A new type of stacked filled spring

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of miniature cameras, and discloses a new type of stacked filling spring, which is arranged in a voice coil motor to provide elastic constraints for a lens module, and is characterized in that it is made of a composite plate, the composite plate includes at least two layers of plate, and there is a filling layer for connecting the plate layers between adjacent plate layers, and the plate layer is a single-layer homogeneous finished plate. The spring of the present invention adopts a stacked filling method to achieve a relatively thick spring, which is novel in technology and highly practical. This method can shorten the delivery cycle, use the more common thickness plates on the market, reduce the cost of the plate, and avoid the cost increase caused by customization.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of miniature cameras, and in particular relates to a novel stacked filling spring. Background Art

[0002] The VCM motor is a device that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy and achieves linear and limited swing angle motion. It is a device that uses the interaction between the magnetic field from the permanent magnet and the magnetic poles in the magnetic field generated by the energized coil conductor to produce regular motion. Because the voice coil motor is a non-commutated power device, its positioning accuracy depends entirely on the feedback and control system and has nothing to do with the voice coil motor itself. The emergence of the VCM motor has transformed smartphone cameras from fixed focus to autofocus, while giving small or micro cameras an anti-shake function. Its biggest function is that the camera can focus automatically and provide motion compensation.

[0003] The VCM of the mobile phone camera needs the cooperation of the DriverIC to complete the focus and anti-shake. The existing VCM controls the size of the VCM power supply current through the DriverIC to determine the distance the lens carried by the VCM moves, so as to adjust it to the appropriate position to take a clear image. The VCM motor actually moves based on the principle that the energized coil is subjected to force in the magnetic field. Precise control requires the help of some external components, among which the shrapnel is also required to elastically limit the sensor or lens module to provide a supporting and fixing effect and elastic motion state. However, with the increase in pixels, the requirements for the internal components of the VCM motor are getting higher and higher, especially for the spring-type large-pixel VCM motor, the thickness of the spring is getting higher and higher, from the ordinary 0.035-0.04-0.05mm thickness to the current 0.07-0.08-0.09mm thickness, or even thicker springs. The large-pixel motor needs to be matched with a relatively thick spring. For designers, they can design and match the relative spring K value and spring stress to meet the reasonable design requirements of the motor. The more common spring raw materials on the market cannot meet the thickness requirements of large-pixel motor springs. In addition, the number of thicker springs used is relatively small, which means that the raw materials need to be prepared in advance, or even there is no material problem, which will lengthen the entire design and delivery cycle. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a multi-layer filled spring structure, which aims to adopt existing finished plate materials and obtain products meeting thickness requirements after flexibly processing them according to needs.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a new type of stacked filled spring, which is arranged in a voice coil motor to provide elastic constraints for a lens module, and is characterized in that: it is made of a composite plate material, the composite plate material includes at least two layers of plate layers, and a filling layer for connecting the plate layers is provided between adjacent plate layers, and the plate layer is a single-layer homogeneous finished plate material.

[0007] It should be noted that the shrapnel is a component set in the camera module, and the so-called voice coil motor is a commonly used electromagnetic actuation structure in the camera module, including two application directions: anti-shake and autofocus. The principle is to form a directional driving force through the cooperation of the energized coil and the natural magnet, thereby driving the two movable connected parts to move relative to each other in a controllable manner, thereby achieving the effect of motion control. The spring in the present invention is a structure used in this micro electromagnetic actuation structure to provide elastic constraint force.

[0008] Because it is a movable connection, in order to keep one part suspended relative to the other, the spring made of this memory metal material can provide a good elastic limit effect, while having a small volume and durability. Engineers will also calculate its K value, that is, the spring stiffness coefficient, according to its material properties and finished product size structure during design. Existing springs are all cut from single-layer plates. Although the plane size and structure can be designed according to requirements, its thickness is also an important factor in determining the K value.

[0009] If the optimal thickness value obtained during the calculation process deviates from the standard thickness of the plate, the only solution is to adjust other thicknesses or readjust other related designs according to the thickness value, or re-customize the plate of corresponding thickness, but no matter which solution is used, the cost will increase. The structure in the present invention adjusts the thickness by providing a filling layer, and the so-called finished plate refers to a plate with a homogeneous standard thickness on both sides of the filling layer. This type of plate has a lower cost because it is purchased in large quantities. If the designed thickness is to be achieved, the thickness of the filling layer is designed according to the actual situation, and the filling layer makes up for the thickness value that cannot be achieved originally.

[0010] This filling layer is also made of metal material, which can be metal scraps generated during processing, which are then collected and processed to form the raw material of the filling layer. The raw material is cut into thin sheets, which are placed between the plate layers and fixed by gluing or hot pressing to form an integrated structure. This can not only meet design requirements, but also reduce manufacturing costs.

