Imaging device

Abstract

To provide an imaging apparatus which can effectively protect an electronic component arranged in a storage space in a housing from electromagnetic noise with an inexpensively manufactured configuration.SOLUTION: An imaging apparatus has a housing wherein a storage space is formed, and at least one lens. The housing has a first case which has a base part, and side walls extending in an axial direction from the base part, has a metal film formed inside the base part and the side walls, and is made of a resin, and a second case having an opposite part opposite to the side walls of the first case in the axial direction. The imaging apparatus further includes a sealing member for sealing between the side wall of the first case and the opposite part of the second case, and a substrate where an imaging element for receiving light permeating through at least the one lens is mounted. The substrate is stored in the storage space in the housing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging device, and more particularly to an imaging device that houses an imaging element and a lens. capacity The present invention relates to an imaging device having a housing for [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, a camera has a housing that houses an image sensor, a lens, etc. If external electromagnetic noise acts on the image sensor or electronic circuit housed inside such a housing, it will have a negative effect on photography, so a configuration that is less susceptible to external electromagnetic noise is required. From this perspective, it has been considered to place a metal shielding member inside the housing so as to surround the circuit board (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, it is difficult to completely enclose the circuit board with such a shielding material, and gaps inevitably form in parts of the shielding material, which can allow electromagnetic noise to enter the housing. For this reason, it is possible to make the entire housing out of metal to protect the image sensor and electronic circuits inside the housing from electromagnetic noise, but using a metal housing would increase the cost of the imaging device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-164190 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems of the conventional technology, and aims to provide an imaging device that can effectively protect electronic components arranged in the storage space within the housing from electromagnetic noise with a configuration that does not require high manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging device that can effectively protect electronic components arranged in an accommodation space within the housing from electromagnetic noise with a low manufacturing cost. The imaging device includes a housing having an accommodation space formed therein and at least one lens. The housing includes a first case made of resin having a base and sidewalls extending axially from the base, with a metal film formed on the inside of the base and the sidewalls, and a second case connected to the first case in the axial direction. The imaging device further includes a sealing member that seals the gap between the first case and the second case, and a substrate on which an imaging element that receives light that has passed through the at least one lens is mounted. The substrate is accommodated in the accommodation space within the housing. The second case has a first vertical surface extending perpendicular to the axial direction, a first axial surface extending forward along the axial direction from an inner edge of the first vertical surface, a second vertical surface extending inward from a front edge of the first axial surface perpendicular to the axial direction, and a second axial surface extending forward along the axial direction from the inner edge of the second vertical surface. The side wall of the first case has a third vertical surface extending perpendicular to the axial direction and facing at least a portion of the first vertical surface, a third axial surface extending forward from an inner edge of the third vertical surface along the axial direction and facing at least a portion of the first axial surface, a fourth vertical surface extending inward from a front edge of the third axial surface perpendicular to the axial direction and facing at least a portion of the second vertical surface, and a fourth axial surface extending forward from the inner edge of the fourth vertical surface along the axial direction and facing at least a portion of the first axial surface and at least a portion of the second axial surface. The sealing member is disposed between the first axial surface and the fourth axial surface and between the second axial surface and the fourth axial surface. of It is located between the first vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an imaging device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging device shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the imaging device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a front case of the imaging device shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view showing some components of the imaging device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] 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 by the same reference numerals, and redundant 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 merely to distinguish components from one another, and do not represent a particular order or ranking.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an imaging device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, imaging device 1 has a housing 2 composed of a rear case 20 (first case) and a front case 10 (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 contains a lens 30 therein. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, in this embodiment, the +Z direction in FIG. 1 will be referred to as the "front" or "forward," and the -Z direction will be referred to as the "rear" or "rearward." Also, for the sake of simplicity, FIG. 3 shows lens barrel 3 as having only one lens 30, but multiple lenses may be held by lens barrel 3.

