Digital camera system with piezoelectric actuators
First Claim
1. An adjustable support for an optical system of a digital camera comprising:
- a support tube having a longitudinal axis, said support tube being secured within said camera;
a first lens tube in which at least one lens element is fixed, said first lens tube being mounted for relative movement coaxially on said support tube;
a drive rail fixed to said first lens tube and extending radially outward therefrom through a slot constructed in said support tube; and
at least one piezoelectric actuator mounted on said support tube in operative association with said drive rail, wherein said at least one piezoelectric actuator engages said drive rail to cause movement of said first lens tube along said axis.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A digital camera is constructed with multiple lenses mounted in a pair of tubular elements which are nested together for relative axial movement. Movement is provided by piezoelectric actuators mounted externally to a support tube on flexible printed circuit board elements. Each lens tube is provided with a drive rail which extends at least partially over the length of the lens tube and projects radially outward from the periphery of each of the tubes. The rails are accessible to the engagement pads of the piezoelectric actuators to allow the transmission of drive forces to each of the tubes.
38 Citations
35 Claims
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1. An adjustable support for an optical system of a digital camera comprising:
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a support tube having a longitudinal axis, said support tube being secured within said camera;
a first lens tube in which at least one lens element is fixed, said first lens tube being mounted for relative movement coaxially on said support tube;
a drive rail fixed to said first lens tube and extending radially outward therefrom through a slot constructed in said support tube; and
at least one piezoelectric actuator mounted on said support tube in operative association with said drive rail, wherein said at least one piezoelectric actuator engages said drive rail to cause movement of said first lens tube along said axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An adjustable support for an optical system of a digital camera comprising:
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a support tube having a longitudinal axis, said support tube being secured within said camera;
a first and second lens tubes each having a lens system fixed therein, said first and second lens tubes being mounted for relative movement coaxially on said support tube;
first and second drive rails fixed to said first and second lens tubes respectively, each of said drive rails extending radially outward from respective lens tubes through a slot constructed in said support tube; and
at least two piezoelectric actuators mounted on said support tube in operative association with said first and second drive rails, wherein said at least two piezoelectric actuators engage said first and second drive rails to cause axial movement of said first and second lens tubes relative to said support tube. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification