Imaging device

Abstract

To provide an imaging apparatus capable of changing the imaging direction and efficiently heating a front window by a heater.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus includes a lens unit that can change the imaging direction, a transparent window that protects the lens unit, a heater that heats the transparent window, and a heat transfer member that transfers the heat of the heater to the transparent window, and the heat transfer member is movable with respect to the transparent window according to the imaging direction of the lens unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device equipped with a heating member such as a heater. [Background technology]

[0002] Some vehicle-mounted surveillance cameras are equipped with a heater for heating the front window of the camera case so that ice and snow can melt if they adhere to the front window. The heater is placed around the front window, which is outside the camera's shooting range (Patent Document 1). In cameras with adjustable shooting direction, the size of the front window needs to be large to take into account the adjustment of the shooting direction, but the larger the front window size, the more power the heater needs to use to heat the front window sufficiently up to the center. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-14700 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, increasing the heater's power also affects the lens unit and other electrical components located around the heater, which creates the problem that the heater temperature cannot be raised above a certain level.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device in which the imaging direction can be changed and the front window can be efficiently heated by a heater. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the imaging device of the present invention has the following configuration: a lens unit capable of changing an imaging direction; a transparent window for protecting the lens unit; and a heating element for heating the transparent window.With an opening in the center A heater that a heat diffusion plate that diffuses heat from the heater and has an opening at its center, the heat diffusion plate being in contact with the heat diffusion plate; The heat of the heater Through the heat diffusion plate Heat is transferred to the transparent window. and a first opening in the center. Heat Transfer board and First Heat Transfer board is movable with respect to the transparent window in accordance with the imaging direction of the lens unit. The opening of the first heat transfer plate is smaller than the opening of the heater and the opening of the heat diffusion plate. . Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imaging device in which the imaging direction can be changed and the front window can be efficiently heated by a heater. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an imaging device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a heater unit having a first heat transfer plate according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a heater unit having a first heat transfer plate according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing movement of a first heat transfer plate in the first embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a heater unit having a second heat transfer plate according to a second embodiment; [Figure 6] 11 is a cross-sectional view of the heater unit periphery having a second heat transfer plate in the second embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the movement of a second heat transfer plate in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the periphery of a heater unit according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <First embodiment> DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] The imaging device of the present invention is assumed to be installed outside a vehicle, but may be installed inside the vehicle or on a pillar, etc. The imaging device includes an upper cover 101, a lower cover 204, a lens unit 201, a lens cover 202, and a lens cover holder 203.

[0011] The upper cover 101 and the lower cover 204 are fixed with screws (not shown) and form an exterior. The upper cover 101 and the lower cover 204 are made of a metal material such as aluminum die-casting to protect the internal lens unit 201 from external impacts. The lower cover 204 is a member that supports the lens unit 201 and the substrate, and the upper cover 101 is a member that covers the lens unit 201 and the substrate. The lower cover 204 has a base portion 204a for supporting the lens unit 201.

[0012] The lens unit 201 is capable of changing the imaging direction, includes a lens and an imaging element, and is covered by a spherical cover. The lens unit 201 is supported by a base portion 204a of a cover 204 so as to be rotatable in the pan and tilt directions. The lens unit 201 is manually rotated in the pan and tilt directions by the user at the time of installation. Note that a pan motor and a tilt motor may be installed to perform automatic pan and tilt.

[0013] The lens cover 202 is a member that covers the lens unit 201, and rotates in the pan direction together with the lens unit 201. In other words, when rotating the lens unit 201 in the pan direction, the user rotates the lens cover 202.

[0014] Furthermore, the lens cover 202 is fitted into the lens cover holder 203 and held so as to be rotatable in the pan direction. Furthermore, the lens cover 202 has an elliptical opening 202a which engages with the annular rib portion 201a of the lens unit 201. The annular rib 201a of the lens unit 201 is guided by the edge of the opening 202a when rotating in the tilt direction. In other words, the edge of the opening 202a limits the rotation range of the lens unit 201 in the tilt direction.

[0015] The lens cover holder 203 is a member that supports the lens cover 202, and is fixed to the bottom cover 204 with screws. The lens holder 203 limits the rotation range of the lens cover 202 in the pan direction by an engagement portion (not shown).

[0016] Next, a heater unit having a first heat transfer plate in the present invention will be described. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the heater unit having the first heat transfer plate. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heater unit having the first heat transfer plate and its periphery. The imaging device further includes a transparent window 102, a rubber member 103, a heater 104, a heat diffusion plate 105, a first heat transfer plate 106 (heat transfer member), and a holder 107 (holding member).

[0017] The transparent window 102 is made of a transparent material such as glass or resin, and the lens unit 201 can capture an image of a subject through the transparent window 102. The transparent window 102 is attached to the upper cover 101 via a rubber member 103. The rubber member 103 prevents dust and water from entering the imaging device. The rubber member 103 has an opening in the center and is rectangular. The rubber member 103 is attached to the upper cover 101.

