KR100714551B1 - Lens Barrel Feeder of Camera Module - Google Patents

Abstract

A lens module transfer device for stably moving a lens barrel within a camera module is provided.

The present invention provides a lens barrel transfer apparatus for moving a lens barrel in a camera module by connecting it to an actuator means, the body portion having one side connected to the actuator means and the other side connected to the lens barrel; A first connection part in which a lead screw of an actuator means is slidably connected at one side of the body part; A second connection part to which the lens barrel is coupled in point contact in the other groove of the body part; And a lever coupling part for coupling the body portion and the variable resistance lever.

According to the present invention, when the actuator means pulls and moves the lens barrel within the camera module, the degree of freedom of connection between the parts is increased to minimize friction with the guide member when the lens barrels are moved, and the lens barrel is accurately aligned along the guide member. (Alignment), and the effect of ensuring the image quality performance of the camera module can be obtained.

Lens barrel, lens module feeder, tilting, camera module, degree of freedom

Description

Lens barrel conveying device of camera module {APPARATUS FOR MOVING LENS BARRELS IN A CAMERA MODULE}

1 is an external perspective view of a lens module transfer apparatus according to the related art;

a) when the focus lens barrel is moved by the actuator,

b) The zoom lens barrel is moved by the actuator.

2 is a graph illustrating a lens position with respect to the number of applied signals as a zoom function is tested in a lens barrel transfer device of a camera module according to the related art.

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing another example of the lens module transfer apparatus according to the prior art.

4 is a structural diagram showing a lens barrel transfer apparatus of a camera module according to the present invention;

      a) Turning external appearance perspective view, b) Turning side cross section.

Figure 5 is a coupling structure of the lens barrel transfer device of the camera module according to the present invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a structure in which the lens barrel is coupled to the lens barrel transfer device of the camera module according to the present invention.

Figure 7 is a partially enlarged view showing in detail the structure in which the lens barrel is coupled to the body portion in the lens barrel transfer device of the camera module according to the present invention.

8 is a graph illustrating a lens position with respect to the number of applied signals as a zoom function is tested in the lens barrel transporting apparatus of the camera module according to the present invention.

       * Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawings *

1 ..... Lens module feeder according to the present invention

5 ..... body 10 .... first connection

12 ... opening 14.

20 .... 2nd connection 22 .... concave groove

24 .. Seating groove 25 .... Lever coupling

27a, 27b ... semi-cylindrical projection 30 .... camera module

40 .... actuator means 42 .... lead screw

50 .... lens barrel 60 ... variable resistance

300 ... Lens barrel transport mechanism 310 .... Actuator

312 ... lead screw 320 ... lens barrel

322a, 322b ... Guide member 400 .... Conventional camera module

406 ... actuator 410 ... lead screw

420 ... lens barrel feeder 422 .... hinge flange

432 ... hinge axis 433a, 433b .... guide member

The present invention relates to a lens module transfer device for stably moving a lens barrel within a camera module. More particularly, when towing a lens barrel through an actuator means in a camera module, the degree of connection between parts is increased and the lens barrel is increased. The present invention relates to a lens barrel transfer device of a camera module that accurately maintains alignment of the liver, improves assembly of parts, and stably adjusts a variable resistance.

Generally, a camera phone is installed in a mobile phone, and a camera phone in which a camera function of taking a moving picture and a still picture of an object with a mobile phone and storing it and transmitting the same to a counterpart is merged.

These camera phones are not just a function of taking an object, but a focus function for adjusting the focus of an object to be photographed, and a zoom function for making a far object closer or closer to a far object. Additional features are being added.

The zoom function is roughly divided into a digital zoom and an optical zoom. The digital zoom is a method of enlarging and displaying an image by the image sensor itself separately from a lens, and is implemented on the same principle as enlarging an image in a graphic program. Although there is an advantage of being able to see or zoom in on an object that is close, there is a disadvantage that the resolution is lower than the original image because the lens does not move.

 Accordingly, the camera phone has an advantage in that it is possible to shoot a distant object largely without deterioration in image quality by reducing or increasing the focal length as the lens is directly moved, as in a digital camera, so that the optical zoom Recently, camera phones are also generally employed.

Accordingly, the camera phone has an optical zoom, which has a merit of taking a large picture of a distant object without degrading the image quality by reducing or increasing the focal length while moving multiple lenses directly as in a digital camera. It is generally adopted in the area.

