Optical unit

Abstract

The present invention can reduce the size of an optical unit. An optical unit (1) is provided with a fixed body (10) and a movable body (20), and the fixed body (10) has: a housing part (14) disposed so as to surround at least a part of the movable body when viewed from the optical axis direction; and a housing section (11) that houses the housing section (14), the housing section (14) having a metal housing (12) made of metal, the metal housing (12) having a stopper section (12A) formed so as to protrude inward when viewed from the optical axis direction on the side opposite to the subject side in the optical axis direction, and the stopper section (12A) being configured so as to stop the stopper section (12A) when the movable body (20) is rotated about the rotation axis. The movable body (20) can be brought into contact with the side opposite to the subject side in the optical axis direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical unit. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various optical units have been used. Among them, there are various optical units including a fixed body and a movable body. The movable body is provided with a lens unit and rotates with respect to the fixed body about an axis of rotation that intersects the optical axis direction. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses various optical units including a fixed body and a movable body. The movable body is provided with a camera module having a lens and rotates with respect to the fixed body about an axis of rotation that intersects the optical axis direction. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-86066 Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a conventional optical unit including a fixed body and a movable body such as the optical unit of Patent Document 1, as the fixed body, it mostly has a structure including a housing portion configured to surround the movable body when viewed from the optical axis direction and a frame portion that houses the housing portion. The movable body is provided with a lens unit and rotates with respect to the fixed body about an axis of rotation that intersects the optical axis direction. The optical unit of Patent Document 1 has a housing as the housing portion, and a first lid and a second lid as the frame portions. However, if a frame portion is also arranged on the bottom surface side like the second lid of the optical unit of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the thickness of the optical unit in the optical axis direction increases and the optical unit becomes large-sized.

[0005] The optical unit of the present invention is characterized by including: a fixed body; and a movable body provided with a lens unit and rotating with respect to the fixed body about an axis of rotation that intersects the optical axis direction. The fixed body has: a housing portion arranged so as to surround at least a part of the movable body when viewed from the optical axis direction; and a frame portion that houses the housing portion. The housing portion has a metal housing made of metal, and the metal housing has a stopper portion that protrudes inward when viewed from the optical axis direction on the side opposite to the subject side in the optical axis direction. The stopper portion is configured to be able to abut against the movable body on the side opposite to the subject side in the optical axis direction when the movable body rotates with the axis of rotation as a reference.

[0006] The optical unit of the present invention can be miniaturized. Description of the Drawings

[0007] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of an optical unit according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the subject side. Figure 2It is observed from the side opposite to the subject side Figure 1 A perspective view of the optical unit Figure 3 is Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the optical unit Figure 4 is from Figure 3 Observed from a different angle Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the optical unit Figure 5 is Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the optical unit (Symbol description) 1 Optical unit, 10 Fixed body, 11 Frame part, 12 Metal housing, 12A Stopping part, 12B Positioning part, 13 Resin housing, 14 Housing part, 20 Movable body, 21 Cage, 22 Lens unit, 23 Lens, 30 Gimbal mechanism, 30A Fixed body side foot, 30B Movable body side foot, 30C Flat part, 31 Protrusion, 60 Driving part, 61 Coil, 61A Coil, 61B Coil, 62 Magnet, 62A Magnet, 62B Magnet, 63 Flexible printed circuit board, 80 Connection part, 80A Fixed body connection part, 80B Movable body connection part, 81 Recess Detailed implementation mode

[0008] Hereinafter, the optical unit 1 of an embodiment of the present invention will be described using Figures 1 to 5 In each figure, the Z-axis direction is the optical axis direction, the X-axis direction is the direction intersecting the optical axis AX, in other words, the deflection axis direction, and the Y-axis direction is the direction intersecting the optical axis AX, in other words, the pitching axis direction. In addition, the direction toward which the arrow points in the Z-axis direction, that is, the +Z direction, is the subject side direction, and the direction opposite to the direction toward which the arrow points, that is, the -Z direction, is the direction on the opposite side of the subject opposite to the subject side. In addition, in this specification, the direction intersecting the Z-axis direction is set as the width direction, and both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction correspond to one direction in the width direction

