Lens device and imaging device

Abstract

To provide a lens device advantageous for unit replacement.SOLUTION: A lens device (1) has a first unit (10) and a second unit (90) removably fixed to the first unit, which are arranged in order along an optical axis, and the lens device has a first electrical contact (5) provided on the first unit, a second electrical contact (4) provided on the second unit, and a holding member (52) holding the first electrical contact. The first unit is fixed to the holding member so that it can be eccentric to the holding member. Fitting between the holding member and the second unit determines the position of the holding member so as to bring the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact into contact with each other. The first unit is fixed to the second unit so that it can be eccentric to the second unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lens device and an imaging device.

Background Art

[0002] A lens device in which a unit (exchange unit) including an optical element can be exchanged is known. Such a lens device has a base lens barrel unit and an exchange unit. When the exchange unit is a mount unit, the user selects an exchange unit corresponding to the mount portion in the camera on which the lens device is mounted (attached). When the exchange unit is a lens barrel unit, the user selects, for example, an exchange unit having an optical system corresponding to the image size in the camera. When performing such unit replacement, eccentricity adjustment between the units may be required to ensure imaging performance.

[0003] Also known is a lens device in which electrical contacts connected to each other are provided in a mount unit including a mount portion in the lens device and a lens barrel unit on the front side thereof (Patent Document 1). A wire harness connector is used for connecting the electrical contacts.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The lens device described in Patent Document 1 utilizes a wire harness connector, which is undesirable in terms of the ease of connecting and disconnecting electrical contacts during unit replacement. For easier connection and disconnection of electrical contacts, it is preferable to use a contact biasing connector such as a spring pin connector. A contact biasing connector (spring pin connector) is a connector in which, when a contact (pin, etc.) is connected to (pressed against) a conductive member, a biasing member (compression spring, etc.) connected to the contact biases the contact relative to the conductive member. However, using a contact biasing connector requires increasing the size of the conductive member that the contact biasing connector contacts to adjust the eccentricity between units, which can be disadvantageous in providing a compact lens device. The present invention aims to provide, for example, a lens device that is advantageous for unit replacement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a lens device having a first unit and a second unit detachably fixed to the first unit, arranged sequentially along the optical axis. The first electrical contact provided in the first unit, The second electrical contact provided in the preceding second unit, Hold the first electrical contact Furthermore, a first hole and a second hole are formed in a direction parallel to the optical axis. It has a retaining member, The fitting of the retaining member and the second unit positions the retaining member such that the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact come into contact with each other. The first unit is, It is fixed eccentrically to the retaining member by a screw through the first hole, and by a screw through the second hole The second unit is fixed in an eccentric manner. 、 The inner diameter of the first hole is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion of the screw and smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the screw. The inner diameter of the second hole is larger than the outer diameter of the screw. It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, for example, a lens device that is advantageous for unit replacement can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Perspective view showing an example of the lens barrel configuration. [Figure 2] Front view showing an example of the lens barrel configuration. [Figure 3] Exploded perspective view showing an example of the lens barrel configuration. [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view AA of the lens barrel (Figure 2) [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of the lens barrel (Figure 2) [Figure 6] Diagram showing the front side of the mounting unit. [Figure 7] Diagram showing the rear side of the lens barrel unit. [Figure 8] Diagram showing an example configuration of the lens device and imaging device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. Throughout the drawings illustrating the embodiments, the same reference numerals will be used for identical components, etc., unless otherwise specified, and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

[0010] [Embodiment relating to the lens barrel] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a lens barrel. In the figure, 1 is the lens device (also called a lens barrel) according to this embodiment. The lens barrel 1 has a barrel unit 90 having an optical member 2000a (described later) and a mount unit 10 including a mount part 100 that is attached to a camera. Figure 2 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of a lens barrel, and Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a lens barrel. A connector 101 including electrical contacts for the camera is fixed to the mount part 100 by a plurality of screws 102. The electrical contacts are also simply called contacts. The mount unit 10 has insertion holes 31 for inserting screws 3 in a direction parallel to the optical axis. The mount unit 10 is fixed (fastened) to the lens barrel unit 90 by screwing the screws 3 into tapped holes 91 formed in the lens barrel unit 90. The lens barrel 1 has a first unit and a second unit detachably fixed to the first unit, arranged sequentially along the optical axis, and at least one of the first unit and the second unit may be an interchangeable unit.

