A multifunctional spring structure

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of voice coil motors, and discloses a multifunctional spring structure, which is used as an elastic member for being arranged between a carrier and a bracket in a VCM motor as a movable connection, and includes at least two parts, one of which is a black wire fixed on the bracket and used for conducting electricity, and the other is a spring arranged between the carrier and the bracket for conducting electricity and elastic connection. The present invention uses the same elastic member plane material as the spring to replace the existing built-in metal circuit, complete PCB board circuit and FPC circuit, so as to have a smaller volume, and can be completed and installed at the same time when the spring is manufactured, thereby reducing the manufacturing difficulty and manufacturing cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of voice coil motors, and in particular relates to a multifunctional spring structure. 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 the smartphone camera from fixed focus to autofocus, while giving small or micro cameras an anti-shake function. Its biggest function is that the camera can automatically focus 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, including the use of shrapnel to elastically limit and support the sensor or lens module to provide a support fixation effect and elastic movement state.

[0004] However, as pixel requirements become higher and higher, motor lenses are getting larger and heavier. Under the requirements of small size and high pixel, the motor space layout and utilization are very challenging to the structural design, especially in AF closed-loop control. Large lenses need to be driven by bar magnets, and T-type magnets can no longer meet the thrust requirements. This will further compress the space. AF closed-loop control is difficult to achieve directly using SMT, and can only be achieved using traditional PCB / FPC methods. However, the implementation of IC and AF conduction structures will also be relatively complex. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a multifunctional spring structure, which can simultaneously meet the elastic support and conductive effects through elastic parts directly assembled externally during production, thereby replacing part or all of the insert circuit and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0007] In the first aspect, the present invention provides a multifunctional spring structure, which is used as an elastic member for a movable connection between a carrier and a bracket in a VCM motor, and includes at least two parts, one part is a black wire fixed on the bracket and used for conduction, and the other part is a spring arranged between the carrier and the bracket for conduction and elastic connection.

[0008] It is worth noting that the carrier and the bracket are two independent parts that are movably connected or can move relative to each other in the VCM motor. They can be used not only for AF (autofocus, that is, as two parts that drive the lens to move along its axis), but also as two moving parts of OIS (optical image stabilization, including lens image stabilization and sensor image stabilization, and as two parts that use magnetic parts for relative movement). An elastic body is provided between the two parts for elastic support and position limiting, and the coils or magnets provided on the two parts are powered by external power to drive the two parts to move.

[0009] The black wire and the spring are the same or similar metal conductive structures, both of which are elastic, but the spring mainly provides an elastic connection effect between the bracket and the carrier, and also has conductive properties. The black wire does not have an elastic support function, and is only used to replace the insert circuit, FPC circuit or PCB circuit in the existing bracket. Since the black wire acts as a conductor, and the bracket is divided into only two lines, power supply and signal, it does not have a more complex circuit structure.

[0010] During the design process, the wire structure can be designed according to the size of the bracket, and the material can be obtained by etching on the same or multiple metal plates. During assembly, it is placed on the bracket and the carrier together with the shrapnel, and fixedly connected by welding, gluing, etc.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, the present invention provides a first implementation manner of the first aspect, wherein the black wire and the spring piece are made by etching the same material.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, the present invention provides a second implementation of the first aspect, wherein the black thread and the spring piece are both independent structures.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect and the first or second embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a third embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the elastic member has two inner and outer material rings for fixed installation.

[0014] It is worth mentioning that the black wire and the shrapnel can be designed as an integrated structure, and the interconnected parts are etched on the same metal plate, and there are many ways of such integrated connection.

[0015] Since both the carrier and the bracket are annular structural parts, the black wire and the spring are also structures evenly distributed on the carrier or the bracket with the axis of the lens module as the center. When etching, in order to ensure that both functional parts can be installed together, a variety of structural designs can be used.

[0016] In the fixing method using two inner and outer rings, the inner ring is connected to the inner end of the spring piece, and the outer ring is connected to the outer end of the suspension wire, both of which are connected through a connector with a cutout. This cutout is a half-cut groove formed by cutting at the corresponding position by a cutter or other tool after etching, and can be directly broken and separated by a tool after installation.

[0017] At the same time, because the black silk in the outer circle itself can form multiple independent parts after removing the material ring, it is not a complete ring structure. There is space in some positions for the inner material ring part to extend outward and directly connect to the outer material ring to form an integrated connection.

[0018] Similarly, a sequential connection method can also be used, where the black thread and the spring piece are in the same thickness overlap range (i.e., on the same horizontal plane), which is the outer material ring, the black thread, the spring piece, and the inner material ring, and each connection is provided with a breakable connector. Compared with the above method, this method has more broken parts, and because the connector between the black thread and the spring piece is small, it cannot be effectively removed after breaking, so it is only displayed as a theoretical real-time method.

[0019] Similarly, the black wire and the spring are two independent structures, which are fixed by different material rings. Because the black wire and the spring do not overlap each other in the vertical plane, they can be assembled simultaneously or in different time periods as independent structures. This method in which the black wire and the spring are independent structures can also be formed by etching the same metal plate, thereby saving materials and reducing costs as much as possible.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect and the first or second embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a fourth embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the elastic members are fixedly installed by a single material ring arranged on the outside or inside, and the material ring is connected to the black wire and the spring sheet through a breakable connector.

[0021] It is worth noting that since the shrapnel and the spring sheet are not complete ring structures, they have openings at some locations for the connector to pass through for connection and fixation. The single material ring fixation method can also be applied to the integrated or split spring sheet shrapnel structure, which is connected through multiple connectors, and the single material ring can be removed after breaking.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect and the first or second embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a fifth embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the black wire and the spring sheet have a non-overlapping height range in the thickness direction after installation.

[0023] It is worth explaining that the so-called non-overlapping height range means that the wire and the shrapnel are not in the same horizontal plane in the axial direction of the lens module. Although they have a certain thickness, they do not overlap. As a result, this structural design allows the two parts to be connected by setting two layers of connectors from the top and bottom through the same material ring.

[0024] Similarly, the suspension wire and the spring sheet can be made of materials of different thicknesses according to the needs of use. During etching, two thicknesses of plates are used for processing to form two independent structures, which are then installed on the carrier bracket at the same time. And because they are on different horizontal installation surfaces, the connectors between them can be independent of each other and do not interfere with each other.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect and the first or second embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a sixth embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the black wire and the spring both have solder pad ends, and the solder pad ends are both arranged in the same area and connected to the same PCB board assembly arranged on the bracket in the area.

[0026] It is worth noting that the so-called pad end refers to the swollen end of the black wire and the spring, which is the same thickness but with a larger width, and is soldered to the PCB board component. Since the black wire and the spring are used for conduction, the PCB board component is mainly used for power supply control and signal processing, and can be set on one side of the bracket, with a smaller volume.

[0027] In combination with the sixth implementation of the first aspect, the present invention provides a seventh implementation of the first aspect, wherein the PCB board assembly is connected to a Hall sensor for implementing AF closed-loop control;

[0028] The black wire has a part connected to the Hall sensor to provide IC signal transmission, and a part for power supply connection.

[0029] It is worth mentioning that the IC signal here is also an electrical signal, but an independent wire is used to connect the PCB board assembly and the external circuit, and the Hall sensor set on the PCB board assembly reads the data and sends it out, thereby achieving the effect of closed-loop control by moving distance feedback.

[0030] In combination with the seventh embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides an eighth embodiment of the first aspect, wherein a conductive metal part is built into the bracket, the conductive metal part has a plurality of contacts on the bracket, and the black wire has an end connected to the contact and is connected to an external circuit through the conductive metal part.

