Lens barrel, image-capturing device, and method for controlling lens barrel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488797-B2
Application number	US-201514754399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2015
Priority date	Jul 20, 2011
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A lens barrel in which tilt adjustment can be made depending on the position of a lens unit in the optical axis direction. This lens barrel includes: at least three guide bars provided so as to extend along the optical axis direction; a driving unit that respectively drives the at least three guide bars in the optical axis direction; a lens frame holding unit that holds an image-capturing lens, the lens frame holding unit being attached to at least three guide bars and being driven in the optical axis direction by the at least three guide bars; and a control unit that controls said at least three linear actuators so as to adjust the respective drive amounts in the optical axis direction of the at least three guide bars and to tilt the lens frame holding unit from a direction orthogonal to the optical axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lens barrel comprising:
a first lens;
a second lens different from the first lens; and
a driving unit, which moves at least one of the first lens and the second lens in an optical axis direction, and which changes a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction, based on a position of at least one of the first lens and the second lens in the optical axis direction.

2. The lens barrel according to claim 1 , wherein the driving unit includes:
a first driving unit that moves the first lens in the optical axis direction; and
a second driving unit that changes a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction.

3. The lens barrel according to claim 2 , wherein:
the second driving unit changes a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction, based on a position of the first lens in the optical axis direction.

4. The lens barrel according to claim 2 , wherein:
the second driving unit changes a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction, based on a position of the second lens in the optical axis direction.

5. The lens barrel according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a lens holding unit that holds the second lens; and
a plurality of guide bars, which are provided so as to extend in the optical axis direction, and which are attached to respectively different positions of the lens holding unit; wherein
the second driving unit drives each of the plurality of guide bars in the optical axis direction.

6. The lens barrel according to claim 5 , wherein:
the second driving unit adjusts a driving amount of each of the plurality of guide bars in the optical axis direction, thereby changing a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction.

7. The lens barrel according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a position detecting unit that detects a position of each of the plurality of guide bars in the optical axis direction, wherein
the second driving unit changes the tilt of the second lens, based on the position of each of the plurality of guide bars in the optical axis direction, detected by the position detecting unit.

8. The lens barrel according to claim 5 , wherein:
the lens holding unit is moved in the optical axis direction during zooming or focusing.

9. The lens barrel according to claim 5 , wherein:
the plurality of guide bars are at least three guide bars.

10. The lens barrel according to claim 9 , wherein:
three openings corresponding to the respective guide bars are provided to the lens holding unit;
a body portion having a diameter larger than a corresponding opening, and a small-diameter portion being provided on a side of the body portion closer to a subject and being insertable into the opening, are provided to each end portion of the three guide bars;
a stopper member having a diameter larger than the opening is attached from outside to the small-diameter portion in a state of being inserted into the opening; and
a biasing member to bias the lens holding unit in the optical axis direction is arranged on an outer circumference of the small-diameter portion.

11. The lens barrel according to claim 10 , wherein:
a first opening of the three openings and the small-diameter portion inserted into the first opening are fitted with a minimum necessary gap;
a second opening of the three openings is a U-shaped groove or long hole of which the opening length in a first direction that is vertical to the optical axis and extends toward the first opening is larger than an opening length in a second direction that is vertical to the optical axis and orthogonal to the first direction, and the second opening and the small-diameter portion inserted into the second opening are fitted with a minimum necessary gap in the second direction; and
a third opening and the small-diameter portion inserted into the third opening have a sufficient gap necessary for avoiding redundant constraint.

12. The lens barrel according to claim 5 , wherein:
the second driving unit changes a driving amount of each of the plurality of guide bars in the optical axis direction, and changes a direction and an amount of tilt of the lens holding unit from a direction orthogonal to the optical axis, as a result of movement of the lens holding unit in the optical axis direction during zooming or focusing.

13. The lens barrel according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a fixed cylinder that holds the plurality of guide bars so as to be movable in the optical axis direction.

14. The lens barrel according to claim 5 , wherein:
the second driving unit is a plurality of actuators provided so as to correspond to the plurality of guide bars, respectively.

15. An image-capturing device comprising the lens barrel according to claim 1 .

16. A method for driving a lens barrel, comprising:
providing a first lens, providing a second lens different from the first lens, and providing a driving unit which moves at least one of the first lens and the second lens in an optical axis direction, and changes a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction, based on a position of at least one of the first lens and the second lens in the optical axis direction.

17. The method for driving a lens barrel according to claim 16 , wherein the driving unit includes:
a first driving unit that moves the first lens in the optical axis direction; and
a second driving unit that changes a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction.

18. The method for driving a lens barrel according to claim 17 , wherein
the second driving unit changes a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction, based on a position of the first lens in the optical axis direction.

19. The method for driving a lens barrel according to claim 17 , wherein
the second driving unit changes a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction, based on a position of the second lens in the optical axis direction.

20. The method for driving a lens barrel according to claim 17 , further comprising:
providing a lens holding unit that holds the second lens; and
providing a plurality of guide bars, which are provided so as to extend in the optical axis direction, and which are attached to respectively different positions of the lens holding unit, wherein the second driving unit drives each of the plurality of guide bars in the optical axis direction.

21. The method for driving a lens barrel according to claim 20 , wherein:
the second driving unit adjusts a driving amount of each of the plurality of guide bars in the optical axis direction, thereby changing a tilt of the second lens in relation to the optical axis direction.

22. The method for driving a lens barrel according to claim 21 , further comprising:
providing a position detecting unit that detects a position of each of the plurality of guide bars in the optical axis direction, wherein the second driving unit changes the tilt of the second lens, based on the position of each of the plurality of guide bars in the optical axis direction, detected by the position detecting unit.

23. The method for driving a lens barrel according to claim 20 , wherein:
the lens holding unit is moved in the optical axis direction during zooming or focusing.

24. The method for driving a lens barrel according to claim 20 , wherein:
the plurality of guide bars are at least three

Assignees

• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Fukino Kunihiro

Classifications

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/67

  Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title

• G02B7/102 Primary

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

• G02B7/021

  for more than one lens · CPC title