[0011] It should also be noted that the structure of the present invention is mainly to meet the design requirements, and the elasticity K value is the key design parameter. In order to meet the design K value, the design amount of each influencing factor is generally fixed, of which thickness is only one. The filling layer is generally made of metal material, and is the same material as the plate layer, so that when the thickness is reached, it can have a similar elasticity at the same time. However, in order to achieve the corresponding effect, non-metallic fillers can also be used, such as adding polymer viscose with toughening agents, and through experiments, it can also achieve the same or similar elastic properties as the metal plate of the designed thickness at a specific thickness.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, the present invention provides a first implementation manner of the first aspect, wherein the filling layer is a layer structure made of a metal material, and is fixed to adjacent board layers by copper plating to form an integrated board structure.

[0013] The so-called copper plating process is a method often used in the PCB board manufacturing process. Chemical copper plating, commonly known as copper plating, is a self-catalytic redox reaction that can be deposited on a non-conductive substrate. The role of chemical copper plating is to achieve hole metallization, so that double-sided boards and multi-layer boards can achieve interconnection between layers. The copper plating process can better connect the filling layer and the metal plate layer to form an integrated structure, and this process is also a commonly used technical means, and its cost and yield can meet the needs of cost reduction.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, the present invention provides a second implementation of the first aspect, wherein the filling layer is a layer structure made of a metal material, and is arranged between adjacent plate layers by means of reinforcement hot pressing to form an integrated plate structure.

[0015] Reinforcement is a common method in FPC manufacturing process, that is, using high temperature to melt the heat-hardening adhesive of the reinforcing film, and using appropriate pressure or vacuum to make the reinforcing film fit tightly on the product. The reinforcing film here is the filling layer, and the product is the board layer.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect and its first and second embodiments, the present invention provides a third embodiment of the first aspect, including a blank made by cutting a composite sheet, the blank including an outer blank and an inner blank for connection during assembly, a spring sheet body being provided between the outer blank and the inner blank, and breakpoints being provided at the connection between the spring sheet body and the outer blank and the inner blank.

[0017] The so-called blank refers to the structure that has not completely formed an independent spring sheet structure. It is only used to meet the requirements of quick assembly with internal and external connecting parts to fix multiple independent spring sheets together, and provide a fulcrum to install all the spring sheets of the same layer of a single motor into the base or corresponding structure together. After the assembly is in place and the connection points are glued or welded, complete and independent spring sheets can be formed by cutting at the set breakpoints.

[0018] The inner blank and the outer blank are the remaining materials that connect and limit the main body of the shrapnel, and are cut and formed on the same composite plate. Since the shrapnel itself is a single structure with a certain length in a flat folded state, if it is not fixed, it is easy to cause it to deform and cannot be restored during the assembly process. Because it is an integrated molding structure, the connection stability between the blank and the shrapnel body is relatively high, and the breakpoints at the connection are processed separately, so it can be easily broken after assembly and fixation.

[0019] In combination with the third embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a fourth embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the spring sheet body includes at least two connection points, namely an inner connection point and an outer connection point, and elastic wire arms with multiple corners are provided at the inner connection point and the outer connection point; the elastic wire arm and the inner connection point and the outer connection point are a single strip-shaped thin sheet structure integrally formed. Since the connection point, as a fixed part, has a certain surface area, and at the same time the structure does not provide an elastic constraint effect, connecting the blank to the connection point and forming a breakpoint will not affect the elastic performance of the entire spring sheet body.

[0020] In combination with the third embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a fifth embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the spring sheet main body includes at least two connection points, namely an inner connection point and an outer connection point, and a folding portion for connection is provided at the inner connection point and the outer connection point; the width of the folding portion is located on a surface that is perpendicular to the spring sheet main body.

[0021] In combination with the third embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a sixth embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the spring sheet body comprises an inner connection point, a middle connection point and an outer connection point which are sequentially connected to form a single strip;

[0022] An elastic wire arm for connection and having multiple corners is provided between the inner connection point and the middle connection point;

[0023] A folding portion for connection is provided between the middle connection point and the outer connection point, and a plane where the width of the folding portion is located is perpendicular to the plane where the elastic wire arm is located.

[0024] In combination with the sixth embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a seventh embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the folding portion comprises at least two mutually perpendicular straight line portions, adjacent straight line portions are connected by a corner portion, and the connection between the corner portion and the folding portion has at least two fold lines.

[0025] In combination with the seventh implementation of the first aspect, the present invention provides an eighth implementation of the first aspect, wherein a plurality of hollow grooves are equidistantly provided on the straight portion of the folding portion.

[0026] In combination with the seventh embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a ninth embodiment of the first aspect, wherein at least four groups of spring sheet bodies are provided between the outer blank and the inner blank, and the spring sheet bodies are connected to the outer blank and the inner blank through connectors provided at inner connection points, middle connection points and outer connection points.

[0027] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0028] The spring piece of the present invention adopts a stacking filling method to realize a relatively thick spring, which is novel in technology and highly practical. This method can shorten the delivery cycle and use the thickness of the plate that is more common in the market, thereby reducing the cost of the plate and avoiding the cost increase caused by customization.

[0029] At the same time, the spring structure in the present invention has two kinds of elastic components, inner and outer, and because the components are responsible for different things, the planes where their widths are located are not coplanar, and thus can provide elastic support for anti-shake and auto-focusing for the lens module in multiple axes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 is a side view of the spring blank of the present invention arranged on the camera module base;

[0031] Figure 2 is an isometric view of the spring blank of the present invention arranged on the camera module base;

[0032] Figure 3 is a top view of a single spring blank of the present invention after bending;

[0033] Figure 4 is an isometric view of a single spring blank of the present invention after bending;

[0034] Figure 5 It is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a spring blank of the present invention adopting a double-layer structure.

[0035] In the figure: 1-folding part, 2-base, 3-outer blank, 4-inner blank, 5-corner part, 6-elastic wire arm, 7-outer connection point, 8-middle connection point, 9-inner connection point, A-plate layer, B-filling layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The present invention will be further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0037] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0038] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application for which protection is sought, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0039] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0040] In the description of this application, it should be noted that if the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or position relationship in which the product of the application is usually placed when in use. It is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application. In addition, if the terms "first", "second", etc. appear in the description of this application, they are only used to distinguish the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0041] In addition, if the terms "horizontal" or "vertical" appear in the description of this application, it does not mean that the components are required to be absolutely horizontal or suspended, but can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0042] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal connection of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0043] Embodiment 1:

[0044] This embodiment discloses a novel stacked filling spring, which is applied to a voice coil motor of a miniature camera to provide displacement limiting and supporting effects for a lens module.

[0045] As the performance of existing camera modules improves, the requirements for the internal components of the motor are getting higher and higher, especially for the spring-type large-pixel VCM motor, the thickness of the spring has become higher and higher, from the ordinary thickness of (0.035-0.04-0.05) mm to the current thickness of (0.07-0.08-0.09) mm, or even thicker springs. Large-pixel motors need to be equipped with thicker springs. For designers, they can design and match the relative spring K value and spring stress to meet the reasonable design requirements of the motor.

[0046] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem of shortage of raw materials, this embodiment adopts the following technical solution: ordinary VCM motor springs are all single-sided sheets, and this embodiment divides the springs into multi-layer sheets, which are filled according to the design requirements of the spring thickness to achieve the spring thickness.

[0047] Specifically, if Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the spring piece is a blank, which is cut from a composite plate, and the middle and outer parts are all waste materials that need to be removed. This composite plate is different from the single-layer metal plate structure in the prior art, has a better adjustable thickness range, and can be applied to motors with different design requirements.

[0048] The motor in this embodiment requires a thickness of 0.08mm for the lower spring sheet. Since the finished metal sheet supplied is 0.035mm, at least two layers of finished metal sheets need to be bonded to achieve this thickness. In this embodiment, in order to meet the design requirements, two layers of finished metal sheets are connected with a 0.01mm thick filling layer B to form an integrated composite sheet.

[0049] The filling layer B is also a metal material, connected to the two plate layers A through the copper plating process, and its thickness is adjusted so that the thickness of the final composite plate is close to 0.08mm. This structure not only meets the design requirements and reaches the preset thickness of the spring, but also because the same metal material is used, its elastic performance is not significantly different from that of a one-piece homogeneous plate structure, and the difference is within a reasonable error range.

[0050] It should also be noted that, due to the copper plating process, the connection stability between the filling layer B and the current layer is relatively high, and it can be regarded as an integrated plate structure, and the so-called composite plate is only used to illustrate its production method. The plate in this embodiment can also use similar processing processes, such as reinforcement and hot pressing, which can also form a better integrated structure and ensure that it has a corresponding K value when it reaches the designed thickness.

[0051] Embodiment 2:

[0052] This embodiment is optimized and limited based on the above embodiment 1. Figure 1-5 As shown, Figure 1 As can be seen in the figure, the whole spring is a blank, and the blank is placed on a base 2 of a VCM motor. The blank includes four spring leaf bodies distributed at four equal central angles, each spring leaf body includes at least two connection points, namely an inner connection point 9 and an outer connection point 7, and elastic wire arms 6 with multiple corners are provided at the inner connection point 9 and the outer connection point 7.

