Blade opening and closing device and imaging device

Abstract

To provide a blade opening / closing device capable of easily visually recognizing the opening / closing state of a blade member from the outside.SOLUTION: A blade opening / closing device 1 includes a base part 10 in which a base opening 11 is formed and a cover part 30 which covers the base part 10. A cover opening 31 is formed in a position adjacent to the base opening 11 of the base part 10 in a Z direction, in the cover part 30. The blade opening / closing device 1 further includes a blade member 40 which is movable along an X direction inside a blade chamber formed between the base part 10 and the cover part 30. The blade member 40 has a light-emitting part 41 capable of emitting light. The blade driving device 1 includes an actuator 20 which moves the blade member 40 to a closing position so that at least a part of the light-emitting part 41 of the blade member 40 is exposed from the cover opening 31 and retreats the blade member 40 to an opening position so that the cover opening 31 communicates with the base opening 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a blade opening / closing device and an imaging device, and more particularly to a blade opening / closing device capable of opening and closing an opening by a blade member. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, cameras have been built into various electronic devices, including smartphones, smart speakers, and drones. Many of these cameras have lens apertures that are always open and are always ready to capture images. In such cases, if a malicious third party operates the camera, it may capture images or videos that the user does not intend, and these images or videos may be used for crimes.

[0003] In particular, electronic devices with built-in cameras are increasingly being connected to networks such as the Internet these days, but electronic devices connected to a network may be remotely controlled by malicious programs without the user's knowledge. If an electronic device is remotely controlled, it may take pictures without the user's knowledge, and the images or videos may be acquired by the camera and transmitted to the outside. Thus, from the viewpoint of protecting the user's privacy, there is a demand for a mechanism that can block the camera from taking pictures when the user does not intend to do so.

[0004] As a mechanism for blocking photography by such a camera, a mechanism that opens and closes blades between a lens and a subject, such as a shutter mechanism that has been used in cameras in the past (for example, see Patent Document 1), is conceivable. However, as electronic devices become smaller, the space in which a camera module can be installed becomes smaller, making it difficult to install a conventional shutter mechanism in such a limited space. In addition, as electronic devices become smaller, such blades must also become smaller, making it difficult to visually check the open / closed state of the blades from the outside. For this reason, it is becoming more difficult to give users a sense of security that their privacy is protected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-288327 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems in the conventional technology, and has a first object to provide a blade opening / closing device in which the open / closed state of the blade members can be easily visually confirmed from the outside.

[0007] A second object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device that can give a user a sense of security that their privacy is protected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blade opening and closing device in which the open / closed state of the blade members can be easily visually confirmed from the outside. The blade opening and closing device includes a base portion having a base opening, The base portion is arranged in a first direction. and a cover portion for covering at least a portion of the base portion. the above A cover opening is formed at a position adjacent to the base opening of the base part in a first direction. The blade opening / closing device further includes a blade member movable along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction inside a blade chamber formed between the base part and the cover part. The blade member has a light-emitting part capable of emitting light. The blade drive device includes an actuator that moves the blade member to a closed position so that at least a part of the light-emitting part of the blade member is exposed from the cover opening, and retracts the blade member to an open position so that the cover opening and the base opening communicate with each other. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a blade opening and closing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the blade opening and closing device shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the blade opening and closing device of FIG. 1 when cut between a base portion and a cover portion. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the blade member has been moved in the +X direction from the state shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the blade opening and closing device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a blade opening / closing device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. In Figs. 1 to 6, identical or corresponding components are denoted with the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. In addition, in Figs. 1 to 6, the scale and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated, and some components may be omitted. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish components from each other, and do not indicate a specific order or sequence.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a blade opening / closing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the blade opening / closing device 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the blade opening / closing device 1 includes a base portion 10 in which a substantially rectangular base opening 11 is formed, an actuator 20 attached to the base portion 10, a cover portion 30 covering the entire base portion 10, and a blade member 40 disposed in a blade chamber formed between the base portion 10 and the cover portion 30. This blade opening / closing device 1 is incorporated into a camera unit so that, for example, the user can block camera photography when not intended. For example, the blade opening / closing device 1 is incorporated into a camera unit (imaging device) mounted on a television or a notebook computer.

[0012] The base portion 10 and the cover portion 30 are arranged side by side in a direction (Z direction) along the optical axis of the camera unit. A substantially rectangular cover opening 31 is formed in the cover portion 30 at a position adjacent to the base opening 11 of the base portion 10 in the Z direction (first direction). A lens module (not shown) of the camera unit is arranged on the -Z direction side of the base opening 11 of the base portion 10, and light is incident on the lens and image sensor of the lens module through the cover opening 31 and the base opening 11. The base opening 11 of the base portion 10 functions as an opening (aperture) that determines the amount of light incident on the lens module.

[0013] Through holes 12 are formed in the four corners of the base part 10, and the base part 10 and the cover part 30 are fixed to each other by inserting screws 19 into these through holes 12 and screwing the screws 19 into threaded parts 32 formed in the cover part 30. Note that the method of fixing the base part 10 and the cover part 30 is not limited to this.

[0014] The actuator 20 includes a motor 21, such as a stepping motor, a flat motor, or a DC motor, and a pinion 22 connected to the output shaft of the motor 21. The motor 21 is connected to an external control unit by a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 23. The motor 21 is driven by receiving a control signal from the control unit, and rotates the pinion 22 around the Z axis.

[0015] 3 is a front view of the blade opening / closing device 1 of FIG. 1 cut between the base portion 10 and the cover portion 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the blade member 40 has a light-emitting portion 41 capable of blocking the cover opening 31 and the base opening 11, a pair of guide portions 42, 43 extending in the +X direction from the light-emitting portion 41, and a rack portion 45 formed along the X direction on a surface 44 of the guide portion 42 among the surfaces of the guide portions 42, 43 facing each other. The blade member 40 is formed, for example, from a light-transmitting light guide plate, and a light-shielding coating 48 is applied to a part of the surface of the light-emitting portion 41. As a result, an inverted triangular light-emitting region 49 where the coating 48 is not applied is formed in the center of the light-emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40.

[0016] The rack portion 45 meshes with the pinion 22 of the actuator 20. A guide groove 42A extending in the X direction is formed in the guide portion 42, and a guide groove 43A extending in the X direction is formed in the guide portion 43. A guide recess 42B extending in the X direction is formed on the +Y direction side of the guide groove 42A of the guide portion 42, and a guide recess 43B extending in the X direction is formed on the -Y direction side of the guide groove 43A of the guide portion 43.

[0017] The base portion 10 has a plate portion 13 in which a base opening 11 is formed, side walls 14 extending in the +Z direction from both edges in the Y direction of the plate portion 13, a guide post 15 protruding in the +Z direction from the plate portion 13, and a rail portion 16 formed on the plate portion 13 so as to extend in the X direction. The blade member 40 is disposed between the side walls 14 of the base portion 10. In addition, the side walls 14 of the base portion 10 are formed with protrusions 17 protruding in directions facing each other (inward).

[0018] The guide posts 15 of the base part 10 are positioned inside the guide grooves 42A, 43A of the blade member 40. The outer diameter of the guide posts 15 is slightly smaller than the width of the guide grooves 42A, 43A of the blade member 40 in the Y direction, and the guide posts 15 can move in the X direction inside the guide grooves 42A, 43A while engaging with the guide grooves 42A, 43A of the blade member 40. The protrusions 17 of the base part 10 are positioned in the guide recesses 42B, 43B of the blade member 40, and can move in the X direction inside the guide recesses 42B, 43B. In this way, the blade member 40 is configured to be able to move in the X direction (second direction) inside the blade chamber formed between the base part 10 and the cover part 30 while being guided by the side walls 14 and the guide posts 15 of the base part 10. The blade member 40 slides on the rail parts 16 of the base part 10 when moving in the X direction.

[0019] 1 and 3, the light emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40 covers the cover opening 31 and the base opening 11, and a part of the light emitting portion 41 is exposed to the outside from the cover opening 31. The position of the blade member 40 at this time is referred to as the "closed position." Thus, when the blade member 40 is in the closed position, the cover opening 31 is covered by the blade member 40, so that even if the camera unit operates, it is not possible to capture images or videos. This makes it possible to prevent the camera unit from capturing images or videos that are not intended by the user.

