Lens Barrel Frame Stopper Mechanism for Compact Optical Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The design freedom of a lens barrel is reduced when it is downsized, making it challenging to arrange optical members such as lenses and aperture units effectively due to limited space and potential collisions between moving frames.
Innovation Solution
The lens barrel incorporates a movable first frame, a relatively movable second frame, and a third frame mounted on the first frame, with stopper portions to limit the movement of the third frame, ensuring that optical members are positioned correctly without collision, even when the barrel is minimized in size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the lens barrel is made smaller in size, then the camera can be more compact, but the design freedom for arranging optical members is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lens barrel is divided into multiple independent frames (first frame, second frame, third frame) that can move independently in the optical axis direction. Each frame holds specific optical members and can be positioned separately, allowing flexible arrangement of optical components within the limited space while maintaining design freedom for different optical configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic movement of multiple frames along the optical axis, where the first frame, second frame, and third frame can move independently to adjust the position of optical members. This dynamic capability allows the system to optimize optical paths and member arrangements within a compact structure, resolving the contradiction between small size and design freedom.
2Volume of moving object
If multiple optical members are arranged in a compact space, then the lens barrel can be downsized, but collisions between optical members may occur
Solution Approach 1:
Stopper portions are provided in advance on the first frame and second frame to prevent collisions between optical members before they occur. The stopper portion on the first frame prevents the third frame from moving too far in the negative direction, while the stopper portion on the second frame prevents the third frame from moving too far in the positive direction, ensuring safe spacing throughout the movement range.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper portions act as intermediary elements between the moving frames and the optical members they hold. These stoppers serve as mediators that regulate the movement boundaries, ensuring that optical members maintain appropriate spacing and do not collide with each other during frame movement in the compact lens barrel structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A lens barrel having one end and the other end includes: a first frame that is movable and holds optical members; a second frame that is arranged to be relatively movable toward the other end with respect to the first frame, and holds optical members; and a third frame that is mounted on the first frame so as to be movable, and holds an optical member. The first frame includes a first stopper portion that comes into contact with the third frame to limit movement toward the one end. The first frame includes a second stopper portion that comes into contact with, when the first frame is most distant from the second frame, the third frame to limit movement toward the other end. The second frame includes a third stopper portion that has a contact surface located close to the one end with respect to the second stopper portion, and that comes into contact with, when the second frame is located within a range on the optical axis where the third frame is movable, the third frame to limit movement toward the other end.