JP4632083B2 - The camera module - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera module, and more particularly to a camera module that can be used in a small electronic device with a camera such as a digital camera or a mobile phone.

  Many small electronic devices such as digital cameras and mobile phones are provided with a small digital camera. The digital camera integrates a plurality of lenses and a solid-state image sensor (CMOS: Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and also includes a lens driving mechanism that moves the lens in the optical axis direction for the purpose of autofocus and zoom.

  Conventionally, a digital camera has been configured, for example, by individually combining component members of a lens driving mechanism with a holder member. However, since there are many component members, it has been difficult to realize a small size and a small thickness. In addition, the conventional digital camera has a problem that the assembling process is troublesome and stable characteristics cannot be obtained due to variations in assembling accuracy.

  Therefore, in the digital camera, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the above-described problem can be solved by configuring the camera module 100 by combining the cover member 102 with the holder member 101 in which the constituent members are combined. Yes. The camera module 100 is configured such that members constituting the lens unit 120 and the lens driving mechanism 130 are appropriately assembled to the holder member 101, and these members are held by the cover member 102 as shown in FIG.

  A base member 140 is assembled to the camera module 100 on one side of the holder member 101. An opening 141 is formed in the base member 140, and a cut filter 142 that shields far infrared rays is assembled. The wiring board 142 is assembled to the base member 140 so as to close the bottom surface side of the opening 141. The wiring board 142 is bonded to the opening edge on the bottom surface side of the base member 140 by an adhesive at the outer peripheral portion. On the wiring board 142, an appropriate circuit pattern is formed and a CMOS element 143 is mounted. The CMOS element 143 is provided in a state of being sealed in the opening 141 by the base member 140 and the wiring substrate 142. The CMOS element 143 is positioned so that the center thereof coincides with the central axis of the opening 141.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the camera module 100 includes a lens unit 120 including a lens barrel 121, a first lens 122 and a second lens 123 housed in the lens barrel 121, and a stopper ring 124. Is done. In the lens unit 120, the lens barrel 121 is formed with a lens hole having a predetermined hole diameter at the center position of the upper surface, and has a larger diameter than the lens hole in the inside and is opened on the bottom surface side so that the center axis coincides. A lens assembly space portion is formed. The lens unit 120 accommodates two lenses 122 and 123 in the internal space of the lens barrel 121 with their optical axes aligned, and these lenses 121 and 122 are fixed by a stopper ring 124.

  The camera module 100 includes a drive ring member 131 combined by screwing the lens drive mechanism 130 with an outer peripheral screw formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel 121, and a drive lever member fixed to the drive ring member 131. 132. The lens driving mechanism 130 rotationally drives the driving ring member 131 when the driving lever member 132 is swung by an appropriate lens driving unit, and the lens barrel 121 is moved in the optical axis direction (focusing) via the driving ring member 131. Direction).

  The drive ring member 131 has an outer peripheral flange portion integrally formed around the circumference of the cylindrical main body portion, and the outer peripheral screw formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel 25 is screwed into the inner peripheral screw formed in the inner hole of the main body portion. By combining. The drive ring member 131 is combined with the outer peripheral flange portion so that the outer peripheral portion is held by a holder member 3 to be described later and is movable in the optical axis direction.

  The drive ring member 131 is subjected to an elastic force in the optical axis direction from a cover member 102 described later on the upper surface of the outer peripheral flange portion, and is urged toward the holder member 101 by this elastic force. The drive lever member 132 is disposed between the drive ring member 131 and the holder member 101. When a focus adjustment operation is performed, the drive lever member 132 is slidably rotated on the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange portion.

  The drive ring member 131 has a cam recess formed on the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange portion, and is moved in the optical axis direction by the drive lever member 132 within the depth range of the cam recess. The drive lever member 132 is composed of a ring portion and a lever portion protruding from the outer peripheral portion thereof, and cam convex portions are integrally formed on the upper surface of the ring portion at equal intervals with respect to the circumferential direction. ing.

  The drive lever member 132 is held and rotated by the holder member 101 by operating the lever portion. As described above, the outer peripheral flange portion of the drive ring member 131 abuts on the drive lever member 132 on the upper surface of the ring portion, so that the cam convex portion slides on the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange portion. The drive lever member 132 is assembled to the holder member 101, and the lever portion projects outward. In the drive lever member 132, the tip of the lever portion protruding from the holder member 101 is connected to an appropriate focus adjustment operation portion automatically or manually.

  When the focus adjustment operation portion is operated, the drive lever member 132 is pivoted to rotate the ring portion held by the holder member 101, so that the drive ring member 131, in other words, For example, the switching operation is performed between the first position where the lens unit 120 is lowered and the second position where the lens unit 120 is pushed upward. The drive lever member 132 pushes the drive ring member 131 upward by the height of the cam convex portion when the cam convex portion is located on the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange portion of the drive ring member 131. The drive lever member 132 is relatively engaged by moving the cam convex portion to a position facing the cam concave portion by a focus adjustment operation, and moves the drive ring member 131 downward by the depth of the cam concave portion.

  In the camera module 100, the holder member 101 is, for example, a plastic molded product, and has a rectangular block shape having a predetermined thickness as shown in FIG. The holder member 101 has a lens unit assembly opening 104 formed through the main body 103 in the thickness direction. The holder member 101 holds the lens barrel 121 of the lens unit 120 described above in the lens unit assembly opening 104 so as to be movable in the axial direction (optical axis direction).

