TWI786764B - Lens module - Google Patents

Abstract

A lens module includes a casing, a lens, a first gear, a second gear, a first door and a second door. The lens is disposed in the casing, and a lens opening of the lens corresponds to the lens. The first and the second gears are engaged with each other and disposed in the casing. The first and the second gears are respectively engaged with inner teeth of the first and the second doors, and a pitch diameter of the first door is greater than a pitch diameter of the second door. A door knob of the first door is configured to be pushed to drive the first door moving, and the second door is driven to move in an opposite direction via the engagement of the first and second gears, such that the first and second doors cover or expose the lens opening together.

Description

Lens module

The present invention relates to a lens module, and in particular to a lens module with a sliding door cover.

With the advancement of imaging technology, imaging devices such as video cameras, still cameras, and projectors are gradually becoming popular in daily life. Nowadays, many electronic products need to be equipped with a lens in order to provide image capture or delivery to provide functions such as taking pictures, scanning identification codes, watching videos, meeting presentations, or video entertainment. However, in order to reduce the chance of the lens being in contact with the outside world, to avoid dust and other dirt remaining on the lens to affect functions such as shooting and identification, or to prevent personal privacy from being accidentally touched by the user. Therefore, a lens cap is usually further installed in front of the lens to prevent the above problems from occurring. However, since the lens cap is usually exposed on the outside of the lens, and the lens cap needs to be removed manually before the lens is used, the lens cap is easy to fall and lose, which causes troubles for users.

The invention provides a lens module, the door cover of which is built on the lens module and can be opened and closed symmetrically by sliding.

A lens module of the present invention includes a casing, a lens, a first gear, a second gear, a first door cover and a second door cover. The housing includes a lens opening. The lens is disposed in the casing, and the lens opening corresponds to the lens. The first gear and the second gear are arranged in the housing meshing with each other. A first door cover and a second door cover are movably disposed on opposite sides of the housing surrounding the lens opening, the first door cover and the second door cover are respectively connected to the first gear meshing with the second gear, and the diameter of a pitch circle of the first door cover is different from the diameter of a pitch circle of the second gear, when the first door cover moves, the first gear and the first door cover The second gear drives the second door cover to move in opposite directions, so that the first door cover and the second door cover cover or expose the lens opening together.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first door cover includes a plurality of first internal teeth provided on the inner surface of the first door cover, and the second door cover includes a plurality of first internal teeth provided on the second door cover The plurality of second internal teeth on the inner surface of the inner surface, and the plurality of first internal teeth and the plurality of second internal teeth mesh with the first gear and the second gear respectively.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the number of teeth of the plurality of first internal teeth of the first door cover is different from the number of teeth of the plurality of second internal teeth of the second door cover.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the moving stroke of the first door cover is different from the moving stroke of the second door cover.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the first door cover and the second door cover jointly cover the lens opening, one end of the first door cover and one end of the second door cover are in contact with each other.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first door cover further includes a door handle Located at the end of the first door cover, the door handle is adapted to be driven by an external force to drive the first door cover.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the lens module further includes an elastic element, which is disposed in the housing and connected to the other end far away from the end of the first door cover and the second end far away from the second door. between the other end of said end of the cover.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the lens module further includes a magnetic field sensor disposed in the casing and a magnetic element disposed on the first door cover or the second door cover.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic element is disposed at the other end of the first door cover or the other end of the second door cover.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the lens module further includes a sensor bracket, the magnetic field sensor is arranged on the sensor bracket and is located between the lens and the magnetic element, when the When the first door cover and the second door cover jointly cover the lens opening, the magnetic field sensor senses a magnetic field of the magnetic element.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the lens module further includes a controller coupled to the magnetic field sensor, wherein when the magnetic field sensor senses the magnetic field, the magnetic field sensor transmits A sensing signal is sent to the controller, so that the controller closes the lens accordingly.

Based on the above, the first door cover and the second door cover of the lens module of the embodiment of the present invention have different pitch circle diameters, so the moving speeds of the first door cover and the second door cover can be different, and the The cover and the second door cover can be opened and closed at the same time under the condition that the moving strokes are different. Moreover, using the setting of the elastic element, the user only needs to The first door cover and the second door cover can be pulled to the expected opening or closing position through the elastic restoring force of the elastic element itself when the first door cover is moved to a position slightly beyond the half of the moving stroke. In addition, through the cooperation of the magnetic field sensor, the magnetic element and the controller, the lens module can automatically open the lens when the first door cover and the second door cover are in the open position, and when the first door cover and the second door cover are in the open position, the lens module can automatically open the lens. The lens is automatically closed when the cover is in the closed position. Therefore, the lens module of the embodiment of the present invention can improve user experience and convenience.

