Lens Module Integral Mating Structure Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lens modules face challenges in achieving high assembling accuracy and production yield due to manufacturing errors in the lens housing, which exceed those of the optical lenses, leading to increased eccentric errors and lower production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The lens module design incorporates lenses with refractive and positioning portions molded as a single integral, featuring annular mating structures that align along the optical axis, minimizing manufacturing errors and ensuring high precision assembly by engaging these structures to maintain coaxial alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the lens housing manufacturing tolerance is increased to reduce production cost and complexity, then the manufacturing cost and device complexity are reduced, but the assembling error of optical lenses increases
Solution Approach 1:
The optical lens is divided into two functional parts: a refractive portion and a positioning portion. The refractive portion is responsible for optical function while the positioning portion (with annular mating structure) is responsible for precise positioning. This segmentation allows the lens housing to have larger tolerance while the positioning portion maintains high precision through integral molding.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning portion and annular mating structure are molded as a single integral with the refractive portion of the optical lens. This merging eliminates the need for separate positioning components and ensures that the positioning structure has the same high precision as the optical lens itself, thereby reducing assembling error while maintaining ease of manufacture.
2Manufacturing precision
If the manufacturing tolerance of the lens housing is reduced to improve assembling accuracy, then the assembling error of optical lenses is reduced, but the production yield decreases due to process complexity
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the optical lens into refractive and positioning portions, the design allows the lens housing to have relaxed tolerance requirements. This reduces the stringency of manufacturing processes, improves production yield, while still achieving high assembling accuracy through the precision-molded positioning portion with annular mating structure.
3Ease of manufacture
If the positioning structure is separated from the refractive portion to simplify manufacturing, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the assembling accuracy deteriorates due to additional manufacturing errors
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning portion and refractive portion are merged into a single integral component molded together. This eliminates the need for separate manufacturing and assembly of positioning structures, avoiding additional manufacturing errors and alignment issues. The integral structure ensures that the positioning portion has the same high precision as the refractive portion, thereby maintaining assembling accuracy while simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
A lens module with an optical axis passing therethrough from an object side to an image side includes a lens housing and two lenses disposed in the lens housing. The first lens has a first refactive portion and a first positioning portion encircling the first refractive portion. A first mating structure is formed on the image side surface of the first positioning portion and molded with the first refractive portion as a single integral. The second lens has a second refractive portion and a second positioning portion encircling the second refractive portion. A second mating structure is formed on the object side surface of the second positioning portion and molded with the second refractive portion as a single integral. The mating structures are engaged to align the lenses along the optical axis, and the refractive portions are coaxial with each other and have the axis as the optical axis.