[0018] The heater 104 is a film-like heat generating component that comes into contact with the transparent window 102 to heat the transparent window 102. The heater 104 also has an opening 104a in the center so that vignetting does not occur regardless of the shooting direction of the lens unit 201. The heater 104 is controlled by a control unit (not shown). The heater 104 is activated by the control unit when a temperature sensor (not shown) detects that the temperature of the transparent window 102 is equal to or lower than a certain value.

[0019] The heat diffusion plate 105 is, for example, an aluminum sheet metal, and diffuses the heat generated by the heater 104 so that it does not concentrate locally. Similarly to the heater 104, the heat diffusion plate 105 has an opening 105a in the center to prevent vignetting. Note that if the heat generated by the heater 104 can be kept uniform over the entire surface, the heat diffusion plate 105 may not be necessary.

[0020] The first heat transfer plate 106 has an opening 106a smaller than the opening 104a of the heater 104 and the opening 105a of the heat diffusion plate 105, and transfers heat to the periphery of the opening 106a by constantly contacting the heat diffusion plate 105. That is, the first heat transfer plate 106 can heat the periphery of the opening 106a in the transparent window 102. Note that in the case where the heat diffusion plate 105 is not provided, the first heat transfer plate 106 transfers heat to the periphery of the opening 106a by constantly contacting the heater 104.

[0021] The holder 107 is made of a resin material with low thermal conductivity, and holds the transparent window 102, the heater 104, the heat diffusion plate 105 and the first heat transfer plate 106, and also provides insulation to prevent heat from escaping to the outside.

[0022] Next, the movement of the first heat transfer plate in the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the movement of the first heat transfer plate relative to the holder 107. The first heat transfer plate 106 is movable in a first direction that is a direction approximately parallel to the transparent window 102 while maintaining contact with the heater 104 or the heat diffusion plate 105. The first direction is approximately the same as the pan direction among the movement directions of the lens unit 201.

[0023] After adjusting the shooting direction of the lens unit 201, the first heat transfer plate 106 is moved in the first direction by the user to adjust the position. That is, the first heat transfer plate 106 is moved so that vignetting is not caused by the first heat transfer plate 106. Note that the first heat transfer plate 106 does not have to be moved by the user, and may be moved automatically.

[0024] In the above configuration, when the heater 104 is turned on by the control unit, the heat of the heater 104 is not only transferred directly to the transparent window 102, but also transferred to the first heat transfer plate 106 via the heat diffusion plate 105. Then, the heat transferred to the first heat transfer plate 106 heats the transparent window 102 around the lens unit 201 via the air.

[0025] As described above, the imaging device of the present invention can efficiently heat the transparent window 102 in accordance with the imaging direction of the lens unit 201. In other words, compared to a case where there is no first heat transfer plate, the area around the lens unit 201 can be heated in a concentrated manner. As a result, ice and snow adhering to the transparent window 102 can be melted.

[0026] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a heater unit having a second heat transfer plate in the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the heater unit and its periphery having a second heat transfer plate. The configuration from the transparent window 102 to the first heat transfer plate 106 is the same as that described above, so the description will be omitted. The second embodiment has a second heat transfer plate 108 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. In addition, the transparent window 102, heater 104, heat diffusion plate 105, first heat transfer plate 106, and second heat transfer plate 107 are arranged in this order in the optical axis direction of the lens of the lens unit 201.

[0027] The second heat transfer plate 108 transfers heat to the transparent window 102. The second heat transfer plate 108 is supported by the first heat transfer plate 106 and moves integrally with the first heat transfer plate 106 in the first direction. The second heat transfer plate 108 has an opening 108a that is smaller than the opening 106a of the first heat transfer plate 106, and transfers heat to the periphery of the opening 108a by constantly contacting the first heat transfer plate 106. In other words, the second heat transfer plate 108 can heat the periphery of the opening 108a in the transparent window 102.

[0028] The second heat transfer plate 108 has a narrowed portion 108b that narrows in a direction approaching the transparent window 102, and the narrowed portion 108b is disposed inside the opening 106a of the first heat transfer plate 106. In other words, the second heat transfer plate 108 has a stepped shape in cross section as shown in Fig. 6. The narrowed portion 108b is in direct contact with the transparent window 102 as shown in Fig. 6. This allows the second heat transfer plate 108 to heat the transparent window 102 in an area up to the periphery of the opening 108a.

[0029] Holder 107 is made of a resin material with low thermal conductivity, and holds transparent window 102, heater 104, heat diffusion plate 105, first heat transfer plate 106 and second heat transfer plate 108, and also provides insulation to prevent heat from escaping to the outside.

[0030] Next, the movement of the second heat transfer plate in the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the movement of the first heat transfer plate relative to the holder 107. The second heat transfer plate 108 is movable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction while maintaining contact with the first heat transfer plate 106. The second direction is also substantially parallel to the transparent window 102. The second direction is substantially the same as the tilt direction among the movement directions of the lens unit 201.

[0031] The second heat transfer plate 108 is moved in the second direction by the user after adjusting the shooting direction of the lens unit 201 and adjusting the position of the first heat transfer plate 106, thereby adjusting the position. That is, the second heat transfer plate 108 is moved so as not to cause vignetting. Note that the second heat transfer plate 108 may be moved automatically instead of being moved by the user.