100: Lens module

110: shell

112: Lens opening

120: Lens

130: first gear

140: second gear

150: First door cover

152, 162: internal teeth

154: doorknob

156, 166: positioning protrusion

160:Second door cover

170: elastic element

180: Magnetic components

185: Magnetic field sensor

190: sensor bracket

195: Controller

D1, D2: pitch circle diameter

E11, E12, E21, E22: terminal

h1: horizontal component

OP1, OP2: opening

R1: External force direction

R2: Opposite direction

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a door cover of a lens module in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional schematic diagram of a door cover of a lens module in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a door cover of a lens module in an open state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a schematic diagram of internal teeth of a first door cover and a second door cover of a lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a door cover of a lens module in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a door cover of a lens module in an open state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of some components of a lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The aforementioned and other technical contents, features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed descriptions of the embodiments with reference to the drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", etc., are only referring to the directions of the attached drawings. Accordingly, the directional terms used are illustrative, not limiting, of the invention. Also, in the following embodiments, the same or similar components will be given the same or similar symbols.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a door cover of a lens module in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, the lens module 100 can be applied and assembled on an electronic device to provide a camera function for the electronic device. For example, the electronic device can be a television, a desktop computer, a notebook computer or other suitable electronic devices. In some embodiments, the lens module 100 can be disposed above the screen of the electronic device, for example, but this embodiment is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the lens module 100 includes a casing 110 , a lens 120 , a first gear 130 , a second gear 140 , a first door cover 150 and a second door cover 160 . In this embodiment, the housing 110 can be, for example, a curved housing, which includes a lens opening 112. The lens 120 is disposed in the housing 110 , and the position of the lens 120 corresponds to the lens opening 112 , that is, the lens opening 112 is suitable for exposing the lens 120 in the housing 110 . The first gear 130 and the second gear 140 are disposed in the casing 110 to be meshed with each other. The first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 are movably disposed on opposite side walls of the casing 110 surrounding the lens opening 112 . Specifically, the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 are arc-shaped door cover structures, which are arranged in the casing 110 and located on opposite sides (such as upper and lower sides) of the lens opening 112, and are configured Relatively slide along the arc profile of the housing 110 between the closed position as shown in FIG. 2 and the open position as shown in FIG. 4 .

3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional schematic diagram of a door cover of a lens module in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a door cover of a lens module in an open state according to an embodiment of the present invention. In order to present the assembly relationship inside the lens module more clearly, some components (such as elastic elements, etc.) are omitted in FIG. Please refer to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 at the same time. In some embodiments, the inner surface of the first door cover 150 has a plurality of (first) internal teeth 152, and the inner surface of the second door cover 160 has a plurality of (second) teeth. The internal teeth 162 are respectively engaged with the teeth of the first gear 130 and the second gear 140 . The first door cover 150 may have a handle 154 adapted to receive an external force to drive the first door cover 150 to move (rotate) along the direction R1 of the external force. In this way, the first door cover 150 drives the first gear 130 meshed with it to rotate, and the first gear 130 drives the second gear 140 to rotate in the opposite direction R2 opposite to the external force direction R1, and then drives the second door cover 160 meshed with it to rotate along R2 moves (rotates) in the opposite direction. At this Under such a structural configuration, if the lens 120 is to be exposed during use, an external force can be applied to the door handle 154 to drive the first door cover 150 to move (rotate) along the direction of the external force R1, and then the meshing of the first gear 130 and the second gear 140 can be carried out. And the second door cover 160 is driven to move in the opposite direction R2, so that the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 jointly cover or jointly expose the lens opening 112 and the lens 120 therein.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , the inner tooth 152 of the first door cover 150 can be a separate structure from the door cover body, and can engage with the opening OP1 of the door cover body through, for example, the positioning protrusion 156 . Correspondingly, the internal teeth 162 of the second door cover 160 can also be a separate structure from the door cover body, and can engage with the opening OP2 of the door cover body through, for example, the positioning protrusion 166 . Of course, in other embodiments, the inner teeth 152 of the first door cover 150 can be integrally formed with the door cover body, and the inner teeth 162 of the second door cover 160 can also be integrally formed with the door cover body. This embodiment is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, the first door cover 150 may include a first front end (one end) E11 and a first rear end (the other end) E12 opposite to each other. Accordingly, the second door cover 160 may include a second front end (one end) E21 and a second rear end (other end) E22 opposite to each other. When the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 jointly cover the lens opening 112 (that is, when the door cover is in the closed position), the first front end E11 of the first door cover 150 and the second front end E11 of the second door cover 160 The E21 are in contact with each other, and the door handle 154 is disposed on the first front end E11. In some embodiments, the lens module 100 may further include an elastic element 170 disposed in the casing 110 and connected to the first rear end E12 of the first door cover 150 and the second rear end of the second door cover 160 respectively. E22. In some embodiments, the elastic member 170 may be, for example, a tension spring.

