Lens unit, camera module, imaging system, and moving body

Abstract

To provide a lens unit capable of enhancing the degree of freedom of the attachment position to the attachment part of a vehicle, of a lens unit including a vibration mechanism, a camera module, an imaging system, and a moving body.SOLUTION: A lens unit 20 includes a first housing 23 in which a first lens 31 is provided, a lens barrel 22 in which lenses 32 to 36 located closer to an image side than the first lens 31 are provided and which is provided more inside than the first housing 23 in the radial direction and closer to the image side than the first lens 31, and a vibration mechanism 60 which is provided between the first housing 23 and the lens barrel 22. The first lens 31 is inserted into an opening 150a formed in a vehicle side attachment part 150 to which the lens unit is attached from the rear surface side of the attachment part 150 and projected from the surface of the attachment part 150. The top plate part 23b of the first housing 23 is arranged more inside than the rear surface of the attachment part 150.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lens unit constituting an on-board camera mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, a camera module, an imaging system, and a moving body equipped with an imaging system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, automobiles have been equipped with on-board cameras to support parking and prevent collisions through image recognition, and further attempts have been made to apply them to autonomous driving. In addition, camera modules such as such on-board cameras generally include a lens unit having a lens group consisting of a plurality of lenses arranged along an optical axis, a lens barrel that houses and holds the lens group, and an aperture member disposed between at least one of the lenses in the lens group (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, such a lens unit is attached to a mounting portion such as the front grille of a vehicle (automobile), and the first lens located closest to the object is exposed to the outside. Therefore, foreign matter such as water droplets, muddy water, ice, snow, and frost easily adheres to the surface (lens surface) of the first lens, and therefore, in some cases, the first lens is vibrated (ultrasonic vibration) by a vibrating body to remove the foreign matter from the lens surface (lens surface) of the first lens. Lens unit 100 that removes foreign matter adhering to the surface of the first lens by such vibration is configured, for example, as follows.

[0004] As shown in FIG. 6, the lens unit 100 includes a vibration mechanism 110 that vibrates a first lens 101 that is located closest to the object among the multiple lenses. The lens unit 100 also includes a housing 105 in which the first lens 101 is provided, a lens barrel 106 in which multiple lenses 102 located closer to the image side than the first lens 101 are provided and which is provided radially inward from the housing 105 and closer to the image side than the first lens 101, and a vibration mechanism 110 provided between the housing 105 and the lens barrel 106. The vibration mechanism 110 includes a vibration source (e.g., a piezoelectric element) not shown, and is vibrated by the vibration of the piezoelectric element. The vibration mechanism 110 includes a cylindrical vibration body 111 fixed to the vibration source, and the vibration body 111 is connected to the first lens 101. The housing 105 comprises a cylindrical housing main body 105a and a top plate portion 105b provided at the upper end of the housing main body 105a, and the first lens 101 is engaged with the housing 105 by an engagement portion 105c formed on the inner peripheral edge of the top plate portion 105b. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-231993 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, when the above-mentioned lens unit 100 is attached to a mounting portion 115 such as a front grille of a vehicle, an opening 115a for attachment is formed in the mounting portion 115, and the housing 105 is inserted into this opening 115a from the back side of the mounting portion 115 and fixed in place, causing the first lens 101 to protrude from the surface of the mounting portion 115 and be exposed to the outside. Housing 105 has a large size (diameter) because vibration mechanism 110 is provided inside. Therefore, the opening diameter (opening area) of mounting opening 115a formed in mounting portion 115 becomes large. However, when large opening 115a is formed, the degree of freedom of the formation position in mounting portion 115 decreases, resulting in a problem that the degree of freedom of the mounting position of lens unit 100 decreases.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a lens unit, a camera module, an imaging system, and a moving body that can increase the degree of freedom in the mounting position of a lens unit equipped with a vibration mechanism to a mounting portion of a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a lens unit of the present invention includes a lens group in which a plurality of lenses are arranged along the optical axes of the lenses, and a vibration mechanism that vibrates a first lens that is located closest to an object among the plurality of lenses, a housing in which the first lens is provided, a lens barrel in which a lens located closer to the image side than the first lens is provided and which is provided radially inward from the housing and closer to the image side than the first lens, and the vibration mechanism is provided between the housing and the lens barrel, the first lens is inserted into an opening formed in a mounting portion on a vehicle side to which the lens unit is attached from a back side of the mounting portion and protrudes from a front surface of the mounting portion; The top plate of the housing is disposed inside the rear surface of the mounting portion.

