WO2023225846A1

WO2023225846A1 - Retractable lens barrel structure

Info

Publication number: WO2023225846A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/094689
Authority: WO
Inventors: Atsushi Yoneyama; Naoki Sekiguchi; Atsushi Horidan
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2022-05-24
Filing date: 2022-05-24
Publication date: 2023-11-30

Abstract

A lens barrel module, comprising, in a housing: a bending optical member(1) for bending light incident along a first optical axis on an object side to a direction along a second optical axis on an image side; a first lens group(2) arranged on the first optical axis; a second lens group(3) arranged on the second optical axis; and a mechanism for retracting the bending optical member(1) as well as for retracting the first lens group(2) in a direction of the first optical axis. In contrast to techniques to retract a lens group with a cam cylinder driven by an actuator provided outside the lens barrel, which tends to increase the product size as well as the number of components, the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member(1) as well as for retracting the first lens group(2) in a direction of the first optical axis saves the number of components. Moreover, inclusion of the mechanism in the housing of the lens barrel module allows a small overall size of a product that includes the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member(1) and the first lens group(2).

Description

RETRACTABLE LENS BARREL STRUCTURE

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of this application generally relate to camera modules, and in particular, to a lens barrel structure for a camera module in a mobile device.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, for camera modules mounted on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs, a folded optical axis has been proposed to reduce the thickness or height of the product. In a camera module with a folded optical axis, a bending optical member is provided for bending light incident along a first optical axis on an object side to a direction along a second optical axis on an image side.

A first lens group may be arranged on the first optical axis and a second lens group may be arranged on the second optical axis. Light transmitted through the second lens group is incident on an imager (image sensor) .

Even with such a folded optical axis, a thickness of a camera module may be restricted, which in turn limits the optical design. Thus, a camera module with a mechanism to retract a lens barrel is desired to increase flexibility in product design as well as to achieve a low profile when not in use for imaging.

In a first possible technique to retract a lens group, a bending optical member in the form of a prism is retracted to make space for accommodating a lens group, and a cam cylinder (also referred to as a cam ring) is driven by an actuator provided outside the lens barrel. The movement of the cam cylinder causes the lens group to be retracted in a direction along the first optical axis on the object side. This technique has a disadvantage in that the product size tends to be large. In addition, it involves a relatively large number of components, which may result in a higher cost or degradation of performance due to assembly errors. Furthermore, the bending optical member in the form of a prism needs to be accommodated along the second optical axis on the image side, which increases the size of the product along the second optical axis.

In a second possible technique to retract a lens group, a bending optical member in the form of a mirror is retracted to make space for accommodating a lens group, and a cam cylinder is driven by an actuator provided outside the lens barrel. The movement of the cam cylinder causes the lens group to be retracted in a direction along the first optical axis on the object side. This technique also has a disadvantage in that the product size tends to be large. In addition, it involves a relatively large number of components, which may result in a higher cost or degradation of performance due to assembly errors.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure aims to provide a structure that addresses one or more of the above-mentioned issues.

According to an implementation of a first aspect of the present disclosure, a lens barrel module is provided. The lens barrel module comprise, in a housing: a bending optical member for bending light incident along a first optical axis on an object side to a direction along a second optical axis on an image side; a first lens group arranged on the first optical axis; a second lens group arranged on the second optical axis; and a mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis.

In contrast to techniques to retract a lens group with a cam cylinder driven by an actuator provided outside the lens barrel, which tends to increase the product size as well as the number of components, the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis saves the number of components. Moreover, inclusion of the mechanism in the housing of the lens barrel module allows a small overall size of a product that includes the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member and the first lens group.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on the above implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis comprises a cam plate and an actuator, wherein the cam plate is linearly driven by the actuator in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis and substantially parallel with the second optical axis to retract the bending optical member as well as to retract the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis.

The linear movement of the actuator facilitates including in the housing of the lens barrel module the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as the first lens group.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, a feature for driving the bending optical member is provided on an inside surface of the cam plate and a feature for driving the first lens group is provided on an outside surface of the cam plate.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the feature for driving the bending optical member is a step provided on the inside surface of the cam plate and the feature for driving the first lens group is a cam groove provided on the outside surface of the cam plate.