So configured, when the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 gradually move from the closed position to the half-open position (the position between the closed position shown in FIG. 2 and the open position shown in FIG. 4 ), the elastic element 170 will be gradually stretched from the initial state and generate a corresponding elastic restoring force. Therefore, when the user wants to open the door covers 150, 160, the user only needs to apply an external force through the door handle 154 to push the second When the first door cover 150 is moved slightly beyond the half-open position, the elastic element 170 can pull the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 to the open position as shown in Figure 4 through its own elastic restoring force. At this time, The elastic element 170 will return to the original state. Similarly, when the user wants to close the door covers 150, 160, the user only needs to apply an external force through the door handle 154 to move the first door cover 150 in the opposite direction to slightly beyond the half-closed position, and the elastic member 170 That is, when the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 are pulled to the closed position as shown in FIG. 2 through their own elastic restoring force. Specifically, the stretching amount of the elastic element 170 is the largest at the middle point where the door covers 150, 160 are from the closed position to the open position, and the elastic element 170 is in a relaxed state when the door covers 150, 160 are in the closed position and the open position, so Only then can the door covers 150, 160 be pulled back to the open or closed position through the restoring force of the elastic element 170 when the door covers 150, 160 pass through the middle point.

5 is a schematic diagram of internal teeth of a first door cover and a second door cover of a lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Fig. 3 and Fig. 5 at the same time, in some embodiments, since the door handle 154 is arranged on the first door cover 150, the first door cover 150 will cause the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 150 because of the door handle 154. 160 is not in a completely symmetrical configuration when closed, and the movement strokes of the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 when moving from the closed position to the open position are also different. Specifically, the second door cover 160 is formed by The movement stroke when the closed position moves to the open position will be different (for example, greater than) the movement stroke when the first door cover 150 moves from the closed position to the open position. In view of this, if the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 want to move from the closed position to the open position (or from the open position to the closed position) at the same time, the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 150 The speed of movement and rotation angle of 160 must be different.

Accordingly, in some embodiments, the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 may have different curvatures, and the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 may have different sizes. Specifically, the pitch circle diameter D1 of the first door cover 150 is different from the pitch circle diameter D2 of the second door cover 160 . In one embodiment, the pitch circle diameter D1 of the first door cover 150 is larger than the pitch circle diameter D2 of the second door cover 160 . Therefore, the number of teeth of the inner teeth 152 of the first door cover 150 is different from the number of teeth of the inner teeth 162 of the second door cover 160 . In one embodiment, the number of teeth of the inner teeth 152 of the first door cover 150 is greater than the number of teeth of the inner teeth 162 of the second door cover 160 . It should be noted here that the two-phase meshing gear can be regarded as two rolling contact circles without considering the concave-convex tooth shape. This virtual circle can be called a pitch circle, and the diameter of this pitch circle is pitch circle diameter. In general, gears with a larger pitch diameter rotate at a slower rate, while gears with a smaller pitch diameter rotate at a faster rate. Therefore, when the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 are driven at the same time, the moving (rotation) rate of the second door cover 160 is faster and the rotation angle is larger. ), the movement stroke of the second door cover 160 is greater than the movement stroke of the first door cover 150, so as to achieve the effect that the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 are simultaneously opened and closed.

6 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a door cover of a lens module in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention A partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the door cover of the lens module in an open state. FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of some components of a lens module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIGS. 6 to 8 at the same time. In some embodiments, the lens module 100 further includes a magnetic element 180 , a magnetic field sensor 185 , a sensor bracket 190 and a controller 195 coupled to the magnetic field sensor 185 . The magnetic field sensor 185 is disposed in the casing 110 . Specifically, the magnetic field sensor 185 is disposed on the sensor bracket 190 and located between the lens 120 and the magnetic element 180 . The magnetic element 180 is disposed on the first door cover 150 or the second door cover 160 . In this embodiment, the magnetic element 180 is disposed on the first rear end E12 of the first door cover 150 to move along with the first door cover 150 .

