JP2005301094A - Camera unit and device with imaging functions - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-sized camera unit which makes a plurality of moving lens groups move, and to provide a small-sized device which is mounted with such a camera unit and has imaging function. <P>SOLUTION: The device has a multistage lens barrel 3, comprising a plurality of cylinder parts 6 and 7 differing in diameter, a multistage cylinder cam 2 which is fitted in the lens barrel 3 and comprises a plurality of cylinder parts 4 and 5 differing in diameter, and a plurality of moving lenses 9, 10, 13 and 14 which engage a plurality of cam grooves 24 and 25 formed on the cylinder cam 2 to be positioned, and at least one moving lens is provided to a cylinder part, different from a cylinder part provided with other moving lenses. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera unit and an apparatus having an imaging function.

  Many digital cameras and camera-equipped mobile phones employ single-focus fixed magnification camera units that are easy to miniaturize, but in response to demands for higher functionality, smaller camera units with zooming and focusing functions are available. It has been demanded.

In order to enable zooming and focusing, a mechanism for moving a plurality of moving lenses has been proposed. In Patent Document 1, a plurality of cam grooves are provided in one cylindrical cam, and each of the plurality of moving lenses is placed on an optical axis. A lens barrel that is moved in the direction is described.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-74997

  FIG. 4 shows a conventional camera unit 71 having a zooming mechanism similar to that of Patent Document 1. The camera unit 71 includes a first lens 75 and a first lens 75 supported by a first moving frame 74 that is movable in the optical axis direction in order from one end inside a cylindrical barrel 73 in which a cylindrical cam 72 is fitted to the outside. A first moving lens group 77 composed of two lenses 76, a second moving lens group 81 composed of a third lens 79 and a fourth lens 80 supported by a second moving frame 78 movable in the optical axis direction, and lens support The fifth lens 83 is fixed to the member 82, and the optical filter 85 and the image sensor 86 are fixed to the element support member 84. The camera unit 71 is configured such that the cylindrical cam 72 is rotated by a drive motor 87 and a speed reducer 88. The first moving frame 74 and the second moving frame 78 are respectively engaged with two cam grooves 89 and 90 spirally provided on the cylindrical cam 72, and the positions in the optical axis direction are determined by the rotation of the cylindrical cam 72. It is done.

  The camera unit 71 causes the first moving lens group 77, the second moving lens group 81, and the fifth lens 83 to form an image on the image sensor 86 and converts the incident light beam from the subject into an electrical signal by the image sensor 86. Is. By changing the position of the first moving lens group 77 and the second moving lens group 81 by the rotation of the cylindrical cam 72, the enlargement ratio of image formation is changed (zooming), and the focal length adjustment (focusing) is suitable for macro photography. Do.

  Thus, in order to perform the zooming and focusing by rotating the cylindrical cam 72, the camera unit 71 includes a drive motor 87 and a speed reducer 88 which are not necessary for a camera unit with a single focal point fixed magnification. It is provided outside. For this reason, the camera motor 71 has a large projection area when viewed from the subject by the drive motor 87 and the speed reducer 88, and cannot be reduced in size as preferable for mounting on a camera-equipped mobile phone or the like. It was.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a small camera unit that moves a plurality of moving lenses, and a small apparatus that has an imaging function mounted on such a camera unit.

  A camera unit according to the present invention is formed on a multistage barrel composed of a plurality of cylindrical portions having different diameters, a multistage cylindrical cam which is fitted to the barrel and has a plurality of cylindrical portions having different diameters, and the cylindrical cam. A plurality of moving lenses provided in the lens barrel so as to be positioned by being engaged with the plurality of cam grooves, and at least one of the moving lenses is provided with the other moving lens. It is assumed that it is provided in the cylindrical portion different from the portion.

  According to this configuration, the barrel portion of the lens barrel and the cylindrical cam in which the optical path is narrowed down and the moving lens having a small diameter is provided can be narrowed. For this reason, the camera unit can be reduced in size so as not to occupy useless space.

  In the camera unit of the present invention, the driving device for the cylindrical cam may be disposed outside a cylindrical portion having a small diameter among the cylindrical portions.

  According to this configuration, the protrusion of the driving device of the cylindrical cam, which is an essential component for moving or moving the moving lens group, is made small, so that it becomes a small shape that can be easily mounted on a device.

  In the camera unit of the present invention, a shutter driving device may be disposed outside a cylindrical portion having a small diameter among the cylindrical portions.

  According to this configuration, the protrusion of the shutter driving device from the camera unit is made small, and it becomes a small shape that can be easily mounted on a device.

  An apparatus having an imaging function according to the present invention includes the camera unit.

