US-12619066-B2 - Driving mechanism

Abstract

A driving mechanism for moving an optical element is provided. The driving mechanism includes a fixed part, a movable part, and a driving assembly. The movable part is movably connected to the fixed part for holding the optical element. The driving assembly is configured for moving the movable part relative to the fixed part.

Inventors

• Chun-Chia PENG
• Po-Xiang ZHUANG
• Wei-Jhe SHEN
• Yi-Ho Chen
• Ko-Lun CHAO

Assignees

• ACTUTEK CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240301

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A driving mechanism for moving an optical element, comprising: a fixed part; a movable part, movably connected to the fixed part for holding the optical element; a driving assembly, configured for moving the movable part relative to the fixed part, wherein the driving assembly includes a first driving element that drives the movable part to rotate relative to the fixed part around a first axis; and a sensor, wherein the sensor and the first driving element are disposed on the fixed part, and when viewed in a reference direction, the first driving element and the sensor at least partially overlap, wherein the fixed part includes a base and a plate member connected to the base, and a cavity and a protrusion are formed on an inner surface of the plate member, wherein the first driving element is disposed on a bottom surface of the cavity, and the sensor is disposed on a top surface of the protrusion, wherein the bottom surface and the top surface are parallel to the reference direction, and the first driving element and the sensor do not protrude from the inner surface of the plate member.
2. 2 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the driving assembly further includes a first magnetic element disposed on the movable part, and the sensor is a magnetic field sensor to detect the position variation of the first magnetic element.
3. 3 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first driving element comprises a coil surrounding the sensor.
4. 4 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the driving assembly further includes a first magnetic element disposed on the movable part, and the sensor is a magnetic field sensor to detect the position variation of the first magnetic element and the movable part.
5. 5 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the distance between the bottom surface of the cavity and the first magnetic element is longer than the distance between the top surface of the protrusion and the first magnetic element.
6. 6 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the distance between the first driving element and the first magnetic element is shorter than the distance between the sensor and the first magnetic element.
7. 7 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first driving element comprises a coil, and the cavity surrounds the protrusion.
8. 8 . A driving mechanism for moving an optical element, comprising: a fixed part; a movable part, movably connected to the fixed part for holding the optical element; a driving assembly, configured for moving the movable part relative to the fixed part, wherein the driving assembly includes a first driving element that drives the movable part to rotate relative to the fixed part around a first axis; and a sensor, wherein the sensor and the first driving element are disposed on the fixed part, and when viewed in a reference direction, the first driving element and the sensor at least partially overlap, wherein the driving assembly further includes a second driving element disposed on the fixed part for driving the movable part to rotate relative to the fixed part around the first axis, and the first and second driving elements are located on opposite sides of the movable part, wherein the first driving element and a central axis of the optical element have a first distance, and the second driving element and the central axis of the optical element have a second distance, wherein the first distance is shorter than the second distance.
9. 9 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising a rotary member and a ball pivotally connecting the rotary member to the movable part, wherein the optical element is disposed on the rotary member, and the rotary member is rotatable relative to the movable part around a second axis via the ball.
10. 10 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the reference direction is perpendicular to the first and second axes.
11. 11 . A driving mechanism for moving an optical element, comprising: a fixed part; a movable part, movably connected to the fixed part for holding the optical element; a driving assembly, configured for moving the movable part relative to the fixed part; a hinge, wherein the movable part is pivotally connected to the fixed part via the hinge; a rotary member, wherein the optical element is disposed on the rotary member; and a ball, wherein the rotary member is pivotally connected to the movable part via the ball.
12. 12 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the movable part is rotatable relative to the fixed part around a first axis, the fixed part forms a slot extending along the first axis, and the hinge is received in the slot, wherein the slot has a first section, a second section, and a third section, the second section is connected between the first and third sections, and the width of the second section is longer than the width of the first and third sections.
13. 13 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising a magnet disposed in the slot.
14. 14 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising two balls disposed on opposite sides of the movable part, wherein the balls are connected between the rotary member and the movable part, and the hinge is located between the balls.
15. 15 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising a magnetic permeable element disposed on the movable part, wherein the driving assembly further includes a first magnetic element disposed on the movable part, and the ball is located between the magnetic permeable element and the first magnetic element.
16. 16 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the rotary member is rotatable relative to the movable part around a second axis, and when viewed along the first axis or the second axis, the rotary member and the hinge do not overlap.