[0009] The optical unit 1 of this embodiment includes: a movable body 20 having a lens unit 22; and a fixed body 10 surrounding the movable body 20 in a circumferential direction intersecting the optical axis direction (Z-axis direction) of the lens unit 22. In addition, the optical unit 1 of this embodiment includes a gimbal mechanism 30 that supports the movable body 20 so as to be rotatable relative to the fixed body 10 about axes of rotation in directions (X-axis direction and Y-axis direction) intersecting the optical axis direction. Further, the optical unit 1 of this embodiment includes a drive unit 60 having a coil 61 disposed on the fixed body 10 and magnets 62 (magnets 62A and 62B) disposed at positions on the movable body 20 opposite to the coil 61 (coils 61A and 61B). In addition, the coil 61 is disposed inside a flexible printed circuit board 63 mounted on the fixed body 10 when viewed from the optical axis direction.

[0010] <Overall Structure of the Optical Unit> First, the overall structure of the optical unit 1 of this embodiment will be described. The optical unit 1 of this embodiment can be preferably used in cameras, smartphones, etc. This is because the optical unit 1 of this embodiment can be compactly configured, and cameras and smartphones can be compactly configured. However, the optical unit 1 of this embodiment is not limited to cameras or smartphones and can be used in various devices without particular limitation on the use.

[0011] The optical unit 1 of this embodiment includes a movable body 20 having a lens unit 22 provided with a lens 23 and the like. The movable body 20 has a lens unit 22 and a cage 21 surrounding the movable body 20 in a circumferential direction intersecting the optical axis direction (Z-axis direction) of the lens unit 22. In addition, the optical unit 1 of this embodiment includes a fixed body 10 covering the lens unit 22 in a state where the lens unit 22 is partially exposed from the +Z direction. The fixed body 10 has: a frame portion 11; a metal housing 12 housed in the frame portion 11 and surrounding the movable body 20 in the circumferential direction; and a resin housing 13 mounted on the outside of the metal housing 12. In addition, the optical unit 1 of this embodiment includes a gimbal mechanism 30 between the movable body 20 and the fixed body 10. The gimbal mechanism 30 has a fixed-body-side leg portion 30A connected to the fixed body 10, a movable-body-side leg portion 30B connected to the movable body 20, and a flat plate portion 30C provided with the fixed-body-side leg portion 30A and the movable-body-side leg portion 30B. The gimbal mechanism 30 has elasticity and rotatably supports the movable body 20 relative to the fixed body 10 about the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction as axes of rotation.

[0012] <Movable Body> The movable body 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The lens unit 22 is held inside the cage 21 when viewed from the optical axis direction, and is arranged in a state where the formed portion of the lens 23 protrudes from the +Z-direction surface of the cage 21. In addition, a magnet 62A serving as a magnet 62 is provided on the side surface of the cage 21 in the +X direction, and this magnet 62 constitutes a drive unit 60 that enables the movable body 20 to move relative to the fixed body 10. In addition, a magnet 62B serving as a magnet 62 that constitutes the drive unit 60 is provided on the side surface of the cage 21 in the +Y direction. Here, both the magnet 62A and the magnet 62B have the same structure. In addition, the magnet 62A and the magnet 62B can also be regarded as constituting a part of the movable body 20.

