Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03B—APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
  • G03B3/00—Focusing arrangements of general interest for cameras, projectors or printers
  • G03B3/10—Power-operated focusing
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B7/00—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements
  • G02B7/02—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements for lenses
  • G02B7/022—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements for lenses lens and mount having complementary engagement means, e.g. screw/thread
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B7/00—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements
  • G02B7/02—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements for lenses
  • G02B7/04—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements for lenses with mechanism for focusing or varying magnification
  • G02B7/08—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements for lenses with mechanism for focusing or varying magnification adapted to co-operate with a remote control mechanism
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B7/00—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements
  • G02B7/02—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements for lenses
  • G02B7/04—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements for lenses with mechanism for focusing or varying magnification
  • G02B7/10—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements for lenses with mechanism for focusing or varying magnification by relative axial movement of several lenses, e.g. of varifocal objective lens
  • G02B7/102—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements for lenses with mechanism for focusing or varying magnification by relative axial movement of several lenses, e.g. of varifocal objective lens controlled by a microcomputer
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03B—APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
  • G03B2205/00—Adjustment of optical system relative to image or object surface other than for focusing
  • G03B2205/0053—Driving means for the movement of one or more optical element
  • G03B2205/0061—Driving means for the movement of one or more optical element using piezoelectric actuators

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to a mechanism for moving the lens elements of an electronic camera.
• the components of electronic cameras require low power consumption, low weight and cost efficiency. These design criteria are challenged by the demand for optically adjustable cameras that provide autofocus, zoom optics, or both. These features require the relative movement of optical elements to provide the adjustment.
• the required motion is typically linear but may use a rotating motor combined with a motion- converting mechanism such as a lead-screw. The motion range is often in the order of millimeters. It is a purpose of this invention to provide a mechanism for adjusting the position of the optical elements in an electronic camera.
• bimorph piezoelectric element such elements are constructed of multiple layers of piezoelectric material wherein each layer is connected for independent ' excitation.
• a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever beam is used in combination with a magnifying lever for focusing a camera.
• the necessary stroke of such a focusing device results in a poor stiffness of the device.
• space is a crucial factor. There is thus a need for simple drive elements that can operate in narrow spaces with limited mechanical support. It is a purpose of this invention to utilize a bimorph piezoelectric element to adjust the position of a lens in an optical system of a digital camera.
• a miniaturized digital camera is constructed for use with a mobile communication device or other compact appliance.
• the optical system of such a camera may consist of a small lens assembly having single or multiple lens components.
• the optical system transmits the image received from an external source to a sensor array which converts the optical signal to a digital signal for processing.
• the lenses in the optical system are moved in relation to each other to provide autofocus and zoom capability.
• a single primary lens may be provided with sufficient movement to provide autofocus in accordance with the sensed location of the subject.
• the subject invention is first described with reference to a single adjustable lens application, although multiple lens configurations may be constructed utilizing multiple drive mechanisms as disclosed in this application.
• a lens element is mounted within a camera on a tubular member.
• the lens tube is in turn mounted on a support tube for movement along the longitudinal axis of the tubular member.
• the adjustment movement is provided by means of multiple bimorph piezoelectric elements, for example by three elements, spaced symmetrically around the circumference of the support tube.
• the piezoelectric elements are connected to and mounted on a flexible printed circuit board which may contain other electronic components associated with the lens drive system.
• the flexible printed circuit board is mounted on the support tube and is in turn connected to a voltage source such as a battery. The flexibility of the printed circuit board allows it to be formed to the shape of the support tube and for the piezoelectric element to be positioned in engagement with the lens tube .
• the bimorph piezoelectric element used in the subject mechanism is constructed of at least two layers of piezoelectric material which are independently energized to provide relative deformation between the two layers.
• the piezoelectric element used in the system of one embodiment of this invention is formed in the shape of a beam having an engagement pad extending transverse to the plane of the element from its midpoint. The beam is fixed to the circuit board close to ends or nodal positions. The outer end of the engagement pad is free to move in operative association with the movable lens tube.
• the beam comprises a pair of bimorph piezoelectric elements' extending to either side of the engagement pad. Each of the bimorph elements have dual active layers.
• the differential deformation generated by energizing only one of the two layers will cause the piezoelectric elements to bend, moving the outer end of the engagement pad into contact with the movable lens tube.
• the engagement pad By altering the excitation of the piezoelectric elements, the engagement pad causes movement in an ' axial direction, thereby adjusting the position of the lens.
• a pattern of excitation is devised to provide movement in discrete steps.
• a processor is connected in the printed circuit board to provide the main control for the digital camera and is constructed to generate a drive voltage pattern in accordance with the desired movement of the lens.
• the movement generated by the piezoelectric element provides a high resolution, but there are no structural features that provide a reference in order to obtain accurate repeatability.
• the step length provided by the piezoelectric element can vary with operational and environmental conditions.
• a position sensor is used to monitor the position of the movable tubes.
• An optical sensor is used to view a reflecting surface which is mounted on the moveable tube.
• the reflecting surface consists of a gray-scale incorporated into the surface treatment of the moveable tube. This configuration will provide accurate positional monitoring of a moveable tube.
• a pair of lenses are used to provide a zoom function.
• the moveable tube is divided into a front lens support section and a rear lens support section and each of the sections is driven separately by piezoelectric elements in a manner similar to that described above. If the application warrants, an optical sensor can be provided to monitor the position of both sections .
• a miniature drive system is provided to move the lens within the camera while using a minimum of power and space .
• Figure 1 is a schematic view of a simple optical system for use in a digital camera in accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention
• Figure 2 is a sectional view of the optical system of this invention shown in figure 1, taken along section lines a-a;
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control system for a digital camera according to a preferred embodiment of this invention.
• FIGS. 4a - 4e are enlarged views of the piezoelectric element shown in figures 1 and 2 at various conditions of excitation;
• Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the components of the optical system of this invention.
• Figure 6 is a schematic view of an alternate embodiment of the optical system of this invention.
• Figure 7 is an end view of the optical system of this invention as shown in figure 6;
• Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a alternate embodiment of a piezoelectric element for use in the embodiment of figures 6 and 7;
• Figures 9a and 9b are schematic diagrams of possible optical systems having moveable lens modules to provide both autofocus and zoom capabilities
• Figure 10 is a schematic drawing of a circuit for driving a bimorph piezoelectric element
• Figure 11 is a schematic cut away view of an alternate embodiment of an optical system showing the use of a position sensor according to this invention
• Figure 12a is an exploded view of the basic elements of the alternate embodiment of figure 11;
• Figure 12b is a sectional view of the assembled embodiment of figure 12a, along an axial section line;
• Figure 12c is a sectional view of the assembled embodiment of figure 12a, along a section line transverse to the axis of the device;
• Figure 13 is a schematic cut away view of a further alternative embodiment of the optical system of this invention.
• Figure 14 (a) is a perspective schematic view of the spring support and flexible printed circuit board of embodiment of figure 13;
• Figure 14 (b) is a schematic end view of the spring and flexible printed circuit board assembly of the embodiment of figure 13;
• Figure 15 is a perspective schematic view of the moveable tube of the embodiment of figure 13 ;
• Figure 16 is a perspective schematic view of the support tube of the optical system of this invention with a position monitor.
• a typical optical lens system 1 for a camera having an autofocus capability is depicted schematically in figure 1. It generally will consist of a primary lens 2, which operates to project a focused image of subject 8 on image plane 5. As shown, the primary lens 2 is adjustable in the range x-y. Lens system 1 is used in a digital camera system 6, as shown in figure 3. Lens system 1 is secured within a housing (not shown) to project an image on an image sensor 7 positioned at the image plane 5 of the camera system 6. The primary lens 2 is adjustable to obtain an autofocus function.
• the single adjustable lens configuration is chosen for ease of illustration. It should be recognized that multiple lens adjustment could be obtained to provide a zoom capability. Examples of such systems are shown in figures 9a and 9b. In the latter instances, multiple piezoelectric drive groups may be constructed to provide independent adjustment motion of the autofocus and zoom lenses .
• the lens assembly 1, as shown in figure 1, consists of a support tube 9 and a lens tube 10.
• Lens tube 10 holds the lens 2 and is mounted coaxially within support tube 9.
• Lens tube 10 is adjustable to provide an autofocus capability for the camera system 6.
• lens tube 10 is supported within the support tube 9 for movement in an axial direction.
• Support and motion for the lens tube 10 is provided by multiple bimorph piezoelectric elements 11, 12, and 13, as shown in figures 1 and 2.
