electronic machinery

Abstract

To provide a lens barrel module that is less likely to be damaged even if shock is applied to a rotary cylinder.SOLUTION: A lens barrel module 2 includes: a fixed cylinder 30 in which a cam groove 33 including a spiral groove 33A spirally extended and a front edge groove 33C extended in a circumferential direction at a front end of the spiral groove 33A is formed on an inner peripheral surface; a rotary cylinder 40 disposed on the inside in the radial direction of the fixed cylinder 30; and a drive unit 20 including a motor 21 rotating the rotary cylinder 40. The rotary cylinder 40 includes: a projecting part 45 engaged with the cam groove 33 of the fixed cylinder 30 while projecting outside in a radial direction; and a follower gear 46 formed along a circumferential direction. A control part 4 of a smartphone 1 rotates the motor 21 in the opposite direction at predetermined timing and moves the projecting part 45 of the rotary cylinder 40 from the front edge groove 33C of the cam groove 33 in the fixed cylinder 30 to the spiral groove 33A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lens barrel module and an electronic device, and more particularly to a lens barrel module that allows a lens barrel to be extended forward along an optical axis direction. [Background technology]

[0002] Because cameras built into compact electronic devices such as smartphones must be housed in limited spaces, many of them have a mechanism that retracts the lens barrel into the body when not taking pictures and extends the lens barrel when taking pictures (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such extension mechanisms include a rotating barrel with a pin that protrudes radially outward and a fixed barrel with a spiral cam groove that engages with the pin; when the rotating barrel rotates relative to the fixed barrel, the pin on the rotating barrel moves along the cam groove on the fixed barrel, thereby extending the rotating barrel. The front end of the cam groove formed on such a fixed barrel is generally formed to extend circumferentially to align the rotating barrel in the axial direction.

[0003] For example, if an electronic device is dropped while the rotating barrel is extended during shooting, an impact may be applied to the rotating barrel extended from the fixed barrel, resulting in a force that pushes the rotating barrel back into the fixed barrel. If the pin on the rotating barrel is located at the front end of the cam groove on the fixed barrel, which extends in the circumferential direction, the force that pushes the rotating barrel back into the fixed barrel has nowhere to escape, and excessive force may be applied to the pin, causing it to come out of the cam groove on the fixed barrel or to break, rendering the camera irreparable. Furthermore, even if the pin on the rotating barrel is not located at the front end of the cam groove on the fixed barrel, the impact applied to the rotating barrel may be transmitted to the drive motor and other components, potentially damaging these components. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5328249 specification Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems of the prior art, and has an object to provide a lens barrel module and electronic equipment that are less likely to break even when subjected to an impact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lens barrel module that is resistant to damage even when subjected to an impact. The lens barrel module includes a fixed barrel having a cam groove formed on its inner surface, the cam groove including a spiral groove extending in a spiral direction and a front-end groove extending circumferentially from the front end of the spiral groove; a rotating barrel disposed radially inward of the fixed barrel; and a drive unit that rotates the rotating barrel. The rotating barrel has at least one lens, a protrusion that protrudes radially outward and engages with the cam groove of the fixed barrel, and a driven gear formed along the circumferential direction. The drive unit has a motor, a drive gear that meshes with the driven gear of the rotating barrel, and a rotation transmission mechanism that can transmit rotation of the motor to the drive gear. The rotation transmission mechanism includes a torque limiter that can interrupt transmission of rotation between the drive gear and the motor when torque exceeding a predetermined torque is applied.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device that is resistant to damage even when a lens barrel module is subjected to an impact. The electronic device includes a lens barrel module including at least one lens, an image sensor arranged on the optical axis of the at least one lens of the lens barrel module, and a control unit capable of controlling the drive of the lens barrel module. The lens barrel module includes a fixed barrel having a cam groove formed on its inner surface, the cam groove including a spiral groove extending in a spiral shape and a front-end groove extending circumferentially at the front end of the spiral groove, a rotating barrel arranged radially inward of the fixed barrel, and a drive unit that rotates the rotating barrel. The rotating barrel has a protrusion that protrudes radially outward and engages with the cam groove of the fixed barrel, and a driven gear formed along the circumferential direction. The drive unit includes a motor, a drive gear that meshes with the driven gear of the rotating barrel, and a rotation transmission mechanism that can transmit rotation of the motor to the drive gear. When the protrusion of the rotary barrel of the lens barrel module is positioned in the front end groove of the cam groove of the fixed barrel, the control unit It is expected that external force will be applied to the rotating cylinder. By timing , so that the rotary cylinder can move rearward along the spiral groove by the external force, The motor is rotated in the reverse direction to move the protrusion of the rotary barrel into the spiral groove of the cam groove of the fixed barrel. The lens barrel module is then placed in a retracted state. It is configured to: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a smartphone incorporating a lens barrel module according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the smartphone illustrated in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the lens barrel module shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the lens barrel module shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a fixed barrel in the lens barrel module shown in FIG. [Figure 6]6 is an exploded perspective view of the drive unit in the lens barrel module shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of the drive unit shown in FIG. 6 with the cover removed. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a left side view schematically showing the lens barrel module shown in FIG. 1 in a collapsed state. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a left side view schematically showing the lens barrel module shown in FIG. 8 in the extended state. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a left side view schematically showing the lens barrel module shown in FIG. 9 in a retracted state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electronic device equipped with a lens barrel module according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. In FIGS. 1 to 10, identical or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. In addition, in FIGS. 1 to 10, the scale and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated, and some components may be omitted. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish components from one another, and do not indicate a particular order or ranking.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a smartphone 1 as an example of an electronic device according to the present invention, which has a camera 3 including a lens barrel module 2 according to the present invention built in the smartphone 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the smartphone 1 includes a control unit 4 that controls electrical components within the smartphone 1, and an acceleration sensor 5 that can detect the acceleration of the smartphone 1. The camera 3 and the acceleration sensor 5 are each connected to the control unit 4. Note that the electronic device according to the present invention is not limited to the smartphone described in this embodiment, and the present invention can also be applied to various other electronic devices such as tablet computers, laptop computers, and drones.