[0032] In the above configuration, when the heater 104 is turned on by the control unit, the heat of the heater 104 is not only directly transferred to the transparent window 102, but also transferred to the first heat transfer plate 106 and the second heat transfer plate 108 via the heat diffusion plate 105. The heat transferred to the first heat transfer plate 108 directly heats the transparent window 102 around the lens unit 201. Alternatively, although the diaphragm portion 108b is in direct contact with the transparent window 102 in this embodiment, the transparent window 102 may be heated via the air without contact.

[0033] With this configuration, the transparent window 102 can be efficiently heated according to the imaging direction of the lens unit 201. That is, compared to a case where there is no second heat transfer plate, the area around the lens unit 201 can be heated in a concentrated manner. Also, since the transparent window 102 can be locally heated more than in the first embodiment, the transparent window 102 can be heated more efficiently and ice and snow adhering to the transparent window 102 can be melted.

[0034] Although the imaging device of this embodiment includes both the first heat transfer plate 106 and the second heat transfer plate 108, it may also be configured to include only the second heat transfer plate 108.

[0035] <Third embodiment> FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the photographing directions and the corresponding indices of the first and second heat transfer plates in the present invention.

[0036] The lens cover 202 has an index 202a indicating the rotational position (rotational attitude) in the tilt direction of the lens unit 201. The lens cover holder 203 has an index 203a indicating the rotational position (rotational attitude) in the pan direction of the lens unit 201. Furthermore, the holder 107 has a scale 107a corresponding to the index 203a indicating the rotational position (rotational attitude) in the pan direction. Furthermore, the second heat transfer plate 108 has a scale 108c corresponding to the index 202a indicating the rotational position (rotational attitude) in the tilt direction.

[0037] Since the lens unit 201 is attached to the lower cover 204, whereas the first and second heat transfer plates 106 and 108 are attached to the upper cover 101, it is not possible to adjust the positions in the first and second directions while viewing the captured image. Therefore, by aligning the position of the bent portion 106b provided on the first heat transfer plate 106 with the scale 107a of the holder 107, it is possible to adjust the position of the first heat transfer plate 106 in the pan direction. Also, by aligning the position of the scale 108c of the second heat transfer plate 108 with the position of the protrusion 106b provided on the first heat transfer plate 106, it is possible to adjust the position of the second heat transfer plate 108 in the tilt direction.

[0038] With the above configuration, by moving the first heat transfer plate 106 and the second heat transfer plate 108 according to the shooting direction, it is possible to intensively heat only the area of ​​the transparent window 102 that is being used for shooting. In other words, by narrowing the heating range of the transparent window 102, it becomes possible to melt ice and snow at environmental temperatures that were not possible with the conventional technology, and it is also possible to reduce the power consumption of the heater required for heating. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 101 Top cover 102 Transparent Window 103 Rubber parts 104 Heater 104a opening 105 Heat diffusion plate 105a opening 106 First heat transfer plate 106a opening 106b Bending section 106c Protrusion 107 Holder 107a Scale 108 Second heat transfer plate 108a opening 108b Squeezing section 108c scale 201 Lens unit 201a Circular rib 202 Lens cover 202a opening 202b Tilt direction indicator 203 Lens cover holder 203a Pan Direction Indicator 204 Lower cover 204a Pedestal

Claims

1. a lens unit capable of changing an imaging direction, a transparent window protecting the lens unit, a heater that heats the transparent window and has an opening in the center, a heat diffusion plate that diffuses heat from the heater and has an opening in the center, and a first heat transfer plate that contacts the heat diffusion plate, transfers heat from the heater to the transparent window via the heat diffusion plate, and has an opening in the center; Equipped with The first heat transfer plate is movable with respect to the transparent window in accordance with an imaging direction of the lens unit, and the opening of the first heat transfer plate is smaller than the opening of the heater and the opening of the heat diffusion plate.

1. An imaging device comprising:

2. the first heat transfer plate is movable in a direction corresponding to the movement of the lens unit in a pan direction; The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising a second heat transfer plate movable in a direction corresponding to the movement of the lens unit in the tilt direction.

3. An imaging device as described in Claim 2, characterized in that the second heat transfer plate has an opening in the center.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the opening of the first heat transfer plate is larger than the opening of the second heat transfer plate.

5. 5. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the second heat transfer plate is held by the first heat transfer plate.

6. An imaging device as described in claim 2, characterized in that the transparent window, the heater, the heat diffusion plate, the first heat transfer plate, and the second heat transfer plate are arranged in this order in the optical axis direction of the lens of the lens unit.

7. the second heat transfer plate has an inclined portion inclined in a direction approaching the transparent window, The imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the inclined portion is disposed inside the opening of the first heat transfer plate.

8. a holding member for holding the transparent window, the heater, and the first and second heat transfer plates; 3. The imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the lens unit and the holding member have indexes indicating a rotational attitude of the lens unit, and the first and second heat transfer plates and the holding member have scales corresponding to the indexes indicating the rotational attitude of the lens unit.

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