Lens Barrel Cam Follower Fixing via Nested Nuts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lens barrel mechanisms face challenges in maintaining high precision and stability of cam followers during environmental changes and shocks, requiring increased fixing force without increasing the thickness of cam followers or lens holding frames.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates cam followers mounted on the outer circumference of lens holding frames with screws and nuts, featuring grooves and recesses that allow for precise positioning and increased fixing force, with axial end faces of nuts protruding to enhance thread length and locking quantity, while maintaining a reduced space and using resin and metal materials for improved resilience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the locking quantity is increased to improve the fixing force of cam followers, then the fixing force is improved, but the thickness of cam followers or lens holding frames must be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The nut is positioned inside the lens holding frame with its axial end face protruding into the cam follower. This nested arrangement allows the threading engagement to occur within the existing thickness constraints, effectively increasing the locking quantity without increasing the overall thickness of the cam follower or lens holding frame.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing thickness in the radial direction, the invention utilizes the axial dimension by having the nut's end face protrude into the cam follower. This dimensional shift allows increased thread engagement length without increasing the thickness of the external components.
2Strength
If the locking quantity is increased to improve the fixing force, then the fixing force is improved, but the space available for component placement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The nut is nested within the lens holding frame structure, utilizing the internal space rather than requiring additional external volume. This allows increased thread engagement while maintaining compact overall dimensions and not increasing the space required for the cam follower assembly.
3Reliability
If the fixing force is increased to prevent engagement release under environmental changes or shock, then the reliability is improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The nut is positioned inside the lens holding frame with partial protrusion, creating a compact nested structure that provides enhanced fixing force without adding significant structural complexity. The design utilizes existing structural elements rather than introducing additional external components.
Solution Approach 2:
The axial end face of the nut protrudes only partially into the cam follower, providing sufficient thread engagement to prevent release under environmental changes and shock, without requiring excessive protrusion that would increase complexity or interfere with other components.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a lens barrel which has a lens holding frame that holds a lens and has cam followers mounted on an outer circumferential portion thereof by screws and nuts and a cylinder member that has grooves into which the cam followers are fitted, and in which a position of the lens holding frame is regulated by the grooves. Holes into which the nuts are fitted and bottomed recesses with which bottoms of the cam followers come into contact are formed in places of the outer circumferential portion on which the cam followers are mounted, and axial end faces of the nuts protrude from the recesses to be fitted into inner circumferential portions of the cam followers.