JP2003270707A - Lens moving mechanism and electronic apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve functionality by assuring a sufficient focal length of an imaging lens. <P>SOLUTION: The lens moving mechanism 12 for moving the imaging lens 17 in a direction where the lens attaches to and detaches from an imaging device 11 arranged in an element arranging section 9 is provided with a bellows member 16 mounted with a lens holding section 13 for holding the imaging lens such that the imaging lens is moved in the above direction by the expansion and contraction of the bellows member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lens moving mechanism and electronic equipment having the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technical field of a lens moving mechanism that moves an image pickup lens in a direction away from and in contact with an image pickup device arranged in an element arrangement portion, and an electronic device including the lens moving mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Electronic devices, for example, some information processing devices such as portable radio telephones and personal computers have a photographing function for photographing a still image or a moving image. For example, in a mobile radio telephone, an imaging lens is provided on the surface of the device body opposite to the side where the operation buttons are arranged, and an image is captured using the imaging lens and an imaging element arranged inside the device body. Is possible.

[0003]

However, since the electronic device such as a portable radio telephone has a thin device body, it is impossible to secure a sufficient focal length of the image pickup lens arranged in the device body. There's a problem.

Since it is not possible to secure a sufficient focal length of the image pickup lens as described above, there are problems that the degree of freedom in optical design is reduced and the telephoto function cannot be supported.

Also, because the tolerance of the optical path is small,
It is necessary to use a highly accurate and costly imaging lens, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the electronic device increases correspondingly.

On the other hand, even when a sufficient focal length is secured in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it is possible to secure the thinness of the device main body and cause inconvenience when using another function of the electronic device. Need not to.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to improve the functionality by securing a sufficient focal length of the image pickup lens.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, a lens moving mechanism of the present invention and an electronic device equipped with the same are provided with a lens holding device that expands and contracts in the direction of contact with and away from an image pickup device and holds the image pickup lens. The bellows member to which the part is attached is provided.

Therefore, in the lens moving mechanism of the present invention and the electronic apparatus equipped with the same, the image pickup lens is moved in the contact / separation direction with respect to the image pickup element by expansion / contraction of the bellows member.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments described below apply the lens moving mechanism and the electronic device of the present invention to the lens moving mechanism provided in the portable radio telephone and the portable radio telephone.

The portable radio telephone 1 is provided with a device body 2 having a flat, substantially rectangular shape that is long in one direction (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

Of the surfaces having the largest area of the device main body 2, one surface 2a is provided with a speaker portion 3 at one end in the longitudinal direction and a microphone portion 4 at the other end in the longitudinal direction. (See FIG. 1).

Various operation keys 5, 5, ... And a liquid crystal display unit 6 are provided on one surface 2a of the device body 2.

An antenna 7 is provided at one end of the device body 2
For example, it is provided so that it can expand and contract (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

On the other surface 2b, which is the surface opposite to the one surface 2a of the device body 2, a shallow support recess 8 formed long in the longitudinal direction of the device body 2 is formed (FIGS. 3 and 4). 4). At the central portion of the support recess 8 in the longitudinal direction,
An insertion hole 8a communicating with the inside of the device body 2 is formed. Both side edges of the support recess 8 extending in the longitudinal direction of the device body 2 are formed as guide portions 8b, 8b.

An element placement portion 9 is provided inside the device body 2 at a position corresponding to the insertion hole 8a (see FIG. 3). An image pickup device 11, such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a C, is provided in the device placement portion 9 via a circuit board 10.
MOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)
Etc. are arranged.

A lens moving mechanism 12 is arranged on the other surface 2a side of the device body 2 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
The lens moving mechanism 12 includes a lens holding portion 13 and a supporting portion 14,
14, the slide portions 15 and 15, and the bellows member 16.

The lens holding portion 13, the supporting portions 14 and 14, and the sliding portions 15 and 15 are all formed in a rectangular plate shape, and the image pickup lens 17 is held at the center of the lens holding portion 13.

The supporting portions 14 and 14 are rotatably supported by the side edges of the lens holding portion 13 on the opposite sides via the first hinge portions 18 and 18. First hinge portion 18, 1
8 is made of, for example, a rubber material or a resin material having high elasticity. In addition, the first hinge portions 18, 18
May be configured by, for example, a shaft portion formed of a metal material or a resin material and a bearing portion that rotatably supports the shaft portion.