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the holder member 101 is integrally formed with leg portions 105 that are positioned at the four corners of one main surface (front surface) 103 </ b> A of the main body portion 103 and project in the axial direction. . Each leg 105 is formed with a guide step 106 on the inner peripheral surface. The outer periphery of the guide step 106 is guided by the guide step 106 so that the driving ring member 131 of the lens driving mechanism 130 is placed in the holder member 101. Combine freely. The holder member 101 is combined with the base member 140 described above using the other main surface (back surface) 103B side shown in FIG.

  The cover member 102 is formed by pressing a thin metal plate having elasticity, and a lens unit is formed on a rectangular receiving plate portion 106 having an outer shape substantially equal to the main body portion 103 of the holder member 101 as shown in FIG. A lens opening 107 having substantially the same diameter as the assembly opening 104 is formed. In the cover member 102, a lens unit pressing piece 108 is integrally formed on the receiving plate portion 106 from the opening edge of the guide opening 107 facing the four corners.

  Each lens unit pressing piece 108 is formed by bending the tip portion toward the back side, and the drive ring member 131 is moved to the holder member 101 side in a state where the cover member 102 is combined with the holder member 101. Press. The cover member 102 is integrally formed with engagement pieces 109 that are positioned at the four corners of the receiving plate portion 106 and project in the axial direction. Each engaging piece 109 has substantially the same length as the leg portion 105 of the holder member 101, and the engaging portion 110 is integrally formed by bending the tip portion inward.

  The cover member 102 is combined with the front side of the holder member 101 as shown in FIG. 7, and although not shown in the drawing, the lens unit 120, the lens driving mechanism 130, the base member 140, etc. Assemble. The cover member 102 is combined with the holder member 101 with each engaging piece 109 being spread outward. The cover member 102 is integrated with the holder member 101 when an engagement portion 110 formed at the distal end portion of each engagement piece 109 engages and contacts the back surface 103B.

  In the camera module 100, the cover member 102 is held in a combined state with respect to the holder member 101 via each engagement piece 109, and each lens unit pressing piece 108 of the cover member 102 presses the drive ring member 131 toward the holder member 101 side. To do. In the camera module 100, the elastic force from each lens unit pressing piece 108 is applied to the drive ring member 131, so that the drive ring member 131, the drive lever member 132, or the lens unit 120 is not rattled. Keep in state.

  By the way, in the camera module 100 described above, the combination is performed by pushing the cover member 102 into the holder member 101 while pushing the engaging pieces 109 apart. The pressing force was required at the same time, and the work was troublesome. In the camera module 100, the cover member 102 pushes and spreads the engagement portions 110 of the engagement pieces 109 so as to ride on the outer peripheral surface of the holder member 101. The piece 109 may be deformed due to a large stress.

  In the camera module 100, the cover member 102 cannot cause each lens unit pressing piece 108 to apply a uniform pressing force to the drive ring member 131 due to the deformation of the receiving plate portion 106. In the camera module 100, the cover member 102 cannot be firmly held in combination with the holder member 101 due to the deformation of the engagement pieces 109 and the engagement portions 110, and the backlash occurs.

  Further, in the camera module 100, since the drive ring member 131 is smoothly rotated in the lens unit assembly opening 104 of the holder member 101, a uniform elastic force is applied from each lens unit pressing piece 108 at each circumferential position. Need to be loaded. In the camera module 100, the cover member 102 must be formed with high accuracy for this purpose.

  In the camera module 100, as described above, the cover member 102 is formed by pressing a metal thin plate having elasticity, but the surface accuracy of the receiving plate portion 106, each lens unit pressing piece 108 and each engaging piece 109 There is a problem that the efficiency of the press working or the yield is deteriorated because the accuracy of the dimension or the bending angle is strictly required.

  In the camera module 100, the cover member 102 is mechanically held in a combined state with the holder member 101 and is made of a metal having a certain thickness so that a predetermined elastic force is applied to the drive ring member 131. A thin plate is used. Therefore, the camera module 100 has a problem that the processing efficiency of the cover member 102 is deteriorated and it is difficult to achieve a reduction in size, thickness, or weight.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, improves the workability and assembly of the cover member, and allows the lens driving mechanism to operate stably, thereby reducing the size, thickness and weight. It aims at providing the camera module which implement | achieves.

  A camera module according to the present invention that achieves the above-described object includes a lens unit, a drive ring member, a drive lever member, a holder member, a base member, and a cover member. In the camera module, the drive ring member includes a cylindrical portion to which the lens unit is assembled, and a flange portion integrally formed on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion.

  The camera module includes a ring portion in which a drive lever member is combined with a main body portion of the drive ring member to rotate the drive ring member, and a lever portion that protrudes integrally from the ring portion and is connected to the lens driving means. The lens unit is moved in the optical axis direction of the lens, and focus adjustment is performed.

  The camera module has a main body portion in which a holder member is formed with a lens unit assembly opening through which the lens unit is movably accommodated in the optical axis direction, penetrating in the thickness direction and rotatably supporting the ring portion of the drive lever member And a plurality of interval holding portions that are integrally formed with a predetermined height on one main surface side of the main body portion and that have engaging convex portions formed on the outer peripheral portion. In the camera module, a lens unit that is supported in the lens unit assembly opening of the holder member so as to be movable in the optical axis direction is moved in the optical axis direction by a drive lever member that is supported by the main body and rotates. Make adjustments.

