Lens barrel, control method, and imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12449629-B2
Application number	US-202118250843-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2021
Priority date	Nov 5, 2020
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A lens barrel includes a lens drive unit that moves a lens holder holding a lens in an optical axis direction, a locking mechanism that regulates movement of the lens holder at a movable end of the lens holder, and a control unit that performs, as a shift process for shifting the lens holder to a movement regulated state produced by the locking mechanism, control for moving the lens holder by using the lens drive unit to a position where movement regulation is achieved by the locking mechanism in a state where movement regulating force generated by the locking mechanism is reduced.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lens barrel comprising:
a lens drive unit that moves a lens holder holding a lens in an optical axis direction;
a locking mechanism that regulates movement of the lens holder at a movable end of the lens holder; and
a control unit that performs, as a shift process for shifting the lens holder to a movement regulated state produced by the locking mechanism, control for moving the lens holder by using the lens drive unit to a position where movement regulation is achieved by the locking mechanism in a state where movement regulating force generated by the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated.

2. The lens barrel according to claim 1 , wherein the locking mechanism includes an electromagnetic actuator that regulates the movement of the lens holder by using attraction produced by magnetic force, and reduces or eliminates attracting force of the magnetic force in accordance with energization.

3. The lens barrel according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit executes the shift process after execution of a shift preparation process for moving the lens holder to a preparation position where the shift process is started.

4. The lens barrel according to claim 3 , wherein the preparation position is set on a basis of a distance within reach of the movement regulating force of the locking mechanism.

5. The lens barrel according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit performs, as the shifting process,
a pushing process for moving the lens holder to bring the lens holder into contact with a part of the locking mechanism and push the lens holder into the locking mechanism, and
a pulling process for moving the lens holder in a direction opposite to a pushing direction after the pushing process to return the lens holder to a predetermined end position.

6. The lens barrel according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit performs control for lowering or eliminating the movement regulating force of the locking mechanism during the pushing process.

7. The lens barrel according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit performs control for generating the movement regulating force of the locking mechanism during the pulling process.

8. The lens barrel according to claim 5 , wherein
the control unit executes the shift process after execution of a shift preparation process for moving the lens holder to a preparation position where the shift process is started, and
the movement of the lens holder in the pushing process is executed at lower speed than the movement of the lens holder in the shift preparation process.

9. The lens barrel according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines timing for executing the shift process on a basis of presence or absence of a power limit instruction requesting a limit to power consumption.

10. The lens barrel according to claim 9 , wherein,
in a case where the power limit instruction is issued, the control unit executes the shift process in a period different from a period when end processes associated with other actuators are executed.

11. The lens barrel according to claim 9 , wherein,
in a case where the power limit instruction is issued, the control unit performs the shift process after completion of end processes associated with other actuators.

12. The lens barrel according to claim 1 , wherein the lens holder is allowed to be brought into the movement regulated state at a movable end on an object side by the locking mechanism.

13. The lens barrel according to claim 1 , wherein
multiple locking mechanisms are provided, and
the lens holder is allowed to be brought into the movement regulated state at each of a movable end on an object side and a movable end on an image side by the multiple locking mechanisms.

14. The lens barrel according to claim 1 , wherein
two locking mechanisms are provided, and
the two locking mechanisms are provided on opposite sides with an optical axis interposed between the respective locking mechanisms.

15. The lens barrel according to claim 1 , wherein
the locking mechanism includes an attracting force generation unit that includes an attracting portion and generates attracting force, and an attracted portion that is attracted by the attracting force generated by the attracting force generation unit and is supported by the lens holder, and
the attracted portion is configured to be displaceable relative to the lens holder in a direction different from the optical axis direction.

16. The lens barrel according to claim 15 , wherein an elastic member is provided between the lens holder and the attracted portion to bias the attracted portion in a direction toward the attracting force generation unit.

17. The lens barrel according to claim 15 , wherein
the attracted portion is supported by the lens holder via an attachment shaft in a displaceable manner,
the lens holder has a recessed surface having a curved surface shape, and
the attachment shaft has a protruding surface having a curved surface shape and slidable on the recessed surface at a time of displacement of the attracted portion relative to the lens holder.

18. A control method for a lens barrel that includes
a lens drive unit that moves a lens holder holding a lens in an optical axis direction, and
a locking mechanism that regulates movement of the lens holder at a movable end of the lens holder, wherein
the control method performs, as a shift process for shifting the lens holder to a movement regulated state produced by the locking mechanism, control for moving the lens holder by using the lens drive unit to a position where movement regulation is achieved by the locking mechanism in a state where movement regulating force generated by the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated.

19. An imaging device comprising:
a lens drive unit that moves a lens holder holding a lens in an optical axis direction;
a locking mechanism that regulates movement of the lens holder at a movable end of the lens holder; and
a control unit that performs, as a shift process for shifting the lens holder to a movement regulated state produced by the locking mechanism, control for moving the lens holder by using the lens drive unit to a position where movement regulation is achieved by the locking mechanism in a state where movement regulating force generated by the locking mechanism is reduced or eliminated.

Assignees

• Sony Group Corp

Inventors

• Uchida Syohei
• Hasegawa Takuya
• Miyazawa Masayuki
• Kondo Nobuhiro
• Miyazaki Masayuki
• Tanaka Tetsu
• Kondo Daiki

Classifications

• G03B13/34

  Power focusing · CPC title

• G02B27/646

  compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake (movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68) · CPC title

• G03B17/14

  interchangeably · CPC title

• G03B3/10

  Power-operated focusing · CPC title

• G02B7/102

  controlled by a microcomputer (cameras with interchangeable lenses G03B17/14) · CPC title