[0011] Figures 4 and 5 show the AA and BB cross-sectional views of the lens barrel (Figure 2), respectively. Figure 6 shows the front side view of the mount unit, and Figure 7 shows the rear side view of the lens barrel unit. The lens barrel unit 90 and the mount unit 10 each have contacts 4 (also called the first electrical contact) and 5 (also called the second electrical contact), respectively. Contact 4 is a pin and constitutes a spring pin connector including a coil spring (compression spring) that expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction of the pin. Note that the connector including contact 4 is not limited to a spring pin connector. The connector including contact 4 may be a contact biased connector in which, when the contact is connected to (pressed against) a conductive member, the contact is biased relative to the conductive member by a biasing member connected to the contact. 40 is an electrical circuit board, and the spring pin connector is mounted on the electrical circuit board 40. 9 is a fixed cylinder, 42 is a support column in the fixed cylinder 9, and the electrical circuit board 40 is attached to the fixed cylinder 9 via the support column 42 by screws 41. Also, 8 is a rear fixed cylinder, and the rear fixed cylinder 8 is attached to the fixed cylinder 9 by screws 80.

[0012] Reference numeral 50 denotes an electric circuit board, 103 denotes a harness, contact 5 is mounted as a conductive member on electric circuit board 50, and is electrically connected to connector 101 via harness 103. In unit 10, 11 denotes a fixing cylinder, 12 denotes a screw, and mount portion 100 is attached to fixing cylinder 11 by screw 12. 51 denotes a screw, 52 denotes a holding member, and electric circuit board 50 is attached to holding member 52 by screw 51.

[0013] 13 is a screw (axial screw; axial bolt), and insertion hole 521 into which screw 13 is inserted is formed in holding member 52 in a direction parallel to the optical axis. 111 is a tapped hole formed in fixing cylinder 11, and holding member 52 is fixed to mount unit 10 by screwing screw 13 into tapped hole 111. Here, the diameter of the lower portion (rear side portion) of insertion hole 521 is larger than the diameter of shaft portion 131 of screw 13 and smaller than the diameter of head portion 132 of screw 13, and the diameter of the upper portion (front side portion; countersunk portion) 522 of insertion hole 521 is larger than the diameter of head portion 132. That is, insertion hole 521 is formed to have a gap with respect to screw 13. Further, the distance from the lower surface (rear side surface; abutting surface) 526 of holding member 52 to the upper portion 522 of insertion hole 521 is longer than shaft portion 131 of screw 13. With such a structure, holding member 52 and fixing cylinder 11 (and mount portion 100) can be eccentric relative to each other by the amount of play (difference in diameter) between shaft portion 131 of the screw and the lower portion of insertion hole 521.

[0014] The holding member 52 has a through hole 523 formed in a direction parallel to the optical axis. To attach the mount unit 10 to the lens barrel unit 90, a screw 3 is passed through the insertion hole 31 and the through hole 523 and threaded into the tapped hole 91. With such a structure, the holding member 52 is clamped between the fixed cylinder 11 and the flange surface 81 of the rear fixed cylinder 8 by co-fastening with the screw 3. That is, the first unit and the second unit are fastened to each other by a screw through a hole formed in the holding member in a direction parallel to the optical axis. Here, the inner diameter of the hole is formed larger than the outer diameter of the screw in consideration of the eccentricity adjustment between the first unit and the second unit. In the case of such a structure, it can be advantageous in terms of omitting the fastening screws dedicated to the holding member 52, miniaturizing the lens barrel, removing the load that may be applied to the related members due to forgetting to remove the fastening screws, and workability.

[0015] The flange surface 81 has a notch portion 82 formed therein, and the contact point 4 and the contact point 5 contact each other within the notch portion 82 and conduct for communication. Here, since the holding member 52 abuts against the flange surface 81 and is positioned in the direction of the optical axis о, the amount of pushing-in of the contact point 4 (spring pin) in the direction of the optical axis о is defined. Such a structure is advantageous for avoiding excessive pushing-in of the contact point 4 or poor contact due to insufficient pushing-in. Also, since the contact point 4 and the contact point 5 are held by the fixed cylinder 11 and the rear fixed cylinder 8, respectively, such a structure is also advantageous in that the amount of pushing-in of the contact point 4 is unlikely to change even when vibration or impact is applied to the lens barrel 1.

