Sony Corporation

Shinichi Orimo

Satoshi Sakamoto

Hiroyuki Mori

Hiroshi Kawamura

Eiji Ohshima

Takeshi Takizawa

Kunio Nakazato

Tomoya Takei

Toshifumi Takaoka

Kenji Hirano

Ryosuke Tsuru

In a lens driver apparatus using a linear actuator, spaces for installing a driving coil and a driving magnet are reduced to contribute to making the lens driver apparatus smaller. The present invention relates to the lens driver apparatus including a body that is to be driven and to which a lens is attached, a guide axis to guide and allow the body to be driven to move freely in a direction of the optical axis, a driving coil being flat-wound and fitted to the body to be driven, and a driving magnet being disposed opposite side of the driving coil and along a direction of movement of the body to be driven. In the lens driver apparatus according to the present invention, the driving coil and the driving magnet are shaped in curved forms so as to conform to an outer shape of the lens.

Lens driver and image capture apparatus

A lens held by a lens holding member is to be centered easily correctly. To this end, a guide pinis inserted into a guide holefor positioning the lens holding memberwith respect to the main body unit of the lens barrelin a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the lensand for mounting the lens holding member for movement in a direction along the optical axis. If, in this state, each of adjustment pins, rotationally mounted on at least three sites on the outer peripheral surface of the main body unit of the lens barrel, is rotated, an offset portionof the adjustment pin, offset relative to the center of rotation of the adjustment pin, is rotated, as the offset portion is engaged in an engagement holeof the lens holding member, so that the lens holding memberon each site is displaced in the direction along the optical axis to adjust the tilt of the lensheld by the lens holding member

Lens centering mechanism, lens apparatus and imaging apparatus

To enable the thrust of a linear actuator comprised of a driving magnet and a drive coil to act in a fixed and stable manner, the present invention is a lens driving device that comprises a driven body supporting an optical lens capable of freely moving along an optical axis direction, a drive coil fitted to the driven body, and a magnet having a surface set so as to have a prescribed gap with the moving drive coil, wherein a gap between the surface of the magnet and the drive coil is set in such a manner as to be broader at a central part of the range of movement of the drive coil than at an end part.

Lens driving device and imaging device

A lens held by a lens holding member is centered easily and correctly by a mechanism in which a guide pin is inserted into a guide hole for positioning the lens holding member with respect to the main body unit of the lens barrel in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens and for mounting the lens holding member for movement in a direction along the optical axis. Adjustment pins are rotationally mounted on at least three sites on the outer peripheral surface of the main body unit of the lens barrel. If each adjustment pin is rotated, an offset portion of the adjustment pin which is relative to the center of rotation of the adjustment pin, is rotated, as the offset portion is engaged in an engagement hole of the lens holding member. In this way the lens holding member on each site is displaced in the direction along the optical axis to adjust the tilt of the lens held by the lens holding member.

A lens mirror cylinder having first and second movable lens structures, constructed by assembling in a mirror cylinder a plurality of magnetic circuit means arranged on the outer periphery side of the second movable lens structure, guided so that it can move in the light axis direction of the lens, so as to face each other across the light axis, a first lens driving means for driving the first movable lens structure arranged at a position on the outer periphery side of the second movable lens structure in which the magnetic circuits are not arranged, and a lens diaphragm unit. By this construction, the space of the lens mirror cylinder can be effectively utilized, and a reduction of size of the lens mirror cylinder and the camera using the lens mirror cylinder is realized.

Lens mirror cylinder having two movable lenses and a diaphragm unit

According to the electromagnetic driving device of the present invention, since it has a fixed member having an outside yoke and an inside yoke, a magnet for generating the thrust being bonded on either side of the outside yoke or inside yoke, and a movable member having a driven holding body portion for holding a body to be driven, and a coil wound in more than two phases in an axial direction between said outside yoke and inside yoke, and is movable in an axial direction with respect to the fixed member, in which a body to be detected is provided in said movable member, and a position-detecting element is provided in the fixed member which detects the magnetic field of said magnet and detects the position of the movable member to generate a position-detecting signal for controlling the current supply to the coil, any restrictions of the moving range and any decrease in the moving speed due to wiring and the like of the movable member are not caused, and smooth movements according to the current supply to the coil can be provided, with respect to the position detection of the movable member.

Electromagnetic driving device

An electromagnetic actuator for moving a focusing lens along an optical axis includes a lens barrel having two supporting rails, a set of cylindrical inner and outer yokes incorporating a pair of magnets, a lens holder which holds the lens and is supported slidably on the supporting rails by means of a bearing device and rail guide provided on two arms of the lens holder, a coil wound on a bobbin which is fixed on the lens holder and located so that the coil is exposed to the magnetic field of the magnets inside the yokes. The yokes have cut portions, allowing the arms of lens holder to cut into the yokes when the lens is moved.

Electromagnetic actuator and lens drive mechanism using the same

A linear electromagnetic driving apparatus includes a substantially rectangular tube-shaped magnetic yoke comprised of outer and inner frame plates spaced apart to form a gap with at least one magnet secured to an outer or inner frame plate to generate magnetic flux. A bobbin supporting a coil which extends in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the magnetic yoke is positioned in the gap. A driven member is secured to and coaxial with the bobbin and has openings to receive the inner frame plates of the yoke such that when the coil is energized to move the bobbin in the gap, the inner frame plates extend into and through the bobbin and into and through the openings of the driven member. A fixed shaft extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the yoke; and a bearing secured to the bobbin structure and extending outwardly therefrom receives and is slidable on the fixed shaft. At least one of the corners formed on the rectangular tube-shaped yoke is cut out to define an open portion through which the bearing passes so as to be unobstructed as the bobbin slides within the yoke.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Shinichi Orimo