On the other hand, the lens transport structure for transporting the lens in the optical zoom method is usually divided in several ways.

1) Lens transfer structure using stepping motor

The optical zoom used in the digital camera is applied to the camera phone as it is, and it has the advantage of strong power and high reliability by driving the gear by engaging the stepping motor, but it has the disadvantage of being bulky and expensive. have.

2) Lens conveyance structure using liquid hydraulic pressure

It has the advantage of precisely controlling the transfer by putting liquid material between the lens to be transferred and then expanding and contracting by applying pressure to the liquid material so that the lens moves, but it consumes a lot of power when pressurizing the liquid. There is this.

3) Transfer structure of lens using piezoelectric ultrasonic motor

The lens is transported by using a motor made of piezoelectric ceramic, which has the advantage of miniaturization of the product which is smaller in volume than the conventional stepping motor method, but the gear wears out quickly and shortens the service life. It is known to have disadvantages.

4) Structure to transfer lens by solenoid method using electromagnet

A magnet and a coil are placed around the barrel of the camera module, and a magnet is also placed around the lens in the barrel, and then the lens moves directly through a current. This is known to be excellent in volume and cost, but finely conveys the lens. It is known that there is a disadvantage in that adjustment is difficult.

1 shows a conventional lens barrel transfer mechanism 300 for transferring lens barrels within a camera module.

Such a conventional lens barrel transfer mechanism 300 is screwed to the lens barrel 320 made of a focus lens barrel or a zoom lens barrel directly to the lead screw 312 of the actuator 310, respectively, the lens barrel 320 Are linearly guided along a pair of guide members 322a and 322b.

However, such a conventional structure is that the lens barrel 320, i.e., directly screwed to the body portion guide member 322a, 322b and the lead screw 312 of the actuator 310 constituting the lens barrel 320, that is, There is a problem in ensuring alignment between the focus barrel and the zoom barrel.

In addition, such a conventional structure causes a tilt phenomenon of the lens barrel 320 due to abrasion at the screw coupling portion when the lens barrel 320 is moved up and down, and frequently causes a jamming phenomenon, thereby operating characteristics of the camera module. It is difficult to secure reliability in the problem.

This problem can be identified through a series of experimental results, as shown in FIG. That is, it can be seen that the number of applied signals for reaching the lens position indicated by the vertical axis, that is, the target position 900 in the graph, is approximately 73 to 79.

Therefore, the conventional technique as described above takes a long time for the movement of the lens barrel to the target position, but has a return time different from the initial movement even when returning to the original position. This means that the frictional resistance generated when moving forward and the frictional resistance generated when moving backward is different. If the time required for the forward and reverse operation is different, the performance of the actuator and the performance of the camera module are greatly reduced. It is an influence.

In addition, such a conventional structure has an assembly tolerance between the lens barrel 320 and the guide members 322a and 322b, a variable resistor (not shown) mounted on the lens barrel 320, the lens barrel 320 and the guide. Due to the change in alignment between the members 322a and 322b, the assembly work becomes difficult, and thus the productivity of work decreases, resulting in difficulty in mass production.

The conventional camera module 400 proposed to solve the problems of the related art as described above is illustrated in FIG. 3. 3 is a content of US Patent No. 6,654,557, the lead screw 410 is protruded from the actuator 406 made of a stepping motor, the lens barrel transfer device 420 is screwed on one side of the lead screw 410 Is mounted, the other side of the lens barrel conveying device 420 forms a hinge flange 422, the lens barrel 430 to the hinge flange 422 is rotatably mounted through a hinge shaft 432 to be. In addition, the bracket portion 405 formed on the outside of the actuator 406 has a structure in which the lead screw 410 protruding from the actuator 406 is rotatably fixed so as to be stably maintained.

Thus, such a conventional lens barrel transfer device 420 moves the lens barrel 430 to perform the focus function and the zoom function in the camera module 400, the lens barrel transfer device 420 is an actuator ( The driving force of 406 is transmitted to the lens barrel 430 to linearly move along the plurality of guide members 433a and 433b.

In addition, such a conventional lens barrel transfer device 420 is provided with an opening on one side in order to be coupled to the lead screw 410 of the actuator 406, the other side is provided with a hinge flange 422 on the lens barrel ( The hinge shaft 432 of the 430 is to be connected.

