Mitsumi Electric Company Ltd.

Toshihiko Honma

Noriyuki Kobayashi

Masayuki Itagaki

Yoshiaki Sato

Tomohiko Osaka

Kazutomo Imi

Osamu Masakado

Takahiro Suzuki

Susumu Ishida

Using drive force from a voice coil motor constituted of an autofocus coil unit and an autofocus magnet unit, a lens drive device automatically carries out focusing by moving an autofocus movable unit, which includes the autofocus coil unit, with respect to an autofocus fixed unit, which includes the autofocus magnet unit, in the direction of an optical axis. The autofocus movable unit has a lens holder that holds the autofocus coil unit. The lens holder has a cut-out part recessed on the inside in the radial direction from the outer periphery of the holder, and a binding part that protrudes to the outside in the radial direction from the cut-out part and binds an end part of the autofocus coil unit. The tip of the binding part is positioned to the inside of the outer periphery of the holder in the radial direction.

Lens drive device, camera module, and camera mounting device

Provided is a lens drive device that, using drive force from a voice coil motor, automatically carries out focusing by moving an autofocus movable unit with respect to an autofocus fixed unit in the direction of an optical axis. The lens drive unit is provided with a position detection unit that is disposed with an intervening space on the image formation side of the autofocus movable unit in the direction of the optical axis and that is for emitting light toward the autofocus movable unit, receiving reflected light that has been reflected by the autofocus movable unit, and detecting the position of the autofocus movable unit in the direction of the optical axis on the basis of the received light intensity. Part of the member displaced along with the autofocus movable unit functions as a reflective plate for reflecting light emitted from the position detection unit.

Lens drive device, camera module, and camera-mounting device

A camera module for small-sized electronic apparatuses such as digital cameras and cellular phones includes a lens unit; and a holder which houses the lens unit and is displaceable along an optical axis direction of the lens unit. A coil is provided on the holder of octagon shape in cross section having eight outside surface portions with a yoke having an outer cylindrical wall portion formed to have an octagon shape similar to the octagon shape of the coil and having eight magnet mounting inner surfaces. Eight flat plate-shaped magnets on the mounting surfaces for providing a magnetic field are arranged to face the outside surface portions of the coil through a predetermined constant spacing. Upper and lower leaf springs respectively support the holder so as to be displaceable along the optical axis direction of the lens unit; a base for supporting the yoke and the lower spring.

Camera module

A driving method is for a driving apparatus including an electro-mechanical transducer having first and second end surfaces opposite to each other in an expansion/contraction direction, a vibration friction portion mounted to the second end surface of the electro-mechanical transducer, a moving member frictionally coupled to the vibration friction portion, and a vibration transfer member disposed between the second end surface of said electro-mechanical transducer and an end surface of said vibration friction portion, whereby moving the moving member in the expansion/contraction direction of the electro-mechanical transducer. The driving method includes subjecting the electro-mechanical transducer to reciprocating displacement in a sawtooth waveform and transferring the reciprocating displacement of the electro-mechanical transducer to the vibration friction portion through the vibration transfer member, thereby linearly driving the moving member in a predetermined direction.

Method of driving a driving apparatus capable of smoothly moving a moving member

A camera module which can switch a photographing mode of the camera module includes a housing, a holder having a lens unit and displaceable between a first position and a second position, a magnetic member and a coil, a first magnet having an N pole, and a second magnet having an S pole. Positive DC supplied to the coil magnetizes the magnetic member to an N polarity repelled by the N pole and attracted to the S pole and held at that position by stopping the current for macro photographing mode. Negative DC supplied to the coil magnetizes the magnetic member to an S polarity repelled by the S pole and attracted to the N pole and held by stopping the DC current for the normal photographing mode.

Growing community of inventors

Yamagata, Japan

Toshihiko Honma