[0011] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the functional configuration of the smartphone 1 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the smartphone 1 includes a camera 3 including a lens barrel module 2 and an image sensor 6, an acceleration sensor 5 capable of detecting the acceleration of the smartphone 1, a display 7 configured as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, a storage unit 8 including a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, and the like, a communication unit 9 for connecting to a network and performing data communication, and a control unit 4 that controls the operation of each component.

[0012] The storage unit 8 stores an OS (Operating System), programs for controlling the smartphone 1, programs for executing the steps described below, and various other data. The control unit 4 includes a processor (CPU), ROM, RAM, etc., and realizes various functions by loading the programs stored in the storage unit 8 into the RAM and executing them with the processor.

[0013] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the lens barrel module 2, and Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the lens barrel module 2 includes an annular base plate 10, a drive unit 20 having a motor 21, a fixed barrel 30 fixed to the base plate 10 with screws (not shown), a rotating barrel 40 arranged radially inward of the fixed barrel 30, a linear-motion barrel 50 housed inside the rotating barrel 40, a covering ring 60 attached to the front end of the cylindrical portion 31, and a dust-proof and drip-proof sheet 62 sandwiched between the covering ring 60 and the cylindrical portion 31. Note that in this embodiment, for convenience, the +Z direction in Fig. 3 will be referred to as "front" or "forward," and the -Z direction will be referred to as "rear" or "rear."

[0014] 5 is a perspective view showing the fixed barrel 30. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the fixed barrel 30 is made of, for example, resin, and includes a cylindrical portion 31 and a cylindrical portion 32. 31The cylindrical portion 31 includes a photointerrupter 32 attached to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 31. The photointerrupter 32 is capable of transmitting a detection signal to the control unit 4 and faces the inner space of the cylindrical portion 31 through an opening 38 formed in the cylindrical portion 31. The inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 31 is formed with a plurality of cam grooves 33 and axial grooves 34, 35 extending axially (in the Z direction) from the rear edge of the cylindrical portion 31. Each cam groove 33 includes a spiral groove 33A extending spirally, a rear end groove 33B extending circumferentially from the rear end of the spiral groove 33A, and a front end groove 33C extending circumferentially from the front end of the spiral groove 33A. The cylindrical portion 31 also has a notch 39 formed at a connection portion with the drive unit 20. In this specification, "extending spirally" means extending in the axial direction so that the circumferential position changes along the axial direction.

