Imaging device

Abstract

To provide an imaging device that suppresses generation of dew condensation in the device and that is less likely to be affected from an external electromagnetic noise.SOLUTION: An imaging device 1 comprises: a housing 2 that forms a housing space therein and is composed of a front case 10 and a rear case 20; a lens 30; and a substrate 51 which is mounted with an imaging element 50 that receives light having passed through the lens 30. The rear case 20 is formed with a through-hole 27 extending in a Z direction to make the housing space and the external space communicate with each other. The imaging device 1 further comprises: an air permeable waterproof member 70 arranged so as to close the through-hole 27 of the rear case 20; and a metal shield member 60. The substrate 51 and the shield member 60 are housed in the housing space inside the housing 2. The shield member 60 includes a cover part 67 arranged so as to be overlapped with the through-hole 27 when seen in the Z direction. The cover part 37 is separated from the rear case 20 and the air permeability waterproof member 70 in the Z direction, between the substrates 51, 54 and the through-hole 27.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device, and more particularly to an imaging device having a through hole formed therein for preventing condensation from occurring therein. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, a camera has a housing that houses an image sensor, a lens, and the like, and it is considered that moisture in the air present in the internal space of the housing condenses in the internal space of the housing as the temperature changes. If such condensation occurs on the lens surface or the internal surface of the housing, it will have a negative effect on photography, so it has been proposed to form an air vent in the housing to prevent condensation from occurring inside the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, when an air vent is formed in the housing in this way, it is considered that electromagnetic noise from the outside will enter through the air vent and act on the circuit board inside the housing, thereby adversely affecting photography. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-239017 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems with the conventional technology, and has an object to provide an imaging device that suppresses the occurrence of internal condensation and is less susceptible to the effects of external electromagnetic noise. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging device that suppresses the occurrence of condensation inside and is not easily affected by external electromagnetic noise. The imaging device comprises a housing in which an accommodation space is formed, at least one lens, and a substrate on which an imaging element that receives light that has passed through the at least one lens is mounted. The housing has a through hole that extends in a penetration direction and communicates the accommodation space with an external space. The substrate is accommodated in the accommodation space within the housing. The imaging device further comprises a breathable waterproof member arranged to block the through hole of the housing, and a metallic shielding member accommodated in the accommodation space within the housing. The shielding member is A base portion extending along a plane perpendicular to the penetration direction; A cover portion arranged so as to overlap the through hole when viewed in the through direction. and The cover portion includes: Located closer to the substrate than the base, In the penetration direction, the substrate and the through hole of the housing are spaced apart from the housing and the breathable waterproof member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging device shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of a shield member of the imaging device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a front view showing some components of the imaging device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an imaging 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 description 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.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an imaging device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, imaging device 1 has a housing 2 composed of a front case 10 (first case) and a rear case 20 (second case), a lens barrel 3 attached to the front case 10, and a connector 4 attached to the rear case 20. Lens barrel 3 includes a lens 30 therein. Note that in this embodiment, for convenience, the +Z direction in Fig. 1 will be referred to as "front" or "forward" and the -Z direction will be referred to as "rear" or "rear".

[0009] The front case 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped base 11 and a cylindrical portion 12 extending in the +Z direction from the base 11. The lens barrel 3 is fixed to the inside of the cylindrical portion 12 of the front case 10 via an O-ring 31.

[0010] The rear case 20 has a base 21 that extends generally along the XY plane, and four side walls 22 that extend in the +Z direction from the edges of the base 21. Insertion holes 23 extending in the Z direction are formed in the four corners of the side walls 22, and the rear case 20 is fixed to the front case 10 by screwing screws 24 inserted into the insertion holes 23 into threaded portions 13 formed in the four corners of the base 11 of the front case 10.

[0011] 2, a substantially annular seal member 5 is disposed between the rear case 20 and the front case 10, and the inside of the housing 2 is sealed from the outside by this seal member 5. By fixing the rear case 20 and the front case 10 to each other in this manner, an accommodation space is formed inside the housing 2.

