Imaging device

Abstract

To secure the depth of a screw hole in a compact imaging device.SOLUTION: An imaging device 1 comprises: a lens unit that includes a lens barrel member 6 holding a lens 7 and an operating member 13 fixed to the outer periphery of the lens barrel member; a holding member 4 that rotatably holds the lens unit; and a fixed member 15 fixed to the operating member with a screw 16. The lens barrel member includes first convex portions 6b for fixing the lens at a plurality of locations in a circumferential direction. The operating member includes a second convex portion 13h disposed between the first convex portion in the circumferential direction. A screw hole 13c into which the screw 16 is screwed is formed in a radial direction at a portion in the circumferential direction of the operating member, in which the second convex portion is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device for use in a wearable terminal, an in-vehicle camera, a surveillance camera, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Among such small imaging devices, there is one in which a user can manually rotate an operating ring arranged on the outer periphery of a barrel member to move a lens group and adjust focus, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the imaging device of Patent Document 1, a screw is inserted through a long groove formed in the operating ring and the tip of the screw is screwed into the peripheral wall of the barrel member, thereby limiting the rotation range of the operating ring relative to the barrel member to a range corresponding to the length of the long groove. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-276731 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, screw holes into which the tips of screws are screwed are formed in the peripheral wall of the lens barrel member, but in order to ensure the depth of the screw holes, it is necessary to increase the radial thickness of the peripheral wall, which makes it difficult to miniaturize the imaging device.

[0005] The present invention provides a small-sized imaging device that enables the depth of screw holes formed in an operation member to be ensured. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An imaging device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a lens unit including a barrel member that holds a lens and an operating member fixed to the outer periphery of the barrel member, a holding member that rotatably holds the lens unit, and a fixed member that is fixed to the operating member with a screw. The barrel member has first convex portions for fixing the lens at multiple locations in the circumferential direction. The operating member has second convex portions that are disposed between the first convex portions in the circumferential direction. The imaging device is characterized in that a screw hole into which the screw is screwed is formed in the radial direction in the circumferential portion of the operating member where the second convex portions are provided. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small-sized imaging device that can ensure the depth of screw holes formed in an operation member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a camera module according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the camera module according to the embodiment as viewed from the object side. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the camera module according to the embodiment as viewed from the image side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the camera module according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a top view of the camera module according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lens frame and a first lens are assembled in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which the lens frame and the first lens are assembled in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of a first lens in an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1 shows the appearance of a camera unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The camera unit 100 is used in a wearable device such as AR glasses, an in-vehicle camera, a surveillance camera, and the like.

[0011] The camera unit 100 has a camera module 1 as an imaging device, an exterior case 2, and a rear cover 3. The camera module 1 is housed in the exterior case 2 so that a part of it (the lens barrel) is exposed from an opening provided on the front of the exterior case 2, and is fixed and held in the exterior case 2 with screws (not shown). The gap between the opening of the exterior case 2 and the camera module 1 is sealed with a sealing member (not shown). This prevents dust and water from entering through the gap between the exterior case 2 and the camera module 1.

[0012] The rear cover 3 is fixed to the rear end of the exterior case 2 housing the camera module 1 with screws (not shown). A sealing member (not shown) is also disposed between the exterior case 2 and the rear cover 3, which prevents dust and water from entering through a gap between the exterior case 2 and the rear cover 3. The rear cover 3 is also provided with an external interface (not shown), and a video signal generated by the camera module 1 through imaging can be output to the outside by connecting a cable to the external interface. Note that instead of the external interface, a transmitter that transmits a video signal to the outside via wireless communication may be provided.

[0013] Fig. 2 shows the camera module 1. Fig. 3 shows a cross section of the camera module 1 cut along a plane including the optical axis. The left side of Fig. 3 is the object side (front side), and the right side is the image side (rear side). Figs. 4 and 5 show exploded views of the camera module 1 as viewed obliquely from the front and rear, respectively. Furthermore, Fig. 6 shows the camera module 1 as viewed from above.

[0014] The camera module 1 has a holding member 4 having a lens barrel holding portion 4g and a board holding portion 4f, a lens unit 5 housed in the lens barrel holding portion 4g, a circuit board 18 housed in the board holding portion 4f, and a cover 21 fixed to the rear end of the board holding portion 4f.

[0015] The lens unit 5 has a barrel frame 6 as a barrel member, a first lens 7, a second lens 8 and a third lens 9 held inside the barrel frame 6, an operating ring 13 as an operating member arranged on the outer periphery of the barrel frame 6, and a rotation limiting member 15 as a fixed member.