[0031] In combination with the sixth embodiment of the first aspect, the present invention provides a ninth embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the carrier has a winding end for winding the coil end, and the spring sheet has an end portion that is attached to the winding end.

[0032] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0033] (1) The present invention uses the same elastic member plane material as the spring to replace the existing built-in metal circuit, complete PCB board circuit and FPC circuit, so that it has a smaller volume and can be completed and installed at the same time when the spring is manufactured, thereby reducing the manufacturing difficulty and manufacturing cost;

[0034] (2) The present invention can reduce the space occupied by the circuit in the entire motor as much as possible while retaining part of the internal circuit through a more flexible wire and spring structure design, thereby providing support for reducing the volume of the entire camera module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 It is a top view of the carrier and the bracket when the entire spring of the present invention is assembled;

[0036] Figure 2 The present invention Figure 1 A is a local enlarged schematic diagram;

[0037] Figure 3 It is a side view of the carrier and the bracket when the entire spring of the present invention is assembled;

[0038] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the first axis side of the carrier and the bracket when the entire spring is assembled in the present invention;

[0039] Figure 5 The present invention Figure 4 A local enlarged schematic diagram of B in FIG.

[0040] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the second axis side of the carrier and the bracket when the entire spring is assembled in the present invention;

[0041] Figure 7 The present invention Figure 6 A partial enlarged schematic diagram of C in FIG.

[0042] In the figure: 1-carrier, 2-bracket, 3-spring, 4-wire, 5-built-in conductor, 6-PCB board assembly, 7-magnet, 8-material ring, 9-Hall sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The present invention will be further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] Embodiment 1:

[0051] This embodiment discloses a multifunctional spring structure, such as Figure 1-7 As shown, the shrapnel structure is a structure arranged in the voice coil motor of the micro camera module to support two movable parts.

[0052] First, the micro camera module in this embodiment includes a lens module, a sensor and a voice coil motor, wherein the voice coil motor is used to control the relative movement of the lens module and the sensor, and mainly plays the AF autofocus function.

[0053] The voice coil motor mainly includes two relatively movable parts, namely the bracket 2 and the carrier 1 structure as shown in the figure. The two structures are mutually nested annular injection molded parts, and the bracket 2 is fixed on the housing of the voice coil motor, and the carrier 1 cooperates with the bracket 2 through elastic parts arranged on the upper and lower surfaces.

[0054] Existing voice coil motors all work together through magnets and energized coils. When the coils are energized, a magnetic field is formed. By controlling the direction and magnitude of the current, a specific magnetic field is generated, which works with the magnets to achieve controllable relative motion.

[0055] In this embodiment, a magnet is provided in each of the four directions of the bracket 2, and an annular groove is provided on the outer surface of the carrier 1, and a coil is provided in the annular groove. This method is the implementation method adopted in this embodiment, but the technical solution is not limited to this.

[0056] The entire voice coil motor is provided with an FPC circuit connected to an external device, generally using a BTB connector. The external device supplies power to and controls the voice coil motor, and the power supply circuit includes an FPC arranged at the bottom and an internal conductor 5 connected to the FPC and arranged in the bracket 2 during the injection molding process. The internal conductor 5 has two ends, one end extending downward and connected to the FPC at the bottom, and the other end extending upward to be exposed on the annular surface at the top of the bracket 2 to form a contact. This method is the implementation method adopted in this embodiment, but the technical solution is not limited to this.

[0057] In this embodiment, since the AF module needs to be powered and motion controlled, and the displacement of the carrier 1 relative to the bracket 2 needs to be detected in real time through the internal displacement detection module, at least two lines are provided, namely a power supply line and an IC signal line.

[0058] At least four independent internal conductors 5 are arranged in the bracket 2, including two power supply lines and two IC signal lines.

[0059] In this embodiment, the circuit formation method of the existing voice coil motor using only FPC circuit, PCB circuit and built-in conductor 5 on the bracket 2 and the carrier 1 is optimized, and the cost and volume are reduced by using elastomers on the upper surface to replace the circuit.