The slide portions 15 and 15 are the support portions 14 and 1, respectively.
4 is rotatably supported at the side edges on the side opposite to the side supported by the lens holding portion 13 via second hinge portions 19 and 19, respectively. The second hinge portions 19, 19 are the first
Like the hinge portions 18 and 18, it is formed of, for example, a rubber material or a resin material having high elasticity. Further, the shaft portion may be formed of a metal material or a resin material and a bearing portion that rotatably supports the shaft portion.

Incidentally, the lens holding portion 13 and the supporting portions 14, 14
And the slide portions 15 and 15 are integrally formed, each of these connecting portions is formed to be thin, and the portion formed to be thin is the first
It is also possible to use it as the hinge portions 18, 18 and the second hinge portions 19, 19.

The bellows member 16 is formed in a tubular shape, and one end thereof is attached to the inner surface of the lens holding portion 13. The other end of the bellows member 16 is attached to the element placement portion 9 so as to cover the circuit board 10 and the image pickup element 11.

The slide portions 15 and 15 are supported by the support recess 8 of the device body 2 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the device body 2. In a state where the slide portions 15 and 15 are slidably supported by the support concave portion 8, the lens holding portion 1
3 is positioned corresponding to the insertion hole 8a, and the lens holder 13
The image pickup lens 17 held by is placed facing the image pickup device 11 with the insertion hole 8a interposed therebetween (see FIG. 3).

The operation of the lens moving mechanism 12 will be described below (see FIGS. 2 to 4).

The imaging lens 17 held by the lens holding portion 13 is moved by the lens moving mechanism 12 between a storage position in which the device body 2 is housed and a projecting position in which the device body 2 projects.

When the imaging lens 17 is in the retracted position, the slide portions 15 and 15 are at the most distant positions from each other, and the lens holding portion 13 and the support portions 14 and 14 are located in the support recess 8 (FIG. 2 and FIG. 2). (See FIG. 3). Therefore,
The bellows member 16 is in the most contracted state.

From the state where the image pickup lens 17 is in the storage position, the slide portions 15 and 15 are slid in synchronization in a direction in which they approach each other. When the slide portions 15 and 15 are slid in the direction of approaching each other, the support portions 14 and 14 are inclined with respect to the slide portions 15 and 15 and the lens holding portion 13, and the lens holding portion 13 is projected from the device body 2. To go. At this time, the bellows member 16 is expanded along with the movement of the lens holding portion 13.

When the slide portions 15 and 15 are slid in the direction of approaching each other and slid to the moving end, the support portions 14 and 14 are brought into a state of being perpendicular to the slide portions 15 and 15 and the lens holding portion 13, The lens holding portion 13 is projected to a position farthest from the device body 2 (see FIG. 4).
And FIG. 5). Therefore, the imaging lens 17 reaches the protruding position. At this time, the bellows member 16 is further expanded with the movement of the lens holding portion 13, and is in the most expanded state.

Conversely, when the image pickup lens 17 is in the projecting position and the slide portions 15, 15 are slid in synchronization with each other in a direction in which they are separated from each other, the lens holding portion 13 and the support portions 14, 14 cause the support concave portion 8 to move. And the bellows member 16 is in the most contracted state as the lens holding portion 13 moves, and the imaging lens 17 reaches the storage position (FIGS. 2 and 3).
reference).

In the portable radio telephone 1, as described above, the lens moving mechanism 12 moves the imaging lens 17 between the storage position and the projecting position, but stops at any position within this moving range. It is possible, and it is possible to take an image at the arbitrary position.

As described above, in the portable radio telephone 1, since the image pickup lens 17 is moved in the direction in which it comes in contact with and away from the image pickup device 11, it is possible to secure a sufficient focal length of the image pickup lens 17. Therefore, the degree of freedom in optical design can be improved, the telephoto function can be supported, and the functionality can be improved.

Further, the tolerance of the optical path becomes large, and it is not necessary to use a highly accurate and costly imaging lens, and the manufacturing cost of the portable radio telephone 1 can be reduced accordingly.

Further, the image pickup lens 17 is not always in a state of protruding from the device body 2, but the image pickup lens 17 can be made to protrude from the device body 2 as necessary.
When using the communication function which is the original function of the mobile wireless telephone 1 or another function, the lens moving mechanism 12 and the imaging lens 1 are used.
7 does not get in the way, and no inconvenience occurs when using the original function or another function.

Furthermore, since the bellows member 16 is used as a constituent element of the lens moving mechanism 12, and the bellows member 16 is held in a thin state in the expansion / contraction direction when the imaging lens 17 is in the retracted position, the portable radio telephone. It is possible to secure the reduction of thickness 1.