[0016] An operating ring 13 is disposed on the outer periphery of the barrel frame 6. The operating ring 13 is fixed to the barrel frame 6 with an adhesive. An outer periphery of the operating ring 13 is provided with an outer periphery thread portion 13a and a circumferential groove portion 13b. The first elastic body 10 serving as the first seal member is an O-ring, and is attached to the operating ring 13 by being fitted into the circumferential groove portion 13b.

[0017] With the first elastic body 10 attached to the operating ring 13, the lens unit 5 is inserted from the rear into the barrel holding portion 4g of the holding member 4. At this time, the lens unit 5 is rotated around the optical axis OA so that the outer peripheral thread portion 13a of the operating ring 13 screws into the inner peripheral thread portion 4a provided on the inner peripheral portion of the barrel holding portion 4g. As a result, the lens unit 5 is held by the holding member 4.

[0018] The outer peripheral threaded portion 13a and the inner peripheral threaded portion 4a form a screw mechanism. The lens unit 5 held by the holding member 4 can rotate with respect to the holding member 4 with the outer peripheral threaded portion 13a and the inner peripheral threaded portion 4a screwed together. By rotating the lens unit 5 with respect to the holding member 4, the lens unit 5 moves in the direction in which the optical axis OA extends (optical axis direction) with respect to the holding member 4 according to the lead of the outer peripheral threaded portion 13a and the inner peripheral threaded portion 4a. In addition, the first elastic body 10 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral portion of the operation ring 13 and the inner peripheral portion of the lens barrel holding portion 4g, thereby sealing the gap between the outer peripheral portion of the operation ring 13 and the inner peripheral portion of the lens barrel holding portion 4g. This prevents dust and water from entering through the gap.

[0019] The rotation limiting member 15 has three holes 15c, into which three screws 16 are inserted so that their tips pass through the holes 15c. With the lens unit 5 moved to an appropriate position in the optical axis direction relative to the holding member 4 by its rotation, the tips of the three screws 16 protruding from the rotation limiting member 15 are screwed into three screw holes 13c provided in the operation ring 13 from the radial outside of the operation ring 13. In this way, the rotation limiting member 15 is fixed to the operation ring 13.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 6, the rotation limiting member 15 is provided with a first stopper portion 15a and a second stopper portion 15b. Meanwhile, a first stopper portion 4b and a second stopper portion 4c are provided at a distance from each other in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the lens barrel holding portion 4g of the holding member 4. When the operation ring 13 (lens unit 5) is rotated in the circumferential direction around the optical axis relative to the holding member 4, the first and second stopper portions 15a and 15b of the rotation limiting member 15 come into contact with the first and second stopper portions 4b and 4c (both ends of the rotation range) of the holding member 4, respectively, thereby preventing further rotation of the operation ring 13. This limits the rotation range of the operation ring 13 relative to the holding member 4, that is, the movement range of the lens unit 5 relative to the holding member 4 in the optical axis direction.

[0021] In addition, a first fitting portion 4d and a second fitting portion 4e are provided at the front and rear portions of the inner periphery of the lens barrel holding portion 4g of the holding member 4, respectively. Meanwhile, a first sliding portion 13d and a second sliding portion 13e are provided at the middle portion and rear portion in the front-rear direction of the outer periphery of the operation ring 13, respectively. The first fitting portion 4d is fitted to the first sliding portion 13d so as to be slidable in the circumferential direction, and the second fitting portion 4e is fitted to the second sliding portion 13e so as to be slidable in the same direction. As a result, the lens unit 5 is held by the holding member 4 so as to be rotatable without any backlash.

[0022] The imaging element 17, a connector (not shown), and an electronic device (not shown) are mounted on the circuit board 18. The circuit board 18 is fixed to the sensor metal plate 19 with an adhesive, with the position adjusted so that the center of the light receiving surface of the imaging element 17 coincides with the optical axis OA of the lens unit 5. The sensor metal plate 19 is fixed to a receiving portion 4h provided in the board holding portion 4f of the holding member 4 with a screw 20. A cover 21 is fixed to the rear end portion of the board holding portion 4f with the sensor metal plate 19 fixed therein with a screw (not shown). This seals the board holding portion 4f.