Therefore, the conventional lens barrel transfer device 420 forms an opening in the portion coupled to the lead screw 410 and has a degree of freedom of engagement, and the hinge flange 422 and the hinge shaft 432 are coupled to each other. Due to the structure, the lens barrel 430 has coupling degrees of freedom, but the hinge flange 422 and the hinge axis 432 is a coupling structure defined in terms of its coupling degrees of freedom. That is, the hinge frame 422 and the hinge axis 432 have a coupling degree of freedom along the optical axis direction, that is, the direction of movement of the lens barrel 430, but in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction, the lens barrel (in terms of the coupling structure) The movement of 430 does not have a degree of freedom.

The limitation of this coupling structure is to cause friction while the lens barrel 430 moves along the guide members 433a and 433b, so that the lens barrel 430 is tilted on the guide members 433a and 433b. There is a great problem of improvement in such a coupling structure as to cause a phenomenon or to restrict movement to an accurate position.

In addition, this conventional technique is to maintain a stable coupling force between the actuator 406 and the lens barrel 430 through the elastic means 440, such as a coil spring has a difficult problem in the assembly.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for a new lens module transfer device capable of maintaining a good image quality of the camera module 400 by stably moving to the correct position without tilting when the lens barrel 430 moves. It was big.

The present invention is to solve the above conventional problems, the object is that when the actuator means to pull the lens barrel in the camera module to move, the friction between the guide member during the movement of the lens barrel by increasing the degree of freedom of connection between the parts Minimize the lens barrel, and ensure that the lens barrel is aligned correctly along the guide member (Alignment) to ensure the performance of the camera module, as well as to provide a lens barrel transfer device of the camera module to ensure the performance of the actuator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lens barrel conveying apparatus for a camera module that can improve image quality of a camera module by stably moving a lens barrel at a desired position and exerting a stable zoom and focus function. .

And another object of the present invention is to provide a lens barrel transfer device of the camera module to improve the assembly of the parts by improving the structure of connecting the actuator means and the lens barrel to improve assembly.

In addition, the present invention can achieve the back-lash and departure prevention associated with the movement of the variable resistance lever to interlock to determine the position of the lens module, the lens barrel transfer device of the camera module improved the performance of the camera module There is another purpose in providing.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, in the lens barrel transfer device for moving the lens barrel in the camera module by connecting to the actuator means,

A body part of which one side is connected to the actuator means and the other side is connected to the lens barrel;

A first connection part in which a lead screw of an actuator means is slidably connected at one side of the body part;

A second connection part to which the lens barrel is coupled in point contact in the other groove of the body part;
A lever coupling part extending directly downward from the second connection part and coupled to a variable resistance lever; And

A variable resistor for detecting a position of the lens barrel by moving the variable resistance lever position; It provides a lens barrel transfer apparatus of the camera module, characterized in that it comprises a.

In another aspect, the present invention preferably provides a lens barrel transfer device of the camera module, characterized in that the opening is formed in the body floating, the inclined protrusions are screwed to the lead screw.

And preferably, the second connecting portion is formed in the concave groove in the body portion, the groove of the lens of the camera module, characterized in that the protrusions projecting from the lens barrel is connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the groove in contact point Provide barrel conveying device.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a lens barrel transfer device of the camera module, characterized in that the groove of the body portion accommodates the projection by forming a mounting groove of the inner diameter larger than the projection diameter of the lens barrel on the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

And the present invention preferably the lever coupling portion is made of a pair of opposing semi-cylindrical projections protruding from the body portion to accommodate the lens of the camera module, characterized in that for receiving the lever of the variable resistance therein Provide a transfer device.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The lens barrel conveying apparatus 1 of the camera module according to the present invention is intended to connect and move the lens barrel 50 to the actuator means 40 in the camera module, as shown in FIG. 6.

The lens barrel transfer apparatus 1 of the camera module according to the present invention has a body portion 5, one side of which is connected to the actuator means 40 and the other side of which is connected to the lens barrel 50.

The lens barrel 50 is any one of a zoom lens barrel or a focus lens barrel.

The body portion 5 is provided with a first connection portion 10 at one end thereof and screwed to the actuator means 40 in a sliding connection. That is, as shown in FIG. 4B), the first connection part 10 has an open sphere 12 formed on the body part 5, and the inclined protrusions 14 have lead screws 42. The structure is screwed on. When the inclined protrusions 14 are coupled to the lead screw 42 in this manner, the inclined protrusions 14 are slidably coupled to the lead screw 42.

