Patent ID: 6424807
Filing Date: 2002-07-23
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
A zoom lens assembling mechanism comprising:a stationary barrel having a female helicoid formed on an inner peripheral surface of said stationary barrel; a linear guide groove formed on said inner peripheral surface of said stationary barrel to cut across said female helicoid to extend parallel to an optical axis of said zoom lens; an inner inclined groove formed on said inner peripheral surface of said stationary barrel in front of said linear guide groove in an optical axis direction so that a major part of said inner inclined groove extends parallel to the threads of said female helicoid, so that one end of said inner inclined groove opens at a front end of said stationary barrel, and so that the other end of said inner inclined groove is connected with said linear guide groove; a movable barrel having a male helicoid formed on an outer peripheral surface of said movable barrel to mesh with said female helicoid, said movable barrel being moved forward and rearward in said optical axis direction while rotating about said optical axis in accordance with an engagement of said male helicoid with said female helicoid; a linear guide barrel guided to be movable together with said movable barrel in said optical axis direction and to be rotatable relative to said movable barrel about said optical axis; a linear guide projection formed on said linear guide barrel to be engaged in said linear guide groove, so that said linear guide projection can also be engaged in said inner inclined groove; and at least one lens group guided in said optical axis direction without rotating about said optical axis by said linear guide barrel to be moved in said optical axis direction in a predetermined moving manner in accordance with rotation of said movable barrel to change a focal length of said zoom lens; wherein said linear guide barrel is guided in said optical axis direction with said linear guide projection being engaged in said linear guide groove when said movable barrel is positioned in an operating range, including a zooming range of said movable barrel, relative to said stationary barrel; wherein said male helicoid and said female helicoid are engaged with each other by an amount of engagement in said optical axis direction which corresponds to a width in said optical axis direction of an area on said inner peripheral surface of said stationary barrel in which said inner inclined groove is formed when said movable barrel is positioned in a frontmost position thereof in said operating range; and wherein, in the case where said movable barrel is moved forward from said frontmost position relative to said stationary barrel in order to disassemble an assembly including said movable barrel and said linear guide barrel from said stationary barrel, said linear guide barrel moves forward in said optical axis direction, and at the same time, rotates together with said movable barrel about said optical axis while said linear guide projection slides along said inner inclined groove to thereby disassemble said assembly from said stationary barrel.