[0012] The connector 4 includes an attachment portion 40 attached to the rear case 20, a cylindrical ground portion 41 extending in the +Z direction from the attachment portion 40, and a terminal 42 extending in the Z direction at the center of the ground portion 41. An insertion hole 43 extending in the Z direction is formed in the attachment portion 40, and the connector 4 is fixed to the rear case 20 by screwing a screw 44 inserted into the insertion hole 43 into a threaded portion (not shown) formed on the rear surface of the rear case 20. When the connector 4 is fixed to the rear case 20, the ground portion 41 and the terminal 42 of the connector 4 protrude into the storage space in the housing 2 through a connector hole 25 formed in the base portion 21 of the rear case 20.

[0013] The storage space within the housing 2 accommodates a substrate 51 on which the imaging element 50 is mounted, a substrate 54 on which a connection portion 52 electrically connected to the terminal 42 of the connector 4 and an electronic component 53 are mounted, and a shield member 60 formed by bending a metal plate. Light that passes through the lens 30 in the lens barrel 3 is coupled to the imaging element 50 on the substrate 51. The imaging element 50 on the substrate 51 and the connection portion 52 and electronic component 53 on the substrate 54 are electrically connected by wiring (not shown).

[0014] A through hole 27 is formed in the base 21 of the rear case 20, penetrating the base 21 in the Z direction (penetration direction). This through hole 27 communicates the storage space within the housing 2 with the space outside the housing 2. A recess 28 is formed at the end of this through hole 27 in the +Z direction, and a breathable waterproof member 70 is housed in this recess 28.

[0015] This breathable waterproof member 70 has the property of allowing air and water vapor to pass through but not allowing liquid water, dust, etc. to pass through, and is formed of, for example, a porous polymer film, etc. The breathable waterproof member 70 covers the through-holes 27 of the rear case 20, and allows air and water vapor to pass between the storage space inside the housing 2 and the space outside the housing 2, but prevents liquid water, dust, etc. from entering the storage space inside the housing 2. The thickness of the breathable waterproof member 70 is, for example, 0.2 mm.

[0016] Fig. 3 is a front view of the shielding member 60, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 3. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the shielding member 60 includes a base 63 in which circular holes 61 and 62 are formed, an elastic piece 64 extending in a substantially Y-shape in the +Y direction at the center of the base 63 in the X direction, side pieces (side parts) 65A, 65B, 65C, and 65D extending in the +Z direction from the edge of the base 63, a connecting part 66 extending in the -Z direction from the side piece 65A, and a cover part 67 extending in the -X direction from an end of the connecting part 66. As shown in Fig. 4, the cover part 67 is located on the +Z direction side of the base 63.

[0017] A guide post 29 (see FIG. 2) extending in the +Z direction from the base 21 of the rear case 20 is inserted into the circular hole 61 of the shield member 60 to position the shield member 60. Furthermore, a screw 56 (see FIG. 2) inserted into a circular hole 62 is screwed into a screw hole 26 formed in the base 21 of the rear case 20, thereby fixing the shield member 60 to the rear case 20. When the shield member 60 is fixed to the rear case 20, the side pieces 65A, 65B, 65C, and 65D of the shield member 60 surround the periphery of the boards 51 and 54.

[0018] Fig. 5 is a front view showing components on the rear side of the imaging device 1. As described above, when the connector 4 is fixed to the rear case 20, the ground portion 41 and the terminal 42 of the connector 4 protrude into the storage space in the housing 2, but as shown in Fig. 5, the ground portion 41 of the connector 4 abuts against an annular contact portion 64A at the tip of the elastic piece 64 of the shielding member 60. This makes the shielding member 60 equipotential with the ground portion 41 of the connector 4, further reducing the effects of electromagnetic noise.

[0019] 5, that is, when viewed in the Z direction, the cover portion 67 of the shield member 60 overlaps with the through hole 27 of the rear case 20 and covers the +Z direction side of the through hole 27. As a result, the metallic cover portion 67 is positioned between the through hole 27 and the boards 51, 54, and therefore electromagnetic noise that enters the storage space of the housing 2 from the outside through the through hole 27 is blocked by the cover portion 67. Therefore, the effect of external electromagnetic noise on electronic components such as the image sensor 50 in the storage space of the housing 2 can be reduced.