[0010] The rear case 20 is made of resin. 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 (axial direction) from the edge of the base 21. Insertion holes 23 that penetrate in the Z direction are formed in the four corners of the side walls 22.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the front case 10. In this embodiment, the front case 10 is made of metal, and its surface is treated with anti-corrosion treatment such as alumite treatment or painting. The front case 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped base 11 and a cylindrical portion 12 extending from the base 11 in the +Z direction. The base 11 has legs 13 formed at the four corners and four opposing portions 14 that face the side walls 22 of the rear case 20. A screw hole 18 is formed near each of the legs 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the lens barrel 3 is fixed to the inside of the cylindrical portion 12 of the front case 10 via an O-ring 31.

[0012] In this configuration, the rear case 20 is fixed to the front case 10 by inserting a screw (not shown) into the insertion hole 23 of the rear case 20 and threading the screw into the screw hole 18 of the front case 10. At this time, the opposing portion 14 of the front case 10 and the side wall 22 of the rear case 20 face each other in the Z direction.

[0013] 2, a substantially annular seal member 5 (sealing member) 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.

[0014] 2, the connector 4 includes a mounting portion 40 attached to the rear case 20, a cylindrical ground portion 41 extending in the +Z direction from the mounting 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 mounting portion 40, and the connector 4 is fixed to the rear case 20 by threading a screw 44 (see FIG. 3) 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 accommodation space within the housing 2 through a connector hole 25 (see FIG. 2) formed in the base portion 21 of the rear case 20.

[0015] The storage space within housing 2 accommodates a substrate 52 on which image sensor 50 and electronic components 51 are mounted, a substrate 55 on which connection portion 53 electrically connected to terminals 42 of connector 4 and electronic components 54 are mounted, and two shield members 60, 61 (shield portions) formed by bending a metal plate. Light that passes through lens 30 in lens barrel 3 is coupled to image sensor 50 on substrate 52. Image sensor 50 and electronic components 51 on substrate 52 are electrically connected to connection portion 53 and electronic components 54 on substrate 55 by wiring (not shown). Shield member 60 is arranged to surround substrate 52, and shield member 61 is arranged to surround substrate 55.

[0016] Here, a metal film made of, for example, copper and nickel is formed on the inside of the base 21 and sidewalls 22 of the rear case 20 (portions indicated by thick lines in FIG. 3 ). Such a metal film can be formed, for example, by vapor deposition plating, but the formation method is not particularly limited. As a result, the substrate 55 is surrounded not only by the shielding member 61 but also by the metal film. Because this metal film is formed over the entire inside surface of the base 21 and sidewalls 22 of the rear case 20, this metal film can prevent external electromagnetic noise from acting on the electronic components 54 on the substrate 55. Furthermore, because the rear case 20 is made of resin, it can be constructed more inexpensively than if the entire rear case 20 were formed from metal to reduce electromagnetic noise. In this way, by forming a metal film on the inside of the base 21 and sidewalls 22 of the rear case 20, it is possible to effectively protect the electronic components 54 on the substrate 55 from electromagnetic noise with a configuration that does not require high manufacturing costs.

[0017] Such a metal film may be formed on both the inner and outer surfaces of the rear case 20, but in order to reduce the cost of forming the metal film, it is preferable that it is formed only on the inside of the base 21 and side wall 22 of the rear case 20, as in this embodiment.

[0018] 5 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the facing portion 14 of the front case 10 has a first facing surface 15 extending perpendicular to the Z direction and a second facing surface 16 extending along the Z direction. The side wall 22 of the rear case 20 has a third facing surface 26 extending perpendicular to the Z direction and a fourth facing surface 27 extending along the Z direction. The first facing surface 15 of the facing portion 14 of the front case 10 and the third facing surface 26 of the side wall 22 of the rear case 20 face each other in the Z direction, and the second facing surface 16 of the facing portion 14 of the front case 10 and the fourth facing surface 27 of the side wall 22 of the rear case 20 face each other in a direction perpendicular to the Z direction (the X direction in FIG. 3). These facing surfaces 15, 16, 26, and 27 are located outside the seal member 5.

[0019] As described above, in this embodiment, when the rear case 20 is fixed to the front case 10, the mutually perpendicular opposing surfaces 15, 16 of the opposing portion 14 of the front case 10 and the mutually perpendicular opposing surfaces 26, 27 of the side wall 22 of the rear case 20 are configured to face each other, so that the connecting portion between the front case 10 and the rear case 20 can have an intricate structure. This prevents electromagnetic noise from entering or leaving through the connecting portion between the front case 10 and the rear case 20, improving the electromagnetic noise shielding effect. In addition, water and dust are prevented from entering the housing space from the outside through the connecting portion between the front case 10 and the rear case 20.