Such a cam plate allows a relatively simple mechanism to retract the bending optical member as well as the first lens group.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, a leaf spring is attached to the cam plate and the cam plate is urged by the leaf spring onto an actuator of the mechanism.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the leaf spring is attached to the cam plate by a screw and a strength of the urging of the cam plate onto the actuator by the leaf string can be adjusted by the screw.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the cam plate is directly fixed to the actuator.

These provide specific embodiments for attaching the actuator to the cam plate.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the first lens group is mounted on a first lens barrel, and the first lens barrel has a protrusion, wherein via a linear movement of a cam plate, the protrusion is guided along a cam groove provided on the outside surface of the cam plate, which causes the first lens barrel to be moved toward a base frame constituting a part of the housing, resulting in retracting of the first lens group in the direction of the first optical axis.

Guiding the protrusion provided on the first lens barrel along a cam groove provided on the surface of the cam plate provides a simple mechanism to drive the first lens group by a linear movement of the cam plate.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, a lens barrel holding the first lens group is held by guide pins parallel to the first optical axis and is configured to move in a direction parallel to the guide pins.

In contrast to techniques relying on a rotation mechanism, the linear movement caused by the actuator allows use of guide pins. It improves accuracy in holding/positioning of the first lens group as well as alignment of its optical axis.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the guide pins are made of a metal.

Guide pins are easy to manufacture in metal. This is advantageous for durability, slidability, manufacturing tolerances, and temperature changes.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the bending optical member comprises a mirror rotatably attached to a mirror base, wherein retracting the bending optical member comprises rotating the mirror closer to an orientation perpendicular to the first optical axis.

Retraction of the mirror to make room for housing the first lens group is achieved by a simple movement such as rotation of the mirror. Such a manner of retraction requires relatively small additional space for retracting the mirror.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the mirror being rotatably attached to the mirror base comprises a mirror holder to which the mirror is attached being rotatably attached to the mirror base, wherein the mirror holder comprises a protrusion, wherein the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis rotates the mirror closer to the orientation perpendicular to the first optical axis by pressing the protrusion with a feature provided on a surface of a cam plate through linear movement of the cam plate.

Rotating the mirror by pressing the protrusion on the mirror holder with a feature provided on a surface of the cam plate provides a simple mechanism to retract the mirror by a linear movement of the cam plate.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the mirror is urged by a spring, thereby causing the protrusion of the mirror holder to be pressed to the feature of the cam plate.

Urging by the spring helps suppressing rattle even when the mirror is not driven.

In one implementation of the first aspect of the present disclosure based on any suitable one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure, the lens barrel further comprises a base frame constituting a part of the housing, wherein guide pins for guiding the first lens group are attached to the base frame, wherein the mirror base and the base frame are integrally formed.

Integrally forming the mirror base and the base frame reduces the number of components.

A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a camera module comprising: the lens barrel module according to any one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure; and an image sensor configured to capture light having passed the second lens group arranged on the second optical axis.

A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a camera comprising: the lens barrel module according to any one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure; an image sensor configured to capture light having passed the second lens group arranged on the second optical axis; a controller; and a memory module.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a terminal device comprising: a processor; a memory; the lens barrel module according to any one of the above implementations of the first aspect of the present disclosure; and an image sensor configured to capture light having passed the second lens group arranged on the second optical axis.

In one implementation, the terminal device may be a mobile phone or a smartphone.

A fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for retracting a first lens group in a lens barrel module, the lens barrel module comprising: a bending optical member for bending light incident along a first optical axis on an object side to a direction along a second optical axis on an image side; the first lens group arranged on the first optical axis; and a second lens group arranged on the second optical axis. The method comprises: linearly driving, by an actuator provided in a housing of the lens barrel module, a cam plate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis and substantially parallel with the second optical axis; pressing, by a feature provided on one surface of the cam plate, a protrusion provided on a holder of the bending optical member to cause the bending optical member to be closer to an orientation perpendicular to the first optical axis, thereby making space for accommodating the first lens group; and guiding, by a feature provided on the other surface of the cam plate, a protrusion provided on a lens barrel holding the first lens group to cause the first lens group to move into the space.