Further, the bellows member 16 allows the image pickup device 11
Since this is covered, it is possible to prevent the image sensor 11 from being adversely affected by external light.

In addition, a lens holding portion 13, supporting portions 14 and 14 and slide portions 15 and 15 are provided as constituent elements of the lens moving mechanism 12, and the slide portions 15 and 15 are slid with respect to the apparatus main body 2. Imaging lens 17
Since the image pickup lens 17 is moved, the image pickup lens 17 can be moved manually or automatically using an appropriate driving mechanism, and the degree of freedom in design can be improved.

In the above, an example in which the present invention is applied to a portable radio telephone and a lens moving mechanism provided therein is shown. However, the present invention can be applied to, for example, a personal digital assistant (Personal Dig.
It can be applied to various information processing devices such as italAssistants) and personal computers, and a lens moving mechanism provided therein.

The specific shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment when the present invention is carried out, and the technical scope of the present invention is thereby obtained. Should not be construed in a limited way.

[0040]

As is apparent from the above description, the lens moving mechanism of the present invention is a lens moving mechanism for moving the image pickup lens in the direction of contact and separation with respect to the image pickup element arranged in the element arrangement portion. It is characterized in that a bellows member is provided which is expanded and contracted in the separation / contact direction and to which a lens holding portion for holding the imaging lens is attached, and the expansion / contraction of the bellows member moves the imaging lens in the separation / contact direction.

Therefore, a sufficient focal length of the image pickup lens can be secured, the degree of freedom in optical design can be improved, the telephoto function can be supported, and the functionality can be improved.

Further, the tolerance of the optical path becomes large, and it is not necessary to use a highly accurate and costly imaging lens, and the manufacturing cost of the device provided with the lens moving mechanism can be reduced accordingly.

Furthermore, since the bellows member is used as a constituent element, and the bellows member is held in a thin state in the expansion / contraction direction when the image pickup lens is at the moving end on the image pickup device side,
It is possible to ensure the thinning of the device provided with the lens moving mechanism.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the bellows member is formed in a cylindrical shape to cover the image pickup device from the surroundings, it is possible to prevent the image pickup device from being adversely affected by external light.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the lens holding portions are located on opposite sides of each other with the lens holding portion sandwiched therebetween, and the lens holding portions are respectively rotatable via a pair of first hinge portions. A pair of supported support portions, and a pair of support portions that are located on opposite sides of the lens holding portion with the pair of support portions sandwiched therebetween and that are rotatably supported by the respective support portions via a second hinge portion. And a pair of slide parts slide in the directions orthogonal to the expansion and contraction direction of the bellows member, respectively, and a pair of support parts form a pair of lens holding parts and a pair of lens holding parts according to the sliding operation of the pair of slide parts. Since the bellows member is expanded and contracted by rotating in synchronization with the slide part and moving the lens holding part in the separating and contacting direction in accordance with the rotating operation of the pair of supporting parts, the image pickup is performed. Lens movement Dynamic or can be performed automatically using a suitable driving mechanism, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in design.

An electronic apparatus equipped with the lens moving mechanism of the present invention is an electronic apparatus equipped with a lens moving mechanism for moving the image pickup lens in the direction in which the image pickup lens is arranged in the element arrangement section provided in the apparatus body. A bellows member that is expanded and contracted in the detaching / attaching direction with one end attached to the device body and a lens holding part for holding the imaging lens is attached, and the imaging lens is separated by the expansion and contraction of the bellows member. It is characterized by moving in the contact direction.

Therefore, a sufficient focal length of the image pickup lens can be secured, the degree of freedom in optical design can be improved, the telephoto function can be supported, and the functionality can be improved.

Further, the tolerance of the optical path becomes large, and it is not necessary to use a highly accurate and costly imaging lens, and the manufacturing cost of electronic equipment can be reduced accordingly.

Furthermore, since the image pickup lens is not always protruding from the device body but can be made to protrude from the device body when necessary, the lens can be used when another function of the electronic device is used. The moving mechanism and the imaging lens do not interfere, and no inconvenience occurs when using the other function.

Furthermore, since the bellows member is used as a constituent element of the lens moving mechanism, and the bellows member is held in a thin state in the expansion / contraction direction when the imaging lens is at the moving end on the image pickup device side, the electronic device It is possible to ensure thinning.