[0020] From this state, when the motor 21 of the actuator 20 is driven to rotate the pinion 22 around the Z axis (clockwise in FIG. 3), the rack portion 45 of the blade member 40 meshes with the pinion 22, causing the blade member 40 to move in the +X direction. The state at this time is shown in FIG. 4. At this time, the light emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40 is in a position retracted from the cover opening 31 and the base opening 11 toward the +X direction. The position of the blade member 40 at this time is referred to as the "open position." In this state, the cover opening 31 and the base opening 11 are in communication with each other, and external light passes through the cover opening 31 and the base opening 11 and enters the lens and image sensor of the camera unit, enabling photography by the camera unit.

[0021] Furthermore, when the motor 21 of the actuator 20 is driven to rotate the pinion 22 in the opposite direction from the state shown in Fig. 4, the rack portion 45 of the blade member 40 meshes with the pinion 22, causing the blade member 40 to move in the -X direction and reach the closed position shown in Fig. 3. In this way, the actuator 20 drives the motor 21 to rotate the pinion 22, and the rack portion 45 of the blade member 40 meshes with the pinion 22, causing the blade member 40 to move between the closed position and the open position.

[0022] Here, an LED light source 50 is disposed near the light emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40 in the closed position in Fig. 3. The above-mentioned FPC 23 extends to this LED light source 50, and the LED light source 50 is connected to an external control unit via this FPC 23. As a result, the LED light source 50 emits light in response to a signal from the control unit. The LED light source 50 is held by a holding portion 60 provided on the cover portion 30.

[0023] Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the blade opening / closing device 1 shown in Fig. 3. As described above, the blade member 40 is formed of, for example, a light-transmitting light guide plate, and the light emitted from the LED light source 50 enters the light-emitting section 41 from the side of the blade member 40 and propagates through the light-emitting section 41 as shown by the arrow in Fig. 5. The light propagating inside the light-emitting section 41 is emitted to the outside from the light-emitting region 49 where the light-shielding coating 48 is not applied through the cover opening 31. In other words, the light-emitting section 41 of the blade member 40 in this embodiment is configured to receive light from the LED light source 50 and emit light to the outside.

[0024] In this manner, in this embodiment, the LED light source 50 is caused to emit light, thereby causing the inverted triangular light-emitting area 49 of the light-emitting unit 41 to emit light within the cover opening 31. This allows the user to easily see from the outside that the cover opening 31 of the blade opening / closing device 1 is covered by the blade member 40. The shape of the light-emitting area 49 is not limited to an inverted triangle. For example, the light-emitting area 49 may have a circular, elliptical, rectangular, or other shape, or may be a mark indicating a specific graphic trademark or design. The light-emitting area 49 may also form a character string, or may be a combination of the above-mentioned mark and character string.

[0025] In this embodiment, the blade opening / closing device 1 has a shape that is short in the Y direction and long in the X direction, and the LED light source 50 is disposed on the opposite side of the actuator 20 with respect to the base opening 11 in the X direction. In order to efficiently allow light from the LED light source 50 to be incident on the light-emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40, the LED light source 50 is preferably disposed near the center of the light-emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40 in the closed position in the Y direction (third direction), as shown in FIG. 3. In order to allow more light to be incident on the light-emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40, the thickness range of the LED light source 50 in the Z direction is preferably within the range of the thickness of the light-emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40 in the Z direction, as shown in FIG.

[0026] 6 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 4. As described above, the LED light source 50 is held by the holding portion 60 provided on the cover portion 30, and the holding portion 60 of the cover portion 30 has a gripping portion 61 that holds the FPC 23 to which the LED light source 50 is connected, as shown in FIG. 6. The gripping portion 61 has an inclined surface 62 that forms the irradiation space S that gradually expands from the LED light source 50 toward the light-emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40, and a stopper surface 63 that can abut against the blade member 40. The inclined surface 62 of the gripping portion 61 can form the irradiation space S that gradually expands from the LED light source 50 toward the light-emitting portion 41, so that the area of ​​the region of the light-emitting portion 41 into which the light emitted from the LED light source 50 is incident can be increased, and the light from the LED light source 50 can be introduced into the light-emitting portion 41 more efficiently. Furthermore, by receiving the blade member 40 moving in the −X direction on the stopper surface 63 of the gripping portion 61 , the movement of the blade member 40 in the X direction can be restricted up to the position of the stopper surface 63 .