  In the camera module, the base member for bonding and fixing the other main surface side of the opening holder member with an adhesive or the like is formed with an opening having the same optical axis as the lens group of the lens unit, and a solid-state imaging device is placed inside the opening Store. The camera module forms an image on the solid-state image sensor via the lens unit, and obtains an image signal based on the image from the solid-state image sensor.

  The camera module has a plurality of engaging pieces each integrally formed on a frame-shaped receiving surface portion in which a cover member is formed of an elastic material such as a metal thin plate and an opening is formed to face the lens unit outward. And a pressing piece. In the cover member, each engagement piece is positioned at each corner portion of the receiving surface portion and is bent in the axial direction, and an engagement opening is formed at the distal end portion corresponding to each engagement convex portion of the holder member. Is done. In the cover member, each pressing piece is integrally formed so as to protrude inward from the opening edge of the opening portion, and is in contact with the flange portion.

  In the camera module, the cover member is pushed into the holder member assembled with the lens unit, the drive ring member, and the drive lever member, so that the engagement protrusions of the hook pieces are engaged with each other. Integrated. In the camera module, each pressing piece of the cover member abuts on the flange portion of the drive ring member, and thereby the lens unit is urged and held toward the holder member via the drive ring member.

  In the camera module, when the cover member is combined with the holder member, each hook piece only has to be pushed outward by the thickness thereof, and no great stress is generated on the receiving surface portion of the cover member or each hook piece. Therefore, in the camera module, the combination of the cover member with the holder member is efficiently performed, and the combined state is held by each person and no backlash occurs. In the camera module, the cover member presses the outer peripheral flange portion of the drive ring member evenly in the circumferential direction with each pressing piece so that a smooth operation is performed.

  In the camera module, the cover member may be provided with a deformation preventing piece that is integrally bent from the outer peripheral edge of the receiving surface portion and abuts against the outer surface of each hook piece. In the camera module, each deformation prevention piece prevents the deformation of each opposing hook piece in a state where the engagement protrusion is engaged with the engagement opening of each hook piece and the cover member is assembled to the holder member. Generation | occurrence | production of the disengagement phenomenon from an engaging convex part is prevented, and the combined state of the cover member with respect to a holder member is reliably hold | maintained.

  The camera module may be bent from the outer peripheral edge to form a positioning piece on each side of the receiving surface portion of the cover member so as to be adjacent to the hook piece. In the camera module, since the mechanical rigidity of the receiving surface portion of the cover member formed in a frame shape is improved by the positioning piece, the camera module can be thinned. In the camera module, the cover member is firmly held in the assembled state with the holder member by the hook piece and the positioning piece, and the occurrence of backlash or the like is prevented. The camera module retains the function of dropping from the holder member due to deformation of the cover member and the function of uniformly pressing the drive ring member.

  In the camera module, the lens unit includes a plurality of lenses and a lens barrel that houses these lenses and has an outer peripheral screw formed on the outer peripheral portion. The camera module is assembled by screwing an outer peripheral screw with an inner peripheral screw formed on the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion of the drive ring member.

  According to the camera module of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the cost by efficiently combining the cover member, which is reduced in size, thickness or weight without requiring high-precision processing, with respect to the holder member. Become. According to the camera module of the present invention, the cover member is prevented from falling off from the holder member and the lens unit is driven by preventing the deformation of the respective parts of the cover member when combined with the holder member. The mechanism can operate smoothly.

  Hereinafter, a camera module 1 shown as an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The camera module 1 is mounted on a small electronic device such as a mobile phone, and has a function of capturing an image by performing a switching operation between normal shooting and macro zoom shooting. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the camera module 1 includes a holder member 3 fixed to the base member 2 in a laminated state, and a cover member 4 combined with the holder member 3 to form an exterior body. The lens unit 5 and the lens driving mechanism 6 are incorporated in the main body. In the following description, the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 is the height direction, the base member 2 side is referred to as the lower side, and the cover member 4 side is referred to as the upper side.

  The camera module 1 is mounted on a wiring board or the like of a main device (not shown) via a base member 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the base member 2 is molded as a block body having a substantially square shape with a slight thickness by a synthetic resin material, and has an opening 7 penetrating in the thickness direction. Specifically, the opening 7 includes a circular opening portion opening in the first main surface 2A, a first rectangular opening portion having a small opening size communicating with a receiving step at a lower portion of the circular opening portion, and a receiving portion. It comprises a second rectangular opening portion having a small opening size and communicating with the first rectangular opening portion through a step. The opening 7 is assembled with a cut filter 8 whose outer peripheral portion is supported by the receiving step formed between the first rectangular opening portion and the second rectangular opening portion, and shields far infrared rays.

  The base member 2 is formed with a substantially arc-shaped fitting recess 9 at each corner portion of the first main surface 2A. As will be described later, opposed stud convex portions 23 of the holder member 3 joined and fixed on the base member 2 are fitted into the fitting concave portions 9. The fitting concave portion 9 is formed in an arc shape so that the stud convex portion 23 is aligned so that the holder member 3 is combined with the base member 2. In the base member 2, a stepped portion 10 is formed at a corner portion surrounded by the fitting recess 9. The stepped-down portion 10 functions as a portion for inserting and pressing a jig or the like when the camera module 1 is mounted on the wiring board of the main device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wiring board 11 is assembled to the base member 2 so as to close the bottom surface side of the opening 7. The wiring substrate 11 is bonded to the opening edge on the bottom surface side of the base member 2 by an adhesive at the outer peripheral portion. Although not described in detail, an appropriate circuit pattern is formed on the wiring substrate 11 and a CMOS element 12 is mounted. The CMOS element 12 is provided in a state of being sealed in the opening 7 by the base member 2 and the wiring substrate 11. The CMOS element 12 is positioned so that the center thereof coincides with the central axis of the opening 7.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the holder member 3 is integrally formed of a synthetic resin material, and a main body portion 13 in which a lens unit assembly opening 14 is formed, and a lens unit integrally formed on the bottom surface side of the main body portion 13. Four interval holding portions 16A to 16D (hereinafter collectively referred to as interval holding portions 16 unless otherwise described) that are integrally protruded from the assembled cylinder portion 15 and each corner portion on the upper surface side of the main body portion 13. .).

