A flexible support structure for lens

Abstract

The patent of the present invention relates to a flexible support structure of a lens, which belongs to the field of precision instruments. It includes a lens barrel, a radial flexible support structure, an axial flexible support structure, a rigid positioning support ring, and a lens. The designed flexible support structure has a rigid positioning support ring connected to a radial flexible support structure, which can unload the radial equivalent deformation and stress caused by the deformation of the lens under a certain temperature environment. The axial flexible support structure is connected to the lens barrel structure, and at the same time, under a certain temperature environment, it can unload the axial equivalent deformation and stress generated by the lens. The overall structural design of the present invention is relatively novel, and can meet the obvious auxiliary function of the deformation and stress generated by the lens under high and low temperature environments. It can be applicable to large-aperture lenses, aerospace lenses and reflectors; at the same time, the structure is simple to install, and the installation can be simplified during the installation process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of precision instruments and equipment, and in particular relates to a flexible support structure for a lens. Background Art

[0002] At present, in the application of infrared zoom lenses, there are many external factors that affect the imaging quality of the lens, such as: environmental humidity, temperature and external impact. Among these factors, temperature is one of the external reasons that have a greater impact on optical imaging. Therefore, when these high-precision infrared lens instruments are in a relatively extreme temperature condition, due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients of the lens and the lens barrel materials, the deformation of the metal is much greater than the deformation of the lens, which will cause the lens to be squeezed, causing the position of the lens to shift, and more seriously, it will cause the lens to break directly, and ultimately cause a large fluctuation in its imaging quality. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the problem of using the lens in an extreme temperature environment, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a flexible support structure for the lens, which can not only unload the axial offset problem, but also unload the radial offset problem, and is also extremely convenient for installation.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical scheme: a flexible support structure for a lens, comprising a lens barrel 100, a rigid positioning support ring 2, an axial support structure 10, a radial support structure 4 and a lens 1, the circumference of the lens 1 is tangent to the multiple radial support structures 4, the inner wall of the rigid positioning support ring 2 is provided with multiple first positioning grooves 5, the radial support structure 4 is installed in the first positioning grooves 5, the outer wall of the rigid positioning support ring 2 is provided with multiple raised positioning blocks 7, the inner step of the middle part of the lens barrel 100 is provided with multiple second positioning grooves 14, the axial support structure 10 is installed on the second positioning groove 14, the circumference of the concave side of the lens 1 is in contact with the upper surface of the axial support structure 10, and the inner wall of the lens barrel 100 is provided with a second positioning groove 12 corresponding to the positioning block 7.

[0005] Specifically, a radial unloading portion 20 is provided on the radial support structure 4, and the side of the radial unloading portion 20 is similar to the number 2 composed of 5 line segments. The top is designed according to the circumferential radius of the lens 1, and the bottom is designed parallel to the top. A positioning through hole 19 is provided on the outside of the radial support structure 4, and a first positioning hole 8 is provided at the bottom of the first positioning groove 5. The radial positioning pin 3 passes through the positioning through hole 19 and is fixed in the first positioning hole 8.

[0006] Preferably, a glue injection channel 6 is provided on the inner side wall of the first positioning groove 5 , and a first glue injection hole 9 is provided on the bottom.

[0007] Specifically, the axial support structure 10 includes a top plate, an axial unloading portion 18, and an extended positioning block 13 at the bottom. The top plate is arc-shaped and its two sides are connected to the extended positioning block 13 through the axial unloading portion 18 respectively. The side of the axial unloading portion 18 is similar to the number 2 composed of 5 line segments. The circular periphery of the concave side of the lens 1 contacts the upper surface of the top plate. The extended positioning blocks 13 on both sides are arranged opposite to each other. A second positioning hole 16 is provided on the extended positioning block 13, and a third positioning hole 15 is provided at the bottom of the second positioning groove 14. The axial positioning pin passes through the second positioning hole 16 and is fixed in the third positioning hole 15.

[0008] Preferably, a second glue injection hole 17 is provided on the extension positioning block 13 .

[0009] Preferably, the number of the axial support structures 10 and the radial support structures 4 are both 6, and are evenly distributed along the circumference.