[0020] Fig. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the cross section taken along line BB in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 6, the cover portion 67 of the shield member 60 is located on the +Z direction side of the base portion 63, and is spaced apart in the +Z direction from both the rear case 20 and the breathable waterproof member 70. This forms a gap G between the breathable waterproof member 70 and the cover portion 67 of the shield member 60. The width of this gap G is, for example, 0.5 mm.

[0021] When the cover portion 67 of the shield member 60 is in close contact with the breathable waterproof member 70, the passage of air and water vapor between the storage space in the housing 2 and the space outside the housing 2 is blocked by the cover portion 67, and the flow of air and water vapor between the storage space in the housing 2 and the space outside the housing 2 is insufficient. For this reason, it is considered that the occurrence of condensation in the storage space in the housing 2 cannot be sufficiently suppressed. In contrast, as in the present embodiment, by forming a gap G between the breathable waterproof member 70 and the cover portion 67 of the shield member 60, a passage is formed from the space outside the housing 2 through the through hole 27, passing through the breathable waterproof member 70, and further through the gap G to the storage space in the housing 2, so that the flow of air and water vapor between the storage space in the housing 2 and the space outside the housing 2 is not hindered by the cover portion 67 of the shield member 60. Therefore, the occurrence of condensation in the storage space in the housing 2 can be suppressed.

[0022] In this embodiment, the cover portion 67 of the shield member 60 is configured to extend in the -X direction from an end of the connecting portion 66 extending in the -Z direction from the side piece 65A. That is, the connecting portion 66 and the cover portion 67 of the shield member 60 are configured by bending the plate piece extending in the -Z direction from the side piece 65A. Therefore, the size of the above-mentioned gap G can be easily adjusted by adjusting the position at which the plate piece extending in the -Z direction from the side piece 65A is bent.

[0023] In this embodiment, the shield member 60 is configured to have the same potential as the ground portion 41 of the connector 4 by abutting the contact portion 64A of the elastic piece 64 against the ground portion 41 of the connector 4, but may be configured to contact other ground portions (for example, ground portions formed on the substrates 51 and 54, or ground portions formed on the connection portion 52 or electronic components 53) without being limited to the ground portion 41 of the connector 4. Also, a metal plating layer (not shown) may be formed on the inner surface of at least one of the front case 10 and the rear case 20 to reduce the influence of external electromagnetic noise on the imaging element 50 and the electronic components 53. In this case, it is preferable that the shield member 60 contacts the metal plating layer via, for example, the screw 56 in order to further reduce the influence of electromagnetic noise.

[0024] In this embodiment, the through hole 27 is formed in the housing 2 (i.e., the rear case 20) on the side opposite to the side on which the lens 30 that receives light from the outside is attached. It is conceivable that the housing 2 on the side on which the lens 30 is attached (i.e., the front case 10) may be splashed with water during cleaning, etc., but since the through hole 27 is formed on the opposite side, the possibility of such water entering the through hole 27 is reduced. Note that the member in which the through hole 27 is formed is not limited to the rear case 20, and it goes without saying that the through hole 27 may be formed in, for example, the front case 10.

[0025] In this embodiment, the lens barrel 3 that holds the lens 30 is attached to the front case 10, but this is not limited to this example, and the lens 30 may be fixed to a part other than the front case 10.

[0026] In addition, the terms "front," "rear," "forward," "rearward," and other terms indicating positional relationships used in this specification are used in relation to the illustrated embodiment and may change depending on the relative positional relationship of the devices.

[0027] As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging device that suppresses the occurrence of condensation inside and is not easily affected by external electromagnetic noise. The imaging device includes a housing in which an accommodation space is formed, at least one lens, and a substrate on which an imaging element that receives light that has passed through the at least one lens is mounted. The housing is formed with a through hole that extends in a penetration direction and communicates the accommodation space with an external space. The substrate is accommodated in the accommodation space in the housing. The imaging device further includes a breathable waterproof member arranged to block the through hole of the housing, and a metallic shielding member accommodated in the accommodation space in the housing. The shielding member includes a cover portion arranged to overlap the through hole when viewed in the penetration direction. The cover portion is spaced apart from the housing and the breathable waterproof member between the substrate and the through hole of the housing in the penetration direction.

