Patent Description:
As technology has advanced, a lot of electronic devices (for example, laptop computers and smartphones) have incorporated the functionality of taking photographs and recording video. These electronic devices have become more commonplace, and have been developed to be more convenient and thin. More and more options are provided for users to choose from.

In some electronic devices, several coils and magnets are usually used for adjusting the focus of a lens and performing the function of Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Light can propagate through the lens to an image sensor, whereby a digital image is generated.

However, to increase the shock absorption capability of the optical system when used in vehicles can be difficult. Therefore, addressing the aforementioned problems has become a challenge.

The present invention provides an optical system that includes a fixed part, a movable part for holding an optical module, and a flexible member. The flexible member connects the movable part to the fixed part for suppressing the vibration of the optical system at a first frequency.

The movable part has a holder, a frame, and an active damping mechanism, the holder is movably connected to the frame, and the active damping mechanism is disposed on the holder and the frame for suppressing the vibration of the optical system at a second frequency.

The optical system further includes a connecting member, a plurality of clamps, and a plurality of ball elements disposed on the connecting member, wherein the clamps are respectively affixed to the holder and the frame, and the ball elements are clamped by the clamps.

In some embodiments, the flexible member comprises a steel cable, a spring or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the flexible member is disposed at a corner of the fixed part.

In some embodiments, the optical system further includes two flexible members disposed on opposite sides of the fixed part.

In some embodiments, the optical system further includes three flexible members disposed on different sides or at different corners of the fixed part.

In some embodiments, the fixed part has a quadrilateral structure, and the optical system further comprises four flexible members respectively disposed on the corners of the fixed part.

In some embodiments, the optical system further includes a circuit assembly, wherein the optical module has an optical element and an image sensing unit connected to each other, the circuit assembly is electrically connected to the image sensing unit, and the flexible member is electrically independent from the circuit assembly.

In some embodiments, the optical system further includes a circuit assembly, wherein the optical module has an optical element and an image sensing unit connected to each other, the circuit assembly is electrically connected to the image sensing unit, and the flexible member is electrically connected to the ground point of the circuit assembly.

In some embodiments, the optical system further includes a support structure affixed to the movable part and connected to the flexible member, wherein the support structure forms a plurality of protrusions connected to the movable part and a recess is formed between the protrusions, and the flexible member is connected to the recess.

In some embodiments, the optical system further includes a spring connecting the movable part to the fixed part, wherein the spring surrounds the optical axis of the optical element and the optical system further includes a circuit assembly, wherein the optical module has an optical element and an image sensing unit connected to each other, and the circuit assembly is electrically connected to the image sensing unit and extends through the spring.

In some embodiment not covered by the subject-matter of the claims, the optical system further includes a damper disposed between the fixed part and the movable part.

In some embodiments, the optical system further includes a plurality of flexible members, wherein the fixed part has a quadrilateral structure, and the flexible members are disposed at the respective corners of the fixed part, wherein the clamps are located on different sides of the movable part, and each of the clamps is located between two of the flexible members.

In some embodiment not covered by the subject-matter of the claims, the active damping mechanism has a magnet disposed on the holder and a coil disposed on the frame.

In some embodiment not covered by the subject-matter of the claims, the active damping mechanism comprises a piezoelectric element or a shape memory alloy element connected between the holder and the frame.

In some embodiment not covered by the subject-matter of the claims, the optical system further includes a position sensor disposed on the holder or the frame to detect displacement between the holder and the frame.

In some embodiment not covered by the subject-matter of the claims, the optical system further includes a gyroscope disposed on the holder.

In some embodiments, the second frequency is less than the first frequency.

In some embodiments, the first frequency is greater than <NUM>.

The making and using of the embodiments of the optical system are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments provide many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the embodiments, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure.

It should be appreciated that each term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning conforming to the relative skills and the background or the context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless defined otherwise.

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, and in which specific embodiments of which the invention may be practiced are shown by way of illustration. In this regard, directional terminology, such as "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "front," "back," etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the figures being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for the purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting.

<FIG> is an exploded diagram of an optical system <NUM>, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. <FIG> is a perspective diagram of the optical system <NUM> in <FIG> after assembly. <FIG> is a perspective diagram of the optical system <NUM> in <FIG> when the cover H2 is omitted. <FIG> is a perspective diagram of the components inside the hosing H1 of <FIG>. <FIG> is an exploded diagram of the components inside the hosing H1 of <FIG>. <FIG> is a perspective diagram of the holder <NUM>, the frame <NUM>, and the connecting member <NUM> after assembly. <FIG> is an exploded diagram of the holder <NUM>, the frame <NUM>, and the connecting member <NUM> before assembly. <FIG> is a bottom view of the connecting member <NUM> that has four arms <NUM> pivotally connecting to the holder <NUM> and the frame <NUM> via the ball elements B and the clamps <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the optical system <NUM> may be a camera device that is disposed in a vehicle. In this embodiment, the optical system <NUM> primarily comprises an optical module <NUM>, a holder <NUM>, a frame <NUM>, a connecting member <NUM>, a plurality of clamps <NUM>, a circuit board <NUM> disposed on the outer surface of the frame <NUM>, a base <NUM>, a cable <NUM>, a housing H1, a cover H2 connected to the housing H1, a plurality of magnets M, a plurality of ball elements B disposed on the connecting member <NUM>, a plurality of coils C disposed on the circuit board <NUM>, a circuit assembly P, a plurality of flexible members W, two support structures F1 and F2, and a plurality of fasteners S.

As shown in <FIG>, the optical module <NUM> has an optical element <NUM> (e.g. optical lens) and an image sensing unit <NUM> connected to each other. The image sensing unit <NUM> is affixed in the holder <NUM>, and light can propagate sequentially through the opening H21 of the cover H2 and the optical element <NUM> to an image sensor of the image sensing unit <NUM>, whereby a digital image can be generated.

It should be noted that the base <NUM>, the housing H1, and the cover H2 constitute a fixed part of the optical system <NUM>, and the holder <NUM> and the frame <NUM> constitute a movable part of the optical system <NUM>. The movable part and the fixed part are movably connected to each other via the flexible members W, thereby suppressing the vibration of the optical system <NUM> owing to external forces and preventing the optical module <NUM> from being damaged.

In this embodiment, the holder <NUM> is movably received in the frame <NUM>, the magnets M are affixed in the recesses <NUM> of the holder <NUM> (<FIG> and <FIG>), and the coils C are mounted to the circuit board <NUM>. When the coils C are energized, an electromagnetic force can be produced to rotate the holder <NUM> relative to the frame <NUM> around the X axis or the Y axis, thereby achieving Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) of the optical system <NUM>. For example, the circuit board <NUM> may be a flexible printed circuit (FPC) that surrounds the protrusions <NUM> of the frame <NUM> (<FIG> and <FIG>).

The flat support structures F1 and F2 are respectively affixed to the base <NUM> and the frame <NUM>, and four flexible members W (e.g. steel cables) are connected between the two support structures F1 and F2. The circuit assembly P includes two circuit boards P1, P2 and a connecting circuit P3. The connecting circuit P3 may be a flexible printed circuit (FPC) that electrically connects the circuit board P1 to the circuit board P2.

The cable <NUM> is disposed at the bottom of the base <NUM> for electrically connecting the circuit board P1 of the circuit assembly P to a power supply or a computer. The base <NUM> of the optical system <NUM> can be mounted to a vehicle (e.g. car, motorcycle or bicycle) by the fasteners S for photographing or video recording.

As shown in <FIG>, the holder <NUM> and the frame <NUM> are movably connected to each other via the connecting member <NUM>. The connecting member <NUM> has four arms <NUM> and a round chassis <NUM> connected to the four arms <NUM>. In this embodiment, four ball elements B are disposed on the respective arms <NUM> and clamped in the four U-shaped clamps <NUM>.

Still referring to <FIG>, several slots <NUM> and <NUM> are formed on the holder <NUM> and the frame <NUM> for receiving the clamps <NUM>. In this embodiment, two arms <NUM> of the connecting member <NUM> are connected to the holder <NUM> via the ball elements B and the clamps <NUM> in the slots <NUM>, and the other arms <NUM> of the connecting member <NUM> are connected to the frame <NUM> via the ball elements B and the clamps <NUM> in the slots <NUM>. Hence, the holder <NUM> can rotate relative to the frame <NUM> around the X axis or the Y axis to achieve Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) of the optical system <NUM>.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the optical system <NUM> in <FIG> when the cover H2 is omitted. <FIG> is another cross-sectional view of the optical system <NUM> in <FIG> when the cover H2 is omitted. <FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the optical system <NUM> in <FIG> when the cover H2 and the optical module <NUM> are omitted. <FIG> is a perspective diagram of the flexible members W connected between the two support structures F1 and F2.

As shown in <FIG>, the image sensing unit <NUM> has an image sensor <NUM>, a substrate <NUM>, and a connector <NUM>. The image sensor <NUM> is disposed on the substrate <NUM>, and the connector <NUM> electrically connects the substrate <NUM> to the circuit board P2 of the circuit assembly P. Light can propagate through the optical element <NUM> to the image sensor <NUM> of the image sensing unit <NUM>, thereby generating a digital image. The digital image can be transmitted to a computer via the circuit assembly P and the cable <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the two support structures F1 and F2 may comprise metal or plastic material, wherein each of the support structures F1 and F2 has two hollow and flat plates. An end of the flexible member W is clamped between the two flat plates of the support structure F1, and the other end of the flexible member W is clamped between the two flat plates of the support structure F2.

<FIG> further shows that at least a damper G (e.g. gel) is disposed between the housing <NUM> and the frame <NUM>, whereby collision between the housing <NUM> and the frame <NUM> can be avoided.