[0010] Preferably, the radial flexible support structure 4 and the axial flexible support structure 10 are made of titanium alloy.

[0011] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that the present invention utilizes the inherent buffering effect of the flexible support structure to enable the lens to unload a certain degree of thermal stress when used in an extreme temperature environment. The dual unloading of thermal stress in the axial and radial directions is achieved, and at the same time, the problem of large fluctuations in the final imaging quality caused by deformation of the lens due to thermal expansion and contraction in an extreme temperature environment is solved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is an exploded schematic diagram of the assembled flexible support structure of the lens of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 This is an exploded diagram of the key components of the radial flexible support;

[0014] Figure 3 This is an exploded diagram of the key components of the axial flexible support;

[0015] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the axial flexible support structure;

[0016] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of radial flexible support structure.

[0017] The numbers in the figure are: 1. lens, 2. rigid positioning support ring, 3. radial positioning pin, 4. radial support structure, 5. first positioning groove, 6. glue injection channel, 7. positioning block, 8. first positioning hole, 9. first glue injection hole; 10. axial support structure, 11. axial positioning pin, 100. lens barrel; 12. positioning groove, 13. extended positioning block, 14. second positioning groove, 15. third positioning hole; 16. second positioning hole, 17. second glue injection hole, 18. axial unloading part; 19. positioning through hole, 20. radial unloading part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0019] Example 1: Figure 1-5 As shown, a flexible support structure for a lens comprises a lens barrel 100 (the lens barrel 100 in the present invention is only a part of the entire lens barrel, and the lens 1 needs to be further fixed by a gasket and a pressure ring after being installed), a rigid positioning support ring 2, an axial support structure 10, a radial support structure 4 and a lens 1, wherein the circumference of the lens 1 is tangent to the multiple radial support structures 4, a multiple first positioning grooves 5 are provided on the inner side wall of the rigid positioning support ring 2, the radial support structure 4 is installed in the first positioning grooves 5, a multiple raised positioning blocks 7 are provided on the outer side wall of the rigid positioning support ring 2, a multiple second positioning grooves 14 are provided on the inner side step of the middle part of the lens barrel 100, the axial support structure 10 is installed on the second positioning groove 14, the circumference of the concave side of the lens 1 is in contact with the upper surface of the axial support structure 10, and a second positioning groove 12 corresponding to the positioning block 7 is provided on the inner side wall of the lens barrel 100.

[0020] Furthermore, if Figure 4 As shown, the radial support structure 4 is provided with a radial unloading portion 20, the side of which is similar to the number 2 composed of 5 line segments, the top of which is designed according to the circumferential radius of the lens 1, and the bottom is designed parallel to the top, a positioning through hole 19 is provided on the outer side of the radial support structure 4, a first positioning hole 8 is provided at the bottom of the first positioning groove 5, and the radial positioning pin 3 is fixed in the first positioning hole 8 after passing through the positioning through hole 19. When the lens barrel 100 and the lens 1 generate a force transmitted to the radial support structure 4, the two radial unloading portions 20 will compress the top and bottom of the radial support structure 4, and in this process, a radial unloading function is generated.

[0021] Furthermore, a glue injection channel 6 is provided on the inner wall of the first positioning groove 5, and a first glue injection hole 9 is provided at the bottom. By injecting glue into the first glue injection hole 9 and the glue injection channel 6, the radial support structure 4 is bonded, so that the radial support structure 4 is fixed more securely.

[0022] Furthermore, if Figure 5As shown, the axial support structure 10 comprises a top plate, an axial unloading portion 18, and an extended positioning block 13 at the bottom. The top plate is arc-shaped and its two sides are connected to the extended positioning block 13 through the axial unloading portion 18 respectively. The side of the axial unloading portion 18 is similar to the number 2 composed of 5 line segments. The circumference of the concave side of the lens 1 contacts the upper surface of the top plate. The extended positioning blocks 13 on both sides are arranged oppositely. The extended positioning block 13 is provided with a second positioning hole 16. The bottom of the second positioning groove 14 is provided with a third positioning hole 15. The axial positioning pin passes through the second positioning hole 16 and is fixed in the third positioning hole 15. Since the axial support structure 10 mainly unloads the deflection of the lens 1 in the optical axis direction, the axial unloading portion 18 is also designed on both sides. Its principle and structure are similar to those of the radial support structure 4. However, since the deformation in the axial direction is larger than that in the radial direction under a specific temperature environment, the thickness of the top and bottom of the axial unloading portion 18 is slightly smaller than that of the radial unloading portion 20 in the design stage to ensure its unloading thermal stress performance.

