Optical element drive mechanism

Abstract

An optical element driving mechanism includes a movable part, a fixed part and a sensing component. The movable part is used to connect an optical element. The fixed part has an opening for allowing a light to pass through. The movable part can move relative to the fixed part. The sensing component is used to sense the position of the movable part relative to the fixed part. When the movable part is located in a first range, the optical element and the opening at least partially overlap.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to an optical element driving mechanism, in particular to an optical element driving mechanism with a sensing component for sensing the position of a movable part relative to a fixed part. Background Art

[0002] With the development of technology, many electronic devices (such as laptops, smart phones or digital cameras) now have the function of taking pictures or recording videos. The use of these electronic devices is becoming more and more common. In addition to developing more stable and better optical quality, they are also moving towards convenient and lightweight designs to provide users with more choices. The design of electronic devices is constantly moving towards miniaturization, so that various components or structures used in optical modules such as cameras must also be continuously reduced to achieve the purpose of miniaturization. In view of this, how to design a miniaturized drive mechanism has become an important issue. Utility Model Content

[0003] The terms of embodiment and similar terms (e.g., implementation, configuration, features, examples, and options) are intended to broadly refer to all of the subject matter of the present disclosure and the following claims. Several statements containing these terms should be understood as not limiting the subject matter described herein or limiting the meaning or scope of the following claims. The embodiments of the present disclosure covered herein are defined by the following claims, rather than this utility model content. This utility model content is a high-level overview of the various features of the present disclosure, and introduces some of the concepts described in more detail in the following implementation paragraphs. This utility model content is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the subject matter of the claims, nor is it intended to be used independently to determine the scope of the subject matter of the claims. This subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the complete specification of the present disclosure, any or all drawings, and each claim.

[0004] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an optical element driving mechanism to solve at least one of the above problems.

[0005] According to certain features of the present disclosure, an optical element driving mechanism is provided. The optical element driving mechanism includes a movable portion, a fixed portion, and a sensing component, wherein the movable portion is used to connect an optical element, the fixed portion has an opening for allowing a light to pass through, the movable portion can move relative to the fixed portion, and the sensing component is used to sense the position of the movable portion relative to the fixed portion. In some embodiments, when the movable portion is located in a first range, the optical element at least partially overlaps with the opening.

[0006] In some embodiments, when the movable portion is located at a first position and a second position, the sensing component is electrically connected to the optical element, wherein when the movable portion is located at the first position, the optical element is in a closed state, and when the movable portion is located at the second position, the optical element is in an open state.

[0007] In some embodiments, when the movable portion is located at the first position and the second position, the sensing component contacts the optical element. An edge of the optical element contacting the sensing component has a rounded corner.

[0008] In some embodiments, a distance between the first position and the second position is approximately one quarter of a total length of the optical element driving mechanism.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the movable portion is located at the first position and the second position, the sensing component contacts the optical element. When the movable portion is located at the first position, a first edge of the optical element contacts the sensing component, and when the movable portion is located at the second position, a second edge of the optical element contacts the sensing component.

[0010] In some embodiments, the sensing component has a suspension wire and a circuit element, the suspension wire is laser-welded to the circuit element, one end of the suspension wire is suspended, the fixing portion has a housing, and an insulating element is disposed between the suspension wire and the housing.

[0011] In some embodiments, the movable portion has a joint portion that is laser welded to the optical element.

[0012] In some embodiments, the optical element driving mechanism further includes a driving component, wherein the driving component has a conducting element connected to the fixing portion via a buffer element.

[0013] The above utility model content is not intended to present every embodiment or every feature of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing utility model content only provides examples of some of the novel features and characteristics set forth herein. When combined with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims, the above features and advantages of the present disclosure and other features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of representative embodiments and modes for implementing the present utility model. In view of the detailed description of various embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, the symbols provided below simply illustrate the additional features of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The present disclosure and its advantages will be better understood from the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate only exemplary embodiments and therefore should not be considered as limiting the various embodiments or claims.

[0015] Figure 1A front perspective view of an optical element driving mechanism and an optical element according to certain features of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2 An exploded perspective view of an optical element driving mechanism and an optical element according to certain features of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3 According to certain features of the present disclosure, the optical element driving mechanism and the optical element along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of line AA.

[0018] Figure 4 According to certain features of the present disclosure, the optical element driving mechanism and the optical element along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of line BB.

[0019] Figure 5A A top view of an optical element driving mechanism and an optical element in a first position according to certain features of the present disclosure, wherein the housing of the fixing portion is shown in dotted lines for illustrative purposes.

[0020] Figure 5B According to certain features of the present disclosure, a front stereoscopic view of an optical element driving mechanism and an optical element in a first position, wherein for illustrative purposes, the housing is not shown, the first circuit element is shown as transparent, and elements obscured by the first circuit element are shown in dotted lines.

[0021] Fig. 6A A top view of an optical element driving mechanism and an optical element in a second position according to certain features of the present disclosure, wherein the housing of the fixing portion is shown in dotted lines for illustrative purposes.

[0022] Figure 6B According to certain features of the present disclosure, the optical element driving mechanism and the front stereoscopic view of the optical element in the second position, for illustrative purposes, the housing is not shown, the second circuit element is shown as transparent, and the elements blocked by the second circuit element are shown in dotted lines.

[0023] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0024] 100: Optical element driving mechanism

[0025] 110: Activities Department

[0026] 112: Joint

[0027] 114: gripping part

[0028] 120:Fixed part

[0029] 122: Shell

[0030] 123: Opening

[0031] 124: Base

[0032] 125: Groove

[0033] 126: Buffer element

[0034] 128: Insulation element

[0035] 130:Sensing component

[0036] 132: Ring Line

[0037] 133, 134: first circuit element

[0038] 135, 136: second circuit element

[0039] 140:Drive components

[0040] 142: Driving element

[0041] 144: Conducting element

[0042] 146: Counterweight element

[0043] 148: Circuit components

[0044] 200: Optical components

[0045] 201: Shielding

[0046] 210, 220: Edge

[0047] 230: Opening

[0048] O: Optical axis

[0049] AA:Line

[0050] BB:Line

[0051] C: Arrow

[0052] d1: distance

[0053] d2: total length

[0054] X, Y, Z, L: axis DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] Various embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and similar reference symbols are used to designate similar or equivalent elements throughout the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale, and the accompanying drawings are provided only to show the characteristics and features of the present disclosure. It should be understood that many specific details, relationships and methods are set forth to provide a comprehensive understanding. However, it will be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that various embodiments can be practiced without one or more specific details or in other methods. In some cases, for illustrative purposes, known structures or operations are not shown in detail. Various embodiments are not limited to the order in which actions or events are displayed, as some actions can occur in different orders and / or simultaneously with other actions or events. In addition, not all of the actions or events shown are required for implementing certain features and characteristics of the present disclosure.

[0056] For purposes of this embodiment, the singular includes the plural and vice versa unless expressly stated otherwise. The term "including" means "including, but not limited to." In addition, approximate words such as "about," "almost," "substantially," and "approximately," and the like, may mean, for example, "at," "near," "nearly at," "within 3-5% of," "within acceptable manufacturing tolerances," or any logical combination thereof. Additionally, the terms "vertical" or "horizontal" are intended to further include "within 3-5%" of the vertical or horizontal direction, respectively. In addition, directional words such as "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "above," and "below" are intended to be relative to equivalent directions depicted in reference illustrations; to be understood from the context of the referenced object or element, such as from a common position of the object or element; or other descriptions thereof.

[0057] Please refer to Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 , Figure 1 According to certain features of the present disclosure, a front perspective view of an optical element driving mechanism 100 is shown. Figure 2The present invention is an exploded perspective view of an optical element driving mechanism 100 and an optical element 200 according to certain features of the present invention. The optical element driving mechanism 100 includes a movable part 110, a fixed part 120, a sensing component 130, and a driving component 140. The movable part 110 is used to connect an optical element 200. The movable part 110 can move between a first position and a second position relative to the fixed part 120. The sensing component 130 is used to sense the position of the movable part 110 relative to the fixed part 120. The driving component 140 drives the movable part 110 to move relative to the fixed part 120. The optical element driving mechanism 100 and the optical element 200 form an optical module. In other words, the optical module includes the optical element driving mechanism 100 and the optical element 200.

