Lens module

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to lens modules and, particularly, to a lens module with a barrel and a holder threadedly engagable with the barrel.

2. Description of Related Art

A lens module usually includes a barrel with lenses received therein and a holder for receiving an image sensor. To focus the lens module, the barrel and the holder should be movable relative to each other along the optical axis of the lens module. To make the barrel and the holder movable relative to each other, they are typically loosely threadedly engaged. However, excess movement associated with the loose fit lowers the precision of focusing movements.

What is needed, therefore, is a lens module to overcome or at least mitigate the above-described problem.

Many aspects of the present lens module can be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principle of the present lens module. In the drawings, all the views are schematic.

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of a lens module according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an exploded, isometric view of the lens module of FIG. 1 , viewed from an opposite side.

FIG. 3 is an assembled, isometric view of the lens module of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the lens module taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of an elastic member of the lens module of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the elastic member taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5 .

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a lens module 10 , according to an exemplary embodiment, is shown. The lens module 10 includes a barrel 11 , a holder 12 , and an elastic member 13 .

The barrel 11 includes an operation portion 111 , a connecting portion 112 , and a resisting portion 113 . The operation portion 111 is arranged away from the holder 12 . The operation portion 111 defines a number of cutouts 111 a in the circumference surface thereof, thus, users can focus by rotating the barrel 11 conveniently by applying a force on the operation portion 111 . The connecting portion 112 is arranged adjacent to the holder 12 . The connecting portion 112 includes an outer screw thread 112 a for engaging with the holder 12 . The resisting portion 113 is disposed between the operation portion 111 and the connecting portion 112 . The outer diameter of the resisting portion 113 is bigger than that of the connecting portion 112 .

The holder 12 includes a top surface 122 facing the resisting portion 113 of the barrel 11 and a bottom surface 123 facing away from the barrel 11 . The holder 12 defines a through hole 121 running through the top surface 122 and the bottom surface 123 of the holder 12 for receiving the connecting portion 112 of the barrel 11 . The holder 12 includes an inner screw thread 121 a on an inner surface 121 b of the holder 12 surrounding the through hole 121 . The inner screw thread 121 a is engagable with the outer screw thread 112 a of the connecting portion 112 of the barrel 11 .

The elastic member 13 is disposed between the resisting portion 113 of the barrel 11 and the top surface 122 of the holder 12 . Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , after the lens module 10 is assembled, the elastic member 13 is kept in a compressed state between the resisting portion 113 of the barrel 11 and the top surface 122 of the holder 12 , thus, tension is provided to prevent excess movement of the barrel 11 associated with the loose fit between the inner screw thread 121 a and the outer screw thread 112 a.

In the present embodiment, the elastic member 13 is a ring-shaped elastic sheet. The inner diameter of the elastic member 13 is bigger than the outer diameter of the connecting portion 112 of the barrel 11 , and smaller than the outer diameter of the holder 12 and the outer diameter of the resisting portion 113 of the barrel 11 . The elastic member 13 includes a number of first segments 131 and a number of second segments 132 . The first segments 131 and the second segments 132 are arranged in an alternate fashion and connected to each other. The first segments 131 are flat, and the second segments 132 are V-shaped and protrude towards the resisting portion 113 of the barrel 11 . The second segments 132 are equidistantly arranged.

Further referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , to ensure that the elastic member 13 has good elastic performance, the second segment 132 satisfies the conditions: 30°<θ1<80′; and 20°<θ2<60°, wherein, θ1 is a central angle whose vertex is the center of the elastic member 13 , and whose sides pass through two ends of the second segment 132 ; and θ2 is an angle formed by a surface of the first segment 131 facing the holder 12 and a surface of the adjoining second segment 132 facing the holder 12 .

It should be understood, the shape of the elastic member 13 is not limited to this embodiment. In other embodiments, the first segments 131 can be V-shaped and protrude towards the top surface 122 of the holder 12 .

While certain embodiments have been described and exemplified above, various other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing disclosure. The invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described and exemplified, and the embodiments are capable of considerable variation and modification without departure from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.