Various features including those described for the lens barrel modules in the above are also applicable for method embodiments. Details are not repeated here. Since the advantages of embodiments according to this aspect are similar to those of the first embodiment, they are not repeated here for the sake of simplicity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following drawings, in which the same reference numerals may identify the same or similar elements throughout the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram illustrating a lens barrel module in two positions (aposition for use and a position for storage) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of some components of a lens barrel module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a lens barrel module and its inside structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a mechanism for retracting a mirror according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where A illustrates a spring for urging a mirror holder, B illustrates an arrangement when in use, and C illustrates a cam plate (seen from the inside) for rotating the mirror holder;

FIG. 5 illustrates a mechanism for retracting a first lens group according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where A illustrates a cam plate seen from the inside and B illustrates the cam plate seen from the outside;

FIG. 6 illustrates an electronic device (e.g., a smartphone) , in which a lens barrel module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be used; and

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for illustrating a method for retracting a first lens group in a lens barrel module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following describes embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. A person skilled in the art would understand that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described below.

Typical mobile phones today are equipped with a camera. Autofocusing in a typical camera module requires a lens unit to move along the optical axis to change the optical path length from the lens unit to an image sensor of the camera, which in turn requires a certain range for such axial movement. However, given the thin profile of typical mobile phones, there is a limit to the range of such an axial movement.

Recently, this limitation of axial movement has been mitigated by employing an optical system with a folded optical axis. Light entering an aperture of a camera module of a mobile phone and transmitted through a first lens group is reflected by a bending optical member (e.g., a mirror) into a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of incidence, and the reflected light is transmitted through a second lens group and is received by an image sensor. The folded optical axis in such an optical system may reduce the length of the optical path before the bending optical member, and thus may reduce the thickness or height of the product. (The optical axis before the bending optical member may be referred to as a first optical axis on an object side, whereas the optical axis after the bending optical member may be referred to as a second optical axis on an image side. The first lens group may be arranged on the first optical axis and the second lens group may be arranged on the second optical axis. )

Even with such a folded optical axis, a thickness of a camera module may be restricted, which in turn limits the optical design. Thus, a camera module with a mechanism to retract a lens barrel is desired to achieve a low profile when not in use for imaging. Such a mechanism may increase flexibility in the product design.

However, techniques to retract a lens group with a cam cylinder driven by an actuator provided outside the lens barrel have a disadvantage in that the product size tends to be large. In addition, such techniques involve a relatively large number of components, which may result in a higher cost or degradation of performance due to assembly errors. Furthermore, space needed to retract the bending optical member should be as small as possible.

The present disclosure is directed to solutions that address one or more of the issues described above.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a lens barrel module comprises, in a housing: a bending optical member for bending light incident along a first optical axis on an object side to a direction along a second optical axis on an image side; a first lens group arranged on the first optical axis; a second lens group arranged on the second optical axis; and a mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis.

In some embodiments, the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis comprises a cam plate driven by an actuator, and linear movement of the cam plate drives the bending optical member as well as the first lens group.

While specific embodiments are described in the following, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to those specific embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross section of a lens barrel module in two positions (aposition for use and a position for storage) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The lens barrel module comprises, in a housing, a bending optical member 1 (e.g., a mirror) , a first lens group 2, and a second lens group 3. The optical axes of the first and second lens groups are shown in dash-dotted line. It can be seen that the bending optical member provides a folded optical axis by bending light incident along the optical axis of the first lens group (also referred to as a first optical axis on an object side) to a direction along the optical axis of the second lens group (also referred to as a second optical axis on an image side) .

When the camera module comprising this lens barrel module is in use, the first lens group 2 protrudes from the main body of the lens barrel module to provide an optical path length required for imaging. When the camera module is not in use, the first lens group 2 is retracted to decrease the thickness of the lens barrel module. The space for accommodating the first lens group 2 is made by rotating the bending optical member 1 so that the bending optical member 1 is closer to an orientation perpendicular to the optical axis of the first lens group.

Causing this movement of the bending optical member 1 to make room for retracting the first lens group 2 may also be referred to as retracting the bending optical member 1. Retracting the bending optical member 1 simply by rotation is advantageous in that it does not require space into which the bending optical member 1 is translated.

In some embodiments, the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member (e.g., by rotation) as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis comprises a cam plate driven by an actuator, and linear movement of the cam plate drives the bending optical member as well as the first lens group.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of some components of a lens barrel module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the bending optical member (e.g., the bending optical member 1 of FIG. 1) comprises a mirror 6 held by a mirror holder 7, which is rotatably attached to a mirror base 9 and urged by a preload spring (also referred to as pre-force spring) 8. The preload spring 8 serves to position the mirror for bending light as well as to prevent rattle when the mirror is not driven by a cam plate 13 for retraction. These components form a mirror assembly 10, which is attached to a base frame 18. The base frame 18 may be a part of the housing of the lens barrel module. In some embodiments, the mirror base 9 and the base frame 18 may be an integral unit.