[0020] Returning to FIG. 2 , the shield member 61 includes a base 64 in which circular holes 62 and 63 are formed, an elastic piece 65 extending in the +Y direction from the center of the base 64 in the X direction, and four side pieces 66 extending in the +Z direction from the edge of the base 64. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the components on the rear side of the imaging device 1. As shown in FIG. 6 , a guide post 29 extending in the +Z direction from the base 21 of the rear case 20 is inserted into the circular hole 62 of the shield member 61 to position the shield member 61. Furthermore, the shield member 61 is fixed to the rear case 20 by inserting a screw 56 into the circular hole 63 (see FIG. 2 ) and threading the screw 56 into a screw hole 28 (see FIG. 2 ) formed in the base 21 of the rear case 20. When the shield member 61 is fixed to the rear case 20, the side pieces 66 of the shield member 61 surround the periphery of the board 55.

[0021] As described above, when the connector 4 is fixed to the rear case 20, the ground portion 41 and the terminals 42 of the connector 4 protrude into the storage space within the housing 2. However, as shown in FIG. 6 , the ground portion 41 of the connector 4 abuts against the annular contact portion 65A at the tip of the elastic piece 65 of the shielding member 61. This causes the shielding member 61 to be equipotential with the ground portion 41 of the connector 4. Furthermore, the screws 56 fixing the shielding member 61 are conductive and are in contact with both the base 64 of the shielding member 61 and the metal films formed on the inside of the base 21 and the side walls 22 of the rear case 20. Therefore, the metal films formed on the inside of the base 21 and the side walls 22 of the rear case 20 are equipotential with the ground portion 41 of the connector 4 via the screws 56. This enhances the electromagnetic noise shielding effect of the metal films formed on the inside of the base 21 and the side walls 22 of the rear case 20.

[0022] 2, the shield member 60 includes a base 71 having elastic pieces 70, and side pieces 72 extending in the +Z direction from the edges of the base 71. The side pieces 72 of the shield member 60 are configured to surround the periphery of the substrate 52. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the elastic pieces 70 of the shield member 60 are configured to come into contact with the side pieces 66 of the shield member 61 described above, which causes the shield member 60 to be at the same potential as the shield member 61.

[0023] As described above, the front case 10 is made of a metal material and is entirely treated with an anti-corrosion treatment such as anodizing, but the oxide film and paint on the inside of the front case 10 are partially removed to form an exposed portion 17 (see FIG. 4 ) where the metal material is exposed. The side pieces 72 of the shield member 60 are adapted to contact the surface 17A of this exposed portion 17. This brings the entire front case 10 into equipotential with the shield member 60. As described above, in this embodiment, the ground portion 41 of the connector 4, the shield member 61, the metal films formed on the inside of the base 21 and side walls 22 of the rear case 20, the shield member 60, and the entire front case 10 are all at equipotential, so that the image sensor 50 and electronic components 51 and 54 on the circuit boards 52 and 55 housed in the housing 1 can be effectively protected from electromagnetic noise.

[0024] In this embodiment, the entire surface of the front case 10 except for the exposed portion 17 is subjected to anti-corrosion treatment, but it is also possible to apply anti-corrosion treatment to only the outer surface of the front case 10, for example.

[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] It should be noted that 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 will vary depending on the relative positional relationship of the devices.

[0027] As described above, one aspect of the present invention provides an imaging device that can effectively protect electronic components arranged in an accommodation space within the housing from electromagnetic noise with a low manufacturing cost. The imaging device includes a housing having an accommodation space formed therein and at least one lens. The housing includes a first case made of resin having a base and a sidewall extending axially from the base, with a metal film formed on the inside of the base and the sidewall, and a second case having an opposing portion opposing the sidewall of the first case in the axial direction. The imaging device further includes a sealing member that seals the gap between the sidewall of the first case and the opposing portion of the second case, and a substrate on which an imaging element that receives light that has passed through the at least one lens is mounted. The substrate is accommodated in the accommodation space within the housing.

