Angled Lens Spacer Structure for Vibration-Stable Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintaining space between lenses in camera lenses is challenging, especially in high-vibration environments, leading to issues like unwanted light reflections, decentering, and tilting due to spacer shifting.
Innovation Solution
Designing spacers with angled vertical components, protrusions, and dome structures to secure the spacer in place, preventing lateral movement and maintaining lens separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a simple spacer is used between lenses, then the device complexity is low and manufacturing is easy, but the spacer shifts under vibration causing lens decentering and tilting
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is segmented into multiple functional components: a base spacer body, angled vertical components for lateral restriction, protrusions for securing, and dome structures with adhesive. This segmentation allows each component to address specific stability issues without requiring complete redesign of the entire spacer system.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer incorporates asymmetric features including angled vertical components with specific angles (e.g., 45 degrees) that correspond to chamfered flanges on lenses, and protrusions positioned at specific locations around the spacer circumference. These asymmetric features provide directional stability and prevent rotation while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
2Manufacturing precision
If the spacer is made simple for easy manufacture, then manufacturing precision is difficult to maintain under vibration, but adding complex features increases manufacturing difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer design includes pre-formed features such as angled vertical components, protrusions, and dome structures that are integrated into the spacer during manufacturing. These features are preliminary prepared to ensure precise lens separation and alignment before the spacer is installed, eliminating the need for post-assembly adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer utilizes parameter changes in its design, including specific angles (e.g., 45-degree angled components), predetermined protrusion dimensions, and controlled adhesive dome structures. These parameter specifications ensure consistent manufacturing precision while maintaining feasibility through standard manufacturing processes for each feature type.
3Stability of the object's composition
If angled vertical components are added to the spacer, then lateral movement is restricted improving lens stability, but the spacer structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The angled vertical components are designed to self-align with chamfered flanges on the lenses during assembly. The geometry of these components automatically guides the spacer into the correct position and orientation, providing self-service alignment that reduces the need for additional complex positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer incorporates dome structures with curved surfaces that work in conjunction with the angled vertical components. These curved features provide smooth contact surfaces for adhesive bonding and mechanical engagement, enhancing stability while maintaining manufacturability through standard molding or machining processes.
4Reliability
If protrusions are added to secure the spacer, then lens alignment is maintained under vibration, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions are designed to fit into corresponding recesses or gaps between the spacer outer circumference and the inner portions of adjacent lenses. This nesting arrangement provides mechanical interlocking that secures the spacer against vibration while allowing for standard manufacturing tolerances through the cooperative geometry of mating features.
Data Source
AI summary
Spacers for lens apparatuses are provided. In some embodiments, a spacer comprises: an inner circumference and an outer circumference; and one or more angled vertical components, each positioned along the outer circumference. The spacer may be configured to be positioned between two lenses of the lens apparatus. A region within the inner circumference may be configured to allow light to pass between the two lenses. An angled vertical component of the one or more angled vertical components may be positioned against an angled surface of at least one of the two lenses.