[0028] According to this configuration, a gap is formed between the breathable waterproof member and the cover portion or through-hole of the shield member, so that a passage is formed from the space outside the housing through the through-hole and the breathable waterproof member, and further through the gap to the storage space in the housing. Therefore, the flow of air and water vapor between the storage space in the housing and the space outside the housing is not hindered by the cover portion of the shield member, and the occurrence of condensation in the storage space in the housing can be suppressed. In addition, since the breathable waterproof member is arranged to block the through-hole, the ingress of liquid water, dust, and the like into the storage space in the housing through the through-hole is suppressed. In addition, since the cover portion of the shield member is arranged to overlap the through-hole when viewed in the penetration direction, the electromagnetic noise entering the storage space of the housing from the outside through the through-hole can be shielded by the cover portion, and the influence of the external electromagnetic noise on the imaging element in the storage space of the housing can be reduced.

[0029] The shielding member may further include a side portion extending along the penetration direction and a connecting portion extending from the side portion along the penetration direction toward the through hole. In this case, it is preferable that the cover portion of the shielding member extends from an end of the connecting portion in a direction perpendicular to the penetration direction. According to this configuration, the connecting portion and the cover portion can be formed by bending a plate piece extending from the side portion of the shielding member in the penetration direction, so that the size of the gap between the breathable waterproof member and the cover portion or the through hole of the shielding member can be easily adjusted by adjusting the position at which the plate piece is bent.

[0030] The shielding member may be configured to be in contact with a ground portion of another member so as to be at the same potential as the ground portion.

[0031] The housing may include a first case and a second case fixed to each other in the through-hole direction. In this case, it is preferable that the at least one lens is attached to the first case, and the through-hole is formed in the second case. In this way, by forming the through-hole in the housing (i.e., the second case) on the opposite side to the side on which the lens that receives light from the outside is attached, the possibility of water used for cleaning or the like entering the through-hole is reduced, and waterproofing is improved.

[0032] A metal plating layer may be formed on the inner surface of the housing to reduce the effect of external electromagnetic noise on the imaging element, etc. In this case, in order to further reduce the effect of electromagnetic noise, it is preferable that the shielding portion is in contact with the metal plating layer.

[0033] 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]

[0034] 1. Imaging device 2. Housing 3 Lens barrel 4 Connector 5. Sealing material 10 Front case (first case) 11 Base 12 Cylindrical part 13 Screw part 20 Rear case (second case) 21 Base 22 Side wall 27 Through hole 28 Recess 29 Guide Post 30 Lenses 41 Ground Section 42 Terminals 50 Image sensor 51,54 Substrate 52 Connection 53 Electronic Components 60 Shielding material 61,62 Circular hole 63 Base 64 Elastic piece 64A Contact part 65A, 65B, 65C, 65D Side pieces (sides) 66 Connecting part 67 Cover part 70 Breathable and waterproof materials G gap

Claims

1. A housing having an accommodation space formed therein, the housing having a through hole extending in a through-hole direction to communicate the accommodation space with an external space; At least one lens; a substrate on which an image pickup element that receives light that has passed through the at least one lens is mounted, the substrate being accommodated in the accommodation space within the housing; a breathable waterproof member arranged to close the through hole of the housing; a metallic shield member accommodated in the accommodation space within the housing; Equipped with The shield member is A base portion extending along a plane perpendicular to the penetration direction; a cover portion arranged to overlap the through hole when viewed in the penetration direction, the cover portion being located closer to the substrate than the base portion and spaced apart from the housing and the breathable waterproof member between the substrate and the through hole of the housing in the penetration direction; Including, Imaging device.

2. The shield member is A side portion extending from an edge of the base portion along the penetration direction; a connecting portion extending from a part of the side portion in a direction opposite to a direction in which the side portion extends; Further comprising: The cover portion of the shield member extends from an end of the connecting portion in a direction perpendicular to the penetration direction. The imaging device according to claim 1 .

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the shielding member is in contact with a ground portion of another member.

4. The housing includes a first case and a second case fixed to each other in the penetration direction, the at least one lens is attached to the first case; The through hole is formed in the second case. The imaging device according to claim 1 .

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein a metal plating layer is formed on an inner surface of the housing.

6. The imaging device according to claim 5 , wherein the shielding member is in contact with the metal plating layer.

Images