Camera Lens Assembly Venting for Dust Control and Pressure Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for lens assemblies and camera modules in portable electronic devices that balance compact size with high image quality, while also preventing dust and moisture ingress and maintaining environmental stability.
Innovation Solution
A lens assembly design featuring a carrier, optical elements, a retaining element, and ventilation structures that utilize air pressure to maintain a closed environment, incorporating bonding materials and ventilation channels to manage pressure and humidity balance, thereby preventing dust ingress and ensuring optical quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the lens assembly is designed to be compact, then the size is reduced, but it becomes difficult to prevent dust and moisture ingress and maintain environmental stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a closed structure formed by the carrier and optical elements that creates a sealed environment. Specifically, the carrier includes a closed structure that encloses the optical elements, and ventilation structures with air gaps that allow pressure equalization while preventing dust and moisture ingress. This flexible sealing approach maintains compact size while ensuring environmental protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a closed, controlled environment within the lens assembly by forming a sealed structure with the carrier and optical elements. The interior space is isolated from the external environment, and ventilation structures with air gaps allow pressure equalization without compromising the inert atmosphere, thus preventing dust and moisture contamination while maintaining compact dimensions.
2Volume of moving object
If the lens assembly is designed to be compact, then the size is reduced, but maintaining optical quality becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The closed structure with ventilation structures maintains a stable environmental atmosphere that protects optical elements from contamination. The air gaps in the ventilation structures allow pressure equalization during temperature changes, preventing condensation and maintaining optimal optical conditions, thus preserving optical quality in a compact design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates air gaps in the ventilation structures that allow for pressure and humidity balance. These air gaps create a buffer zone that compensates for environmental parameter changes, maintaining stable internal conditions that preserve optical quality while keeping the overall assembly compact.
3Reliability
If a closed structure is implemented to prevent dust ingress, then protection is improved, but pressure and humidity balance becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilation structures with air gaps act as flexible pressure-equalizing elements. The air gaps allow the internal pressure to equalize with external pressure during temperature changes, preventing condensation and maintaining humidity balance, while the closed structure continues to provide dust protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes pneumatic principles by incorporating air gaps in the ventilation structures. These air gaps function as pneumatic buffers that allow pressure equalization between the internal closed environment and the external atmosphere, maintaining pressure and humidity balance while preserving dust protection.
4Stability of the object's composition
If ventilation structures are added to balance pressure, then environmental stability is improved, but the risk of dust ingress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilation structures are integrated into the closed structure with air gaps that allow pressure equalization. The air gaps create a pressure-balanced environment that prevents harmful pressure differentials, while the overall closed structure configuration maintains dust protection by preventing direct openings to the external environment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves a compact and stable lens assembly that maintains optical quality by preventing dust ingress and balancing environmental conditions, suitable for applications with large environmental changes.
Implementation Method 1
the first shrunk surface is shrunk from the contact surface along a direction away from the optical elements so as to form a first air gap
Implementation Method 2
A first ventilation structure is located adjacent to the first end and connected between the closed structure and the outside air... which is connected between the closed structure and the outside air
Data Source
AI summary
A lens assembly having a paraxial path includes a carrier, a plurality of optical elements, a retaining element and a first bonding material. A closed structure is located adjacent to the second end. The closed structure is formed by at least one optical element of the optical elements and the inner annular surface, the at least one optical element is in physical contact with the inner annular surface, and an inside space is closed from an outside air by the closed structure. A first ventilation structure is located adjacent to the first end and connected between the closed structure and the outside air. The first ventilation structure is disposed on a side surface facing the optical elements of the retaining element and includes a contact surface and a first shrunk surface.