Lens Barrel Elastic Guide Structure to Eliminate Tube Looseness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lens barrels suffer from looseness due to manufacturing errors or intentional clearance, leading to relative movement between tube members and affecting optical performance.
Innovation Solution
A lens barrel design incorporating a fixed member, a moving member, and an elastic part that abuts against the groove surfaces to prevent looseness, ensuring smooth travel and improved optical performance by minimizing relative movement between tube members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If clearance is provided between tube members for smooth assembly, then ease of manufacture is improved, but looseness and relative movement occur affecting optical performance
Solution Approach 1:
An elastic part is introduced as an intermediary between the fixed member and moving member. This elastic part fills the clearance space that would otherwise cause looseness, while still allowing the moving member to move smoothly. The elastic part acts as a mediator that eliminates the harmful relative movement without restricting the necessary motion, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of assembly and optical performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic part changes the physical state of the connection between tube members from a rigid clearance-based connection to a flexible elastic connection. By changing the parameter of connection stiffness through the elastic part, the system achieves both smooth movement (maintaining ease of manufacture) and precise alignment (improving optical performance).
2Reliability
If tight fit is used between tube members to prevent looseness, then optical performance is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic part changes the connection parameter from rigid to flexible, allowing the system to tolerate manufacturing variations. Instead of requiring precise tight fits, the elastic part compensates for dimensional variations, reducing manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining optical performance through consistent elastic force.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic part provides beforehand cushioning by pre-compressing or pre-tensioning between the fixed and moving members. This pre-applied elastic force compensates for potential looseness before operation begins, ensuring consistent optical performance without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances.
3Reliability
If elastic part is added to prevent looseness, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic part serves multiple functions simultaneously: it prevents looseness, maintains alignment, allows smooth movement, and compensates for manufacturing variations. By making this single component multi-functional, the patent improves reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity, as one component accomplishes what would otherwise require multiple separate mechanisms.
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 effectively removes looseness between tube members, enhancing the optical performance of the lens barrel by suppressing inclination and maintaining precise alignment of lens units.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic part arranged between the fixed member and the moving member, in which the elastic part causes the first protrusion to abut against one side surface of the linear groove
Implementation Method 2
an elastic member arranged between the fixed member and the moving member, in which the elastic member causes the fixed member to abut against one side surface of the groove, and causes the moving member to abut against another side surface of the groove
Implementation Method 3
an elastic member having a biasing force in a circumferential direction around an optical axis, and arranged between the fixed member and the moving member
Data Source
AI summary
A lens barrel is provided with: a first tube; a second tube arranged on one side among the radial outside or inside of the first tube and having a linear grove along an optical axis; a fixing member provided to the first tube; a movable member that is movably held by the fixing member and has a first protruding section arranged in the linear groove; and an elastic section arranged between the fixing member and the movable member, wherein the first protruding section abuts against one side surface of the linear groove by means of the elastic section.