[0009] Here, the housing is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the end on the object side is closed by a top plate portion to prevent the intrusion of foreign matter into the housing.

[0010] In the present invention, the first lens is inserted into an opening formed in the mounting part on the vehicle side where the lens unit is attached from the back side of the mounting part, and protrudes from the front surface of the mounting part, and the top plate part of the housing is disposed inside the back surface of the mounting part, so that the first lens can protrude largely from the top plate part of the housing to the object side in the optical axis direction. Therefore, the size (radial size) of the mounting opening can be set to be approximately the lens size (radial size) of the first lens or slightly larger than the lens size. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the formation position of the opening formed in the mounting part is increased, and as a result, the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the lens unit can be increased.

[0011] In the above-described configuration of the present invention, the housing may include a top plate portion disposed inside the rear surface of the mounting portion, and a locking portion protruding from the top plate portion toward the object side and locking to the first lens.

[0012] According to this configuration, the housing has a locking portion that protrudes from the top plate portion toward the object side and engages with the first lens. Therefore, by increasing the protruding length of this locking portion in the optical axis direction, the first lens can be made to protrude significantly from the top plate portion toward the object side in the optical axis direction.

[0013] The present invention also provides a camera module having the lens unit, an imaging system having the camera module, and a moving body equipped with the imaging system. The camera module, imaging system, and moving body can also provide the same effects as the lens unit described above. Note that the term "moving body" refers to any object that can move, such as a vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, the first lens vibrated by the vibration mechanism can be positioned at a predetermined position without variation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a camera module equipped with a lens unit, illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle as a moving body on which an imaging system (on-vehicle system) including a camera module according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted. [Diagram 5] 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an imaging device that constitutes the imaging system shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of a lens unit equipped with a vibrating body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment contributes to "9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure" of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) advocated by the United Nations, which states, "9.1 Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all."

[0017] It should be noted that the lens unit of this embodiment described below is intended particularly for a camera module such as an in-vehicle camera, and is fixedly installed, for example, on the outer surface of a vehicle, with wiring being pulled into the vehicle and connected to a display or other device. It should be noted that the lens unit of this embodiment described below is intended particularly for a camera module such as an in-vehicle camera, and is fixedly installed, for example, on the outer surface of a vehicle, with wiring being pulled into the vehicle and connected to a display or other device.

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a camera module equipped with a lens unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, where it is a schematic cross-sectional view of the camera module, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the same camera module, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the same camera module. 1 to 3, a camera module 300 of this embodiment includes a lens unit 20. This lens unit 20 includes a cylindrical lens barrel 22 and a square tube-shaped first housing (housing) 23 in which this lens barrel 22 is provided.

[0019] The ends of the lens barrel 22 and first housing 23 on the image side (lower side in FIG. 1) are supported by a square cylindrical second housing 24. The length of the second housing 24 in the optical axis direction is shorter than that of the first housing 23, but the lengths of the outer diameter and inner diameter are longer than those of the first housing 23. The optical axis is indicated by O, and the direction perpendicular to this optical axis O is the radial direction.

[0020] The first housing 23 is disposed radially outward from the lens barrel 22, and the second housing 24 is disposed closer to the image side (lower side in FIG. 1) than the first housing 23. The lens barrel 22, the first housing 23 and the second housing 24 are disposed coaxially. A rectangular plate-shaped inner flange portion 24a is formed at the upper end of the second housing 24, and a convex portion 24b that protrudes toward the object side (upward in Figure 1) is formed at the radial center of this inner flange portion 24a, and a through hole 24c is formed at the radial center of this convex portion 24b.

[0021] Further, a step portion 24d is formed on the upper surface of the inner flange portion 24a, and the lower end portion of the first housing 23 is fitted into this step portion 24d. As a result, the first housing 23 is positioned relative to the second housing 24 in the radial direction and the optical axis direction.

[0022] Furthermore, the lens unit 20 includes a plurality of (for example, six) lenses 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 arranged in order from the object side. The lens 31 is a first lens 31 located closest to the object side, and this first lens 31 is provided in the first housing 23 and held by a lens holding portion 50, which will be described later. Five lenses 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , and 36 arranged on the image side of the first lens 31 are provided inside the lens barrel 22 .

[0023] In addition, a cylindrical protrusion 27 that protrudes toward the image side (downward in FIG. 1) is formed at the lower end of the lens barrel 22, and this protrusion 27 is inserted into and fitted into the through hole 24c provided in the second lens barrel 24. As a result, the lens barrel 22 and the second housing 24 are provided coaxially and aligned with the optical axis O.

[0024] Furthermore, the first lens 31 located closest to the object side is a glass lens, and the lenses 32 to are plastic lenses, but are not limited to this (for example, the lens 31 may be a plastic lens). Furthermore, on the surfaces of the lenses 31 to , an anti-reflection film, a hydrophilic film, a water-repellent film, or the like is provided as necessary.

[0025] The multiple lenses 31-36 fixed and supported by the first housing 23 and the lens barrel 22 are arranged with their respective optical axes aligned, and the lenses 31-36 are lined up along a single optical axis O to form a single lens group L used for imaging.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first housing 23 is disposed on the outer side of the lens barrel 22 in the radial direction. The first housing 23 is made of metal such as SUS, and includes a rectangular tubular housing main body 23a, a rectangular plate-like top plate portion 23b formed integrally with the housing main body 23a at the upper end of the housing main body 23a, and a locking portion 23c formed integrally with the top plate portion 23b at the inner peripheral edge of the top plate portion 23b. That is, the top plate portion 23b of this embodiment has a shorter length from the upper end edge of the housing main body 23a toward the inside than the top plate portion 105b shown in Fig. 6, and the locking portion 23c is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the top plate portion 23b. The thickness of the top plate portion 23b (thickness in the optical axis direction) is smaller than the thickness of the housing main body 23a (thickness in the radial direction).

[0027] The locking portion 23c includes a generally cylindrical protruding portion 23d formed to protrude from the edge of the inner periphery of the top plate portion 23b toward the object side (upper side in FIG. 1), and a pressing portion 23e bent radially inward from the upper end of the protruding portion 23d. An inclined surface 23f inclined with respect to the optical axis O is formed along the circumferential direction on the pressing portion 23e. Then, the inclined surface 23f presses the surface edge of the first lens 31, thereby fixing the first lens 31. In other words, in a state in which the lens group L is assembled and housed within the first housing 23 and the lens barrel 22, the inclined surface 23f of the pressing portion 23e presses the first lens 31 located closest to the object side of the lens group L, and fixes it to the object side end of the first housing 23 in the optical axis direction.

[0028] Furthermore, an inner flange portion 26 having an opening with a diameter smaller than that of sixth lens 36 is provided at the end (the lower end in FIG. 1) of lens barrel 22 on the image side. A plurality of lenses 31-36 constituting lens group L within first housing 23 and lens barrel 22 are held and fixed in the optical axis direction by this inner flange portion 26 and inclined surface 23f of pressing portion 23e. Further, a filter 99 such as an infrared cut filter is provided on the lower surface of the inner flange portion 26 .