[0023] The camera module 1 configured as above generates a video signal by photoelectrically converting (capturing) an image of a subject formed by an imaging optical system constituted by the first to third lenses 7 to 9 in the lens unit 5 using the imaging element 17. When the user rotates the operation ring 13, the lens unit 5 moves in the optical axis direction relative to the holding member 4 according to the lead of the outer peripheral threaded portion 13a and the inner peripheral threaded portion 4a described above. This allows the user to adjust the distance in the optical axis direction between the lens unit (imaging optical system) 5 and the imaging element 17, i.e., optical adjustment such as focus adjustment.

[0024] Next, the configuration of lens unit 5 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 to 5 and 7 to 9. Figures 7 and 8 show barrel frame 6 with first lens 7 incorporated therein, viewed from the diagonal front side and the front side. Figure 9 shows a cross section of lens unit 5 near first lens 7 taken along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis OA.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 4, an opening 6a is provided at the front end of the barrel frame 6. A first lens 7 is inserted into the barrel frame 6 from this opening 6a. The first lens 7 inserted into the barrel frame 6 is fixed to the barrel frame 6 by being crimped by first crimping claws 6b as first protrusions provided at multiple locations (three locations in this embodiment) spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction at the front end of the barrel frame 6, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The barrel frame 6 is inserted into the operating ring 13 from an opening 13f formed at the rear end of the operating ring 13, as shown in Fig. 4, and fixed to the operating ring 13 by an adhesive.

[0026] At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the second convex parts 13h provided at three circumferentially spaced locations on the inner periphery of the operation ring 13 enter between the three first crimping claw parts 6b. Then, in the circumferential portion of the peripheral wall of the operation ring 13 where one second convex part 13h is provided, three screw holes 13c into which the tips of the three screws 16 are screwed to the above-mentioned rotation limiting member 15 are formed so as to extend from the outer circumferential surface of the operation ring 13 toward the inside in the radial direction. The circumferential portion of the peripheral wall of the operation ring 13 where the second convex part 13h is provided has the same outer diameter as the other portions, but has a larger radial thickness (wall thickness) than the other portions. Therefore, the necessary depth of the screw holes 13c can be ensured without increasing the outer diameter of the operation ring 13. As a result, the size of the camera module 1 can be suppressed.

[0027] 9, the radial end of the rotation limiting member 15 is located at approximately the same position in the radial direction as the outer circumferential surface of the lens barrel holding portion 4g, which makes it possible to prevent the camera module 1 from becoming large.

[0028] 3, a second elastic body 12 serving as a second seal member, which is an O-ring, abuts against a recess 7a provided on the front end side of the outer periphery of the first lens 7. The second elastic body 12 is sandwiched between the recess 7a and a flange portion formed on the front end of the operating ring 13 so as to protrude inward. The gap between the operating ring 13 and the first lens 7 is sealed by the second elastic body 12, preventing the intrusion of dust and water from the gap.

[0029] 5, an opening 6c is provided at the rear end of the barrel frame 6. The second lens 8 is inserted into the barrel frame 6 from the opening 6c, and is fixed to the barrel frame 6 by being crimped by second crimping claws 6d provided around the entire circumferential direction at the middle part in the front-to-rear direction of the inner periphery of the barrel frame 6, as shown in FIG. 3. The second crimping claws 6d may be provided at multiple locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction.

[0030] Furthermore, the third lens 9 is inserted into the barrel frame 6 through the opening 6c. As shown in FIG. 3, a flat portion 9a is formed on the rear end side of the outer periphery of the third lens 9, and a third elastic body 14, which is an O-ring, abuts against the flat portion 9a. An inner peripheral thread portion 3g is formed on the rear end of the inner periphery of the operation ring 13, and an outer peripheral thread portion of a pressing ring 11 as a pressing member is screwed into this, so that the third lens 9 is pressed against the abutment surface of the inner periphery of the barrel frame 6 by the pressing ring 13 via the third elastic body 14. By screwing the pressing ring 11 into the barrel frame 6, a forward force is applied to the third lens 9. At this time, the third elastic body 14 sandwiched between the pressing ring 11 and the third lens 9 is elastically deformed, so that the pressing force from the pressing ring 11 is evenly transmitted to the third lens 9. The pressing ring 11 abuts against the abutment portion 6e of the barrel frame 6 so that the third lens 9 is not deformed by the pressing force from the pressing ring 11. This makes it possible to fix the lens barrel frame 6 to the operation ring 13 while suppressing deterioration in optical performance due to deformation of the third lens 9.

