Patent Publication Number: US-2013240386-A1

Title: Lens module carrier device with cleaning member

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure generally relates to lens module carrier devices and, particularly, to a lens module carrier device having a cleaning member for cleaning glue needle. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Lens modules are key members of a camera. A typical lens module includes a lens barrel with a plurality of lenses and a plurality of spacers received in the lens barrel. In order to obtain a good quality image, an aperture plate is employed and is positioned on one of the spacers and held by the lens barrel. In assembly, the circular circumferential surface of the spacer needs to be coated with glue using with a glue needle to glue the aperture plate onto the corresponding spacer and into the lens barrel. 
     However, glue residue may easily remain on the glue needle after gluing a plurality aperture plates, thereby causing dust to stick on the glue needle due to the glue residue. This carries the risk of the glue needle being contaminated. Thereby, this will affect quality image of the lens module when the contaminated glue needle continues to glue other aperture plates. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide a lens module carrier device that can overcome the above-mentioned limitations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawing. The components in the drawing are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. 
       The figure is an assembled, isometric view of a lens module carrier device together with a glue needle, according to an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The figure illustrates a lens module carrier device  100  for carrying a number of lens modules  200 . The lens module carrier device  100  includes a lens tray  10  and a cleaning member  20  positioned on the lens tray  10 . The cleaning member  20  is configured for cleaning a glue needle  300 . 
     The lens tray  10  includes a supporting surface  11 . In the embodiment, the supporting surface  11  is substantially rectangular in shape. The supporting surface  11  defines a number of receiving holes  30  for receiving the number of lens modules  200 . In the embodiment, the number of receiving holes  30  are arranged in a 3×3 matrix and equidistantly arranged on the supporting surface  11 . The number of receiving holes  30  have essentially identical depth and have essentially identical internal diameter. The internal diameter of each of the receiving holes  30  is equal to or slightly bigger than the external diameter of the lens module  200 . 
     The cleaning member  20  is received in the receiving hole  30  that is positioned on an upper right corner of the supporting surface  11 . In the embodiment, the cleaning member  20  is a sponge absorbed in alcohol. It should be noted that, in an alternative embodiment, the cleaning member  20  also could be a cotton ball absorbed in alcohol or only a dry cotton ball; the cleaning member  20  also can be received in another receiving hole  30 . 
     A ring-shaped flange  110  perpendicularly extends upward from the supporting surface  11 . The ring-shaped flange  110  covers and aligns with the receiving hole  30  receiving the cleaning member  20 . The internal diameter of the ring-shaped flange  110  is substantially equal to the internal diameter of the receiving hole  30 . In the embodiment, the ring-shaped flange  110  is integrally formed with the lens tray  10 . Alternately, the ring-shaped flange  110  and the lens tray  10  can be separately formed. The ring-shaped flange  110  can be attached to the supporting surface  11  by adhesive, welding (e.g., plastic welding), or other attaching methods. The ring-shaped flange  110  is capable of preventing the alcohol of the cleaning member  20  from flowing out of the receiving hole  30 . 
     Unlike a conventional lens module carrier device, the cleaning member  20  of the lens module carrier device  100  of the present embodiment is received in the receiving hole  30  of the lens tray  10 . When assembling the lens module  200 , the glue needle  300  can be cleaned by the cleaning member  20  to prevent the glue needle  300  from being contaminated by a glue residue remaining on the glue needle  300 . 
     It will be understood that the above particular embodiments are shown and described by way of illustration only. The principles and the features of the present disclosure may be employed in various and numerous embodiments thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure as claimed. The above-described embodiments illustrate the scope of the disclosure but do not restrict the scope of the disclosure.