  According to this configuration, a small camera unit can be efficiently mounted without wasted space, and a device having a small imaging function can be provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small camera unit capable of zooming and focusing by moving a plurality of moving lenses, and a small apparatus having an imaging function mounted on such a camera unit. .

  FIG. 1 shows a camera unit 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The camera unit 1 has a lens barrel 3 to which a cylindrical cam 2 is fitted on the outside. The cylindrical cam 2 has a cylindrical first cam cylinder portion 4 and a second diameter smaller than that of the first cam cylinder portion 4. The barrel 3 includes a first barrel 6 that is fitted to the first cam barrel 4 and a second mirror that is fitted to the second cam barrel 5. It is a two-stage cylinder composed of a cylindrical portion 7.

  The camera unit 1 includes a first moving lens group 11 including a first lens 9 and a second lens 10 supported by a first moving frame 8 movable in the optical axis direction in the first lens barrel portion 6. The second lens barrel unit 7 includes a second moving lens group 15 including a third lens 13 and a fourth lens 14 supported by a second moving frame 12 movable in the optical axis direction. The fifth lens 17 fixed to the end of the second lens barrel portion 7 with the lens support member 16, the optical filter 19 fixed to the element support member 18 provided so as to cover the lens support member 16, and the imaging element 20. And have.

  Further, the camera unit 1 is provided with a drive motor 21 and a speed reducer 22 outside the second cam cylinder 5, and a gear of the speed reducer 22 is associated with an external gear 23 provided on the outer periphery of the second cam cylinder 5. In combination, the cylindrical cam 2 can be rotated. Helical cam grooves 24 and 25 are formed on the inner surfaces of the first cam barrel portion 4 and the second cam barrel portion 5, respectively. The first barrel portion 6 and the second barrel portion 7 are respectively Straight grooves 26 and 27 extending in the optical axis direction are formed. In addition, cam followers 28 and 29 provided so as to protrude from the upper portions of the first moving frame 8 and the second moving frame 12 respectively penetrate the rectilinear grooves 26 and 27 and engage with the cam grooves 24 and 25, respectively. . Then, when the drive motor 21 rotates the cylindrical cam 2 via the speed reducer 22, the cam followers 28 and 29 are at the intersection of the cam groove 24 and the rectilinear groove 26 and the intersection of the cam groove 25 and the rectilinear groove 27, respectively. The first moving lens group 11 and the second moving lens group 15 are positioned by moving in the optical axis direction while being engaged.

  In the present embodiment, since the light beam is narrowed down by the first moving lens group 11, the second moving lens group 15, the fifth lens 17, and the image sensor 20 have only a small diameter. Further, the second moving frame 12 is kept to a minimum size that can be supported by the second moving lens group 15, and the second cam barrel portion 5 and the second lens barrel portion 7 are kept to a minimum size. 12 is kept to the minimum diameter that can be included. As a result, the drive motor 21 and the speed reducer 22 necessary for rotating the cylindrical cam 2 are partially outside the second cam barrel portion 5 having a small diameter and behind the first barrel portion 6 when viewed from the subject side. As a result, the projection area of the camera unit 1 is only slightly larger than that of the first lens 9. For this reason, it is easy to secure a space for mounting the miniaturized camera unit 1 in a digital camera, a mobile phone with a camera, and the like, and it is easy to downsize devices such as a digital camera and a mobile phone with a camera.

  FIG. 2 shows a camera unit 31 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The camera unit 31 has a lens barrel 33 to which a cylindrical cam 32 is fitted on the outer side. The cylindrical cam 32 has a cylindrical first cam cylinder portion 34 and a second diameter larger than the first cam cylinder portion 34. This is a two-stage cylinder composed of a cam cylinder portion 35. The lens barrel 33 is a two-stage cylinder comprising a first lens barrel portion 36 fitted to the first cam barrel portion 34 and a second lens barrel portion 37 fitted to the second cam barrel portion 35. Furthermore, it has a lens barrel front end portion 38 attached so as to extend the end portion of the first lens barrel portion 36.

  The camera unit 31 includes a first lens 39 fixed in the lens barrel front end portion 38 and a second lens supported by a first moving frame 40 that can move in the first lens barrel portion 36 in the optical axis direction. A first moving lens group 43 including a first lens 41 and a third lens 42; a fourth lens 45 supported by a second moving frame 44 movable in the optical axis direction; An optical filter 47 and an image sensor 48 fixed by a support member 46 are provided at the end of the lens barrel portion 37.