[0060] In this embodiment, a plurality of annular metal elastic members are disposed on the upper surfaces of the carrier 1 and the bracket 2 , including two types of black threads 4 and springs 3 .

[0061] Among them, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the black wire 4 is a strip of metal material on the same horizontal plane as the spring sheet 3 and has the same thickness. The black wire 4 is in the outer circle, and the spring sheet 3 is in the inner circle. The black wire 4 is only arranged on the upper surface of the bracket 2, and is equally divided into two groups of four independent metal parts in the axial direction, and each group of black wires 4 includes two long and one short wires. This method is the implementation method adopted in this embodiment, but the technical solution is not limited to this.

[0062] Since the black thread 4 is an independent structure, although it forms a ring-like structure after arrangement, openings are formed on two or one corners, allowing materials on the same horizontal plane to extend into the interior and connect with other materials.

[0063] The spring piece 3 is an elastic member connecting the carrier 1 and the bracket 2 , and its main function is to provide a relative elastic limiting effect for the bracket 2 and the carrier 1 , thereby achieving an elastic supporting effect for the carrier 1 .

[0064] At the same time, the spring piece 3 also serves as a conductor, one end of which has an enlarged end, close to a winding post provided on the outer wall of the carrier 1, on which the end of the coil is wound, and the spring piece 3 is connected to the two ends of the coil by soldering or the like, thereby forming a circuit for supplying power to the coil.

[0065] Optionally, in this embodiment, since an elastic member is used to replace the existing circuit structure, an integrated structural design can be directly assembled and formed during installation, eliminating the need to set a large number of metal parts during injection molding, which leads to high cost and weight. In this embodiment, a groove is provided at a corner of one side of the bracket 2, and a vertically placed PCB board assembly 6 is provided in the groove. The PCB board assembly 6 has multiple contacts and a Hall sensor 9 is provided on the side close to the carrier 1. A magnet 7 is provided at the corresponding position of the carrier 1, and the Hall sensor 9 detects the magnet 7 to obtain position information,

[0066] The black wire 4 and the spring 3 both have ends located at the position of the PCB board component 6, and solder pads are provided on the ends. A complete circuit is formed by connecting the solder pads to the PCB board component 6.

[0067] Figure 2 As can be seen in the figure, each contact on the PCB board component 6 is marked, including two OUT contacts connected to the spring 3, VDD and VSS contacts for power supply, and two SDA and SCL contacts for data transmission as an I2C bus.

[0068] Among them, SCL forms a circuit by connecting with the contact of the built-in conductor 5 at this position. And the remaining contacts are connected with the pads of the black wire 4 or the spring 3.

[0069] Optionally, in order to improve assembly efficiency and cost control in the manufacturing process, the present embodiment also defines the assembly method and the morphological structure of the spring piece 3 structure during assembly. During assembly, the entire elastic member has two inner and outer material rings 8 for fixed installation.

[0070] Optionally, the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 are designed as an integrated structure, and are etched on the same metal plate to form interconnected parts, and this integrated connection method includes multiple methods. Since the carrier 1 and the bracket 2 are both annular structural parts, the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 are also structures evenly distributed on the carrier 1 or the bracket 2 with the axis of the lens module as the center. When etching, in order to ensure that the two functional parts can be installed together, multiple methods can be used for structural design.

[0071] In the fixing method using two inner and outer material rings 8, the inner material ring 8 is connected to the inner end of the spring piece 3, and the outer material ring 8 is connected to the outer end of the suspension wire, and both are connected through a connector with a cut. This cut is a half-cut groove formed by cutting at the corresponding position by a cutter or other tools after etching, and can be directly broken and separated by a tool after installation. Because the black wire 4 in the outer ring itself can form multiple independent parts after removing the material ring 8, it is not a complete ring structure, and there is space at some positions for the inner material ring 8 to extend outward and directly connect to the outer material ring 8 to form an integrated connection.