• the lens tube can be driven by two or even one element if there is no need for high axial forces.
• the circuit board for the piezoelectric drive is a flexible printed circuit board 14 arranged about the outer cylindrical surface 15 of the support tube 9.
• the piezoelectric elements 11-13 and their associated components are connected and supported directly by the flexible circuit board 14.
• the image processing and related elements of the camera system 6, as shown in figure 3, are connected and supported by a separate printed circuit board, such as shown at reference number 73 in figure 12.
• a power supply 22, such as a battery, will be connected to printed circuit boards 14 and 73 in a well known manner.
• a resilient insulating sheet 15 is wrapped around flexible circuit board 14.
• the assembly of flexible circuit board and insulating sheet 15 is held in place on support tube 9 by a split ring shaped spring 16. Damping sheet 15 and spring 16 may be eliminated by incorporating these functions into the construction of flexible circuit board 14.
• Contacts 20 are formed on flexible circuit board 14 to provide means to connect the flexible circuit board 14 a power supply 22.
• Sheet 15 provides a resilient damping of the piezoelectric distortion within the assembly while allowing the necessary flexing and the damping of acoustic noise.
• the piezoelectric elements are mounted on the flexible circuit board 14 on the outer periphery of the support tube 9.
• Elements 11-13 are identical and each is constructed with a pair of elements 30 and 31, as shown in figure 4e.
• Element 11 is formed by bimorph sections 30 and 31 which are connected to form a beam by a passive member 32 at the midpoint of the beam.
• An engagement pad 33 extends outward from the passive member 32 transverse to the longitudinal axis of the beam.
• Bimorph section 30 is constructed of dual piezoelectric volumes 30A and 30B which are both active and connected to flexible circuit board 14 though contacts 34. Each volume could consist of several layers connected and polarized to act as one piezoelectric layer. This reduces the necessary driving voltages.
• section 31 is constructed of dual piezoelectric layers 31A and 31B connected to flexible circuit board 14 though contacts 35.
• Engagement pad 33 in the assembled condition, is aligned with an opening 18 in support tube 9 to allow engagement of the outer engagement end 36 of pad 33 with the lens support tube 9.
• the piezoelectric elements 11-13 are excited in accordance with a predetermined pattern to cause the attachment levers 33 of elements 11-13 to engage the lens tube 10 and adjust its axial position.
• the amount of this adjustment will be in accordance with a signal from an autofocus sensor 23 which senses the distance d of the subject 8.
• a manual zoom control 24 is provided to signal the camera control processor to cause movement, for example, of a zoom lens as shown in figure 9a.
• the camera system 6 consists of a primary control processor 21 which receives power from power supply 22 to drive the components of the system 6. Adjustment signals are provided by autofocus sensor 23 which senses the distance d of the subject from the optical system 1.
• the camera control processor 21 generates a signal and sends it to an actuator control processor 25.
• the actuator control processor 25 generates a predetermined control voltage pattern to cause the piezoelectric elements to deform in response to signals from the camera control processor 21.
• the voltage pattern is designed to cause movement of the adjustable lens tube 10 in the axial direction in the amount indicated by the autofocus sensor 23.
• the optical elements project the image of subject 8 onto the image sensor 7 located at the focal plane 5 of the camera system 6.
• Image sensor 7 generates a signal indicative of the image which is projected.
• the image signal is converted to a digital signal in image processor 26.
• the digital image signal is stored in a memory section of camera control processor 21.
• actuator control processor 25 is shown in the circuit diagram of figure 10.
• the circuit shown is designed to control two piezoelectric volume elements 201 and 202.
• an output bridge 210 comprising transistors 211, 212, 213, 214, to control piezoelectric element 201 and another separate bridge 220, comprising the transistors 221, 222, 223, 224, to control another piezoelectric element 202.
• the transistors of bridges 210 and 220 can be either bipolar or Field Effect (FET) devices or a combination thereo'f .
• Bridge 210 is controlled by bridge control signals 231, 232, 233, 234 and bridge 220 is controlled by signals 241, 242, 243, 244.
• the transistors of the bridges 210 and 220 can either be discrete or integrated in the control circuit. 0 indicates circuit ground and + indicates the supply bus. In operation the half bridge, comprising transistors 211 and 212, can be controlled by the bridge control signals 231, 232 to output any voltage between 0 and + and the other half bridge, comprising transistors 213, 214, of bridge 210 can be controlled by the bridge control signals 233, 234 to output a complementary voltage.