  Further, the camera unit 31 is provided with a drive motor 49 and a speed reducer 50 outside the first cam cylinder portion 34, and a gear of the speed reducer 50 engages with an external gear 51 provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical cam 32 to form a cylinder. The cam 32 can be rotated. Helical cam grooves 52 and 53 are formed on the inner surfaces of the first cam barrel portion 34 and the second cam barrel portion 35, respectively. The first barrel portion 36 and the second barrel portion 37 are respectively Straight running grooves 54 and 55 extending in the optical axis direction are provided. In addition, cam followers 56 and 57 provided so as to protrude from the upper portions of the first moving frame 40 and the second moving frame 44 respectively penetrate the rectilinear grooves 54 and 55 and engage with the cam grooves 52 and 53, respectively. . When the drive motor 49 rotates the cylindrical cam 32 via the speed reducer 50, the cam followers 56 and 57 are at the intersection of the cam groove 52 and the rectilinear groove 54 and the intersection of the cam groove 53 and the rectilinear groove 55, respectively. It moves in the direction of the optical axis while being engaged, and positions of the first moving lens group 43 and the fourth lens 45 are determined.

  In the present embodiment, the diameters of the first cam cylinder part 34 of the cylindrical cam 32 and the first lens barrel part 36 of the lens barrel 33 are made smaller than the diameters of the second cam cylinder part 35 and the second lens barrel part 37, and the driving is performed. Since the motor 49 and the speed reducer 50 are arranged so as to be partially hidden behind the second cam cylinder portion 35 when viewed from the image sensor 48 side, the projected area of the camera unit 31 is larger than that of the image sensor 48. It is only slightly larger. For this reason, it is easy to secure a space for mounting the miniaturized camera unit 31 in a digital camera, a camera-equipped mobile phone, and the like, and it is easy to miniaturize devices such as the digital camera and the camera-equipped mobile phone.

  Further, the lens barrel front end portion 38 may have the same diameter as the second cam tube portion 35 or a larger diameter. In this case, the diameter of the first lens 39 can be increased, which is advantageous for widening the angle.

  FIG. 3 shows a camera unit 31a according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the same components as those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The difference between this embodiment and the second embodiment is that the machine has a shutter 58 that blocks the light beam incident from the first lens 39 between the first lens barrel portion 36 and the lens barrel front end portion 38 of the lens barrel 33. The shutter device 59 is provided, and the shutter drive device 60 that drives the mechanical shutter device 59 is disposed outside the first cam cylinder portion 34 of the cylindrical cam 32 on the opposite side of the drive motor 49 and the speed reducer 50. .

  Such a configuration is advantageous because a small high-pixel CCD (so-called interline interlace type CCD) that does not have an electronic shutter function can be used, and it can cope with an increase in the number of pixels without changing the size of the lens unit. .

  In the present embodiment, since the mechanical shutter device 60 and the shutter driving device 61 are arranged so as to be partially hidden behind the second cam cylinder portion 35 when viewed from the image sensor 48 side, the projection of the camera unit 31 is performed. The area is only slightly larger than the image sensor 51. For this reason, it is easy to secure a space for mounting a highly functional miniaturized camera unit 31a having a mechanical shutter on a digital camera, a camera-equipped mobile phone, and the like. It can be downsized while improving functionality.

  In the first to third embodiments, the speed reducer for rotating the lens barrel meshes with the external gear provided on the outer periphery of the cam cylinder portion having the smaller diameter, but the cam cylinder having the larger diameter is used. You may mesh with the external gear provided in the outer periphery of the part. If it does so, the reduction rate can be made small and a reduction gear can also be made small.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a camera unit that is a first embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing of the camera unit which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the camera unit which is 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the conventional camera unit.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,31,31a Camera unit 2,32 Cylindrical cam 3,33 Lens barrel 4,34 1st cam cylinder part 5,35 2nd cam cylinder part 6,36 1st lens barrel part 7,37 2nd lens barrel part 9 , 39 First lens 10, 41 Second lens 11, 43 First moving lens group 13, 42 Third lens 14, 45 Fourth lens 15 Second moving lens group 21, 49 Drive motor 22, 50 Reducer 24, 25 , 52, 53 Cam groove 58 Shutter 59 Mechanical shutter device 60 Shutter drive device

Claims (4)

A multi-stage lens barrel having a plurality of cylindrical portions having different diameters;
A multi-stage cylindrical cam that is fitted with the lens barrel and includes a plurality of cylindrical portions having different diameters;
A plurality of moving lenses provided in the lens barrel so as to be positioned by engaging with a plurality of cam grooves formed in the cylindrical cam;
The camera unit, wherein at least one of the moving lenses is provided in the cylindrical portion different from the cylindrical portion provided with the other moving lens.   The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical cam driving device is disposed outside a cylindrical portion having a small diameter among the cylindrical portions.   3. The camera unit according to claim 1, wherein a shutter driving device is disposed outside a cylindrical portion having a small diameter among the cylindrical portions. An apparatus comprising the camera unit according to claim 1 and having an imaging function.

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