[0029] In this embodiment, a ring-shaped lens holder 50 that holds the first lens 31 is provided. The lens holder 50 is manufactured by forming a metal such as SUS into a thin ring shape by lathe cutting. The lens holder 50 has an inner peripheral surface 50a having a cylindrical shape and an annular surface 50b perpendicular to the inner peripheral surface 50a, and the inner peripheral surface 50a and the annular surface 50b are formed to have an L-shaped cross section. The inner peripheral surface 50a is disposed coaxially with the optical axis O, and the annular surface 50b is disposed perpendicular to the optical axis O. In addition, the lens holding portion 50 has an inner surface 50c that is perpendicular to the annular surface 50b and arranged coaxially with the optical axis O, and this inner surface 50c is arranged closer to the image side (lower side in Figure 1) than the inner surface 50a and has a smaller inner diameter dimension than the inner surface 50a.

[0030] In addition, the inner diameter dimension of the inner surface 50c of the ring-shaped lens holding portion 50 is larger than the outer diameter dimension of the lens barrel 22, so that the upper end of the lens barrel 22 is positioned inside the inner surface 50c of the lens holding portion 50. Moreover, the lens holding part 50 is joined to the first housing 23. That is, the outer peripheral surface 50d and the upper surface 50e of the lens holding part 50 are each in contact with the inner periphery of the pressing part 23e of the first housing 23 with almost no gap, whereby the lens holding part 50 is fitted into the top plate part 23b of the first housing 23. In this way, the lens holding part 50 is joined to the first housing 23 having the top plate part 23b. The lens holder 50 joined to the first housing 23 has an axis that coincides with the optical axis O, and is positioned in the optical axis direction.

[0031] Furthermore, the lens holding part 50 holds the first lens 31. That is, an inner peripheral surface 50a of the lens holding part 50 abuts against an outer peripheral surface of the first lens 31 without any gap, whereby the first lens 31 is positioned in the radial direction and disposed coaxially with the optical axis O. Furthermore, an annular surface 50b of the lens holding part 50 abuts against a flat bottom surface 31e of the first lens 31 facing the image side without any gap, whereby the first lens 31 is positioned in the optical axis direction. Furthermore, lenses 32 to 36 arranged on the image side of first lens 31 are held by lens barrel 22 so that their optical axes are aligned, and lens barrel 22 is arranged coaxially with second housing 24 and aligned with optical axis O, so that first lens 31 and lenses 32 to 36 arranged on the image side of first lens 31 are arranged coaxially or with an eccentricity of less than a predetermined amount.

[0032] In this embodiment, a vibration mechanism 60 that vibrates the first lens 31 is provided. The vibration mechanism 60 includes a transducer 61 that ultrasonically vibrates, and a vibrating body 62 that transmits the ultrasonic vibration of the transducer 61 to the first lens 31. The vibration mechanism 60 is disposed radially inward from the first housing 23 and radially outward from the lens barrel 22. The vibrator 61 is formed in a circular plate shape, and is provided inside the housing body 23a of the first housing 23. The vibrator 61 is formed of, for example, a piezoelectric element.

[0033] The vibrating body 62 includes a donut-shaped disk-shaped attachment portion 62a, a main body portion 62b that extends from the attachment portion 62a toward the object side (upward in FIG. 1) and has an approximately cylindrical shape with bulges and constrictions with an S-shaped cross section, with the outer and inner diameters varying continuously in the axial direction (optical axis direction), and a ring-shaped joint portion 62c formed at the upper end portion of the main body portion 62b. The vibrator 61 is attached and fixed to the lower surface of the attachment portion 62a, and the upper surface of the joint portion 62c is joined to the lower surface (surface facing the image side) of the lens holding portion 50 with an adhesive.