In this embodiment, the four flexible members W are disposed at the four corners of the quadrilateral base <NUM>. In some embodiments, the optical system <NUM> may have only one flexible member W that is disposed at a corner of the base <NUM>. In some embodiments, the optical system <NUM> may have two flexible members W disposed at two different corners or on opposite sides of the base <NUM>. In some embodiments, the optical system <NUM> may have three flexible members W disposed at three different corners or on three different sides of the base <NUM>. In some embodiments, the four flexible members W may be disposed on the four sides of the base <NUM>.

With the flexible members W connected between the base <NUM> and the frame <NUM>, the vibration of the optical system <NUM> at a first frequency can be efficiently suppressed, wherein the first frequency is greater than <NUM>. Moreover, <FIG> shows that the support structure F2 forms several protrusions F21 affixed to the bottom of the frame <NUM>, and at least a recess F22 is formed between two adjacent protrusions F21 and connected to the flexible member W.

Here, the flexible member W can be used as a passive damper that is not electrically connected to the circuit assembly P. However, in some embodiments, the flexible member may be electrically connected to the ground point of the circuit assembly P.

With the magnets M and the coils C disposed on the holder <NUM> and the frame <NUM>, an electromagnetic force can be produced to rotate the holder <NUM> relative to the frame <NUM>. In some embodiments, however, the magnets M and the coils C may be replaced by a piezoelectric element or a shape memory alloy element that is connected between the holder <NUM> and the frame <NUM> for achieving Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) of the optical system <NUM>.

It should be noted that the magnets M and the coils C can also constitute an active damping mechanism to suppress the vibration of the optical system <NUM> at a second frequency, wherein the second frequency is less than the first frequency, and the first frequency is greater than <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the first frequency may be greater than <NUM>, and the second frequency is less than the first frequency.

As mentioned above, the optical system <NUM> not only comprises passive dampers (flexible members W), but also has an active damping mechanism formed by the magnets M and the coils C. Therefore, the vibration of the optical system <NUM> at different frequencies can be efficiently suppressed, thus improving safety and stability of the optical system <NUM> when used in the vehicle.

<FIG> is a perspective diagram of the two support structures F1 and F2 connected to each other by a spring R, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. <FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the two support structures F1 and F2 connected to each other by the flexible members W and the spring R, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

As shown in <FIG>, a spring R is connected between the two support structures F1 and F2 to increase the shock absorption capability of the optical system <NUM>. Moreover, efficient space utilization and miniaturization of the optical system <NUM> can also be achieved by the circuit assembly P extending through the spring R (<FIG>). In some embodiment not covered by the subject-matter of the claims, the optical system <NUM> may comprise only the spring R without the flexible members W.

<FIG> is a bottom view of the ball elements B and the clamps <NUM> located between the flexible members W.

As shown in <FIG>, four ball elements B and clamps <NUM> are respectively disposed on the four sides of the movable part (including the holder <NUM> and the frame <NUM>). Specifically, each ball element B and each clamp <NUM> are located between two of the flexible members W in a horizontal direction (X or Y direction). Moreover, the spring R surrounds the optical axis O, and the four ball elements B are symmetrically arranged around the optical axis O. It should be noted that the ball elements B can be used as universal joints between the holder <NUM> and the frame <NUM>, thereby improving stability of the optical system <NUM>.

In some embodiment not covered by the subject-matter of the claims, the optical system <NUM> may comprise a position sensor (e.g. Hall-effect sensor) disposed on the holder <NUM> or the frame <NUM> for detecting the displacement of the holder <NUM> relative to the frame <NUM>.

In some embodiment not covered by the subject-matter of the claims, the optical system <NUM> may comprise a gyroscope (not shown) disposed on the holder <NUM> for detecting the motion of the optical module <NUM>.

In summary, the invention provides an optical system <NUM> according to the appended claims. Therefore, the vibration of the optical system <NUM> at high and low frequencies can be both efficiently suppressed, thereby facilitating safety and stability of the optical system <NUM> when used in a vehicle.

Although some embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and alterations can be made herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the appended claims. For example, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that many of the features, functions, processes, and materials described herein may be varied while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the present disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure.

Claim 1:
An optical system (<NUM>), comprising:
a fixed part (<NUM>, H1, H2);
a movable part (<NUM>, <NUM>, M, C), for holding an optical module (<NUM>); and
a flexible member (W), connecting the movable part (<NUM>, <NUM>) to the fixed part (<NUM>, H1, H2) for suppressing the vibration of the optical system (<NUM>) at a first frequency;
wherein the movable part (<NUM>, <NUM>, M, C) has a holder (<NUM>), a frame (<NUM>), and an active damping mechanism (M, C), the holder (<NUM>) is movably connected to the frame (<NUM>), and the active damping mechanism (M, C) is disposed on the holder (<NUM>) and the frame (<NUM>) for suppressing the vibration of the optical system (<NUM>) at a second frequency;
a connecting member (<NUM>) and a plurality of ball elements (B) disposed on the connecting member (<NUM>);
characterized by
a plurality of clamps (<NUM>),
wherein the clamps (<NUM>) are respectively affixed to the holder (<NUM>) and the frame (<NUM>), and the ball elements (B) are clamped by the clamps (<NUM>).