So configured, when the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 jointly cover the lens opening and the lens 120 therein (that is, when it is in the closed position), the magnetic field sensor 185 senses the magnetic field of the magnetic element 180, and the , the magnetic field sensor 185 sends a sensing signal to the controller 195 so that the controller 195 closes the lens 120 accordingly. For example, the magnetic field sensor 185 may include a giant magnetoresistance (GMR, Giant Magneto Resistance) sensor. In one embodiment, when the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 are in the closed position as shown in FIG. At this time, the magnetic force on h1 is greater than the threshold value of the sensor, and the magnetic field sensor 185 sends a sensing signal to the controller 195 so that the controller 195 closes the lens 120 accordingly. Relatively, when the first door cover 150 and the second door cover 160 are in the open position as shown in FIG. The magnetic field direction of the magnetic field sensor 185 is nearly perpendicular to the sensing direction h1 of the magnetic field sensor 185, so the magnetic force on the sensing direction h1 of the sensor 185 If it is smaller than the sensor threshold, the controller 195 will not receive the sensing signal from the magnetic field sensor 185, and the controller 195 controls the lens 120 to open or keep open.

To sum up, the first door cover and the second door cover of the lens module according to the embodiment of the present invention have different pitch circle diameters, so that the moving speeds of the first door cover and the second door cover can be different, and then The first door cover and the second door cover can be opened and closed at the same time under the condition that the moving strokes are different. Moreover, with the arrangement of the elastic element, the user only needs to move the first door cover to a halfway position slightly beyond the moving stroke, and then the first door cover and the second door cover can be separated by the elastic restoring force of the elastic element itself. Pull to desired open or closed position. In addition, through the cooperation of the magnetic field sensor, the magnetic element and the controller, the lens module can automatically open the lens when the first door cover and the second door cover are in the open position, and when the first door cover and the second door cover are in the open position, the lens module can automatically open the lens. The lens is automatically closed when the cover is in the closed position. Therefore, the lens module of the embodiment of the present invention can improve user experience and convenience.

100: Lens module

120: Lens

130: first gear

140: second gear

150: First door cover

152: First inner tooth

154: doorknob

156, 166: positioning protrusion

160:Second door cover

162: Second inner tooth

OP1, OP2: opening

R1: External force direction

R2: Opposite direction

Claims (11)

A lens module, comprising: a casing with a lens opening; a lens arranged in the casing and the position of the lens corresponds to the lens opening; a first gear and a second gear meshing with each other disposed in the casing; and a first door cover and a second door cover, movably arranged on opposite side walls of the casing surrounding the lens opening, the first door cover and the The second door cover meshes with the first gear and the second gear respectively, and a pitch circle diameter of the first door cover is different from a pitch circle diameter of the second door cover, when the first door cover When moving, the first gear and the second gear drive the second door cover to move in a direction opposite to that of the first door cover, so that the first door cover and the second door cover collectively cover or expose the lens opening. The lens module according to claim 1, wherein the first door cover includes a plurality of first internal teeth provided on the inner surface of the first door cover, and the second door cover includes a plurality of first internal teeth provided on the first door cover. There are a plurality of second internal teeth on the inner surface of the door cover, and the plurality of first internal teeth and the plurality of second internal teeth mesh with the first gear and the second gear respectively. The lens module according to claim 2, wherein the number of teeth of the plurality of first inner teeth of the first door cover is different from the number of teeth of the plurality of second inner teeth of the second door cover. The lens module according to claim 1, wherein the moving stroke of the first door cover is different from the moving stroke of the second door cover. The lens module according to claim 1, wherein when the first door cover and the second door cover jointly cover the lens opening, one end of the first door cover and one end of the second door cover touch each other. The lens module according to claim 5, wherein the first door cover further includes a door handle disposed at the end of the first door cover, and the door handle is adapted to be driven by an external force to drive the first door cover. The lens module according to claim 5, further comprising an elastic element, which is arranged in the housing and connected to the other end away from the end of the first door cover and the end far away from the second door cover. Between the other end of the said end. The lens module according to claim 7 further includes a magnetic field sensor disposed in the casing and a magnetic element disposed on the first door cover or the second door cover. The lens module according to claim 8, wherein the magnetic element is disposed at the other end of the first door cover or the other end of the second door cover. The lens module as described in claim 8 further includes a sensor bracket, the magnetic field sensor is arranged on the sensor bracket and is located between the lens and the magnetic element, when the When the first door cover and the second door cover jointly cover the lens opening, the magnetic field sensor senses a magnetic field of the magnetic element. The lens module according to claim 10, further comprising a controller coupled to the magnetic field sensor, wherein when the magnetic field sensor senses the magnetic field, The magnetic field sensor sends a sensing signal to the controller, so that the controller closes the lens accordingly.

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