In the invention described in claim 5, since the bellows member is formed in a cylindrical shape to cover the image pickup device from the surroundings, it is possible to prevent the image pickup device from being adversely affected by external light.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the lens holding portions are located on opposite sides of each other with the lens holding portion interposed therebetween, and the lens holding portions are respectively rotatable via a pair of first hinge portions. A pair of supported support portions, and a pair of support portions that are located on opposite sides of the lens holding portion with the pair of support portions sandwiched therebetween and that are rotatably supported by the respective support portions via a second hinge portion. And a guide part for slidably supporting the pair of slide parts in the device body, and the pair of slide parts relative to the guide parts in a direction orthogonal to the expansion and contraction direction of the bellows member. Respectively, and the pair of support portions are rotated in synchronization with the lens holding portion and the pair of slide portions in accordance with the sliding operation of the pair of slide portions, and the lens holding portion is attached to the pair of support portions. Turning Since the bellows member expands and contracts by being moved in the separating and contacting direction with the operation, the image pickup lens can be moved manually or automatically using an appropriate drive mechanism, and the design is free. It is possible to improve the degree.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a mobile wireless telephone together with FIGS. 2 to 5, and this drawing is a perspective view of the mobile wireless telephone.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state of each part when the imaging lens is at a storage position.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state of each part when the imaging lens is at the storage position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state of each part when the imaging lens is at a protruding position.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state of each part when the imaging lens is at a protruding position.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Portable radio telephone (electronic device), 2 ... Device body, 8b
... Guide part, 9 ... Element placement part, 11 ... Imaging element, 12 ...
Lens moving mechanism, 13 ... Lens holding section, 14 ... Support section,
15 ... Slide part, 16 ... Bellows member, 17 ... Imaging lens, 18 ... First hinge part, 19 ... Second hinge part

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 5/225 H04N 5/335 V 5/335 G02B 7/04 DF term (reference) 2H044 AD01 AD03 BD01 2H101 BB07 BB32 BB34 5C022 AB21 AC42 AC54 AC77 AC78 5C024 DX08 EX21 EX42 GY01 GY31 5K023 AA07 BB04 MM00 MM25 PP13

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A lens moving mechanism for moving an image pickup lens in a separating / contacting direction with respect to an image pickup device arranged in an element arrangement part, wherein a lens holding part that expands / contracts in the separating / contacting direction and holds an image pickup lens is attached. The lens moving mechanism is characterized in that the bellows member is provided, and the imaging lens is moved in the separation / contact direction by expansion and contraction of the bellows member. 2. The lens moving mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the bellows member is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to cover the image pickup device from the surroundings. 3. A pair of support portions, which are located on opposite sides of the lens holding portion and are rotatably supported by the lens holding portion via a pair of first hinge portions, respectively. A pair of slide portions that are located on opposite sides of the lens holding portion with the pair of support portions interposed therebetween and that are rotatably supported by the respective support portions via a second hinge portion are provided. The slide portions respectively slide in a direction orthogonal to the expansion / contraction direction of the bellows member, and the pair of support portions rotate in synchronization with the lens holding portion and the pair of slide portions in accordance with the sliding operation of the pair of slide portions. The lens movement according to claim 1, wherein the bellows member is expanded and contracted by moving the lens holding portion in the separating and contacting direction in accordance with the rotation operation of the pair of supporting portions. mechanism. 4. An electronic device comprising a lens moving mechanism for moving an image pickup lens in a separation / contact direction with respect to an image pickup device arranged in a device arrangement portion provided in the device body, wherein one end is attached to the device body. In this state, a bellows member is provided which is expanded and contracted in the separation / contact direction and to which a lens holding part for holding the imaging lens is attached, and the expansion / contraction of the bellows member moves the imaging lens in the separation / contact direction. An electronic device equipped with a characteristic lens movement mechanism. 5. An electronic apparatus having a lens moving mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the bellows member is formed in a tubular shape so as to cover the image pickup device from the surroundings. 6. A pair of support portions which are located on opposite sides of the lens holding portion and which are rotatably supported by the lens holding portion via a pair of first hinge portions, respectively. The apparatus main body is provided with a pair of slide portions that are located on opposite sides of the lens holding portion with the pair of support portions sandwiched therebetween and that are rotatably supported by the respective support portions via the second hinge portion. Is provided with a guide part on which the pair of slide parts are slidably supported, and the pair of slide parts slides with respect to the guide parts in a direction orthogonal to the expansion / contraction direction of the bellows member, respectively. The lens holding section and the pair of slide sections are rotated in synchronization with the sliding operation of the pair of slide sections, and the lens holding section is moved in the contact / separation direction with the rotation operation of the pair of support sections. Move to Electronic apparatus provided with a lens moving mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that the bellows member is such that expansion and contraction by being.