[0027] In this embodiment, the holder 60 for holding the LED light source 50 is provided on the cover part 30, but it goes without saying that the holder 60 may be provided on the base part 10.

[0028] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the entire blade member 40 is made of a light-transmitting light guide plate, but if the light-emitting portion 41 of the blade member 40 is made of a light guide plate, other portions of the blade member 40 do not need to be made of a light guide plate. Also, it is not necessarily necessary to apply the coating 48 to the surface of the light-emitting portion 41. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the blade member 40 is configured so that light is emitted from the light-emitting portion 41 by introducing light from the LED light source 50 into the light-emitting portion 41, but it may be configured so that, for example, the LED light source 50 is not provided and at least a part of the light-emitting portion 41 is made of a phosphorescent material or a fluorescent material to emit light.

[0029] In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the base opening 11 of the base portion 10 and the cover opening 31 of the cover portion 30 are approximately rectangular in shape, but the shapes of these openings 11, 31 are not limited to approximately rectangular, and any shape such as circular or elliptical can be selected.

[0030] In other embodiments, the blade members 40 may be configured to be manually opened and closed. In this case, the power supply of the camera unit may be linked to the open / closed state of the blade members 40. For example, the power supply of the camera unit may be turned on when the blade members 40 are in the open state, and the power supply of the camera unit may be turned off when the blade members 40 are in the closed state.

[0031] In other embodiments, the cover unit 30 may be provided with a light-emitting body (e.g., a light-emitting diode) that indicates the open / closed state of the blade member 40 by a light-emitting state. For example, the light-emitting body (LED) may be configured to emit light when the blade member 40 is in an open state, and to turn off the light-emitting body (LED) when the blade member 40 is in a closed state. Instead of making the light-emitting member emit and turn off in this manner, the color of the light-emitting body may be changed according to the change in the open / closed state of the blade member 40. Furthermore, such a light-emitting body may be provided on the inside of the cover unit 30 (i.e., on the -Z direction side). For example, when the light-emitting body emits light, the light of the light-emitting body can be seen from the outside through the cover unit 30, and the user can recognize that at least a part of the cover unit 30 is emitting light.

[0032] As described above, the blade opening and closing device 1 in this embodiment is incorporated into a camera unit (imaging device) mounted on a television or a notebook computer, and light passing through the cover opening 31 of the cover part 30 and the base opening 11 of the base part 10 is incident on the imaging element of the imaging device. In this case, the cover part 30 of the blade opening and closing device 1 may also serve as a cover member of the imaging device.

[0033] As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blade opening / closing device that allows easy visual confirmation of the open / closed state of a blade member from the outside. This blade opening / closing device includes a base portion having a base opening formed therein, and a cover portion that covers at least a part of the base portion. The cover portion has a cover opening formed at a position adjacent to the base opening of the base portion in a first direction. The blade opening / closing device further includes a blade member that is movable along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction inside a blade chamber formed between the base portion and the cover portion. The blade member has a light-emitting portion that is capable of emitting light. The blade drive device includes an actuator that moves the blade member to a closed position so that at least a part of the light-emitting portion of the blade member is exposed from the cover opening, and retracts the blade member to an open position so that the cover opening and the base opening communicate with each other.

[0034] With this configuration, when the blade member moves to the closed position, light can be emitted from the light-emitting portion of the blade member exposed from the cover opening, making it easy to see from the outside that the cover opening of the blade opening / closing device is covered by the blade member.

[0035] The blade opening / closing device may further include a light source disposed near the light emitting portion of the blade member in the closed position. In this case, at least the light emitting portion of the blade member may be formed from a light-transmitting material. Also, a light-shielding coating may be applied to a part of the surface of the light emitting portion of the blade member.

[0036] The light source may be disposed on the opposite side of the actuator with respect to the base opening in the second direction. In order to efficiently allow light from the light source to be incident on the light-emitting portion of the blade member, the light source is preferably disposed near the center of the light-emitting portion of the blade member in the closed position in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction. In order to allow more light to be incident on the light-emitting portion of the blade member, the thickness range of the light source along the first direction is preferably within the thickness range of the light-emitting portion of the blade member along the first direction.