  The holder member 3 has a substantially square block shape in which the main body portion 13 has a slight thickness and has an outer dimension substantially equal to the outer dimension of the base member 2, and is formed in a flange shape on the outer peripheral portion of the lens unit assembly cylinder portion 15. Protrusions are formed. The holder member 3 is formed with a lens unit assembly opening portion 14 having a circular cross section, which is substantially the same diameter as the circular opening portion of the opening portion 7 of the base member 2, and penetrates the main body portion 13 and the lens unit assembly cylinder portion 15. Has been.

  As will be described later, the lens unit assembly opening 14 has an axial length that holds the lens unit 5 that is moved in the optical axis direction by a focus adjustment operation over the entire length in the movement direction. The lens unit assembly cylinder 15 has a smooth inner peripheral wall constituting the lens unit assembly opening 14 and holds the outer periphery of the lens unit 5 moved in the optical axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the main body portion 13 is integrally formed with a spacing holding portion 16 located at each corner portion of the upper surface 13A. Each interval holding portion 16 is a columnar portion having a substantially isosceles triangular cross section, and has a height substantially equal to the maximum movement amount of the lens unit 5 to be adjusted in focus. Each spacing holding portion 16 supports a later-described drive ring member 31 that constitutes the lens drive mechanism 6 so that the inner surface thereof can move with respect to the optical axis direction, and also supports an outer peripheral portion of the drive lever member 32 so as to be rotatable. The supporting part is configured.

  Each spacing holding portion 16 is formed in an arcuate curved surface having a curvature substantially equal to the curvature of the outer peripheral portions of the drive ring member 31 and the drive lever member 32. Each spacing holding portion 16 has a receiving end portion 17A to 17D (hereinafter collectively referred to as receiving step portion 17 unless otherwise described) by projecting the base end portion of the inner surface inward over the entire area. Is formed).

  The holder member 3 is configured by the inner surface of the receiving step portion 17 at the proximal end portion, with each of the spacing holding portions 16 having a circumferential diameter formed at an upper portion of the inner surface substantially equal to the diameter of the drive ring member 31. The diameter of the circumference to be made is slightly smaller than the diameter of the drive lever member 32. The holder member 3 supports the drive ring member 31 movably in the optical axis direction on the receiving step portion 17 of each spacing holding portion 16. As will be described in detail later, the holder member 3 rotatably supports the drive lever member 32 in the space portion constituted by the interval holding portions 16 so as to face the upper surface 13A of the main body portion 13.

  Each spacing holding portion 16 has a guide groove 18 (hereinafter collectively referred to as a guide groove 18 unless otherwise described) that is open in the height direction with the receiving step portion 17 as a bottom portion. Has been. Each guide groove 18 is fitted with a guide convex portion 36 of a drive ring member 31 constituting the lens drive mechanism 6 described later, and guides for linearly moving the drive ring member 31 with respect to the optical axis direction during a focus adjustment operation. Play a function.

  Engagement convex portions 19 </ b> A to 19 </ b> D (hereinafter collectively referred to as engagement convex portions 19 unless otherwise described) are formed on the outer surface of each interval holding portion 16. The engaging convex portion 19 is a rectangular convex portion in the height direction (optical axis direction) that is formed to protrude from the upper end edge of the interval holding portion 16 to a predetermined height position. The engaging convex portion 19 is configured as an inclined surface in which the upper end surface 20 gradually increases in the protruding dimension downward, and the lower end surface 21 is configured as a vertical surface that is flush with the bottom surface 13B of the main body portion 13. It consists of a wedge-shaped convex part.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5A, a chamfer 22 is formed on the interval holding portion 16A from the upper edge of the right angle portion. The chamfer 22 functions as a mark for assembling other constituent members by arranging the holder member 3 in a predetermined direction during the assembly process.

  In the holder member 3, the stud convex portions 23 </ b> A to 23 </ b> D (hereinafter, individually described) straddle the bottom surface 13 </ b> B and the outer peripheral portion of the lens unit assembly cylinder portion 15 at a position facing each corner portion of the main body portion 13. Are collectively referred to as stud projections 23). The stud convex portion 23 is formed at a height slightly lower than the axial length of the lens unit assembly cylinder portion 15, and as shown in FIG. 5 (b), escapes over the entire region in the height direction to the side surface portion facing the corner. The concave portion is formed to have an arcuate cross section substantially equal to the opening shape of the fitting concave portion 9 of the base member 2 described above.

  A pair of dowels 24 </ b> A and 24 </ b> B are integrally formed on each stud protrusion 23 so as to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction on the lower end surface. When the holder member 3 is assembled to the base member 2, the dowels 24 </ b> A and 24 </ b> B are respectively fitted in fitting holes that omit the details formed in the fitting recess 9 of the base member 2.