The lens 4 of the first lens group is held by a first lens barrel 5. The lens barrel 5 may be guided by guide pins 11, attached to the base frame 18, to move linearly in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the first lens group. A preload spring 12 is provided around a guide pin 11. The preload spring 12 serves to position the first lens barrel 5 as well as to prevent rattle when the first lens barrel 5 is not retracted. The guide pins may be made of a metal.

The cam plate (also referred to as a cam board) 13 serves for rotating the mirror holder 7 (as detailed below with reference to FIG. 4) as well as for moving the lens barrel 5 along the guide pins (as detailed below with reference to FIG. 5) . The cam plate 13 is linearly moved by an actuator 16.In the illustrated embodiment, the actuator 16 is attached to the cam plate 13 via a receiver 14 by a leaf spring 15. The strength of the attachment of the actuator to the cam plate 13 may be adjusted by means of a screw 17. Alternatively, the cam plate 13 may be directly fixed to the actuator 16.

Typically, an actuator employs a piezoelectric element such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate) . However, any suitable actuator, including ones based on electromagnetic interaction between a coil and a magnet, may also be employed to provide linear movement according to the present disclosure. The actuator may be controlled by a controller (not shown) such as a processor programed with a computer program.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a lens barrel module and its inside structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. (It will be understood by a skilled person that the terms such as "top" , "down" , "left" , and "right" are used herein only for the purpose of illustration, and that they do not mean any absolute direction. ) The bar-shaped actuator is marked with an oval. It can be seen that the actuator works within the housing of the lens barrel module. This is made possible because the actuator makes a linear movement. Providing the actuator within the housing of the lens barrel module allows reduction of size of the lens module. In other words, driving by linear movement of the cam plate of the present disclosure as opposed to rotational movement of a cam cylinder allows a relatively simple design and a small size of the lens barrel module. In contrast, techniques to retract a lens group with a cam cylinder driven by an actuator provided outside the lens barrel tend to increase the product size as well as the number of components.

FIG. 4 illustrates some components of a mechanism for retracting a mirror according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 4A illustrates a spring 8 for urging a mirror holder 7. This serves for positioning the mirror holder and preventing rattle when the mirror holder is not driven by the cam plate for retraction. Moreover, the preload spring 8 presses the protrusion 7b of the mirror holder 7 to a feature (e.g., a step) of the cam plate, as described below with reference to FIG. 4B.

Fig. 4B illustrates an arrangement when the lens barrel module is in use, in which the mirror holder 7 urged by the spring is in an orientation for directing light coming from the first lens group toward the second lens group. It can be seen that the mirror holder 7 is rotatably attached to the mirror base 9 (see also the exploded view in FIG. 2) . The mirror holder 7 has a protrusion 7b on the side. A plate 13b with an inclined bottom edge is in contact with this protrusion 7b. When this plate 13b moves forward (to the left in the drawing) , it presses the protrusion 7b so that the mirror holder 7 rotates to be closer to an orientation perpendicular to the optical axis of the first group lens 4.

The plate 13b with an inclined bottom edge as illustrated in FIG. 4B is part of the cam plate 13 (e.g., it may be a layer of the cam plate 13) , and forms a step on the inside surface of the cam plate 13. This can be seen in FIG. 4C, which illustrates the cam plate 13 seen from the inside. (Here, "inside" refers to the side closer to the optical axis of the first group lens 4. ) The geometrical feature (e.g., a step) formed on the cam plate 13 presses the protrusion 7b on the side of the mirror holder 7 to cause rotation of the mirror holder 7.

Retracting the mirror simply by rotation is advantageous in that it does not require space into which the mirror is translated. Moreover, the cam plate 13 provides a simple mechanism to retract the mirror.

FIG. 5 illustrates some components of a mechanism for retracting a lens barrel 5 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5A illustrates a part 13c of the cam plate 13 (in particular, a feature or layer on the outside surface of the cam plate 13 that drives the movement of the lens barrel) seen from the inside. Here, "inside" refers to the side closer to the optical axis of the first group lens 4. In FIG. 5A, the layer 13b (shown in FIG. 4) and the main board of the cam plate 13 are omitted so that the layer 13c is visible. It should be noted that the three-layer description of the cam plate 13 herein as comprising the layer 13c on the outside surface of the main board and the layer 13b on the inside surface of the main board is merely for the purpose of illustration. The cam plate 13 comprising the features of one or both of 13b and 13c may be formed as an integral unit.