In this way, the first connecting portion 10 is the inclined protrusions 14 are inclined in the same direction as the formation angle of the thread of the lead screw 42. These inclined protrusions 14 are coupled to the thread of the lead screw 42 to receive power from the actuator means 40.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first connecting portion 10 allows the sliding movement of the lead screw 42 in the longitudinal direction in which the inclined protrusions 14 are formed due to the opening sphere 12 structure. Thus, it can be easily mounted on the lead screw 42 through the opening 12. In addition, since the sliding displacement toward the opening sphere 12 is possible during the rotation operation of the actuator means 40, it has a coupling degree of freedom in this direction.

The body portion 5 has a second connection portion 20 for coupling to the lens barrel 50. The second connection portion 20 forms a concave groove 22 in the body portion 5, and projections 54a and 54b protruding from the lens barrel 50 are formed in the groove 22. 22) is made of a point-connected structure in contact with the upper and lower surfaces.

The groove 22 has a structure in which the grooves 22a and 54b are accommodated by forming mounting grooves 24 having an inner diameter larger than the diameters of the protrusions 54a and 54b of the lens barrel 50.

This structure is as shown in Figs.

That is, the second connecting portion 20 has a mounting groove 24 formed in the groove 22 so that the lens barrel 50 is coupled to the point contact in the other groove 22 of the body portion 5. Flat surfaces are respectively formed on the upper and lower surfaces, and projections 54a and 54b of the lever 52 extending from the lens barrel 50 are connected to the upper and lower surfaces, respectively.

As such, the second connection portion 20 preferably has the mounting groove 24 having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the protrusions 54a and 54b of the lens barrel 50 so that the protrusions 54a and 54b are formed. It has a degree of freedom that can move in any direction within the flat surface of the seating groove 24.

Thus, the second connecting portion 20 has a coupling degree of freedom in a direction parallel to the grooves 22 of the body portion 5 by maintaining a point contact connection at the engagement with the lens barrel 50.

And the present invention includes a lever coupling portion 25 for coupling the body portion 5 and the variable resistance lever 62. The lever coupling portion 25 is composed of a pair of opposing semi-cylindrical protrusions 27a and 27b protruding from the body portion 5 and receiving the variable resistance lever 62 therein.

Through this structure, the variable resistance lever 62 is fixed between the pair of opposing semi-cylindrical protrusions 27a and 27b, and the body portion 5 is operated during the operation of the actuator means 40. While shifting, the position of the lever 62 of the variable resistor 60 is displaced, and accordingly, the variable resistor 60 outputs a different resistance value by the movement of the position of the lever 62, thereby positioning the lens barrel 50. Can be identified.

The lens barrel transfer device 1 of the camera module according to the present invention configured as described above connects the lens barrels 50 in the camera module 30 to the actuator means 40 to move them by their driving force, and at the same time the variable resistance The positional movement of the lens barrels 50 may be accurately determined through the positional movement of the lever 62.

The lens barrel transfer device 1 of the camera module according to the present invention is connected to the lead screw 42 of the actuator means 40 through the first connection part 10 which forms the opening sphere 12 on the body part 5. When the inclined protrusions 14 of the first connection portion 10 are coupled to the lead screw 42 because of the screw coupling, the inclined protrusions 14 of the first connection portion 10 are slidably coupled on the lead screw 42.

Therefore, the lead screw 42 can be easily mounted through the opening 12. In addition, since the sliding displacement toward the opening sphere 12 is possible during the rotation operation of the actuator means 40, it has a coupling degree of freedom in this direction.

In addition, the lens barrel conveying apparatus 1 of the camera module according to the present invention is coupled to the lens barrel 50 through the second connection part 20 and is coupled to the lens barrel 50 with a degree of freedom.

That is, the second connecting portion 20 forms a recess 22 in the body portion 5, and forms a seating groove 24 in the recess 22, and the flat surface of the seating groove 24. The projections 54a and 54b of the lever 52 extending from the lens barrel 50 are fitted into the seating grooves 24 so as to be in contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the seating grooves 24, respectively. Dotted connections are shown.

And the seating groove 24 forms an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the protrusions 54a and 54b of the lens barrel 50 so that the protrusions 54a and 54b can be formed within the flat surface of the seating groove 24. It has a degree of freedom movable in the direction. Thus, the body portion 5 has a coupling degree of freedom in a direction parallel to the grooves 22 of the body portion 5 by maintaining a point contact connection in engagement with the lens barrel 50.