  The holder member 3 configured as described above is assembled on the main surface 2 </ b> A of the base member 2 by fitting each stud convex portion 23 to the corresponding fitting concave portion 9. In the holder member 3, the lower end edge of the lens unit assembly cylinder portion 15 is abutted on the main surface 2 </ b> A of the base member 2 in a state where each stud convex portion 23 is fitted in the fitting concave portion 9. The holder member 3 is fixed to the base member 2 by bonding and fixing the entire circumference of the lower end edge of the lens unit mounting cylinder portion 15, the bottom surface of each stud convex portion 23, and each dowel 24 on the main surface 2 </ b> A with an adhesive. Combined.

  The holder unit 3 described above is combined with the lens unit 5 and the lens driving mechanism 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the lens unit 5 includes a lens barrel 25, a first lens 26 and a second lens 27 housed in the lens barrel 25, and a stopper ring 28. The lens barrel 25 is formed in an overall bottomed cylindrical shape having the same diameter as the inner diameter of the lens unit assembly opening 14 of the holder member 3 by a synthetic resin material. In the lens barrel 25, a lens hole 29 having a predetermined hole diameter is formed at the center position of the upper surface 25A. Although the details are omitted, the lens barrel 25 is larger in diameter than the lens hole 29 and has a central axis that coincides with the bottom surface. A lens assembly space that opens to the side is formed.

  An outer peripheral screw 30 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel 25 from the lower end portion to a predetermined height position, and a driving ring member 31 described later is screwed and integrated. In the lens barrel 25, a substantially square step is formed on the upper surface 25A, and an adhesive filling notch is formed across the outer peripheral surface at a position substantially opposed to the outer peripheral edge. The lens barrel 25 constitutes a jig pressing portion when these structures are screwed into the drive ring member 31.

  Although not shown in the drawing, the lens barrel 25 is used for positioning for storing the first lens 26 and the second lens 27 on the inner peripheral wall constituting the lens assembly space portion with respect to the optical axis direction. A step is formed.

  Although not described in detail, the first lens 26 and the second lens 27 are formed by sealing predetermined lenses on lens holders 26A and 27A made of synthetic resin in which lens openings are formed on both surfaces. The first lens 26 and the second lens 27 have lens holders 26 </ b> A and 27 </ b> A whose outer diameters are smaller than the positioning step formed in the lens assembly space of the lens barrel 25. Locked in place and assembled.

  The stopper ring 28 has an outer diameter that is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the lens assembly space portion of the lens barrel 25 made of a synthetic resin material, and an opening that matches the optical axes of the first lens 26, the second lens 27, and the stopper ring 28. It has a ring shape with parts formed.

  In the lens unit 5, the first lens 26 and the second lens 27 are assembled in this order from the opening on the lower side of the lens barrel 25 into the lens assembly space. In the lens unit 5, a stopper ring 28 is lightly press-fitted into the lens assembly space, and the first lens 26 and the second lens 27 are pressed against the positioning step by the stopper ring 28 and fixed in the lens assembly space. Stored.

  The lens unit 5 is combined with the holder member 3 via the lens driving mechanism 6 and is moved by the lens driving mechanism 6 with respect to the optical axis direction. The lens driving mechanism 6 includes a driving ring member 31 that is assembled and integrated with the lens barrel 25 of the lens unit 5, and a lens unit 5 that is rotatably combined with the holder member 3 and passes through the driving ring member 31. It is comprised by the drive lever member 32 moved to an axial direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the drive ring member 31 includes a main body 33 formed of a synthetic resin material in a cylindrical shape, and an outer peripheral flange 34 formed integrally and projecting around the upper end of the main body 33. Consists of In the drive ring member 31, the inner hole of the main body 33 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the lens barrel 25 of the lens unit 5, and an inner peripheral screw 35 is formed over the entire length. The lens barrel 25 is combined with the drive ring member 31 by screwing the outer peripheral screw 30 into the inner peripheral screw 35 from the outer peripheral flange portion 34 side.

  The lens barrel 25 is screwed into the drive ring member 31 to a predetermined position with respect to the optical axis direction while holding the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface 25A with an appropriate jig. The lens unit 5 performs a predetermined focus adjustment according to the screwed position of the lens barrel 25 with respect to the drive ring member 31, and drives the lens barrel 25 by filling the notch formed in the outer peripheral portion at this position with an adhesive. The ring member 31 is joined and fixed.

  The drive ring member 31 has a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the lens barrel 25 and has an outer peripheral flange portion 34 having substantially the same diameter as the circumference formed by the inner surface of the spacing holding portion 16 of the holder member 3 as described above. Are integrally formed. The outer peripheral flange portion 34 is formed with guide convex portions 36 </ b> A to 36 </ b> D (hereinafter collectively referred to as guide convex portions 36 except when individually described) on the outer peripheral portion. The drive ring member 31 is combined with the holder member 3 so as to be movable in the optical axis direction by being relatively engaged with the guide groove 18 formed in the portion 16.

  As will be described later, the drive ring member 31 receives an elastic force in the optical axis direction from the cover member 4 against the upper surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 34, and is urged toward the holder member 3 by this elastic force. A drive lever member 32 is disposed between the drive ring member 31 and the holder member 3. When a focus adjustment operation is performed as will be described later, the ring portion 37 of the drive lever member 32 is placed on the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 34. Rubbing.