[0058] Please see Figure 3 . Figure 3 According to certain features of the present disclosure, the optical element driving mechanism and the optical element along Figure 1 The movable portion 110 has a joint portion 112 and a gripping portion 114. In some embodiments, the movable portion 110 may be an integrally formed metal element, wherein the joint portion 112 is a plane, and the gripping portion 114 is a flexible metal sheet connected to the joint portion 112. The joint portion 112 is connected to the optical element 200. For example, in some embodiments, the joint portion 112 is laser welded to the optical element 200. The gripping portion 114 has an approximately V-shaped cross section. The gripping portion 114 is connected to a conductive element 144 of the driving component 140, such as Figure 3 As shown, the gripping portion 114 grips the conductive element 144 , so that when the conductive element 144 moves (as will be further explained below), the movable portion 110 and the optical element 200 are driven to move relative to the fixed portion 120 .

[0059] Please refer again Figure 2 The fixing part 120 includes a housing 122 and a base 124. The housing 122 is fixed to the base 124, and the space formed between the housing 122 and the base 124 receives other components of the optical module. The housing 122 includes an opening 123, and an optical axis O enters the optical module through the opening 123. The base 124 has a plurality of grooves 125, which can accommodate the conductive element 144 of the driving assembly 140.

[0060] In some embodiments, the sensing component 130 has four hanging wires 132, first circuit elements 133, 134, and second circuit elements 135, 136, and one end of each hanging wire 132 is laser-fused and electrically connected to the first circuit elements 133, 134 and the second circuit elements 135, 136. The hanging wire 132 is a flexible and conductive metal wire. The first circuit elements 133, 134 and the second circuit elements 135, 136 are fixed to the base 124. The first circuit elements 133, 134 and the second circuit elements 135, 136 are electrically connected to an external control component (not shown) to transmit the sensed position information to the external control component. Please refer to Figure 3 One end of each suspension ring 132 near the base 124 is suspended. That is, one end of each suspension ring 132 is laser-welded to the first circuit element 133, 134 and the second circuit element 135, 136 (see Figure 2 ), and the other end is suspended. In some embodiments, an insulating element 128 is disposed between the hanging ring wire 132 and the housing 122 of the fixing portion 120. For example, in some embodiments, the insulating element 128 can be soft glue.

[0061] Next, please refer to Figure 2 The optical element 200 has a shielding portion 201, edges 210, 220, and an opening 230. The shielding portion 201 may be made of a material with light shielding properties, such as SOMA. The first edge 210 and the second edge 220 may have rounded corners. In the first position, the edge 210 contacts the hanging ring 132, and in the second position, the edge 220 contacts the hanging ring 132, as will be described below with respect to FIG. 5A to FIG. 6B Description. The rounded corners of the edge 210 and the edge 220 can make it less likely to cause the ring line 132 to break when the edge 210 and the edge 220 contact the ring line 132. The opening 230 of the optical element 200 is larger than the opening 123 of the housing 122. The optical element 200 is laser welded to the joint portion 112 of the movable portion 110, and thus the optical element 200 and the movable portion 110 are driven by the conductive element 144 of the driving portion 140 to move between the first position and the second position.

[0062] like Figure 2 As shown, the driving assembly 140 may include a driving element 142, a conducting element 144, a weight element 146, and a circuit assembly 148. The driving element 142 may have a long strip shape and extend along the direction in which the L axis extends. The conducting element 144 and the weight element 146 may be connected to the driving element 142 and disposed on both sides of the driving element 142. The conducting element 144 is connected to the driving element 142 through a buffer element 126 (see Figure 4) is connected to the base 124 of the fixing portion 120. The driving element 142 is electrically connected to the circuit component 148. The circuit component 148 is electrically connected to an external control component (not shown). In some embodiments, the external control component can read the position information of the optical element 200 from the first circuit components 133, 134 and the second circuit components 135, 136 of the sensing component 130, and output a control signal to the circuit component 148. Thus, an electrical signal can be provided from the circuit component 148 to control the driving element 142.

[0063] In some embodiments, the material of the driving element 142 may include a piezoelectric material. When an electric field (voltage) is applied to the surface of the piezoelectric material, the electric dipole moment will be elongated due to the action of the electric field. To resist the change, the piezoelectric material will stretch along the direction of the electric field, thereby generating mechanical deformation, thereby driving the conductive element 144 to move. For example, the electric dipole moment of the driving element 142 may be designed to extend in the X-axis direction to drive the conductive element 144 to move in the X-direction. The density of the weight element 146 may be greater than the density of the conductive element 144 to generate a reaction force when the driving element 142 is driven. In some embodiments, the material of the conductive element 144 may include carbon fiber, and the material of the weight element 146 may include metal.