[0034] In such vibration mechanism 60, the vibrator 61 ultrasonically vibrates, causing the vibrating body 62 to ultrasonically vibrate. When the vibrating body 62 vibrates, the first lens 31 ultrasonically vibrates via the lens holding part 50 because the vibrating body 62 is joined to the lens holding part 50, and thus foreign matter such as water droplets, muddy water, ice, snow, and frost on the lens surface 31a of the first lens 31 is removed.

[0035] The lens holding part 50 is fitted to the top plate part 23b of the first housing 23, but the thickness of the top plate part 23b is thinner than the thickness of the housing main body 23a, and the top plate part 23b functions as a damper, so that the vibration of the lens holding part 50 is not easily transmitted to the housing main body 23a. Therefore, the vibration is not easily transmitted to the second housing 24 fitted to the housing main body 23a, and as a result, the vibration is not easily transmitted to the lens barrel 22 fitted to the second housing 24, and the vibration is not easily transmitted to the lenses 32 to 36, so that the deterioration of the optical performance caused by the displacement of the lenses 32 to 36 due to the vibration can be suppressed.

[0036] In this embodiment, the lens unit 20 is composed of the first housing 23, the first lens 31 held in the first housing 23, the lens barrel 22, the lenses 32-36 held in the lens barrel 22, the lens holding portion 50, the vibration mechanism 60, etc. The lens unit 20 and a second housing 24 that fits into a first housing 23 of the lens unit 20 constitute a camera module 300 of the present embodiment. The second housing 24 includes a package sensor (imaging element; image sensor) 304 therein.

[0037] Package sensor 304 is disposed inside second housing 24 facing filter 99, and is disposed at a position where it receives an image of an object formed by lens unit 20. Package sensor 304 also includes a CCD, CMOS, or the like, and converts the light that is collected and reaches it through lens unit 20 into an electrical signal. The converted electrical signal is converted into analog data or digital data, which is a component of image data captured by the camera. The second housing 24 also includes therein a drive circuit board 305. The drive circuit board 305 is a board having a circuit for applying a voltage of a predetermined frequency to the piezoelectric element 61 of the vibration mechanism 60 to drive it. The drive circuit board 305 and the vibrator (piezoelectric element) 61 are formed of an FPC or the like, and are connected by a wire 306 that is passed through a wiring hole 24f formed in the inner flange portion 24 of the second housing 24.

[0038] A camera module 300 including such a lens unit 20 is attached to a mounting portion 150 such as the front grille of a vehicle. That is, the mounting portion 150 is formed, for example, in a flat plate shape, and an opening 150a is formed at a position where the camera module 300 is to be attached. This opening 150a is formed in a circular shape in a plan view, and its size is approximately equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the substantially cylindrical protruding portion 23d of the first housing 23. In addition, the protruding length of the protruding portion 23d from the top plate portion 23b is approximately equal to or slightly larger than the thickness of the mounting portion 150.

[0039] When attaching such a camera module 300 to the attachment portion 150, the first lens 31 is inserted into the opening 150a from the back side of the attachment portion 150, so that the first lens 31 protrudes from the front surface of the attachment portion 150. In this state, the pressing portion 23e provided on the first housing 23 protrudes from the edge of the opening 150a toward the object side. When the first lens 31 is inserted into the opening 150a, the top plate portion 23b of the first housing 23 abuts against or comes close to the back surface of the mounting portion 150, and the top plate portion 23b is disposed inside the back surface of the mounting portion 150. In this state, the lens unit 20 is fixed to the mounting portion 150.