  Although not shown, the outer peripheral flange portion 34 is formed with a cam recess at a position corresponding to each guide protrusion 36 on the bottom surface. Each cam recess is formed as a substantially trapezoidal recess by gradually reducing the width of both side walls in the circumferential direction toward the bottom. In the outer peripheral flange portion 34, the region between the cam recesses is configured as a flat surface. The drive ring member 31 is moved and moved in the optical axis direction by the drive lever member 32 within the height range of the cam recess.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the drive lever member 32 includes a ring portion 37 and a lever portion 38 that are integrally formed of a synthetic resin material. The ring portion 37 is formed to have an inner diameter substantially equal to the main body portion 33 of the drive ring member 31 and an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer peripheral flange portion 34. The ring portion 37 has a thickness substantially equal to the height of the receiving step portion 17 formed in the interval holding portion 16 of the holder member 3 described above, and an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the circumference formed by each receiving step portion 17. Formed.

  The drive lever member 32 includes cam convex portions 39A to 39D (generally referred to as cam convex portions 39 unless otherwise described) that are positioned on the upper surface of the ring portion 37 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Are integrally formed. Each cam convex portion 39 is a convex portion having an arc shape with respect to the circumferential direction, although details are omitted, and has a length substantially equal to the cam concave portion on the drive ring member 31 side described above.

  The drive lever member 32 is held and rotated by the holder member 3 by operating the lever portion 38. As described above, the outer peripheral flange portion 34 of the drive ring member 31 abuts on the drive lever member 32 on the upper surface of the ring portion 37, and the cam convex portion 39 slides on the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 34. The drive lever member 32 can smoothly rotate without being caught on the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 34 due to the shape of the cam convex portion 39 having the arc shape described above.

  The drive lever member 32 has a lever portion 38 integrally projecting from the outer peripheral portion of the ring portion 37. The lever portion 38 protrudes outward from between the adjacent interval holding portions 16 in a state where the drive lever member 32 is assembled to the holder member 3. A connecting portion 40 is formed integrally with the lever portion 38, and this connecting portion 40 is connected to an appropriate focus adjustment operation portion automatically or manually via a link mechanism or the like (not shown).

  When the focus adjustment operation portion is operated, the drive lever member 32 is a ring held by the holder member 3 by the lever portion 38 swinging in the horizontal direction as shown by the arrow in FIG. The part 37 is rotated. The drive lever member 32 performs a switching operation between the drive ring member 31, in other words, the first position where the lens unit 5 is lowered downward and the second position where the lens unit 5 is pushed upward.

  The drive lever member 32 pushes the drive ring member 31 upward by the height of the cam projection 39 when the cam projection 39 is positioned on the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange 34 of the drive ring member 31. . The drive lever member 32 is relatively engaged by moving the cam convex portion 39 to a position facing the cam concave portion by a focus adjustment operation, and moves the drive ring member 31 downward by the depth of the cam concave portion. .

  In the camera module 1, the drive lever member 32 rotates the lever portion 38 within an angle range of 30 ° by the focus adjustment operation, and the cam recess has a depth of about 0.13 mm. Therefore, in the camera module 1, the lens unit 5 is switched in two steps within a range of 0.13 mm. In the camera module 1, the lens unit 5 can be moved continuously by forming the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 34 of the drive ring member 31 with the inclined cam surface between the cam recesses. It is.

  In the camera module 1, the drive ring member 31 is urged toward the drive lever member 32 by the cover member 4. The cover member 4 is formed by pressing a thin metal plate having elasticity. As shown in FIG. 4, the cover member 4 includes a substantially square receiving surface portion 41 and hook pieces 42 </ b> A to 42 </ b> D (hereinafter, individually described) that are located at each corner portion of the receiving surface portion 41 and are bent in the light direction. Except for the case, it is generally referred to as a hook piece 42).

  In the cover member 4, a circular opening 43 is formed in the receiving surface portion 41 so that the lens hole 29 of the lens unit 5 faces outward. The opening 43 has an inner diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the lens barrel 25 and is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the outer peripheral flange portion 34 of the drive ring member 31.

  In the cover member 4, pressing pieces 44 </ b> A to 44 </ b> D (hereinafter collectively referred to as pressing pieces 44, unless otherwise described) are integrated with the receiving surface portion 41 at the opening edge of the opening portion 43 facing each corner portion. Is formed. Each pressing piece 44 is configured by a tongue piece portion left uncut by a pair of slits 45A and 45B formed at a predetermined interval from the opening edge of the opening portion 43 toward the corner portion, and the tip portion is downward. It is bent towards.

  Each pressing piece 44 is elastically deformed by being abutted against the upper surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 34 of the drive ring member 31 in a state where the cover member 4 is combined with the holder member 3 as will be described later. Is exerted on the outer peripheral flange portion 34. Each pressing piece 44 has a hemispherical convex portion formed by so-called doweling at the tip of the lower surface, and abuts the outer peripheral flange portion 34 in a stable state via this convex portion.

  The hook piece 42 is formed by bending a convex piece formed on one side edge of two adjacent sides constituting each corner portion of the receiving surface portion 41 by 90 ° in the optical axis direction. Each hook piece 42 is formed to be opposed to each interval holding portion 16 of the holder member 3 and is formed of a rectangular piece having substantially the same length as each interval holding portion 16. Each hook piece 42 is formed with an engagement opening 46A to 46D (hereinafter collectively referred to as an engagement opening 46 unless otherwise described) at a predetermined height from the receiving surface 41. Has been. In detail, the engagement opening 46 is composed of a vertically long rectangular opening substantially the same shape as the engagement protrusion 19 formed in the holder member 3, and the height position from the receiving surface 41 is a distance holding portion on the holder member 3 side. 16 is formed almost equal to the height position of the engaging convex portion 19 from the upper end of 16.

