Light Adjusting Apparatus Shaft Retention Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional light adjusting apparatuses for small-size image pickup equipment face difficulties in assembly due to complex positioning of rotating shafts, leading to increased assembly challenges and potential misalignment issues.
Innovation Solution
A light adjusting apparatus featuring two substrates with a notch for receiving the shaft member, a retaining portion to prevent dropping, and a driving unit that adjusts incident light by pivoting the diaphragm plate, allowing for easy assembly and reduced external dimensions through a single stacking or molding process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a circular cylindrical shaped protruding portion (shaft receiver) is formed in the upper cover and lower cover to position the rotating shaft, then the shaft can be freely rotated, but the assembly process becomes complex and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft receiver is divided into two separate functional elements: a notch formed directly in the substrate for shaft insertion and positioning, and a separate retaining portion (such as a rim or flange) that prevents shaft drop. This segmentation allows each element to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall assembly process compared to a single complex cylindrical receiver structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of forming a protruding cylindrical shaft receiver that requires precise positioning and alignment during assembly, the invention inverts the approach by forming a notch (recess) directly in the substrate. This inverted structure naturally guides and positions the shaft during assembly, eliminating the need for complex external positioning features.
2Device complexity
If the shaft receiver is formed as a hole in the upper cover and lower cover, then the structure is simpler, but the same assembly positioning problems arise
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the shaft positioning function and the shaft retention function into a single integrated substrate structure. The notch provides positioning while the retaining portion (rim/flange) provides retention, both formed as integral features of the substrate rather than separate components. This merging eliminates assembly positioning problems while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate structure is designed to automatically position and retain the shaft through its own geometric features (notch and retaining portion) without requiring external positioning mechanisms or complex assembly procedures. The shaft self-aligns within the notch and is retained by the retaining portion, making the system self-servicing during assembly.
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
The solution simplifies the assembly process by using a notch for the shaft member and a retaining portion, reducing assembly complexity and enabling easier integration of components, while maintaining high accuracy and reducing defective rotations due to assembling tolerance shifts.
Implementation Method 1
a single or a plurality of optical elements is displaced mutually in and outside an optical path by an electromagnetic driving source
Data Source
AI summary
A light adjusting apparatus for use with a small-size image pickup equipment. The light adjusting apparatus includes two substrates, out of which, one has an aperture, a spacing portion which regulates a distance between the two substrates, at least one incident-light adjusting unit which has a shaft member which becomes a center of rotation, and which is turned in a plane perpendicular to an optical axial direction, between the substrates, and at least one driving unit which drives the incident-light adjusting unit. Incident light which passes through the aperture is adjusted by turning the incident-light adjusting unit alternately, to the aperture and to a retracted position which is retracted from the aperture, by the driving unit. The light adjusting apparatus includes a notch which receives the shaft member, formed in the substrate, and a retaining portion which prevents the incident-light adjusting unit from dropping.