LENS UNIT

• US 20140218813A1
• Filed: 04/11/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Araki, Hiroyuki, Sodeyama, Toshiya, Ichikawa, Hideaki
• Application Number:
  US14/250,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218813A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/819
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/021 for more than one lens

Abstract

A lens unit (LU) holding at least two lenses (4, 5) in a lens frame (1) adjacently in the optical axis direction and provided with positioning protrusions (2c, 2d) formed in correspondence with each of the two lenses (4, 5) in at least three separate locations in the peripheral direction of the lens frame (1), protruding from the inner surface of the lens frame (1) and contacting a peripheral surface of a corresponding lens to position the corresponding lens relative to the lens frame (1), an adhesive filling space (GSP1) formed between the peripheral surface of each of the two lenses (4, 5) and the inner surface of the lens frame (1) in overlap with the two lenses (4, 5), and an adhesive injection hole (1c) formed in the lens frame (1) in communication with the adhesive filling space (GSP1).

Claims

1. A lens unit holding at least two lenses in a lens frame adjacently in an optical axis direction, comprising:

positioning protrusions formed in correspondence with each of the two lenses in at least three separate locations in a peripheral direction of the lens frame, protruding from an inner surface of the lens frame and contacting a peripheral surface of a corresponding lens to position the corresponding lens relative to the lens frame;

at least one adhesive filling space formed between the peripheral surface of each of the two lenses and the inner surface of the lens frame, in overlap with the two lenses; and

at least one adhesive injection hole formed in the lens frame in communication with the adhesive filling space.

2. The lens unit according to claim 1, wherein

the lens frame holds at least three lenses adjacently in the optical axis direction,

the positioning protrusions are formed in correspondence with each of the three lenses,

the at least one adhesive filling space comprises a plurality of adhesive filling spaces formed in correspondence respectively with a first pair of adjacent lenses, among the three lenses, that includes a lens positioned at one side in the optical axis direction and a second pair of adjacent lenses that includes a lens positioned at the other side in the optical axis direction, and

the at least one adhesive injection hole comprises a plurality of adhesive injection holes aligned along the optical axis direction in correspondence respectively with the first pair of adjacent lenses and the second pair of adjacent lenses.

3. The lens unit according to claim 1, wherein

the positioning protrusions are formed at six locations in correspondence with each of the lenses, and

the at least one adhesive filling space and the at least one adhesive injection hole comprise a plurality of adhesive filling spaces and a plurality of adhesive injection holes formed at three separate locations in the peripheral direction.

4. The lens unit according to claim 1, wherein

the positioning protrusions have an arc-shape in a cross-section orthogonal to the optical axis and are in line contact with the peripheral surface of the corresponding lens.