[0023] Furthermore, a second glue injection hole 17 is provided on the extension positioning block 13 , and glue is injected into the second glue injection hole 17 to bond the axial support structure 10 , so that the axial support structure 10 is fixed more securely.

[0024] Furthermore, the number of the axial support structures 10 and the radial support structures 4 are both 6, and are evenly distributed along the circumference, so that the contact surface between the lens 1 and the axial support structure 10 is larger and the pressure distribution is more uniform.

[0025] Furthermore, the radial flexible support structure 4 and the axial flexible support structure 10 are made of titanium alloy.

[0026] The working principle of the present invention is as follows: during installation, the circumference of the lens 1 is first tangent to the six radial support structures 4, and then the structure after the lens 1 and the radial support structure 4 are assembled with the rigid positioning device ring 2, and the first positioning groove 5 on the rigid positioning device ring 2 is used to radially position the radial support structure 4, and then multiple radial positioning pins 3 are installed to the positioning through hole 19 and the first positioning hole 8 to fix the axial movement of the radial support structure 4, and then the radial support structure 4 is bonded through the first glue injection hole 9 and the glue injection channel 6. Then the axial support structure 10 is installed on the lens barrel 100, and the second positioning groove 14 on the lens barrel 100 is used to position and install the extended positioning block 13 on the axial support structure 10, and the extended positioning block 13 and the positioning groove 14 are designed in the same shape, and the radial movement is fixed after being embedded, and six circumferentially distributed axial support structures 10 are designed, and then the axial support structure 10 is installed in the second positioning hole 16 by the axial positioning pin 11 to fix the axial movement of the axial support structure 10, and then the second glue injection hole 17 is injected with glue to further fix it. Finally, the bonded rigid positioning device ring 2 is installed on part of the lens barrel 100, and a positioning groove 12 is designed on the inner side of the lens barrel 100 to fit the positioning block 7 on the outer side of the rigid positioning device ring 2, and glue is injected into the positioning groove 12. Then, the lens 1 is twisted so that the circular periphery of the concave side of the lens 1 contacts the axial support structure 10, and finally, it is further fixed with a gasket and a pressure ring.

[0027] When the lens operates under a certain temperature environment, the radial thermal deformation and stress generated by the lens barrel 100 and the lens 1 can be effectively unloaded by the radial support structure 4, so that the lens 1 itself will not be further damaged due to the deformation and extrusion of the lens barrel 1.

[0028] When the lens operates under a certain temperature environment, the axial thermal deformation and stress generated by the lens barrel 100 and the lens 1 can be effectively unloaded by the axial support structure 10, so that the lens 1 itself will not produce optical axis deflection due to its axial deformation and stress.

[0029] The lens 1 is in direct contact with the radial flexible support structure 4 and the axial flexible support structure 10. The positioning through hole 19 on the radial support structure 4 is connected with the rigid positioning support ring 2 through the first positioning groove 5 and the radial positioning pin 3 to fix the movement of the radial support structure 4 in a specific direction, and further fix it by injecting glue through the first glue injection hole 9, limiting the movement of the lens 1 in the radial direction and limiting the movement of the radial support structure 4 in all degrees of freedom; the positioning extension block 13 on the axial support structure 10 is installed with the second positioning groove 14 on the lens barrel, and then fixed by the axial positioning pin 11, and further fixed by injecting glue through the second glue injection hole 17, limiting the movement of the axial support structure 10 in all degrees of freedom. Then, the installed positioning support ring 2 and the lens barrel 100 are installed through the positioning groove 12, and further fixed with a pressure ring, while limiting the movement of the lens and the movement of the rigid positioning support ring 2.

[0030] Titanium alloy is selected as the material of the radial flexible support structure 4 and the axial flexible support structure 10. When the ambient temperature is at a relatively extreme temperature, the lens 1 and the lens barrel 100 will shrink. Since the materials of the two are different, the shrinkage of the lens barrel 100 will be much greater than the shrinkage of the lens 1. The radial unloading part 20 of the radial support structure 4 has a certain elastic effect. When the lens barrel 100 shrinks, part of the thermal stress generated by the lens barrel 100 is absorbed by the radial unloading part 20, so that the radial thermal stress acting on the lens 1 is reduced. Similarly, the axial unloading part 18 of the axial support structure 10 is to absorb the thermal stress from the lens barrel 100 when the lens barrel 100 is deformed axially, so as to ensure that the change of the lens 1 in the optical axis direction is reduced, so that the axial thermal stress acting on the lens 1 is reduced.

[0031] In order to solve the problem of using the lens in an extreme temperature environment, the present invention utilizes a method of non-direct contact between the lens barrel 100 and the lens 1 and designs an axial and radial flexible support structure. The buffering function of the flexible support structure can unload the huge thermal stress generated between the lens barrel 100 and the lens 1.

[0032] The overall structural design of the present invention is relatively novel, and can meet the obvious auxiliary function of the deformation and stress of the lens in high and low temperature environments, and is applicable to large-aperture lenses, aerospace lenses and reflectors; at the same time, the structure is easy to install, and the installation can be simplified during the installation process.

[0033] The specific implementation modes of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above implementation modes, and various changes can be made within the knowledge scope of ordinary technicians in this field without departing from the purpose of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lens flexible support structure, Features: The lens barrel (100) comprises a lens barrel (100), a rigid positioning support ring (2), an axially flexible support structure (10), a radially flexible support structure (4), and a lens (1); the circumference of the lens (1) is tangent to the plurality of radially flexible support structures (4); the inner wall of the rigid positioning support ring (2) is provided with a plurality of first positioning grooves (5); the radially flexible support structure (4) is mounted in the first positioning grooves (5); the outer wall of the rigid positioning support ring (2) is provided with a plurality of protruding positioning blocks (7); the inner step of the middle portion of the lens barrel (100) is provided with a plurality of second positioning grooves (14); the axially flexible support structure (10) is mounted on the second positioning grooves (14); the circumference of the concave side of the lens (1) is in contact with the upper surface of the axially flexible support structure (10); and the inner wall of the lens barrel (100) is provided with positioning grooves (12) corresponding to the positioning blocks (7); The radial flexible support structure (4) is provided with a radial unloading portion (20), the side of the radial unloading portion (20) is similar to the number 2 composed of five line segments, the top of the radial unloading portion (20) is designed according to the circumferential radius of the lens (1), and the bottom is designed parallel to the top, a positioning through hole (19) is provided on the outside of the radial flexible support structure (4), a first positioning hole (8) is provided at the bottom of the first positioning groove (5), and the radial positioning pin (3) passes through the positioning through hole (19) and is fixed in the first positioning hole (8); The axially flexible support structure (10) comprises a top plate, an axial unloading portion (18), and an extended positioning block (13) at the bottom. The top plate is arc-shaped and its two sides are connected to the extended positioning block (13) via the axial unloading portion (18), respectively. The side surface of the axial unloading portion (18) is similar to the number 2 formed by five line segments. The circumference of the concave side of the lens (1) contacts the upper surface of the top plate. The extended positioning blocks (13) at both sides are arranged opposite to each other. A second positioning hole (16) is provided on the extended positioning block (13). A third positioning hole (15) is provided at the bottom of the second positioning groove (14). The axial positioning pin passes through the second positioning hole (16) and is fixed in the third positioning hole (15). The inner side wall of the first positioning groove (5) is provided with a glue injection channel (6), and the bottom is provided with a first glue injection hole (9); The extension positioning block (13) is provided with a second glue injection hole (17).

2. A lens flexible support structure according to claim 1, Features: The number of the axial flexible support structures (10) and radial flexible support structures (4) is 6 each, and they are evenly distributed along the circumference.

3. A lens flexible support structure according to claim 1, Features: The radial flexible support structure (4) and the axial flexible support structure (10) are made of titanium alloy.

Images