[0072] Optionally, a sequential connection method can also be adopted, where the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 are all within the same thickness overlap range (i.e., on the same horizontal plane), which are the outer material ring 8, the black thread 4, the spring piece 3, and the inner material ring 8, and each of the two connections is provided with a breakable connector. Compared with the above method, this method has more broken parts, and because the connector between the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 is small, it cannot be effectively removed after breaking, so it is only displayed as a theoretical real-time method.

[0073] Optionally, the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 are two independent structures, which are fixed by different material rings 8. Because the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 do not overlap each other in the vertical plane, they can be assembled simultaneously or in different time periods as independent structures. In this way, the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 are independent structures, and can also be formed by etching the same metal plate, thereby saving materials and reducing costs as much as possible.

[0074] Optionally, as shown in the figure, the elastic members in this embodiment are all fixedly installed by a single material ring 8 arranged outside, and the material ring 8 is connected to the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 by a breakable connector. Since the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 themselves are not complete annular structures, there are openings at some positions for the connector to pass through for connection and fixation. The method of fixing a single material ring 8 can also be applied to the spring piece 3 black thread 4 structure arranged in an integrated or split manner, which is connected by multiple connectors, and the single material ring 8 can be removed after breaking.

[0075] Optionally, the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 have a non-overlapping height range in the thickness direction after installation. The so-called non-overlapping height range means that the black thread 4 and the spring piece 3 are not in the same horizontal plane in the axial direction of the lens module, and although they have a certain thickness, they do not overlap, resulting in this structural design that the two parts can be connected by setting two layers of connectors from the top and bottom through the same material ring 8.

[0076] Optionally, the black wire 4 and the spring sheet 3 can be set in different thicknesses. Since the black wire 4 itself does not have a load-bearing requirement, it can be made of a thinner material. The spring sheet 3 needs to consider the support effect on the carrier 1, so the thickness can be appropriately increased according to the demand. If the split structure design is adopted in the above content, it can be achieved by installing the elastic parts of two thicknesses separately or simultaneously.

[0077] If an integrated structural design is adopted, a multi-layer structure can be adopted, in which the black wire 4 is only a single layer of material, and the spring piece 3 is made of double layers or more than double layers of material. Although they are fixed by the same material ring 8, they form independent individuals after breaking.

[0078] 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 multifunctional spring sheet structure, used as an elastic member for movable connection between a carrier (1) and a bracket (2) in a VCM motor, characterized in that: It comprises at least two parts, one part is a black wire (4) fixed on the support (2) and used for conducting electricity, and the other part is a spring sheet (3) arranged between the carrier (1) and the support (2) and used for conducting electricity and elastic connection; The black wire (4) and the spring piece (3) are made by etching the same material; A groove is provided at a corner of one side of the bracket (2), and a PCB board component (6) is placed vertically in the groove; the PCB board component (6) has a plurality of contacts, and the black wire (4) and the spring (3) both have solder pad ends, and the solder pad ends are arranged in the same area and connected to the same PCB board component (6) arranged on the bracket (2) in the area; The black wire (4) and the spring piece (3) have a non-overlapping height range in the thickness direction after installation; The elastic members are all fixedly mounted by a single material ring (8) arranged outside or inside, and the material ring (8) is connected to the black wire (4) and the spring sheet (3) by a breakable connector.

2. A multifunctional spring structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The PCB board assembly (6) is connected to a Hall sensor (9) for implementing AF closed-loop control; The black wire (4) has a portion for connecting to the Hall sensor (9) to provide IC signal transmission, and a portion for power supply connection.

3. A multifunctional spring structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bracket (2) has a conductive metal piece built in, the conductive metal piece has a plurality of contacts on the bracket (2), and the black wire (4) has an end connected to the contact and is connected to an external circuit through the conductive metal piece.

4. A multifunctional spring structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The carrier (1) has a winding end for winding the coil end, and the spring sheet (3) has an end portion that fits on the winding end.

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