[0064] Next, please refer to Figure 4 . Figure 4 According to certain features of the present disclosure, the optical element driving mechanism 100 and the optical element 200 are arranged along Figure 1 BB. In some embodiments, the buffer element 126 surrounds the conductive element 144. In some embodiments, the material of the buffer element 126 may include an elastic material, such as silicone. In some embodiments, the buffer element 126 may be movably connected to the conductive element 144 by friction contact to define the position of the conductive element 144.

[0065] Next, please refer to Figure 5A . Figure 5A 1 is a top view of the optical element driving mechanism 100 and the optical element 200 in the first position according to certain features of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the housing 122 of the fixed portion 120 is shown in dotted lines. In the first position, the shielding portion 201 of the optical element 200 completely overlaps the opening 123 of the housing 122. When the movable portion 110 is in the first position, the optical axis O does not pass through the opening 230, and the edge 210 of the optical element 200 contacts the suspension wire 132 located between the first circuit elements 133 and 134 (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 5B ). At the same time, the housing 122 and the opening 230 of the optical element 200 also completely overlap. At this time, since the optical axis O does not pass through the opening 230 and does not pass through the optical module, the optical element 200 is in a closed state.

[0066] Next, please refer to Figure 5B . Figure 5B According to certain features of the present disclosure, the optical element driving mechanism 100 and the optical element 200 are in a front perspective view at a first position. For illustrative purposes, the housing 122 is not shown, and the first circuit elements 133 and 134 are shown as transparent. The suspension wire 132 and the first edge 210 of the optical element 200 blocked by the first circuit elements 133 and 134 are shown in dotted lines. As shown in the figure, when in the first position, the edge 210 of the optical element 200 contacts the suspension wire 132 located between the first circuit elements 133 and 134, so that the first circuit elements 133 and 134 are connected via the suspension wire 132 and the optical element 200. The first circuit element 133, the suspension wire 132, the optical element 200, and the first circuit element 134 are electrically connected. After the first circuit elements 133 and 134 are connected, a signal is transmitted to the external control component, indicating that the optical element 200 is in the first position, in a closed state, and the optical axis O does not pass through the opening 230.

[0067] In some embodiments, when the circuit component 148 of the driving component 140 receives a signal and moves the conductive element 144 in the direction of arrow C, the gripping portion 114 of the movable portion 110 grips the conductive element 144, and the joint portion 112 of the movable portion 110 is fused to the optical element 200, so the movement of the conductive element 144 drives the optical element 200 to move. The optical element 200 moves in a first range between the non-first position and the non-second position. In the first range, the shielding portion 201 of the optical element 200 at least partially overlaps with the opening 123 of the housing 122. And the edge 210 of the optical element 200 does not contact the hanging ring line 132 (see Figure 5B ). The housing 122 at least partially overlaps with the opening 230 of the optical element 200 .

[0068] Next, please refer to Fig. 6A . Fig. 6A According to certain features of the present disclosure, the optical element driving mechanism 100 and the optical element 200 are in a top view in the second position. For illustrative purposes, the housing 122 of the fixed portion 120 is shown in dotted lines. The conductive element 144 drives the movable portion 110 and the optical element 200 to move from the first position to the second position along the direction of arrow C. When the movable portion 110 is in the second position, the optical axis O passes through the opening 123 and the opening 230, and the edge 220 of the optical element 200 contacts the suspension wire 132 located at the second circuit elements 135 and 136 (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 6B). The housing 122 at least partially overlaps with the shielding portion 201 of the optical element 200. The opening 230 of the optical element 200 completely overlaps with the opening 123 of the housing 122. Since the opening 230 of the optical element 200 is larger than the opening 123 of the housing 122, the opening 123 of the housing 122 will be completely exposed through the opening 230 of the optical element 200. At this time, since the optical axis O passes through the opening 230 and passes through the optical module, the optical element 200 is in an open state.