[0028] With this configuration, a metal film is formed on the base and the inside of the sidewall of the first case, which prevents external electromagnetic noise from affecting the electronic components placed in the storage space within the housing. Furthermore, because the first case is made of resin, it can be constructed more inexpensively than if the entire first case were made of metal to reduce electromagnetic noise. Therefore, with this inexpensive configuration, the imaging element and electronic components on the circuit board housed in the storage space within the housing can be effectively protected from electromagnetic noise.

[0029] The metal film of the first case may be configured to be electrically connected to a ground portion of a connector coupled to a connection portion electrically connected to the imaging element of the board, in which case the metal film of the first case is at the same potential as the ground portion of the connector, thereby improving the electromagnetic noise shielding effect of the metal film of the first case.

[0030] The facing portion of the second case may include a first facing surface extending perpendicular to the axial direction and a second facing surface extending along the axial direction. Furthermore, the side wall of the first case may include a third facing surface facing the first facing surface of the facing portion of the second case and a fourth facing surface facing the second facing surface of the facing portion of the second case. This configuration allows the connecting portion between the first case and the second case to have a complex structure, thereby suppressing the entry and exit of electromagnetic noise through the connecting portion between the first case and the second case, thereby improving the electromagnetic noise shielding effect. Furthermore, the intrusion of water and dust into the housing space from the outside through the connecting portion between the first case and the second case is also suppressed.

[0031] The second case may be made of a metal material. In this case, the second case has an electromagnetic noise shielding effect. In this case, the second case preferably has an outer surface that has been subjected to a corrosion prevention treatment.

[0032] The second case may have an exposed portion where the metal material is exposed. Preferably, the imaging device further includes a metallic shielding portion in contact with the exposed portion of the second case and the metal film of the first case. In this case, the metal film of the first case, the shielding portion, and the entire second case are all at the same potential, thereby effectively protecting the imaging element and electronic components on the circuit board housed in the storage space inside housing 1 from electromagnetic noise.

[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 Connectors 5 Sealing material 10 Front case 11 Base 12 Cylindrical part 13 Legs 15 First opposing surface 16 Second opposing surface 17 Exposed part 20 Rear case 21 Base 22 Side wall 26 Third opposing surface 27 Fourth opposing surface 30 lenses 31 O-ring 40 Mounting part 41 Ground Section 42 terminals 50 imaging element 51,54 Electronic Components 52,55 PCB 53 Connection 60, 61 Shielding member (shielding part)

Claims

1. A housing having an internal storage space, a first case made of resin having a base and a side wall extending in an axial direction from the base, with a metal film formed on the inside of the base and the side wall; a second case connected to the first case in the axial direction; and a housing including: at least one lens; a sealing member that seals the gap between the first case and the second case; 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; Equipped with The second case is a first vertical surface extending perpendicular to the axial direction; a first axial surface extending forward along the axial direction from an inner edge of the first vertical surface; a second vertical surface extending inwardly from a leading edge of the first axial surface perpendicular to the axial direction; a second axial surface extending forward along the axial direction from an inner edge of the second vertical surface; and The side wall of the first case includes: a third vertical surface extending perpendicular to the axial direction and facing at least a portion of the first vertical surface; a third axial surface extending forward along the axial direction from an inner edge of the third vertical surface and opposing at least a portion of the first axial surface; a fourth vertical surface extending inwardly from a leading edge of the third axial surface perpendicular to the axial direction and opposite at least a portion of the second vertical surface; a fourth axial surface extending forward along the axial direction from an inner edge of the fourth vertical surface and facing at least a portion of the first axial surface and at least a portion of the second axial surface; and The imaging device, wherein the sealing member is located between the first axial surface and the fourth axial surface and between the second vertical surface and the fourth vertical surface.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the metal film of the first case is configured to be electrically connected to a ground portion of a connector coupled to a connection portion of the substrate that is electrically connected to the imaging element.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the second case is made of a metal material.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the second case has an outer surface that is treated to prevent corrosion.

5. the second case has an exposed portion where the metal material is exposed, the imaging device further includes a metallic shield portion in contact with the exposed portion of the second case and the metal film of the first case; 5. The imaging device according to claim 3.

Images