  In the cover member 4, positioning pieces 47 are integrally formed in each corner portion of the receiving surface portion 41 on the side adjacent to the side on which each hook piece 42 is formed. The positioning piece 47 is formed by bending a convex piece formed on the side edge of the receiving surface portion 41 by 90 ° and orthogonal to each hook piece 42. As will be described later, the positioning piece 47 sandwiches two adjacent side surfaces of the interval holding portion 16 facing each other with the hook piece 42 in a state where the cover member 4 is assembled to the holder member 3.

  The positioning piece 47 is integrally formed with deformation preventing pieces 48A to 48D (hereinafter collectively referred to as a deformation preventing piece 48 except when individually described) by protruding integrally from the side edge facing the hook piece 42. Yes. As shown in FIG. 4, the deformation preventing piece 48 is formed by bending a protruding piece protruding sideward from the positioning piece 47 by 90 ° and abutting against the outer surface of the adjacent hook piece 42. The deformation preventing piece 48 prevents the hook piece 42 combined with the outer side surface of the interval holding portion 16 from being deformed by pressing the hook piece 42 from the outside. The deformation preventing piece 48 prevents the hook piece 42 from being deformed, thereby maintaining the state in which the engaging projection 19 is engaged with the engaging opening 46.

  The cover member 4 configured as described above is assembled by being pushed into the holder member 3 to which the lens unit 5 and the lens driving mechanism 6 are assembled. The cover member 4 is pushed into the opposing interval holding part 16 of the holder member 3 so that the side surface where the hook piece 42 and the positioning piece 47 are adjacent to each other is sandwiched. The cover member 4 is integrated with the holder member 3 by engaging the engagement protrusions 19 formed on the spacing holding portion 16 with the engagement openings 46 of the respective hook pieces 42.

  In this state, the cover member 4 projects the upper end portion of the lens barrel 25 of the lens unit 5 outward from the opening 43 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover member 4 presses the upper surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 34 of the drive ring member 31 facing the opening 43 in a state where each pressing piece 44 is elastically displaced. In the cover member 4, the elastic force accumulated in each pressing piece 44 presses the drive ring member 31 downward, and presses the outer peripheral flange portion 34 of the drive ring member 31 to the ring portion 37 of the drive lever member 32. .

  When the cover member 4 is assembled to the holder member 3 described above, each hook piece 42 is pushed outward by the thickness thereof and applied to the outer surface of the interval holding portion 16. The cover member 4 does not require an operation in which each hook piece 42 is greatly expanded and strongly pushed into the outer peripheral portion of the interval holding portion 16. The cover member 4 can be efficiently assembled to the holder member 3, and the efficiency of the assembly process can be improved.

  The cover member 4 is prevented from being deformed due to a large stress acting on the receiving surface portion 41, each hook piece 42, and the like during the assembly operation to the holder member 3. In the cover member 4, the occurrence of a situation in which the hook pieces 4 are twisted due to the deformation of the receiving surface portion 41, and the cover member 4 falls off the holder member 3 when the engagement convex portion 19 comes out of the engagement opening 46 is prevented. The cover member 4 prevents a situation in which the pressing force of the driving ring member 31 by the pressing pieces 44 varies in the circumferential direction due to the deformation of the receiving surface portion 41 and the lens driving mechanism 6 is not operated smoothly.

  As described above, the cover member 4 causes the hook member 3 to be loose at each corner portion by sandwiching the adjacent outer surface of the interval holding portion 16 between each hook piece 42 and the positioning piece 47. And can be assembled firmly. The cover member 4 can be made thinner because each hook piece 42 is prevented from being deformed by the outer surface being pressed by the deformation preventing piece 48.

On the cover member 4, the hook pieces 42 and the positioning pieces 4 described above are provided on the outer peripheral edge of the receiving surface portion 41.
A reinforcing rib wall 49 that is bent to the bottom side except for the formation region 7 is formed over the entire circumference. In the cover member 4, the mechanical rigidity of the receiving surface portion 41 is improved by the reinforcing rib wall 49. Therefore, the cover member 4 can be formed from a thinner metal thin plate as a raw material, and the material cost can be reduced and the thickness can be reduced.

  As described above, the cover member 4 is formed using a metal thin plate as a raw material, and is assembled so as to cover the holder member 3. Therefore, since the cover member 4 covers the substrate 11 and the CMOS element 12 assembled to the base member 2 via the holder member 3, the cover member 4 also has an electromagnetic wave shielding function for shielding electromagnetic waves from these electrical parts.

Hereinafter, an assembly procedure of the camera module 1 shown as the embodiment will be described.
[1] The lens unit 5 is configured by assembling the first lens 26 and the second lens 27 in the lens barrel 25 and fixing them by the stopper ring 28.
[2] The drive ring member 31 is screwed into the outer peripheral portion of the lens barrel 25, and the lens drive mechanism 6 is configured by fitting the ring portion 37 of the drive lever member 32 into the main body portion 33 of the drive ring member 31.
[3] The ring portion 37 of the drive lever member 32 is supported within the circumference formed by the receiving step portion 17 of each spacing holding portion 16 of the holder member 3, and the outer peripheral portion of the main body portion 33 of the drive ring member 31 is The lens unit 5 is combined with the holder member 3 by being supported within a circumference formed by the inner surface of the interval holding portion 16.
[4] The holder member 3 is assembled to the base member 2 on which the substrate 11 on which the cut filter 8 and the CMOS element 12 are mounted is assembled.
[5] The cover member 4 is assembled to the holder member 3.