[0037] One of the cover part and the base part may have a holding part for holding the light source. The holding part preferably has a holding part including an inclined surface that forms an irradiation space that gradually expands from the light source toward the light-emitting part of the blade member. By forming an irradiation space that gradually expands toward the light-emitting part in this manner, the area of ​​the light-emitting part into which the light emitted from the light source is incident can be increased, and the light from the light source can be introduced into the light-emitting part more efficiently.

[0038] It is preferable that the holding portion further includes a stopper surface capable of coming into contact with the blade member. By receiving the blade member moving in the second direction on the stopper surface of the holding portion, the movement of the blade member in the second direction can be restricted to the position of the stopper surface.

[0039] The blade member may further include a pair of guide portions extending along the second direction to be guided by the base portion, and a rack portion formed on one of the pair of guide portions along the second direction. In this case, the actuator may include a pinion meshing with the rack portion of the blade member.

[0040] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging device that can give a user a sense of security that their privacy is protected. The imaging device includes an imaging element and the above-mentioned blade opening and closing device. The blade opening and closing device is arranged so that light that has passed through the cover opening and the base opening is incident on the imaging element. In this case, the cover portion of the blade opening and closing device may be formed of a cover member of a camera unit including the imaging element.

[0041] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and may be embodied in various different forms within the scope of the technical concept thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Blade opening and closing device 10 Base 11 Base opening 13 Board part 14 Side wall 15 Guide Post 16 Rail section 17 Protrusion 20 Actuator 21 Motor 22 Pinion 23 Flexible Printed Circuit Board 30 Cover part 31 Cover opening 40 Blade member 41 Light emitting part 42,43 Guide section 42A, 43A Guide groove 42B, 43B Guide recess 45 Rack section 48 Painting 49 Light-emitting area 50 LED light sources 60 Holding part 61 Gripping part 62 Slope 63 Stopper surface S irradiation space

Claims

1. a base portion having a base opening; a cover portion arranged next to the base portion in a first direction and covering at least a portion of the base portion, the cover portion having a cover opening formed at a position adjacent to the base opening of the base portion in the first direction; a blade member movable along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction within a blade chamber formed between the base portion and the cover portion, the blade member having a light-emitting portion capable of emitting light; an actuator that moves the blade members to a closed position so that at least a part of the light emitting portion of the blade members is exposed from the cover opening, and that retracts the blade members to an open position so that the cover opening and the base opening are in communication; A blade opening and closing device comprising:

2. a light source disposed adjacent to the light emitting portion of the blade member in the closed position; At least the light-emitting portion of the blade member is formed from a material having translucency. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 1 .

3. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 2 , wherein a light-shielding paint is applied to a part of a surface of the light-emitting portion of the blade member.

4. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the light source is disposed on an opposite side of the base opening to the actuator in the second direction.

5. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 2 , wherein the light source is arranged near a center of the light-emitting portion of the blade member in the closed position in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction.

6. The blade opening / closing device according to claim 2 , wherein a range of thicknesses of the light source along the first direction is within a range of thicknesses of the light-emitting portion of the blade member along the first direction.

7. The blade opening and closing device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein one of the cover portion and the base portion has a holding portion that holds the light source, the holding portion including an inclined surface that forms an irradiation space that gradually expands from the light source toward the light-emitting portion of the blade member.

8. The blade opening and closing device according to claim 7 , wherein the holding portion further includes a stopper surface capable of coming into contact with the blade member.

9. The blade member is a pair of guide portions extending along the second direction to be guided by the base portion; a rack portion formed in one of the pair of guide portions along the second direction, The actuator has a pinion that meshes with the rack portion of the blade member. The blade opening and closing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An imaging element; 10. The blade opening / closing device according to claim 1 , wherein the blade opening / closing device is disposed so that light passing through the cover opening and the base opening is incident on the imaging element; An imaging device comprising:

11. The imaging device according to claim 10 , wherein the cover portion of the blade opening and closing device is formed of a cover member of a camera unit including the imaging element.

Images