• the full supply bus voltage can be applied over the element 201 either way.
• the control signals 231, 232, 233, 234 can also easily be arranged to completely switch off all transistors in bridge 210.
• the controller 25 can control the bridge 220 to output a voltage either way over the element 202 or keep the element 202 unconnected. All needed volume element movements can be implemented by the controller 25 by separately controlling two or more elements at the same time.
• Fig. 4a-4e show a double bimorph piezoelectric element 11 which is constructed to engag'e lens tube 10 to adjust the axial position of lens tube 10.
• the element 11 and its associated elements 12 and 13 are each constructed in the same manner.
• a pair of bimorph elements 30 and 31 are mechanically connected through passive part 32 to form a beam 4.
• Each of the sections are constructed similarly, therefore only one is described herein.
• the bimorph section 30 comprises two active volumes 30A and 30B separated by a middle electrode 34A.
• the upper active volume 30A is shown as a single layer, but may have multiple layers.
• the lower active 'volume 30B may comprise a number of piezoelectric layers, but only one is shown for simplicity.
• the bottom electrode (34C) of active volume 30B is connected to GND in one embodiment. In other embodiments all electrodes (34A-C, 35A-C) can be controlled individually. If a soft piezoelectric material, i.e. a material that is easy to polarize, is used, the upper electrode of active volume 30A is connected to a voltage higher than the peak voltage applied to signal electrode 34A. If a hard piezoelectric material is used, a polarization opposite to the electric field can be used and the upper electrode can be connected to ground.
• a soft piezoelectric material i.e. a material that is easy to polarize
• the active volumes 30A and 30B can be excited individually.
• the piezoelectric layer expands in the electrical field direction, i.e. each layer becomes thicker, if the electric field and polarization have the same direction, however, at the same time, the active volume 30A will contract in the longitudinal direction. This contraction and expansion is related to the characteristic coefficients of the piezoelectric material chosen. If the active volume 30A is unaltered as active volume 3OB is excited, the decreased length of the active volume 3OB will cause the bimorph piezoelectric section 30 to distort and bend upwards as shown in figure 4a.
• the bimorph element 11 as shown in figure 4e, is comprised of two adjacent piezoelectric beams or sections 30 and 31 separated by passive part or member 32. There are three points of contact for the element 11 one close to either end of the combined beams and another at the engagement end 36 of pad 33. In order to allow the necessary distortion of the beam sections and overall beam that comprises element 11, the ends of the beam should be flexibly mounted to the flexible circuit board 14 to provide a degree of rotation at the corresponding contact points .
• Piezoelectric actuating elements of this type are described in copending U.S. application serial no. 09/739,906, filed December 20, 2000. The disclosure of this application is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
• the piezoelectric element 11A comprises a cantilevered beam having two active volumes 40A and 40B supported by passive part 42 which is mounted on flexible circuit board 14.
• the piezoelectric element 11A has at least two parallel active volumes 40A and 40B.
• Each of the active volumes 0A and 40B comprises at least one piezoelectric layer.
• 40A and 40B can be activated individually by electrodes 43
• flexible circuit board 14 supports the element 11A at the passive part 32 and is connected to electrodes 43 through appropriate means (not shown) .
• the flexible circuit board 14 is fixed to the interior surface 15 of the support tube 9.
• Support tube 9 is fixed within the body of the camera system 6 (not shown) .
• the element 11A can be caused to contract in the axial direction.
• the actuating surface. 48 can be moved in a two- dimensional space (X and Z) , as illustrated by the elliptical path shown in figure 8.
• the element 11A is forced to bend against it for frictional engagement.
• a different excitation of the active volumes 40A and 40B can be accomplished to provide an expansion of the element 11A which will provide movement of the adjustable tube 10 in the opposite axial direction.
• a desired pattern of movements can be obtained which are consistent with the desired function.
• the particular motion performed is responsive to the signals from the camera control processor 20.
• a position sensor 70 is used to monitor the position of the movable tubes, as shown in figures 11 and 12a-c.
• the optical system of this embodiment includes support tube 17 and moveable lens tube 10 as previously described. These components are mounted directly on printed circuit board 73 by holder 74 (see figure 11) .
