US 6,643,074 B2Granted

Lens barrel

AssigneePENTAX Corporation

InventorsHiroshi Nomura, Yoshihiro Yamazaki, Isao Okuda, Satoru Nakamura

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Abstract

A lens barrel includes a movable lens frame and a cam ring for moving the movable lens frame in a direction of an optical axis via a movement of the cam ring which is rotatable about the optical axis and movable in the direction thereof. The lens barrel includes a stationary ring provided around, and coaxial with, the cam ring; a rotatable ring provided around, and coaxial with, the stationary barrel, the rotatable ring being driven to rotate about the optical axis. A cam follower extends radially outwards from the cam ring, and a cam through-slot and a rotation transfer groove which are formed on the stationary ring and the rotatable ring, respectively, so that the cam follower is engaged in the cam through-slot and corresponding rotation transfer groove. The cam through-slot includes a linear and an inclined slot portion.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A lens barrel having at least one movable lens frame and a cam ring for moving said movable lens frame in a direction of an optical axis via a movement of said cam ring which is rotatable about said optical axis and movable in said optical axis direction, said lens barrel comprising:

a stationary ring provided around, and coaxial with, said cam ring;
a rotatable ring provided around, and coaxial with, said stationary barrel, said rotatable ring being driven to rotate about said optical axis;
a cam follower which extends radially outwards from said cam ring;
and
a cam through-slot and a rotation transfer groove which are formed on said stationary ring and said rotatable ring, respectively, so that said cam follower is engaged in said cam through-slot and corresponding said rotation transfer groove;
wherein said cam through-slot includes a linear slot portion which extends parallel to said optical axis;
and an inclined slot portion which extends in a direction inclined to both said optical axis direction and a circumferential direction of said stationary ring;
and
wherein said rotation transfer groove includes an inclined groove portion in which said cam follower is engaged when said cam follower is engaged in said linear slot portion;
and a linear groove portion in which said cam follower is engaged when said cam follower is engaged in said inclined slot portion.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/364,334Filed 12 Feb 2003 · division
Priority: JP 2001-8368522 Mar 2001
Published: US 2003/0112526 A119 Jun 2003
Granted: 4 Nov 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

G02B 7/102
By relative axial movement of several lenses, e.g. of varifocal objective lens: controlled by a microcomputer
G02B
Optical elements, systems or apparatus

Family

Application10/101,619Parent of this division · filed 21 Mar 2002
US 2003/0112526 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Jun 2003
US 2002/0135898 A1Published application
US 6,636,362 B2Related patent
US 6,643,074 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.