[0069] Next, please refer to Figure 6B . Figure 6B According to certain features of the present disclosure, the optical element driving mechanism 100 and the optical element 200 are in the second position. For illustrative purposes, the housing 122 is not shown, and the second circuit elements 135 and 136 are shown as transparent. The suspension wire 132 and the edge 220 of the optical element 200 blocked by the second circuit elements 135 and 136 are shown in dotted lines. As shown in the figure, when in the second position, the edge 220 of the optical element 200 contacts the suspension wire 132 located between the second circuit elements 135 and 136, so that the second circuit elements 135 and 136 are connected via the suspension wire 132 and the optical element 200. The second circuit element 135, the suspension wire 132, the optical element 200, and the second circuit element 136 are electrically connected. After the second circuit elements 135 and 136 are connected, a signal is transmitted to the external control component, indicating that the optical element 200 is in the second position, in an open state, and the optical axis O passes through the opening 230.

[0070] In some embodiments, a distance between the first position and the second position, that is, a distance d1 between the first circuit elements 133, 134 and the second circuit elements 135, 136 is approximately equal to a length d2 of the base 124 (see Figure 5A ) is one quarter of the total.

[0071] In summary, according to certain features of the present disclosure, the structure and function of the optical element driving mechanism and the optical element are described. The optical element driving mechanism includes a movable part, a fixed part, a sensing component, and a driving component. The optical element driving mechanism and the optical element together form an optical module.

[0072] According to certain features of the present disclosure, the movable part is driven by a driving component, and drives the optical element to move relative to the fixed part, and the sensing component can know the position of the optical element and output a position signal through electrical conduction. The movement of the optical element can be controlled by using the position signal and the control signal, and the optical element can be turned on or off by moving the optical element between two positions to allow light to pass through or not pass through the optical element. Among them, the sensing component senses the position of the optical element in an electrically conductive manner, and uses a hanging wire and a circuit element (conductive element) configuration, without the use of known configurations such as Hall magnetic elements or coils, which effectively saves the internal space of the optical drive mechanism, thereby achieving miniaturization of the optical drive mechanism.

[0073] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described with respect to one or more embodiments, equivalents and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the accompanying drawings. In addition, although a particular feature of the present disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several embodiments, for any given or specific application, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments as may be required and advantageous.

[0074] Although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented in an exemplary and non-limiting manner only. Without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure, various changes can be made according to the embodiments disclosed herein of the present disclosure. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments. On the contrary, the scope of the present disclosure should be defined according to the following claims and their equivalents.

[0075] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms "a, an", and "the" used herein are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, the terms "including, includes", "having, has, with" or their variations used in the embodiments and / or claims are intended to be included in a manner similar to the word "comprising".

Claims

1. An optical element driving mechanism, characterized in that: include: A movable portion, used to connect an optical element; a fixed portion having an opening for allowing a light to pass through, wherein the movable portion is movable relative to the fixed portion; as well as a sensing component for sensing the position of the movable portion relative to the fixed portion; When the movable portion is located in a first range, the optical element at least partially overlaps with the opening, when the movable portion is located in a first position and a second position, the sensing component is electrically connected to the optical element, when the movable portion is located in the first position, the optical element is in a closed state, and when the movable portion is located in the second position, the optical element is in an open state.

2. The optical element driving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: A distance between the first position and the second position is one quarter of a total length of the optical element driving mechanism.

3. The optical element driving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: When the movable portion is located at the first position and the second position, the sensing component contacts the optical element, wherein when the movable portion is located at the first position, a first edge of the optical element contacts the sensing component, and when the movable portion is located at the second position, a second edge of the optical element contacts the sensing component.

4. The optical element driving mechanism according to claim 3, wherein: An edge of the optical element contacting the sensing component has a rounded corner.

5. The optical element driving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The sensing component has a hanging ring wire and a circuit element, and the hanging ring wire is laser-fused to the circuit element.

6. The optical element driving mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: One end of the suspension wire is suspended in the air.

7. The optical element driving mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The fixing part has a shell, and an insulating element is arranged between the suspension ring wire and the shell.

8. The optical element driving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The movable part has a joint part which is laser-welded to the optical element.

9. The optical element driving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The invention also comprises a driving component, wherein the driving component has a conducting element connected to the fixing part through a buffer element.

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