[0013] <Fixed body> The fixed body 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Inside the frame portion 11 of the fixed body 10, a metal shell 12 with a resin shell 13 installed is arranged. And when viewed from the optical axis direction, the movable body 20 is arranged inside the metal shell 12. Here, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the shell portion 14 is constituted by the metal shell 12 and the resin shell 13. In addition, coils 61 that constitute the drive unit 60 are provided on the +X-direction side surface and the +Y-direction side surface of the resin shell 13. These coils 61 are arranged at positions opposite to the magnet 62A and the magnet 62B. Here, the coil 61A at the position of the coil 61 opposite to the magnet 62A and the coil 61B at the position of the coil 61 opposite to the magnet 62B have the same structure.

[0014] <Gimbal mechanism> The gimbal mechanism 30 has: a flat plate portion 30C, which has a circular hole portion through which the formed portion of the lens 23 of the lens unit 22 passes, and the outer shape is rectangular; and a fixed-body side leg portion 30A and a movable-body side leg portion 30B, which are connecting portions connected to the fixed body 10 and the movable body 20. The fixed-body side leg portion 30A and the movable-body side leg portion 30B are formed at the four corners of the rectangular flat plate portion 30C, and among them, the two connecting portions on the diagonal line, that is, the fixed-body side leg portion 30A, is rotatably connected to the fixed body 10, and the two connecting portions on the other diagonal line, that is, the movable-body side leg portion 30B, is rotatably connected to the movable body 20. In addition, as the gimbal mechanism 30, a general gimbal mechanism used in conventional optical units can be used without particular limitation. In addition, the optical unit 1 of the present embodiment is structured such that the movable body 20 can rotate relative to the fixed body 10 in the yaw axis direction and the pitch axis direction through the gimbal mechanism 30, but it can also be a structure in which the movable body 20 can rotate relative to the fixed body 10 in the roll direction by providing a mechanism different from the gimbal mechanism 30, etc.

[0015] <Drive unit> Next, the drive unit 60 will be described. As described above, the magnets 62A and 62B have the same structure, and the two coils 61A and 61B disposed at positions opposite to the magnets 62A and 62B have the same structure. The optical unit 1 of the present embodiment has a pitch-axis rotation mechanism constituted by the magnet 62A and the coil 61A as the drive unit 60, and a yaw-axis rotation mechanism constituted by the magnet 62B and the coil 61B. However, the structure is not limited to this, and it may be a structure having only either the pitch-axis rotation mechanism or the yaw-axis rotation mechanism. In addition, a roll-axis rotation mechanism that can rotate the movable body 20 relative to the fixed body 10 in the rolling direction may be further provided.

[0016] <Connection portion> The optical unit 1 of the present embodiment has a connection portion 80 that rotatably connects the gimbal mechanism 30 to the fixed body 10 and the movable body 20. Specifically, as the connection portion 80, there are provided a fixed-body connection portion 80A provided with a recess 81 that is recessed inward when viewed from the optical axis direction, and a movable-body connection portion 80B provided with a recess 81 that is recessed inward when viewed from the optical axis direction. The fixed-body connection portion 80A is mounted on the fixed-body side leg portion 30A of the gimbal mechanism 30 and is disposed at two opposite positions among the four corners of the rectangular frame-shaped housing portion 14 of the fixed body 10. Moreover, the movable-body connection portion 80B is mounted on the movable-body side leg portion 30B of the gimbal mechanism 30 and is disposed at two opposite positions among the four corners of the rectangular frame-shaped movable body 20.

[0017] Here, a convex portion 31 that is received in the recess 81 is provided on the fixed-body side leg portion 30A, and a convex portion 31 that is received in the recess 81 is also provided on the movable-body side leg portion 30B. In addition, the housing portion 14 and the movable body 20 are arranged such that the positions of the four corners are aligned, and one of the two fixed-body connection portions 80A and one of the two movable-body connection portions 80B are disposed at each of the four corners. The connection portion 80 supports the gimbal mechanism 30 relative to the fixed body 10 and the movable body 20 by such a structure.

