the illuminance meter, the filter 40a can be moved to the housing position P1 and the opposing position P2. That is, the magnet 44A and magnet 44B of the filter unit 40 and the coil 42A and coil 42B of the fixed body 16 constitute a filter moving mechanism. With such a configuration, the optical unit 10 of this embodiment can automatically move the filter 40a based on the measurement results of the illumination meter, thereby saving the effort of manually moving the filter 40a. In addition, it is possible to prevent forgetting to turn the filter 40a on and off. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and a configuration in which the filter 40a is manually moved may also be used.

Further, as described above, the optical unit 10 of this embodiment has the magnet 44A and the magnet 44B in the filter unit 40, and the magnetic body 43B and the fixed body on the accommodation position P1 side (first direction side) of the fixed body 16. It has 43 A of magnetic bodies on the opposite position P2 side (opposite side to the 1st direction) of 16. That is, the magnet 44A and the magnet 44B of the filter unit 40 and the magnetic body 43A and the magnetic body 43B of the fixed body 16 constitute a holding mechanism. Therefore, the filter unit 40 can be held without electricity even when the filter unit 40 is in the housing position P1 and when the filter unit 40 is in the facing position P2. With such a configuration, the optical unit 10 of this embodiment suppresses the filter 40a from being moved unexpectedly due to the magnetic force acting on the magnet 44A and the magnetic body 43A and the magnetic force acting on the magnet 44B and the magnetic body 43B. At the same time, power consumption is suppressed by holding the filter 40a in a non-energized state.

However, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, without providing the magnetic body 43A and the magnetic body 43B, a current is passed so that a magnetic force is generated in a direction in which the filter unit 40 is attracted to the coil 42B when the filter unit 40 is located at the housing position P1, By passing a current so that a magnetic force is generated in the direction in which the filter unit 40 is attracted to the coil 42A when the filter unit 40 is located at the facing position P2, the filter unit 40 is moved at the housing position P1 and the facing position P2. It is also possible to have a configuration in which it is held.

Further, in the optical unit 10 of this embodiment, a coil 42B is provided at the housing position P1 of the fixed body 16, a magnet 44B is provided at a position facing the coil 42B of the filter unit 40, and a magnet 44B is provided at the opposing position P2 of the fixed body 16. A coil 42A is provided, and a magnet 44A is provided at a position facing the coil 42A of the filter unit 40. In this way, it is preferable that one of the magnet and the coil be provided at the accommodation position P1 and the facing position P2 of the fixed body 16, and the other of the magnet and the coil be provided for the filter 40a (filter unit 40). . This is because the holding mechanism can be easily formed using a magnet and a coil.

Note that in the optical unit 10 of this embodiment, the filter unit 40 is provided with a magnet, and the fixed body 16 is provided with a coil. With such a configuration, wiring to the coil becomes easy, the filter unit 40 that moves along the X-axis direction can be downsized, and the moving load can be suppressed. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the filter unit 40 may be provided with a coil, and the fixed body 16 may be provided with a magnet.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary column of the invention may be used to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve one of the above-mentioned effects. In order to achieve some or all of the above, it is possible to replace or combine them as appropriate. Further, unless the technical feature is described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Optical unit, 11... Bending holding part, 12... Optical module (illuminance meter),
12a... Lens, 12b... Housing, 14... Movable body, 15... Hole (exhaust port),
16... Fixed body, 18... Rotation drive mechanism, 20... Support mechanism (thrust receiving member),
20a...first thrust receiving member, 20b...second thrust receiving member,
21...Gimbal mechanism, 22...Holder frame, 24A...Magnet, 24B...Magnet,
25... Gimbal frame part, 27a... Extension part for first support part,
27b...Extension part for second support part, 32A...Coil, 32B...Coil,
40...filter unit, 40a...filter, 40b...outer circumference, 41...guide shaft,
42A... Coil (filter moving mechanism), 42B... Coil (filter moving mechanism),
43A...Magnetic body (holding mechanism), 43B...Magnetic body (holding mechanism),
44A...Magnet (filter moving mechanism, holding mechanism),
44B...Magnet (filter moving mechanism, holding mechanism), 50...Imaging element,
51...Flexible wiring board, 161...Movable body housing section, 161a...Subject side surface,
162...FPC accommodation part, L...optical axis, P1...accommodation position, P2...opposed position,
R...Bending area

Claims (4)

a movable body having an optical module;
a fixed body;
a support mechanism that swingably supports the movable body with respect to the fixed body;
a rotational drive mechanism that drives the swinging of the movable body with respect to the fixed body;
a filter that is movable between a housing position that does not face the subject side of the optical module in the optical axis direction and a facing position that faces the subject side of the optical module in the optical axis direction;
a holding mechanism that holds the filter in the housing position and the opposing position;
Equipped with
The accommodation position is provided on the fixed body ,
As the rotational drive mechanism, one of a magnet and a coil is provided at a position of the fixed body facing the movable body, and the other of the magnet and the coil is provided at a position of the movable body facing the fixed body. established,
As the holding mechanism, one of a magnet and a coil is provided at the accommodation position and the opposing position of the fixed body, and the other of the magnet and the coil is provided at the filter,
The magnet or coil of the rotary drive mechanism provided on the fixed body and the magnet or coil of the holding mechanism provided on the fixed body are provided on different sides with respect to the position of the movable body. An optical unit featuring: The optical unit according to claim 1,
The fixed body has a housing space for a flexible wiring board connected to the movable body on a first direction side intersecting the optical axis direction with respect to the movable body,
The optical unit is characterized in that the accommodation position is provided on the first direction side with respect to the movable body. The optical unit according to claim 1 or 2,
illuminance meter and
a filter moving mechanism that moves the filter to the accommodation position and the opposing position based on the measurement results of the illuminance meter;
An optical unit comprising: The optical unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The optical unit is characterized in that the holding mechanism holds the filter in the housed position and the opposing position without energizing.

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