[0053] The elastic wire arm 6 is an integrally formed single strip-shaped thin sheet structure with the inner connection point 9 and the outer connection point 7. Since the connection point is a fixed part with a certain surface area, and at the same time the structure does not provide an elastic constraint effect, connecting the blank with the connection point and forming a breakpoint will not affect the elastic properties of the entire elastic sheet body. The elastic sheet body includes an inner connection point 9, a middle connection point 8 and an outer connection point 7 which are sequentially connected to form a single strip; an elastic wire arm 6 having multiple corners for connection is provided between the inner connection point 9 and the middle connection point 8; a folding portion 1 for connection is provided between the middle connection point 8 and the outer connection point 7, and the width of the folding portion 1 is located on a plane perpendicular to the plane where the elastic wire arm 6 is located.

[0054] The folding portion 1 includes at least two mutually perpendicular straight line portions, and a corner portion 5 is provided between adjacent straight line portions, and the connection between the corner portion 5 and the folding portion 1 has at least two fold lines. The straight line portion of the folding portion 1 is provided with a plurality of hollow grooves at equal intervals. The hollow grooves can reduce the elastic activation amount of the entire folding portion 1, so that it can use a wider material to ensure that it has a larger elastic adjustment range.

[0055] The main body of the spring piece is connected to the outer blank 3 and the inner blank 4 through the connectors provided at the inner connection point 9, the middle connection point 8 and the outer connection point 7. As can be seen in the figure, the connector is a gradual structure formed by the outer blank 3 and the inner blank 4 extending outward or inward, and its width is continuously reduced, and has the minimum width when connected to the corresponding connection point. A groove is provided in the minimum width portion to facilitate this section. When assembling, the blank and the main body of the spring piece are stably connected. After the assembly is completed and all the connection points are fixed at the corresponding positions, this section can be directly disconnected to form four independent spring pieces.

[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above optional implementations, and anyone can derive other various forms of products under the enlightenment of the present invention. The above specific implementations should not be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the definition in the claims, and the description can be used to interpret the claims.

Claims

1. A novel stacked filling spring, arranged in a voice coil motor to provide elastic constraints to a lens module, characterized in that: Made of a composite board, the composite board comprises at least two board layers (A), a filling layer (B) for connecting the board layers (A) is provided between adjacent board layers (A), and the board layer (A) is a single-layer homogeneous finished board; The filling layer (B) is a layer structure made of metal material, and is fixed to the adjacent plate layer (A) by copper deposition to form an integrated plate structure; Or the filling layer (B) is a layer structure made of metal material, and is arranged between adjacent plate layers (A) by means of reinforcement hot pressing to form an integrated plate structure; The thickness of the composite sheet is 0.08mm; Two layers of 0.035 mm thick metal plates and a 0.01 mm thick filling layer B are connected to form an integrated composite plate.

2. A novel stacked filling spring according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention comprises a blank made by cutting a composite plate, the blank comprising an outer blank (3) and an inner blank (4) for connection during assembly, a spring sheet body is provided between the outer blank (3) and the inner blank (4), and break points are provided at the connection between the spring sheet body and the outer blank (3) and the inner blank (4).

3. A novel stacked filling spring according to claim 2, characterized in that: The spring sheet body comprises at least two connection points, namely an inner connection point (9) and an outer connection point (7), and elastic wire arms (6) having a plurality of corners are provided at the inner connection point (9) and the outer connection point (7); the elastic wire arms (6) and the inner connection point (9) and the outer connection point (7) are a single strip-shaped thin sheet structure integrally formed.

4. A novel stacked filling spring according to claim 2, characterized in that: The spring sheet body comprises at least two connection points, namely an inner connection point (9) and an outer connection point (7), and a folding portion (1) for connection is provided at the inner connection point (9) and the outer connection point (7); the folding portion (1) has a width on a plane perpendicular to the spring sheet body.

5. A novel stacked filling spring according to claim 2, characterized in that: The spring sheet body comprises an inner connection point (9), a middle connection point (8) and an outer connection point (7) which are sequentially connected to form a single strip; An elastic wire arm (6) for connection and having multiple corners is provided between the inner connection point (9) and the middle connection point (8); A folding portion (1) for connection is provided between the middle connection point (8) and the outer connection point (7), and the plane where the width of the folding portion (1) lies is perpendicular to the plane where the elastic wire arm (6) lies.

6. A novel stacked filling spring according to claim 5, characterized in that: The folding portion (1) comprises at least two mutually perpendicular straight line portions, and a corner portion (5) is provided between adjacent straight line portions to connect them. The connection between the corner portion (5) and the folding portion (1) has at least two fold lines.

7. A novel stacked filling spring according to claim 6, characterized in that: The straight line portion of the folded portion (1) is provided with a plurality of hollow grooves at equal intervals.

8. A novel stacked filling spring according to claim 6, characterized in that: At least four groups of spring sheet bodies are provided between the outer blank (3) and the inner blank (4), and the spring sheet bodies are connected to the outer blank (3) and the inner blank (4) via connectors provided at the inner connection point (9), the middle connection point (8) and the outer connection point (7).

Images