[0040] Thus, according to this embodiment, the first lens 31 is inserted into the opening 150a formed in the mounting part 150 on the vehicle side to which the lens unit 20 is attached from the back side of the mounting part 150, and protrudes from the front surface of the mounting part 150, and the top plate part 23b of the first housing 23 is disposed inside the back surface of the mounting part 150, so that the first lens 31 can be largely protruded from the top plate part 23b of the first housing 23 toward the object side in the optical axis direction. Therefore, the size (diameter size) of the mounting opening 150a can be set to be approximately equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the protruding part 23d, which is slightly larger than the lens size of the first lens 31. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the formation position of the opening 150a formed in the mounting part 150 is increased, and as a result, the degree of freedom of the mounting position of the lens unit 20 can be increased. Furthermore, since the first housing 23 has a locking portion 23c that protrudes from the top plate portion 23b toward the object side and engages with the first lens 31, by increasing the protruding length of the protruding portion 23d of this locking portion 23c in the optical axis direction, the first lens 31 can be made to protrude significantly from the top plate portion 23b toward the object side in the optical axis direction.

[0041] Moreover, since the lens holding part 50 is joined to the first housing 23, the lens holding part 50 can be reliably attached to a predetermined position. Moreover, since the vibration mechanism 60 is disposed radially inward from the first housing 23 and radially outward from the lens barrel 22, the vibration mechanism 60 can be protected by the first housing 23, and since the lenses 32 to 36 disposed on the image side of the first lens 31 are held by the lens barrel 22, the vibration mechanism 60 does not interfere with the lenses 32 to 36.

[0042] Furthermore, since the inner surface 50a of the lens holding portion 50 abuts against the outer surface of the first lens 31, and the annular surface 50b of the lens holding portion 50 abuts against the bottom surface 31e facing the image side of the first lens 31, the first lens 31 can be easily and accurately positioned in the radial and axial directions (optical axis direction).

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a vehicle 240 as a moving body on which an in-vehicle system (imaging system) including an imaging device 250 including the camera module 300 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted. As shown in the figure, the imaging device 250 can be mounted on the vehicle 240, and FIG. 4 shows an example of an arrangement illustrating the mounting position of the imaging device 250 on the vehicle 240. The imaging device 250 mounted on the vehicle 240 can also be called an in-vehicle camera, and can be installed in various places on the vehicle 240. For example, the first imaging device 250a may be arranged on or near the front bumper as a camera that monitors the front when the vehicle 240 is traveling. The second imaging device 250b that monitors the front may be arranged near the room mirror (inner rearview mirror) inside the vehicle 240. The third imaging device 250c may be arranged on the dashboard or in the instrument panel as a camera that monitors the driving situation of the driver. The fourth imaging device 250d may be installed at the rear of the vehicle 240 for rear monitoring of the vehicle 240. The imaging devices 250a and 250b can be called front cameras. The third imaging device 250c can be called an in-camera. The fourth imaging device 250d can be called a rear camera. The imaging device 250 is not limited to these, and includes imaging devices installed in various positions, such as a left side camera that captures the left rear side and a right side camera that captures the right rear side.

[0044] An image signal of an image captured by the imaging device 250 may be output to an information processing device 242 and / or a display device 243 in the vehicle 240. The information processing device 242 and the display device 243, together with the imaging device 250, constitute an in-vehicle system. The information processing device 242 in the vehicle 240 includes a device that processes an image signal acquired by the imaging device 250, recognizes the image, and assists the driver in driving. The information processing device 242 includes, but is not limited to, a navigation device, a collision damage mitigation brake device, a vehicle distance control device, and a lane departure warning device. The display device 243 displays an image processed and output by the information processing device 242, but can also receive an image signal directly from the imaging device 250. The display device 243 may employ, but is not limited to, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and an inorganic EL display. The display device 243 can display to the driver (can output information to passengers) an image signal output from an imaging device 250 that captures an image from a position that is difficult for the driver to view, such as a rear camera.

[0045] Fig. 5 shows the configuration of an imaging device constituting the in-vehicle system shown in Fig. 4. As shown in the figure, imaging device 250 according to the embodiment includes control unit 252, storage unit 254, and camera module 300 shown in Fig. 1 described above.