As described above, the lens barrel transfer device 1 of the camera module according to the present invention has a degree of coupling with the lens barrel 50 in the process of transferring the driving force of the actuator means 40 to the lens barrels 50 and towing. Thereby freely moving along the guide member 70 when the lens barrel 50 moves, thereby minimizing friction with the guide member 70 and allowing the lens barrel 50 to be accurately aligned along the guide member 70. .

As shown in FIG. 8 for the structure having such a degree of coupling freedom of the present invention, a series of experiments were conducted to see if the lens barrel 50 could reach the desired position in a timely manner. This was done in the same way as was done with the conventional structure with respect to FIG. 2, and the result was very good as shown in FIG.

That is, it can be seen that the number of applied signals for reaching the lens barrel 50, in this case, the zoom lens barrel, at the desired location, that is, 900 points, is about 26 to 31 as compared with the related art. As a result, the number of applied signals reaching the target point has been shortened by more than two times compared to the prior art, which greatly reduces the tilt phenomenon and frictional resistance of the lens barrel 50 generated during the movement of the lens barrel 50, thereby desired position and desired time. This means that the lens barrel 50 moves smoothly.

In addition, although the time required for the movement of the lens barrel 50 to this target position is shortened, the initial position returns to the same position even when returning to the original position. This means that the frictional resistance generated during the forward movement of the lens barrel 50 and the frictional resistance generated during the backward movement are the same and minimized. The actuator 310 is thus maintained by the same time required for the forward and reverse operations. Of course, the performance of the) can be smoothly maintained, as well as the performance of the camera module 30.

Therefore, the present invention solves the conventional problem related to the movement of the lens barrel 50 at one time.

In addition, since the first connection part 10 and the second connection part 20 are fitted to the actuator means 40 and the lens barrel 50, respectively, can be easily mounted to improve the assembly performance. The work productivity can be greatly increased.

In addition, since the present invention is directly connected to the variable resistance lever 62, the stable coupling state can be maintained due to back-lash and separation prevention, and thus the performance of the camera module 30 can be improved. have.

According to the present invention as described above, when the actuator means to pull the lens barrel in the camera module to move, to increase the degree of freedom of connection between the components to minimize the friction with the guide member during the movement of the lens barrel, the lens barrel is guide member This ensures accurate alignment so that the desired position is reached quickly. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the performance of the camera module, as well as not to overload the actuator means to ensure the performance of the actuator.

In addition, the present invention can achieve the effect of improving the image quality of the camera module by eliminating the jamming during the movement of the lens barrel through the stable movement of the lens barrel, and by quickly and accurately positioned in the desired position to exhibit a stable zoom and focus function .

In addition, since the structure of the first and second connection portions connecting the actuator means and the lens barrel is formed to be fit, the present invention can be easily assembled to obtain an effect of improving the assembly of parts.

In addition, the present invention is directly connected to the variable resistance lever, the movement of the variable resistance lever is made simultaneously with the movement of the lens barrel, it is possible to achieve a back-lash and departure prevention associated with the movement of the variable resistance lever camera The effect of improving the performance of the module can be obtained.

While the invention has been shown and described with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it has been described by way of example only to illustrate the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to this particular structure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes of the present invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Nevertheless, it will be clearly understood that all such modifications and variations are included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

In the lens barrel transfer device for moving the lens barrels in the camera module connected to the actuator means, A body part of which one side is connected to the actuator means and the other side is connected to the lens barrel; A first connection part in which a lead screw of an actuator means is slidably connected at one side of the body part; A second connection part to which the lens barrel is coupled in point contact in the other groove of the body part; A lever coupling part extending directly downward from the second connection part and coupled to a variable resistance lever; And A variable resistor for detecting a position of the lens barrel by moving the variable resistance lever position; Lens barrel transfer apparatus of the camera module, characterized in that it comprises a.       The lens barrel transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein an opening is formed in the floating portion of the body, and the inclined protrusions are screwed to the lead screw. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the second connection portion forms a concave groove in the body portion, and the protrusions protruding from the lens barrel are connected to each other by contacting the upper and lower surfaces of the groove. Lens barrel feeder.       The lens barrel transfer apparatus of claim 2, wherein the groove of the body portion accommodates the protrusion by forming a mounting groove having an inner diameter larger than the protrusion diameter of the lens barrel on the upper and lower surfaces thereof.       The lens barrel of the camera module of claim 1, wherein the lever coupling part comprises a pair of opposing semi-cylindrical protrusions protruding from the body part to accommodate the lever of the variable resistance therein. Conveying device.

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