17. 17 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 16 , further comprising a first ball and a second ball, wherein the rotary member has a first sleeve portion and a second sleeve portion, and the movable part forms a first recess and a second recess, wherein the first and second sleeve portions respectively extend in a first direction and a second direction, the first and second recesses are recessed in a third direction that is parallel to the first axis, the first ball is received in the first recess and connected to the first sleeve portion, and the second ball is received in the second recess and connected to the second sleeve portion, wherein the first and second directions are opposite to each other and parallel to the second axis.
18. 18 . A driving mechanism for moving an optical element, comprising: a fixed part; a movable part, movably connected to the fixed part for holding the optical element; and a driving assembly, configured for moving the movable part relative to the fixed part, wherein the fixed part includes a base and a plate member connected to the base, and the base has a bottom portion, a first wall, and a second wall perpendicular to each other, wherein the plate member is connected to the bottom portion and the first wall, and the movable part is located between the plate member and the second wall.
19. 19 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the driving assembly includes a first magnetic element, a second magnetic element, a first driving element, and a second driving element for driving the movable part to rotate relative to the fixed part around a first axis, wherein the first driving element is received in a cavity of the plate member, and the second driving element is received in an opening of the second wall, wherein the first and second magnetic elements are disposed on opposite sides of the movable part and located corresponding to the first and second driving elements.
20. 20 . The driving mechanism as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the distance between the first driving element and the first magnetic element is shorter than the distance between the second driving element and the second magnetic element.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63/449,410, filed Mar. 2, 2023, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a driving mechanism, and, in particular, to a driving mechanism for moving an optical element. Description of the Related Art 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. However, miniaturization of the electronic devices may increase the difficulty of mechanical design, and it may also lead to low reliability and a low positioning accuracy of the driving mechanism. Therefore, addressing the aforementioned problems has become a challenge. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention provides a driving mechanism for moving an optical element. The driving mechanism includes a fixed part, a movable part, and a driving assembly. The movable part is movably connected to the fixed part for holding the optical element. The driving assembly is configured for moving the movable part relative to the fixed part. In some embodiments, the driving mechanism further includes a sensor, wherein the driving assembly includes a first driving element that drives the movable part to rotate relative to the fixed part around a first axis, the sensor and the first driving element are disposed on the fixed part, and when viewed in a reference direction, the first driving element and the sensor at least partially overlap. In some embodiments, the driving assembly further includes a first magnetic element disposed on the movable part, and the sensor is a magnetic field sensor to detect the position variation of the first magnetic element. In some embodiments, the first driving element includes a coil surrounding the sensor. In some embodiments, the fixed part includes a base and a plate member connected to the base, and a cavity and a protrusion are formed on an inner surface of the plate member, wherein the first driving element is disposed on a bottom surface of the cavity, and the sensor is disposed on a top surface of the protrusion, wherein the bottom surface and the top surface are parallel to the reference direction, and the first driving element and the sensor do not protrude from the inner surface of the plate member. In some embodiments, the driving assembly further includes a first magnetic element disposed on the movable part, and the sensor is a magnetic field sensor to detect the position variation of the first magnetic element and the movable part. In some embodiments, the distance between the bottom surface of the cavity and the first magnetic element is longer than the distance between the top surface of the protrusion and the first magnetic element. In some embodiments, the distance between the first driving element and the first magnetic element is shorter than the distance between the sensor and the first magnetic element. In some embodiments, the first driving element includes a coil, and the cavity surrounds the protrusion. In some embodiments, the driving assembly further includes a second driving element disposed on the fixed part for driving the movable part to rotate relative to the fixed part around the first axis, and the first and second driving elements are located on opposite sides of the movable part, wherein the first driving element and a central axis of the optical element have a first distance, and the second driving element and the central axis of the optical element have a second distance, wherein the first distance is shorter than the second distance. In some embodiments, the driving mechanism further includes a rotary member and a ball pivotally connecting the rotary member to the movable part, wherein the optical element is disposed on the rotary member, and the rotary member is rotatable relative to the movable part around a second axis via the ball. In some embodiments, the reference direction is perpendicular to the first and second axes. In some embodiments, the driving mechanism further includes a hinge, a rotary member, and a ball, wherein movable part is pivotally connected to the fixed part via the hinge, the rotary member is pivotally connected to the movable part via the ball, and the optical element is disposed on the rotary member. In some embodiments, the movable part is rotatable relative to the fixed part around a first axis, the fixed part forms a slot extending along the first axis, and the hinge is received in the slot, wherein the slot has a first section, a se