[0046] The control unit 252 controls the camera module 300 and processes an electrical signal output from the image sensor 304 of the camera module 300. The control unit 252 may be configured as a processor, for example. The control unit 252 may include one or more processors. The processor may include a general-purpose processor that loads a specific program to execute a specific function, and a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated processor may include an application-specific integrated circuit (IC). The application-specific IC may be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor may include a programmable logic device, which is also called a programmable logic device (PLD). A PLD is a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The control unit 252 may be either a System-on-a-Chip (SoC) or a System In a Package (SiP) in which one or more processors work together.

[0047] The storage unit 254 stores various information or parameters related to the operation of the imaging device 250. The storage unit 254 may be composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory or the like. The storage unit 254 may function as a work memory for the control unit 252. The storage unit 254 may store captured images. The storage unit 254 may store various parameters and the like for the control unit 252 to perform detection processing based on the captured images. The storage unit 254 may be included in the control unit 252.

[0048] As described above, the camera module 300 captures an image of a subject formed via the lens unit 20 with the image sensor 304, and outputs the captured image. The image captured by the camera module 300 is also called a captured image.

[0049] The image sensor 304 may be configured, for example, as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor or a charge coupled device (CCD). The image sensor 304 has an imaging surface on which a plurality of pixels are arranged. Each pixel outputs a signal specified by a current or voltage according to the amount of incident light. The signal output by each pixel is also referred to as imaging data.

[0050] The imaging data may be read by the camera module 300 for all pixels and taken into the control unit 252 as a captured image. The captured image read out for all pixels is also referred to as a maximum captured image. The imaging data may be read by the camera module 300 for some pixels and taken into the control unit 252 as a captured image. In other words, the imaging data may be read out from pixels in a predetermined capture range. The imaging data read out from pixels in the predetermined capture range may be taken into the capture image. The predetermined capture range may be set by the control unit 252. The camera module 300 may obtain the predetermined capture range from the control unit 252. The imaging element 304 may capture an image of a predetermined capture range of a subject image formed through the lens unit 20.

[0051] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the shapes of the lens, the housing, the lens barrel, etc. are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiments may be combined in part or in whole, or a part of the configuration may be omitted from one of the above-mentioned embodiments, without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 20 Lens unit 22 Telescope tube 23 1st cabinet (cabinet) 23b Top plate 23c Locking part 24 Second cabinet 31 First lens 60 Vibration mechanism 61 Piezoelectric element (vibrator) 62 Vibration Body 150 Mounting part 150a opening 240 Vehicles (mobile) 242 Information processing equipment (processing equipment) 243 Display device 250 Imaging Device 252 Control section 300 Camera Module 304 Image sensor

Claims

1. A lens unit including a lens group in which a plurality of lenses are arranged along the optical axes of the lenses, and a vibration mechanism for vibrating a first lens, which is located closest to an object among the plurality of lenses, a housing in which the first lens is provided; a lens barrel in which a lens located closer to an image side than the first lens is provided and which is provided radially inward from the housing and closer to the image side than the first lens; and the vibration mechanism provided between the housing and the lens barrel, the first lens is inserted into an opening formed in a mounting portion on a vehicle side to which the lens unit is attached from a back side of the mounting portion and protrudes from a front surface of the mounting portion; A lens unit, characterized in that a top plate portion of the housing is disposed inside a rear surface of the attachment portion.

2. 2. The lens unit according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a top plate portion disposed inside the back surface of the mounting portion, and a locking portion protruding from the top plate portion toward the object side and locking to the first lens.

3. 3. A camera module comprising: the lens unit according to claim 1; and an image sensor that converts light collected through the lens group of the lens unit into an electric signal.

4. an imaging device comprising: the camera module according to claim 3; and a control unit that controls the camera module and processes an electrical signal output from the imaging element of the camera module; a processing device that processes an image signal acquired by the imaging device; a display device that displays an image that has been processed and output by the processing device; An imaging system comprising:

5. 5. A vehicle equipped with the imaging system according to claim 4, wherein information is output to a passenger by the display device.

Images