[0018] <Housing portion> Here, the details of the housing portion 14, which is the main part of the optical unit 1 of the present embodiment, will be described. As described above, the optical unit 1 of the present embodiment includes a fixed body 10 and a movable body 20. The movable body 20 is provided with a lens unit 22 and rotates relative to the fixed body 10 about an axis that intersects the optical axis direction. Here, the fixed body 10 has: a housing portion 14 that is provided so as to surround at least a part of the movable body 20 when viewed from the optical axis direction; and a frame portion 11 that houses the housing portion 14.

[0019] As described above, the housing portion 14 has a metal housing 12 made of metal. As Figure 2 and Figure 5As shown in the figure, the metal housing 12 has a stopper portion 12A on the side opposite to the subject side (-Z direction side) in the optical axis direction, and the stopper portion 12A is configured to protrude inward when viewed from the optical axis direction. The stopper portion 12A is configured to be able to abut against the movable body 20 on the side opposite to the subject side in the optical axis direction when the movable body 20 rotates with the rotation axis as a reference. The optical unit 1 of the present embodiment has the metal housing 12 with such a structure, as Figure 2 As shown in the figure, etc., it is not necessary to dispose a frame portion 11 such as a bottom cover on the side opposite to the subject side in the optical axis direction. Therefore, the optical unit 1 of the present embodiment can reduce the thickness of the optical unit 1 in the optical axis direction and can achieve miniaturization of the optical unit 1.

[0020] In addition, in the optical unit 1 of the present embodiment, the stopper portion 12A is configured to be bent inward when viewed from the optical axis direction. In this way, by bending a part of the metal housing 12 to form the stopper portion 12A, the stopper portion 12A can be simply formed without adding components. However, it is not limited to such a structure. For example, it may also be a structure in which the component constituting the stopper portion 12A is bonded or welded to the bottom edge portion (-Z direction side end portion) of the metal housing 12.

[0021] In addition, in the optical unit 1 of the present embodiment, as Figure 5 As shown in the figure, etc., the housing portion 14 has a resin housing 13 made of resin, and the resin housing 13 is disposed so as to surround at least a part of the metal housing 12 when viewed from the optical axis direction. When the resin housing 13 is provided with fine irregularities or the like, it can be easily formed into various shapes, so it can be formed into a shape capable of appropriately mounting various electronic devices such as the magnet 62 or the coil 61 of the drive unit 60, the flexible printed circuit board 63, and the IC. In addition, by forming the housing portion 14 that combines the metal housing 12 and the resin housing 13, in addition to being easy to position the flexible printed circuit board 63 etc. and easy to assemble them, the rigidity of the housing portion 14 can be improved, and the impact can be mitigated when receiving an impact from the outside.

[0022] In addition, in the optical unit 1 of the present embodiment, as Figures 3 to 5 As shown in the figure, the metal housing 12 has a positioning portion 12B that is bent outward when viewed from the optical axis direction on the subject side (+Z direction side) in the optical axis direction. And, as Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the positioning portion 12B is configured to be able to perform positioning of the resin housing 13 with respect to the metal housing 12 in the optical axis direction by abutting against the resin housing 13. By forming the metal housing 12 into such a structure, the resin housing 13 can be appropriately positioned, and further, the magnet 62 or the coil 61 of the drive unit 60 and the flexible printed circuit board 63 can be appropriately positioned.

[0023] In addition, as described above, the optical unit 1 of the present embodiment includes a drive unit 60 composed of a magnet 62 and a coil 61. The magnet 62 (magnet 62A and magnet 62B) of the drive unit 60 is provided on the movable body 20, and the coil 61 (coil 61A and coil 61B) of the drive unit 60 is provided at a position on the resin housing 13 of the fixed body 10 that faces the magnet 62. In this way, it is preferably configured that one of the magnet 62 or the coil 61 of the drive unit 60 is provided on the movable body 20, and the other of the magnet 62 or the coil 61 of the drive unit 60 is provided at a position on the resin housing 13 of the fixed body 10 that faces one of the magnet 62 or the coil 61 of the drive unit 60 of the movable body 20. Moreover, the stopper 12A is disposed at least at a position that overlaps with one of the magnet 62 or the coil 61 of the drive unit 60 when viewed from the optical axis direction. This is because excessive rotation of the movable body 20 relative to the fixed body 10 can be appropriately restricted at the position where one of the magnet 62 or the coil 61 of the drive unit 60 is provided.