[0015] 4, the base plate 10 has a photointerrupter 11 attached to its outer periphery and an insertion piece 12 that is inserted into an axial groove 35 on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 31 of the fixed barrel 30. The photointerrupter 11 of the base plate 10 is located on the -Z direction side of the photointerrupter 32 of the fixed barrel 30, and like the photointerrupter 32, faces the inner space of the cylindrical portion 31 through an opening 38. Like the photointerrupter 32, the photointerrupter 11 is also capable of transmitting a detection signal to the control unit 4.

[0016] The rotating barrel 40 is configured to be rotatable and axially movable relative to the fixed barrel 30. As shown in Fig. 4, the rotating barrel 40 includes a cylindrical portion 41, at least one lens 42 housed inside the cylindrical portion 41, a cover glass 43 disposed in front of the lens 42, and a ring member 44 attached to the front end of the cylindrical portion 41. As shown in Fig. 1, the rotating barrel 40 is disposed so as to be exposed from an opening 1B formed in a rear panel 1A of the smartphone 1. The imaging element 6 of the camera 3 of the smartphone 1 is disposed on an imaging plane where light transmitted through the lens 42 forms an image.

[0017] The rotating barrel 40 also has a plurality of protrusions 45 that protrude radially outward from the outer periphery of the rear end of the cylindrical portion 41, and a driven gear 46 formed along the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the rear end of the cylindrical portion 41. The outer diameter of each protrusion 45 is slightly smaller than the width along the circumferential direction of the cam groove 33 of the fixed barrel 30 (hereinafter referred to as the circumferential width), and each protrusion 45 is able to engage with the cam groove 33 of the fixed barrel 30 and move inside the cam groove 33 along the cam groove 33. Due to the engagement between the protrusions 45 of the rotating barrel 40 and the spiral groove 33A of the cam groove 33 of the fixed barrel 30, when the rotating barrel 40 rotates relative to the fixed barrel 30, the rotating barrel 40 moves in the Z direction relative to the fixed barrel 30 along the shape of the cam groove 33 of the fixed barrel 30.

[0018] The linear motion cylinder 50 has a cylindrical portion 51, multiple protrusions 52 protruding radially outward from the cylindrical portion 51, a flange portion 53 extending radially outward from the rear end of the cylindrical portion 51, multiple engagement portions 54 extending radially outward from the flange portion 53, and a detection piece 55 also extending radially outward from the flange portion 53. Each of the protrusions 52 of the linear motion cylinder 50 engages with a circumferentially extending groove (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 41 of the rotatable cylinder 40. The circumferential width of each of the engagement portions 54 of the linear motion cylinder 50 is slightly smaller than the circumferential width of the axial groove 34 of the fixed cylinder 30, and each engagement portion 54 is capable of engaging with the axial groove 34 of the fixed cylinder 30 and moving within the axial groove 34 along the axial groove 34 in the Z direction. With this configuration, the linear motion cylinder 50 does not rotate relative to the fixed cylinder 30, but rotates relative to the rotatable cylinder 40 and can move axially together with the rotatable cylinder 40.

[0019] The detection piece 55 of the linear cylinder 50 extends outward through the opening 38 of the fixed cylinder 30, and the photointerrupter 11 of the base plate 10 adjacent to this opening 38 and the photointerrupter 32 of the fixed cylinder 30 are able to detect the detection piece 55 of the linear cylinder 50.

[0020] Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the drive unit 20. As shown in Fig. 6, the drive unit 20 has a motor 21 driven by the above-mentioned control unit 4, a gear case 22 attached to the base plate 10, a gear cover 23 attached to the gear case 22 with screws 91, a drive gear 24 meshing with the driven gear 46 of the rotary barrel 40, and a rotation transmission mechanism 25 capable of transmitting the rotation of the motor 21 to the drive gear 24.