  Needless to say, the camera module 1 is not limited to such an assembly procedure. In each assembly procedure, as described above, a positioning operation, an adjustment operation, a fixing process using an adhesive, and the like are appropriately performed, but the details are omitted. The camera module 1 is configured with, for example, outer dimensions of 6 mm in length, 6 mm in width, and 4.5 mm in height so as not to occupy as much space as possible even when mounted on a small electronic device such as a mobile phone through the above-described procedure. The

  In the camera module 1, the cam convex portion 39 formed on the ring portion 37 of the drive lever member 32 is relatively engaged with the cam concave portion formed on the outer peripheral flange portion 34 of the drive ring member 31, so that the lens unit 5 faces the holder member 3 side. The retracted state is regarded as the standard specification. The camera module 1 operates the lever portion 38 of the drive lever member 32 to cause the cam convex portion 39 to ride on the bottom surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 34 from the cam concave portion, thereby causing the lens unit 5 to largely protrude from the cover member 4 and macro zoom. The shooting specification is used (4 cm focus position).

  In the camera module 1, the position of the lens unit 5 is adjusted by the fixed position of the drive ring member 31 with respect to the lens barrel 25. Therefore, in the camera module 1, it is possible to adjust the focus of the standard photographing specification lens unit 5 by using a suitable screw pitch at the time of assembly.

It is a perspective view of the camera module shown as an embodiment. It is a top view of the camera module. It is a disassembled perspective view of the camera module. It is a cover member with which the camera module is equipped, The figure (a) is a perspective view of the upper surface side, The figure (b) is a perspective view of the bottom face side. It is the holder member with which the camera module is equipped, The figure (a) is a perspective view of the upper surface side, The figure (b) is a perspective view of the bottom face side. It is a disassembled perspective view of the conventional camera module. It is a top view of the holder member with which the camera module is equipped. It is the holder member with which the camera module is equipped, The figure (a) is a perspective view of the upper surface side, The figure (b) is a perspective view of the bottom face side. It is a cover member with which the camera module is equipped, The figure (a) is a perspective view of the upper surface side, The figure (b) is a perspective view of the bottom face side.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Camera module 2 Base member 3 Holder member 4 Cover member 5 Lens unit 6 Lens drive mechanism 11 Board | substrate 12 CMOS element 13 Main body part 14 Lens unit assembly opening part 15 Lens unit assembly cylinder part 16 Space | interval holding | maintenance part 19 Engaging convex part 25 Lens Lens barrel 26 First lens 27 Second lens 28 Stopper lens 31 Drive ring member 32 Drive lever member 33 Body portion 34 Outer peripheral flange portion 37 Ring portion 38 Lever portion 41 Receiving surface portion 42 Hook piece 43 Open portion 44 Pressing piece 46 Engagement opening Part 47 Positioning piece 48 Deformation prevention piece 49 Reinforcement rib wall

Claims (6)

A drive ring member comprising a lens unit, a main body portion to which the lens unit is assembled, and a flange portion integrally formed on the outer peripheral portion of the main body portion;
The ring unit is combined with the main body of the drive ring member to rotate the drive ring member, and the lever unit protrudes integrally from the ring unit and is connected to the lens driving means. A drive lever member for adjusting the focus by moving the lens in the optical axis direction;
A lens unit assembly opening for accommodating the lens unit movably in the optical axis direction is formed so as to penetrate in the thickness direction, and a main body portion that rotatably supports the ring portion of the drive lever member; On the other hand, a holder member composed of a plurality of interval holding portions that are integrally formed with a predetermined height on the main surface side and that each have an engaging convex portion on the outer peripheral portion;
A base member for fixing the holder member and containing a solid-state image sensor;
A frame-shaped receiving surface portion formed with an opening for facing the lens unit outward, and each engagement convex portion of the holder member formed in an axial direction at each corner portion of the receiving surface portion. A hook piece having an engagement opening formed at the tip corresponding to the portion is integrally formed to project, and a plurality of pressing pieces abutting on the flange portion are integrally formed at the opening edge of the opening. A cover member made of elastic material,
When the cover member is pushed into the holder member by pushing the hook pieces along the outer surface of the gap holding portions, the engaging convex portions facing the engaging openings are respectively engaged. A camera module, wherein the pressing pieces are combined together and urge the lens unit toward the holder member via the drive ring member by abutting against the flange portion.   2. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is provided with a deformation preventing piece that is integrally bent from an outer peripheral edge of the receiving surface portion and abuts against an outer surface of each hook piece. .   The positioning member is integrally bent at each side of the receiving surface portion so as to be adjacent to the hook piece from the outer peripheral edge of the cover member. Camera module.   The camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover member is formed by bending a reinforcing rib wall over each side of the receiving surface portion.   The camera module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least the cover member has an electromagnetic wave shielding function of shielding electromagnetic waves. The lens unit includes a plurality of lenses, and a lens barrel that houses the lenses and has an outer peripheral screw formed on the outer peripheral portion.
The said outer periphery screw | thread is assembled | attached by screwing together with the inner periphery screw | thread formed in the inner peripheral part of the said cylindrical part of the said drive ring member. The camera module described.

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