• Printed circuit board 73 contains the image sensor 7, image processor 26 and related components (not shown) .
• An optical sensor 71 is mounted and connected to flexible circuit board 14 and is used to view a reflecting surface 76 mounted on the moveable tube 10.
• Optical sensor 71 may be a commercially available, subminiature, reflective type, photointerrupter, such as model GP2S60, available from Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas, Camas, WA.
• Optical monitor 70 includes a reflecting surface 76 as shown in the embodiment of figure 15, which consists of a gray-scale incorporated into the surface treatment of the moveable tube. In figure 15, the reflecting surface 76 is shown in the rear section 120 of moveable tube 110.
• the assembly of this embodiment also includes flexible circuit board 14 wrapped around support tube 17 and held in place by spring element 16. Piezoelectric elements 1-13 are mounted on flexible circuit board 14 in a position to enable the engagement pads of these elements to engage the lens tube 10 through openings 76-78 in support tube 17.
• Visual access for position sensor 71 is provided by port 79 in support tube 17. This configuration will provide accurate monitoring of a moveable tube in a wide variety of embodiments. An' appropriate opening must be provided in the intervening components of optical system 1 to enable the optical sensor 51 to have visual access to the moveable tubes 10 or 110 (in figure 13).
• FIGS 9a and 9b show two possible lens configurations for providing autofocus and zoom.
• a primary lens 51 is mounted on a support tube for movement relative to focal plane 5
• a zoom assembly is provided which consists of a pair of lenses 52 and 53.
• the zoom lenses are mounted for movement relative to the primary lens 51 and focal plane 5.
• the zoom pair is also mounted for movement with the primary lens for focus adjustment.
• This system is designed to use a piezoelectric drive for the primary lens support movement which would include the zoom components and a second drive to provide movement of the zoom lenses relative to the primary lens support .
• a zoom system is shown using a pair of lens 61 and 62.
• This configuration would also be adaptable to a pair of drives as indicated above for movement in ranges 63 and 64 as shown in figure 9b.
• a second moveable support tube may be provided which is mounted for movement within the primary lens support tube 10.
• at least two groups of lenses are provided, one group for adjusting the zoom ration and another for compensating for changes in focus.
• a piezoelectric driven optical system for providing a zoom function is shown in figures 13-15.
• lens systems which can be adapted to a system of this invention depending on the needs of a particular application. The systems described herein are designed for applications where size, weight, and energy use need to be minimized.
• an optical system 101 is mounted directly to the main printed circuit board 122 which includes an image sensor (not shown) .
• Optical system 101 as shown in figures 13-15, consists of a second lens element 102 and a first lens element 103 with an infra red filter 104.
• Optical system 101 is mounted on moveable tube 110.
• moveable tube 110 is split into two sections, a front section 121 in which is mounted the first lens element 103 and a rear section 120 in which is mounted the second lens element.
• the sections of the moveable tube 110 are moveable with respect to each other.
• front section 121 may be moveable on rear section 120, as shown in figure 15.
• Front section 121 may also be connected to a bellows 105 to provide a seal for the optical system 101.
• each section of moveable tube 110 is driven independently by a pair of piezoelectric elements
• piezoelectric elements 112 and 113 may power the rear section 120
• piezoelectric elements 111 and 131 may power the front section 121.
• drive pad contact surfaces 125 and 126 are constructed on the front section 121 and rear section 120 respectively. The pads may be formed by alteration of the surface finish in the proper location.
• Optical sensors such as 123, may be provided in this embodiment for each of the sections 120 and 121, mounted directly on the flexible printed circuit board 11 .
• An opening 127 is constructed in the support tube 117 to provide optical exposure to reflective surface 76 on rear tube section 120.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Lens Barrels (AREA)
• Automatic Focus Adjustment (AREA)
• Studio Devices (AREA)

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• 2002
  • 2002-06-05 US US10/163,111 patent/US6710950B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-12-10 US US10/315,885 patent/US7212358B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2003
  • 2003-06-04 CN CNB038130971A patent/CN100427985C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-06-04 AU AU2003238885A patent/AU2003238885A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-06-04 JP JP2004511891A patent/JP4344688B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-06-04 WO PCT/US2003/017611 patent/WO2003104874A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2003-06-04 EP EP03734400A patent/EP1509801A4/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2009
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