[0024] Finally, the present invention will be fully described hereinafter. (1) An optical unit, characterized by comprising: a fixed body; and a movable body provided with a lens unit, which rotates with respect to the fixed body about an axis of rotation that intersects the optical axis direction. The fixed body has: a housing portion disposed in a configuration that surrounds at least a part of the movable body when viewed from the optical axis direction; and a frame portion that houses the housing portion. The housing portion has a metal housing made of metal, and the metal housing has a stopper portion formed by bending inward when viewed from the optical axis direction on the side opposite to the subject side in the optical axis direction. The stopper portion is configured to be able to abut against the movable body on the side opposite to the subject side in the optical axis direction when the movable body rotates with respect to the axis of rotation. (2) In the optical unit described in the above (1), characterized in that the housing portion has a resin housing made of resin, and the resin housing made of resin is disposed in a configuration that surrounds at least a part of the metal housing when viewed from the optical axis direction. (3) In the optical unit described in the above (2), characterized in that the metal housing has a positioning portion on the subject side in the optical axis direction, and the positioning portion is configured to bend outward when viewed from the optical axis direction, and the positioning portion is configured to be able to position the resin housing relative to the metal housing in the optical axis direction by abutting against the resin housing. (4) In the optical unit described in the above (2) or (3), it is characterized in that it includes a driving part composed of a magnet and a coil, one of the magnet and the coil of the driving part is provided on the movable body, and the other of the magnet and the coil of the driving part is provided at a position in the resin housing that is opposite to one of the magnet and the coil of the driving part of the movable body, and the stopper is disposed at least at a position that overlaps with one of the magnet and the coil of the driving part when viewed from the optical axis direction. (5) In the optical unit according to any one of the above (1) to (4), the stopper is configured to bend inward when viewed from the optical axis direction.

Claims

1. An optical unit, characterized in that: have: a fixed body; and A movable body is provided with a lens unit and rotates relative to the fixed body with a direction intersecting the optical axis direction as a rotation axis, The fixed body includes: a housing portion which is arranged to surround at least a portion of the movable body when viewed from the optical axis direction; and a frame portion which accommodates the housing portion. The housing portion has a metal housing. The metal housing has a stopper on the side opposite to the subject side in the optical axis direction, and the stopper is configured to protrude inward when viewed from the optical axis direction. The stopper is configured to be able to come into contact with the movable body at a side opposite to a subject side in the optical axis direction when the movable body rotates with reference to the rotation axis.

2. The optical unit according to claim 1, characterized in that The housing portion includes a resin housing made of resin, and the resin housing is provided so as to surround at least a portion of the metal housing when viewed from the optical axis direction.

3. The optical unit according to claim 2, characterized in that The metal housing has a positioning portion on the subject side in the optical axis direction, and the positioning portion is configured to bend outward when viewed from the optical axis direction. The positioning portion is configured to be able to position the resin case relative to the metal case in the optical axis direction by coming into contact with the resin case.

4. The optical unit according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: A drive unit composed of a magnet and a coil is provided. The movable body is provided with one of the magnet or the coil of the driving unit, The other of the magnet or the coil of the driving portion is provided in the resin case at a position facing the one of the magnet or the coil of the driving portion of the movable body. The stopper portion is disposed at least at a position overlapping with one of the magnet or the coil of the drive portion when viewed from the optical axis direction.

5. The optical unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The stopper portion is configured to be bent inward when viewed from the optical axis direction.

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