Compact Lens Apparatus Radial Operation Member Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lens apparatuses with operation members on the exterior face challenges in reducing size due to the added dimensions of these members, making it difficult to minimize the overall diameter of the optical system.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an optical system with movable and fixed lens units, where operation members are positioned orthogonally to the optical axis, and a driving unit is controlled by user operations, ensuring that the diameter of the movable lens unit is less than the diameter of the circumscribed circle containing the driving unit, thereby allowing for compact placement of zoom and focus operation members without increasing the overall diameter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an operation member is provided on the exterior of the lens barrel, then zooming and focusing operations can be performed, but the overall diameter of the lens apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The operation member is repositioned from a conventional axial arrangement to a radial arrangement outside the optical system. By changing the spatial dimension of operation member placement and utilizing the radial space around the optical axis, the design enables zooming and focusing operations without increasing the overall diameter of the lens apparatus.
2Length of stationary object
If the operation member is positioned radially outside the optical system, then the overall diameter can be reduced, but the design complexity increases due to the driving unit control mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
A driving unit is introduced as an intermediary mechanism between the operation member and the movable lens unit. This driving unit, which includes a rotor and stator configuration, translates the radial operation into controlled movement of the lens unit along the optical axis, thereby managing the complexity through a systematic control mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a magnetic coupling mechanism between the operation member and the driving unit, replacing direct mechanical connections. This substitution allows for more precise control and reduces mechanical complexity by using magnetic fields to transmit rotational motion from the operation member to the rotor, which then drives the lens unit movement.
Data Source
AI summary
A lens apparatus includes an optical system including at least one movable lens unit that moves along an optical axis of the optical system and at least one fixed lens unit that does not move along the optical axis, an operation member disposed outside at least part of the optical system in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis and operable by a user, and a driving unit configured to be controlled according to an operation of the operation member, to drive the movable lens unit. A predetermined inequality is satisfied.