As seen in FIG. 5A, the layer 13c of the cam plate 13 has an opening or a groove 13d, in which a protrusion 5b of the lens barrel 5 is inserted. It should be noted that only part of the lens barrel 5 is shown in FIG. 5A. The groove 13d of the cam plate 13 and the protrusion 5b of the lens barrel 5, seen from the outside, are illustrated in FIG. 5B. It can be seen that when the cam plate 13 moves forward (i.e., to the left in FIG. 5B or to the right in FIG. 5A) , the geometrical feature of the groove 5 guides the protrusion 5b downward (i.e., toward the base frame 18) , thus bringing down the lens barrel 5. Thus, retracting of the lens barrel 5 is achieved by a simple mechanism of the cam plate 13. Moreover, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the same movement of the cam plate 13 serves for both retracting the mirror (FIG. 4) and retracting the lens barrel (FIG. 5) .

As discussed in the foregoing, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member (or the mirror 6) as well as for retracting the first lens group (or the lens barrel 5) in a direction of the first optical axis (e.g, . along the optical axis of the first lens group) comprises a cam plate and an actuator. The cam plate is linearly driven by the actuator in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis and substantially parallel with the second optical axis (e.g., the optical axis of a second les group through which light reflected by the mirror 6 is transmitted) . The linear movement of the cam plate results in retracting the bending optical member as well as retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis.

In some embodiments, a feature for driving the bending optical member is provided on an inside surface of the cam plate. It may be a geometrical feature such as a step as formed by the layer 13b of the cam plate 13 as illustrated in FIG. 4C. A feature for driving the first lens group is provided on an outside surface of the cam plate. It may be a geometrical feature such as the groove 13d as illustrated in FIG. 5B.

The lens barrel module according to any of the embodiments described above may be used in a camera module. The camera module may comprise such a lens module and an image sensor configured to capture light transmitted through the second lens group arranged on the second optical axis.

The lens barrel module according to any of the embodiments described above may be used in a camera. The camera may comprise such a lens barrel module, an image sensor configured to capture light transmitted through the second lens group arranged on the second optical axis; a controller; and a memory module.

The lens barrel module according to any of the embodiments described above may be used in a terminal device or an electronic device. The terminal device or the electronic device may comprise such a lens barrel module, a processor, a memory, and an image sensor configured to capture light transmitted through the second lens group arranged on the second optical axis.

FIG. 6 illustrates a terminal device or an electronic device, in which a lens barrel module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be used. The electronic device may be any suitable device including, but not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet PC, or the like. It will be understood by a skilled person that the illustrated embodiment is not limiting.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram for illustrating a method (700) for retracting a first lens group in a lens barrel module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The lens barrel module may be a lens barrel module as described in any embodiments discussed above. The method comprises a step (710) of linearly driving, by an actuator provided in a housing of the lens barrel module, a cam plate in a direction substantially perpendicular to a first optical axis (e.g, . the optical axis of the first lens group) and substantially parallel with a second optical axis (e.g., the optical axis of a second les group through which light reflected by a mirror is transmitted) ; a step (720) of pressing, by a feature provided on one surface of the cam plate, a protrusion provided on a holder of a bending optical member (e.g., the mirror) to cause the bending optical member to be closer to an orientation perpendicular to the first optical axis, thereby making space for accommodating the first lens group; and a step (730) of guiding, by a feature provided on the other surface of the cam plate, a protrusion provided on a lens barrel holding the first lens group to cause the first lens group to move into the space.

It should be noted that it is not necessary that the steps are performed in the order described. For example, it should be noted that the

steps

720 and 730 may occur by the same linear movement of the cam plate.

While various embodiments are described above and illustrated in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment described or illustrated. Features described for one embodiment of the present disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner with features described for another embodiment of the present disclosure, unless such a combination is impossible or explicitly stated to be excluded. A skilled person may recognize other objectives or advantages than those described in the above.

The unit division disclosed in embodiments of the present application is not limiting, and embodiments may be configured with other divisions of components.

