Lens Unit Biasing Blade Spring Guide Shaft Elimination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable imaging apparatuses face challenges in reducing size and improving operation reliability due to the need for guide shafts, which allow lateral movement and inclination of movable sections, leading to image quality deterioration.
Innovation Solution
A lens unit with a movable section held by biasing blade springs that restrict movement in the optical axis direction, eliminating the need for guide shafts and ensuring accurate positioning without inclination or deviation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If guide shafts are used to support the movable section, then the movable section can be guided and moved in the optical axis direction, but the apparatus size increases due to the space required for accommodating the guide shaft
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the guide shaft component from the system entirely. Instead of using a traditional guide shaft structure, the invention employs the blade spring itself to provide both the guiding function and the biasing force, thereby eliminating the need for separate guiding components and reducing overall apparatus size.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade spring serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides biasing force to maintain the movable section in the optical axis direction, guides the movable section's movement, and acts as a support structure. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate guide shafts while maintaining guiding reliability.
2Ease of operation
If clearance is provided between the guide shaft and bearing section for smooth movement, then the movable section can move smoothly, but lateral movement and inclination occur causing image quality deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical guide shaft and bearing clearance system with a blade spring-based guiding mechanism. The blade spring's elastic deformation provides smooth movement while its structural rigidity prevents lateral movement and inclination, eliminating the trade-off between smoothness and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the guiding mechanism from a rigid guide shaft with clearance to a flexible blade spring structure. The blade spring's ability to elastically deform allows smooth movement while its constrained geometry maintains precise positioning, preventing lateral displacement and inclination.
3Ease of operation
If guide shafts are used to guide the movable section, then movement in the optical axis direction is enabled, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the guiding function and the biasing function into a single blade spring component. Instead of having separate guide shafts and biasing springs, the blade spring integrates both functions, simplifying the overall mechanism while maintaining full movement capability in the optical axis direction.
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 solution allows for a reduction in size by simplifying the mechanism and enhancing operation reliability, maintaining image quality by preventing lateral movement and inclination of the movable section.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of spring portions capable of being elastically deformed and biasing the movable section in the optical axis direction
Data Source
AI summary
A lens unit includes: a lens barrel; a movable section including a movable lens and configured to be moved in an optical axis direction relative to the lens barrel; a linear actuator configured to move the movable section in the optical axis direction; and a biasing blade spring including a holding portion for holding the movable section, a plurality of spring portions capable of being elastically deformed and biasing the movable section in the optical axis direction, and an attachment portion to be attached to the lens barrel. The plurality of spring portions of the biasing blade spring are configured to restraint a movement force produced at the movable section in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis.