Lens Barrel Guide Unit Design for Reduced Drive Load
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lens devices face challenges in maintaining stability due to changes in posture, which results in a large drive load when moving the lens, and there is a need to secure the strength of the base member holding the guide bar while minimizing the diameter of the opening portion.
Innovation Solution
A lens barrel configuration that includes a cylindrical base member, a guide bar with one end fixed to the base member, and a guide unit with a biasing member to bias rotating elements to the guide bar, where the distances between the contact points of the rotating elements and the biasing member to the optical axis center are longer than the distance between the guide bar center and the optical axis center, allowing the guide unit to overlap the base member and the biasing member to be disposed between the contact points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a lens device has a large mass, then it can maintain stable state with respect to gravity changes, but the drive load in moving the lens becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical bearing system with a magnetic bearing system. Magnets are disposed at both ends of the lens barrel to generate magnetic fields that levitate and support the lens assembly, eliminating direct mechanical contact. This substitution reduces friction and drive load while maintaining stability through magnetic field control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces magnetic fields as an intermediary between the lens barrel and the lens assembly. The magnets act as mediators that transmit support forces without direct mechanical contact, allowing the lens device to maintain stability while reducing the drive load required for movement
2Strength
If the diameter of the opening portion is minimized to secure base member strength, then the base member strength is improved, but the guide bar positioning becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical guide bars with a magnetic field-based positioning system. Magnets are disposed at both ends of the lens barrel to generate magnetic fields that guide and position the lens assembly without requiring physical guide bars. This eliminates the need for precise mechanical guiding through small openings while maintaining positioning accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the traditional guide bar component from the system. Instead of using physical guide bars that require precise positioning through small openings, the invention uses magnetic fields to provide guidance and positioning functions, thereby eliminating the guide bar and simplifying the opening portion design
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
This configuration reduces the drive load by stabilizing the lens barrel, enhances the strength of the base member, and allows for a more compact design by bringing the guide bar close to the barrel unit, thereby improving optical performance and reducing the risk of tilting and optical deterioration.
Implementation Method 1
a guide unit that is fixed to the barrel by a fixing portion and has a biasing member configured to bias a first rotating element and a second rotating element to the guide bar
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a lens barrel having a compact size and good optical performance. A lens barrel includes a lens, a barrel that holds the lens and is movable in a direction along an optical axis, a base member that has a cylindrical shape and is positioned on an outer periphery of the barrel, a guide bar of which at least one end is fixed to the base member, and a guide unit that is fixed to the barrel by a fixing portion and has a biasing member configured to bias a first rotating element and a second rotating element to the guide bar, in which, on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, distances between a first contact that is a point where the guide bar and the first rotating element are in contact with each other, a second contact that is a point where the guide bar and the second rotating element are in contact with each other, and the biasing member and an optical axis center are longer than a distance between a center of the guide bar and the optical axis center, as viewed along the optical axis, the guide unit overlaps the base member, and the biasing member is disposed between the first contact and the second contact.