[0021] 7 is a front view of the drive unit 20 with the gear cover 23 removed. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rotation transmission mechanism 25 includes a worm 250 attached to the output shaft of the motor 21, a two-stage gear 251 including a worm wheel 251A meshing with the worm 250 and a gear 251B arranged on the −Z direction side of the worm wheel 251A, a gear 252 (first gear) meshing with the gear 251B of the two-stage gear 251, a gear 253 (second gear) arranged coaxially with the gear 252, a gear 254 meshing with both the gear 253 and the drive gear 24, a coil spring 255 as a biasing member housed in the center of the gear 252, and a washer 256 arranged between the coil spring 255 and a main body 253A of the gear 253.

[0022] The two-stage gear 251 is attached to a gear shaft 221 extending from the gear case 22 in the +Z direction, and is rotatable around the gear shaft 221. Furthermore, the gear 252 is attached to a gear shaft 222 extending from the gear case 22 in the +Z direction, and is rotatable around the gear shaft 222. A shaft portion 253B of the gear 253 is also attached to the gear shaft 222, and the gear 253 is rotatable around the gear shaft 222. The gear 254 is attached to a gear shaft 223 protruding from the gear case 22 in the +Z direction, and is rotatable around the gear shaft 223. The drive gear 24 is attached to a gear shaft 224 extending from the gear case 22 in the +Z direction, and is rotatable around the gear shaft 224.

[0023] Coil spring 255 of rotation transmission mechanism 25 is housed in a compressed state in the center of gear 252 and urges washer 256 toward main body 253A of gear 253 with a predetermined force. One end of coil spring 255 is engaged with groove 252A formed in the center of gear 252, so that coil spring 255 rotates together with gear 252. Washer 256, urged by coil spring 255, also rotates together with gear 252. When gear 252 rotates, frictional force generated between washer 256 and main body 253A of gear 253 causes gear 253 to rotate together with gear 252. On the other hand, when torque exceeding this frictional force acts on washer 256, washer 256 and main body 253A of gear 253 slip and spin freely, thereby interrupting the transmission of rotation between gears 252 and 253. Thus, in this embodiment, gear 252, coil spring 255, washer 256, and gear 253 function as a torque limiter that blocks the transmission of rotation between gear 252 and gear 253 when a torque exceeding a predetermined torque is applied.

[0024] 3, when the camera function of smartphone 1 is turned off, rotatable barrel 40 is housed radially inside fixed barrel 30 of lens barrel module 2, and rotatable barrel 40 is housed inside rear panel 1A of smartphone 1. The state of lens barrel module 2 at this time is referred to as the "retracted state."

[0025] Figure 8 is a left side view schematically showing lens barrel module 2 at this time. As shown in Figure 8, in the retracted state, protrusion 45 of rotating barrel 40 is positioned within rear end groove 33B of cam groove 33 of fixed barrel 30. When photointerrupter 11 attached to base plate 10 detects detection piece 55 of linear motion barrel 50, a detection signal is sent to control unit 4, and control unit 4 can detect that rotating barrel 40 is housed inside fixed barrel 30.

[0026] When a user issues an instruction to turn on the camera function to the control unit 4 using an input device such as a touch panel on the display 7 of the smartphone 1, the control unit 4 sends a control signal to the motor 21 of the drive unit 20 of the lens barrel module 2, causing the motor 21 to rotate. The rotation of the motor 21 is transmitted to the drive gear 24 by the rotation transmission mechanism 25 described above, causing the drive gear 24 to rotate. Because the driven gear 46 of the rotating barrel 40 meshes with the drive gear 24, the rotating barrel 40 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive gear 24. When the rotating barrel 40 rotates, as described above, the engagement between the protrusion 45 of the rotating barrel 40 and the cam groove 33 of the fixed barrel 30 causes the rotating barrel 40 to move in the Z direction relative to the fixed barrel 30 along the shape of the cam groove 33 of the fixed barrel 30. Eventually, as shown in FIG. 9 , the protrusion 45 of the rotating barrel 40 moves to the front-end groove 33C of the cam groove 33 of the fixed barrel 30. In this manner, the control unit 4 drives the motor 21 of the lens barrel module 2, and the rotating barrel 40 is extended in the +Z direction. When photointerrupter 32 attached to fixed barrel 30 detects detection piece 55 of linear-movement barrel 50, the detection signal is sent to control unit 4, which detects that rotating barrel 40 has been extended and turns on the camera function. The state of lens barrel module 2 at this time is referred to as the "extended state."