Where appropriate, some functions (e.g., controlling of movement of the cam plate) may be implemented in a form of a computer program for causing a processor or a computing device to perform one or more functions. For example, various signal processing and control functions may be implemented as a computer program. The computer program may be embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium may be any medium that can store a computer program and may be a solid-state memory such as a USB drive, a flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM) , and a random-access memory (RAM) ; a magnetic storage medium such as a removable or non-removable hard disk; or an optical storage medium such as an optical disc.

The foregoing descriptions merely illustrate various embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Any variation that would readily occur to a person skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure shall fall within the scope of this application.

Claims

A lens barrel module, comprising, in a housing:

a bending optical member for bending light incident along a first optical axis on an object side to a direction along a second optical axis on an image side;

a first lens group arranged on the first optical axis;

a second lens group arranged on the second optical axis; and

a mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 1, wherein the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis comprises a cam plate and an actuator, wherein the cam plate is linearly driven by the actuator in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis and substantially parallel with the second optical axis to retract the bending optical member as well as to retract the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 1, wherein a feature for driving the bending optical member is provided on an inside surface of the cam plate and a feature for driving the first lens group is provided on an outside surface of the cam plate.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 3, wherein the feature for driving the bending optical member is a step provided on the inside surface of the cam plate and the feature for driving the first lens group is a cam groove provided on the outside surface of the cam plate.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 1, wherein a leaf spring is attached to the cam plate and the cam plate is urged by the leaf spring onto an actuator of the mechanism.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 5, wherein the leaf spring is attached to the cam plate by a screw and a strength of the urging of the cam plate onto the actuator by the leaf string can be adjusted by the screw.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 1, wherein the cam plate is directly fixed to the actuator.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 1, wherein the first lens group is mounted on a first lens barrel, and the first lens barrel has a protrusion,

wherein via a linear movement of a cam plate, the protrusion is guided along a cam groove provided on the outside surface of the cam plate, which causes the first lens barrel to be moved toward a base frame constituting a part of the housing, resulting in retracting of the first lens group in the direction of the first optical axis.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 1, wherein a lens barrel holding the first lens group is held by guide pins parallel to the first optical axis and is configured to move in a direction parallel to the guide pins.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 9, wherein the guide pins are made of a metal.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 1, wherein the bending optical member comprises a mirror rotatably attached to a mirror base, wherein retracting the bending optical member comprises rotating the mirror closer to an orientation perpendicular to the first optical axis.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 11, wherein the mirror being rotatably attached to the mirror base comprises a mirror holder to which the mirror is attached being rotatably attached to the mirror base, wherein the mirror holder comprises a protrusion,

wherein the mechanism for retracting the bending optical member as well as for retracting the first lens group in a direction of the first optical axis rotates the mirror closer to the orientation perpendicular to the first optical axis by pressing the protrusion with a feature provided on a surface of a cam plate through linear movement of the cam plate.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 12, wherein the mirror is urged by a spring, thereby causing the protrusion of the mirror holder to be pressed to the feature of the cam plate.
The lens barrel module according to Claim 1, further comprising a base frame constituting a part of the housing, wherein guide pins for guiding the first lens group are attached to the base frame, wherein the mirror base and the base frame are integrally formed.
A camera module comprising:

the lens barrel module according to any one of Claims 1 to 14; and

an image sensor configured to capture light having passed the second lens group arranged on the second optical axis.
A camera comprising:

the lens barrel module according to any one of Claims 1 to 14;

an image sensor configured to capture light having passed the second lens group arranged on the second optical axis;

a controller; and

a memory module.
A terminal device comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

the lens barrel module according to any one of Claims 1 to 14; and

an image sensor configured to capture light having passed the second lens group arranged on the second optical axis.
The terminal device according to Claim 17, which comprises a mobile phone or a smartphone.
A method for retracting a first lens group in a lens barrel module, the lens barrel module comprising:

a bending optical member for bending light incident along a first optical axis on an object side to a direction along a second optical axis on an image side;

the first lens group arranged on the first optical axis; and

a second lens group arranged on the second optical axis,

the method comprising:

linearly driving, by an actuator provided in a housing of the lens barrel module, a cam plate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis and substantially parallel with the second optical axis;

pressing, by a feature provided on one surface of the cam plate, a protrusion provided on a holder of the bending optical member to cause the bending optical member to be closer to an orientation perpendicular to the first optical axis, thereby making space for accommodating the first lens group; and

guiding, by a feature provided on the other surface of the cam plate, a protrusion provided on a lens barrel holding the first lens group to cause the first lens group to move into the space.