[0031] In addition, the press ring 11 screwed into the barrel frame 6 and the second sliding part 13e of the operation ring 13 overlap in the radial direction. That is, the press ring 11 is disposed at a position where it overlaps with a part of the second sliding part 13e in the optical axis direction in the radial direction. This makes it possible to lengthen the distance in the optical axis direction between the first sliding part 13d and the second sliding part 13e, and to lengthen the fitting length between the lens unit 5 and the holding member 4. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the lens unit 5 from falling relative to the holding member 4, and to suppress the deterioration of the optical performance. As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to configure a small camera module 1 while having a configuration in which the rotation range of the operation ring 13 relative to the barrel frame 6 is limited by using the screw 16.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the fixed member is the rotation limiting member 15, but the fixed member may be a member other than the rotation limiting member, for example a member that limits the movement of the lens unit 5 in the optical axis direction.

[0033] The above embodiment includes the following configurations.

[0034] (Configuration 1) a lens unit including a lens barrel member that holds a lens and an operation member fixed to an outer periphery of the lens barrel member; a holding member that rotatably holds the lens unit; A fixed member is fixed to the operation member by a screw, the barrel member has first protrusions for fixing the lens at a plurality of positions in a circumferential direction, the operating member has a second protrusion disposed between the first protrusions in the circumferential direction, an imaging device, characterized in that a screw hole into which the screw is screwed in a radial direction is formed in a circumferential portion of the operation member where the second convex portion is provided; (Configuration 2) The imaging device according to configuration 1, wherein the circumferential portion of the operating member where the second convex portion is provided has the same outer diameter as other portions and a larger radial thickness than other portions. (Configuration 3) 3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed member is a rotation limiting member that limits a rotation range of the lens unit relative to the holding member. (Configuration 4) 4. The imaging device according to configuration 3, wherein the rotation limiting member has stopper portions that come into contact with the holding member at both ends of the rotation range. (Configuration 5) 5. The imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, further comprising a screw mechanism for moving the lens unit, which rotates relative to the holding member, in the optical axis direction relative to the holding member. (Configuration 6) a first seal member disposed between the lens unit and the holding member; 6. The imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, further comprising a second seal member disposed between the operation member and the lens. (Configuration 7) the lens barrel member holds a lens other than the lens, a pressing member that is screwed into the barrel member to press the other lens against the barrel member; 7. The imaging device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein an elastic body is disposed between the pressing member and the another lens. (Configuration 8) the lens unit has a sliding portion on an outer periphery thereof, The holding member has a fitting portion on an inner periphery thereof, the lens unit is held by the holding member by the sliding portion being slidably fitted to the fitting portion in a circumferential direction, The imaging device according to configuration 7, wherein the pressing member is disposed at a position radially overlapping with a part of the sliding portion in the optical axis direction.

[0035] The embodiments described above are merely representative examples, and various modifications and alterations are possible for each embodiment when implementing the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 Camera module 4 Retaining member 5 Lens unit 6. Lens barrel frame 13 Operating ring 13c screw hole 15 Rotation limiting member 16 bis

Claims

1. a lens unit including a lens barrel member that holds a lens and an operation member fixed to an outer periphery of the lens barrel member; a holding member that rotatably holds the lens unit; a fixed member that is fixed to the operation member by a screw, the barrel member has first protrusions for fixing the lens at a plurality of positions in a circumferential direction, the operating member has a second convex portion disposed between the first convex portions in the circumferential direction, an operating member having a circumferential portion on which the second protrusion is provided, the operating member having a screw hole into which the screw is screwed in a radial direction;

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the circumferential portion of the operation member where the second protrusion is provided has an outer diameter equal to that of the other portion and a radial thickness greater than that of the other portion.

3. 2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixed member is a rotation limiting member that limits a rotation range of the lens unit relative to the holding member.

4. 4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the rotation limiting member has stopper portions that come into contact with the holding member at both ends of the rotation range.

5. 2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a screw mechanism for moving the lens unit, which rotates relative to the holding member, in the direction of an optical axis relative to the holding member.

6. a first seal member disposed between the lens unit and the holding member; 2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second seal member disposed between the operation member and the lens.

7. the lens barrel member holds a lens other than the lens, a pressing member that is screwed into the barrel member to press the other lens against the barrel member; 2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an elastic body is disposed between the pressing member and the second lens.

8. the lens unit has a sliding portion on an outer periphery thereof, The holding member has a fitting portion on an inner periphery thereof, the lens unit is held by the holding member by the sliding portion being slidably fitted to the fitting portion in a circumferential direction, 8. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the pressing member is disposed at a position radially overlapping with a part of the sliding portion in the optical axis direction.

Images