[0027] In the following, the direction in which the motor 21 rotates when the rotating barrel 40 is changed from the retracted state to the extended state as described above, the direction in which the worm 250, the two-stage gear 251, and the gears 252, 253, and 254 of the rotation transmission mechanism 25 rotate, the direction in which the drive gear 24 rotates, and the direction in which the rotating barrel 40 rotates will each be referred to as the "forward direction," and the opposite rotation direction will be referred to as the "reverse direction."

[0028] When the rotating barrel 40 is extended in this manner, the extended rotating barrel 40 protrudes from the rear panel 1A (see FIG. 1) of the smartphone 1. If the smartphone 1 is dropped in this state, an impact may be applied to the rotating barrel 40 protruding from the rear panel 1A, potentially damaging the lens barrel module 2. For this reason, in this embodiment, the acceleration sensor 5 detects the acceleration of the smartphone 1, thereby detecting that the smartphone 1 has started to fall.

[0029] When the control unit 4 receives a detection signal from the acceleration sensor 5 and detects an increase in acceleration, it determines that the smartphone 1 has begun to fall and sends a control signal to the motor 21 of the drive unit 20 of the lens barrel module 2, causing the motor 21 to rotate in the reverse direction. This reverse rotation of the motor 21 is transmitted to the drive gear 24 by the rotation transmission mechanism 25, causing the drive gear 24 to rotate in the reverse direction. This causes the rotatable barrel 40 to rotate in the reverse direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10 , the rotatable barrel 40 is rotated in the reverse direction until the protrusion 45 of the rotatable barrel 40 escapes from the front-end groove 33C of the cam groove 33 of the fixed barrel 30 and enters the area of ​​the spiral groove 33A. The time required for the protrusion 45 of the rotatable barrel 40 to move from the front-end groove 33C to enter the area of ​​the spiral groove 33A is, for example, approximately 0.2 to 0.3 seconds, and the motor 21 is rotated in the reverse direction during this time. The state of the lens barrel module 2 at this time is referred to as the "retracted state."

[0030] In this retracted state, even if an impact is applied to the rotating barrel 40 due to, for example, the smartphone 1 being dropped, and a force acts to push the rotating barrel 40 back in the -Z direction, protrusion 45 of the rotating barrel 40 can move in the -Z direction along the spiral groove 33A of the fixed barrel 30, and therefore the force acting on protrusion 45 of the rotating barrel 40 due to the impact is reduced. Therefore, damage to the lens barrel module 2 caused by an impact applied to the rotating barrel 40 due to, for example, the smartphone 1 being dropped is suppressed, and malfunction of the smartphone 1 can be prevented.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the detection signal from acceleration sensor 5 can be used to detect the start of a sudden change in position due to a fall of smartphone 1. Therefore, before an impact is applied to rotatable barrel 40 as a result of smartphone 1 being dropped, control unit 4 can rotate rotatable barrel 40 in the reverse direction to put lens barrel module 2 into the retracted state. Note that the timing for putting lens barrel module 2 into the retracted state is not limited to when acceleration sensor 5 detects the start of a sudden change in position, and lens barrel module 2 may be put into the retracted state at any timing when an impact is expected to be applied to the extended rotatable barrel 40 (for example, when a certain period of time has passed without any input from the user).

[0032] Here, if an extremely large impact is applied to the rotating barrel 40 after the lens barrel module 2 is put into the retracted state, it is conceivable that torque exceeding the allowable range will act on the rotation transmission mechanism 25 or motor 21, damaging the components of the rotation transmission mechanism 25 or the motor 21. However, in this embodiment, since the rotation transmission mechanism 25 includes the torque limiter described above, when the torque due to the impact applied to the rotating barrel 40 exceeds a predetermined torque, the gears 252 and 253 that make up the torque limiter will slip and spin freely, preventing damage to the rotation transmission mechanism 25 or the motor 21.

[0033] Such a torque limiter is effective not only when rotating rotatable barrel 40 in the reverse direction to put lens barrel module 2 into the retracted state as described above, but also when an impact is applied to the rotatable barrel, causing it to rotate in an unintended direction. Even in such a case, if the torque acting on the torque limiter exceeds a predetermined torque, the torque limiter will block the transmission of rotation between drive gear 24 and motor 21, preventing damage to rotation transmission mechanism 25 and motor 21.

[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, the torque limiter is configured by biasing the washer 256 placed between the gear 252 and the gear 253 with the coil spring 255, but this configuration is not limited to this, and a torque limiter of any configuration can be used in the rotation transmission mechanism 25.

[0035] As described above, the first aspect of the present invention provides a lens barrel module that is resistant to damage even when subjected to an impact. This lens barrel module includes a fixed barrel having a cam groove formed on its inner surface, the cam groove including a spiral groove extending in a spiral direction and a front-end groove extending circumferentially from the front end of the spiral groove; a rotating barrel disposed radially inward of the fixed barrel; and a drive unit that rotates the rotating barrel. The rotating barrel has at least one lens, a protrusion that protrudes radially outward and engages with the cam groove of the fixed barrel, and a driven gear formed along the circumferential direction. The drive unit includes a motor, a drive gear that meshes with the driven gear of the rotating barrel, and a rotation transmission mechanism that can transmit rotation of the motor to the drive gear. The rotation transmission mechanism includes a torque limiter that can interrupt the transmission of rotation between the drive gear and the motor when torque exceeding a predetermined torque is applied.

[0036] With this configuration, even if an impact is applied to the rotating barrel, causing it to rotate in an unintended direction, if the torque acting on the torque limiter exceeds a predetermined torque, the torque limiter will block the transmission of rotation between the drive gear and the motor, thereby preventing excessive force from acting on the output shaft of the motor and preventing damage to the motor.

[0037] The torque limiter may include a first gear that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the motor, a second gear that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive gear, a washer disposed between the first gear and the second gear, and a biasing member that biases the washer toward one of the first gear and the second gear and rotates integrally with the other of the first gear and the second gear. With this configuration, when a torque exceeding a predetermined torque is applied, the first gear and the second gear slip and rotate freely, thereby preventing excessive force from acting on the components of the rotation transmission mechanism and preventing damage to these components.

[0038] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device that is resistant to damage even when a lens barrel module is subjected to an impact. The electronic device includes a lens barrel module including at least one lens, an image sensor arranged on the optical axis of the at least one lens of the lens barrel module, and a control unit capable of controlling the drive of the lens barrel module. The lens barrel module includes a fixed barrel having a cam groove formed on its inner surface, the cam groove including a spiral groove extending in a spiral shape and a front-end groove extending circumferentially at the front end of the spiral groove, a rotating barrel arranged radially inward of the fixed barrel, and a drive unit that rotates the rotating barrel. The rotating barrel has a protrusion that protrudes radially outward and engages with the cam groove of the fixed barrel, and a driven gear formed along the circumferential direction. The drive unit includes a motor, a drive gear that meshes with the driven gear of the rotating barrel, and a rotation transmission mechanism that can transmit rotation of the motor to the drive gear. The control unit is configured to rotate the motor in the reverse direction at a predetermined timing when the protrusion of the rotating barrel of the lens barrel module is positioned in the front end groove of the cam groove of the fixed barrel, thereby moving the protrusion of the rotating barrel into the spiral groove of the cam groove of the fixed barrel.

[0039] With this configuration, for example, by rotating the motor in the reverse direction just before the electronic device is dropped, the protrusion of the rotating barrel can be moved into the spiral groove of the cam groove of the fixed barrel, placing the lens barrel module in a retracted state. In this retracted state, even if the rotating barrel is impacted by a drop of the electronic device, the protrusion of the rotating barrel can move axially along the spiral groove of the fixed barrel, thereby reducing the force acting on the protrusion of the rotating barrel due to the impact. This reduces the risk of damage to the lens barrel module caused by an impact to the rotating barrel, and prevents breakdowns in the electronic device.

[0040] In this case, the electronic device may further include an acceleration sensor capable of detecting acceleration, and the control unit may be configured to drive the motor in the reverse direction based on a detection signal from the acceleration sensor to move the protruding portion of the rotating barrel of the lens barrel module into the spiral groove of the cam groove of the fixed barrel. Using the detection signal from the acceleration sensor, it is possible to detect the start of a sudden position change, such as when the electronic device is dropped. Therefore, before an impact is applied to the rotating barrel as a result of this sudden position change, the control unit can rotate the rotating barrel in the reverse direction to place the lens barrel module in a retracted state. Therefore, even if an impact is subsequently applied to the rotating barrel, the force acting on the protruding portion of the rotating barrel is reduced, thereby preventing damage to the lens barrel module and preventing malfunction of the electronic device.

[0041] The rotation transmission mechanism of the lens barrel module may include a torque limiter that can interrupt the transmission of rotation between the motor and the drive gear when a torque exceeding a predetermined torque is applied. With this configuration, even if an impact is applied to the rotating barrel causing the rotating barrel to rotate in the reverse direction, the torque limiter will interrupt the transmission of rotation between the drive gear and the motor when the torque acting on the torque limiter exceeds the predetermined torque. This prevents excessive force from being applied to the output shaft of the motor, thereby preventing damage to the motor.

[0042] The torque limiter of the lens barrel module may include a first gear that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the motor, a second gear that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive gear, a washer disposed between the first gear and the second gear, and a biasing member that biases the washer toward one of the first gear and the second gear and rotates integrally with the other of the first gear and the second gear. With this configuration, when a torque exceeding a predetermined torque is applied, the first gear and the second gear slip and rotate freely, thereby preventing excessive force from acting on components of a rotation transmission mechanism and preventing damage to these components.

[0043] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be embodied in various different forms within the scope of the technical concept thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Smartphone 2 Lens barrel module 3 Camera 4. Control section 5. Accelerometer 6. Image sensor 10 Base plate 11,32 Photointerrupter 20 Drive unit 21 Motor 24 Drive gear 25 Rotation transmission mechanism 30 Fixed tube 31 Cylindrical part 33 Cam groove 33A spiral groove 33B Rear end groove 33C Front end groove 40 Rotating Cylinder 41 Cylindrical part 42 Lens 45 Protrusion 46 Driven gear 50 Direct acting cylinder 60 Covering 61 Cylindrical part 62 Dustproof and waterproof sheet 250 Worm 251 2-speed gear 252~254 gear 255 Coil Spring 256 Washer

Claims

1. a lens barrel module including at least one lens; an imaging element disposed on an optical axis of the at least one lens of the lens barrel module; a control unit capable of controlling the driving of the lens barrel module; Equipped with The lens barrel module includes: a fixed barrel having a cam groove formed on its inner circumferential surface, the cam groove including a spiral groove extending in a spiral shape and a front end groove extending in a circumferential direction at the front end of the spiral groove; a rotating cylinder disposed radially inside the fixed cylinder, a protruding portion that protrudes radially outward and engages with the cam groove of the fixed barrel; A driven gear formed along the circumferential direction; a rotating cylinder having A drive unit that rotates the rotary cylinder, A motor; a drive gear that meshes with the driven gear of the rotary barrel; a rotation transmission mechanism capable of transmitting the rotation of the motor to the drive gear; a drive unit having and the control unit is configured to rotate the motor in a reverse direction to move the protruding portion of the rotating barrel into the spiral groove of the cam groove of the fixed barrel, so that the rotating barrel can move rearward along the spiral groove due to the external force, at a timing when an external force is expected to be applied to the rotating barrel, when the protruding portion of the rotating barrel of the lens barrel module is positioned in the front end groove of the cam groove of the fixed barrel, thereby placing the lens barrel module in a retracted state. electronic equipment.

2. Further comprising an acceleration sensor capable of detecting acceleration, 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to rotate the motor in a reverse direction based on a detection signal from the acceleration sensor to move the protrusion of the rotating barrel of the lens barrel module into the spiral groove of the cam groove of the fixed barrel.

3. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation transmission mechanism of the lens barrel module includes a torque limiter that can cut off transmission of rotation between the motor and the drive gear when a torque exceeding a predetermined torque acts after the lens barrel module has entered the retracted state.

4. The torque limiter of the lens barrel module is a first gear that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the motor; a second gear that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive gear; a washer disposed between the first gear and the second gear; a biasing member that biases the washer toward one of the first gear and the second gear and rotates integrally with the other of the first gear and the second gear; The electronic device of claim 3 , comprising:

Images