[0016] Furthermore, when the mount unit 10 is attached (fitted) to the lens barrel unit 90, the outer diameter portion 524 of the retaining member 52 fits into the first inner diameter portion 82 of the rear fixing cylinder 8. In addition, in the direction of the optical axis, the rotation-retaining groove 525 of the retaining member 52 (the recess of the retaining member 52) fits into the rotation-retaining pin 83 (the protrusion of the lens barrel unit 90) provided on the rear fixing cylinder 8. However, it is not limited to this, and it is sufficient if the protrusion in the direction of the optical axis formed on one of the retaining member and the second unit fits into the recess in the direction of the optical axis formed on the other of the retaining member and the second unit. In such a structure, when the mount unit 10 is attached to the lens barrel unit 90, the rotation angle of the retaining member 52 around the optical axis o is restricted relative to the lens barrel unit 90. On the other hand, there is a gap between the second inner diameter portion 84 of the rear fixing cylinder 8 and the outer diameter portion 112 of the fixing cylinder 11. This structure allows the mounting portion 100 to be adjusted for eccentricity relative to the lens barrel unit 90 by pressing the mounting portion 11 with a set screw 86 (eccentricity adjustment member; grub screw; set screw; set screw) inserted into a tapped hole 85 formed in the rear mounting portion 8. Here, the retaining member 52 and the mounting portion 11 are eccentric relative to each other. Therefore, the eccentricity of the mounting portion 100 relative to the lens barrel unit 90 of the mounting member 52 can be adjusted while keeping the eccentric state of the retaining member 52 relative to the lens barrel unit 90 fixed. In other words, the mounting unit 10 can adjust for eccentricity of the mounting portion 100 while keeping the relative position between the contacts 4 and 5 fixed.

[0017] With the structure described above, the eccentricity adjustment amount and the area of ​​the contact 5 (conductive member) can be determined independently of each other. Therefore, the area only needs to be considered in terms of the tolerances of the related parts, and the size and spacing of the contact 5 can be determined regardless of the eccentricity adjustment amount, thus providing a lens barrel that is advantageous not only in terms of workability but also in terms of compactness.

[0018] The above structure involves providing an eccentrically adjustable retaining member on the mount unit. However, a structure in which a retaining member for holding the contact 4 (electrical circuit board) is provided eccentrically on the lens barrel unit may also be used. In this case, the contact 4 is eccentrically adjustable relative to the lens barrel unit, and the optical components within the lens barrel unit are eccentrically adjusted when the retaining member is positioned by attaching the mount unit to the lens barrel unit.

[0019] Furthermore, the above structure is a structure in which a mount unit having contacts with the lens barrel unit and contacts with the camera is attached to the lens barrel unit, but is not limited to this. The mount unit may be an interchangeable lens barrel unit including optical elements. In this case, the optical elements within the interchangeable lens barrel unit are eccentrically adjusted while the contacts of the interchangeable lens barrel unit (holding members that hold the contacts) are positioned relative to the contacts 4 of the lens barrel unit.

[0020] In the above structure, the retaining member is restricted (positioned; prevented from coming loose) in the optical axis direction while being eccentric with respect to the mount by an axle screw. However, such eccentricity tolerance and restriction are not limited to the above structure, and can also be achieved, for example, by screwing a retaining ring to the mount unit via a washer such as a plate washer. Furthermore, such eccentricity tolerance and restriction can also be achieved by a structure in which the retaining member is positioned in the optical axis direction by a retaining plate that holds the retaining member in place between one of the lens barrel unit and the replacement unit.

[0021] In the above structure, the retaining member is positioned by the fitting of its outer diameter portion with the first inner diameter portion of the rear fixing cylinder, and by the fitting of the rotation-stopping pin with the rotation-stopping groove. However, the positioning of the retaining member is not limited to the above structure, and can also be performed, for example, by connecting (fitting) the retaining member and the rear fixing cylinder to each other via a key (key member).

[0022] As can be understood from the above description, according to this embodiment, for example, a lens barrel that is advantageous for unit replacement can be provided.

[0023] [Embodiments relating to lens device and imaging device] Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of a lens device and an imaging device. The lens device 3000 may be composed of a lens barrel 2000 including the optical element 2000a exemplified above, and a drive device 1000 (drive unit) that drives the optical element 2000a or a part thereof. The drive device 1000 is not limited to including an actuator, and may consist only of a drive mechanism. The imaging device 10000 may be composed of the lens device 3000 and an image sensor 4000a (camera device or imaging device body 4000) that captures (images of) the image formed by the lens device 3000. The camera device 4000 may be composed of an imaging unit 4000b having the image sensor 4000a and a (camera) operating device 4000c. The drive device 1000 may include a remote control device that communicates with the main body of the lens device 3000 by wire or wireless. Furthermore, the camera device 4000 may have a function to transmit command values ​​to the optical element 2000a or a part thereof. The camera device 4000 may generate such command values, for example, through the autofocus function or auto iris function of the camera device 4000. The operating device 4000c may communicate with the imaging unit 4000b via wired or wireless connection as a remote control device. In addition, the remote control device and the operating device 4000c in the drive device 1000 may generate at least one of the following: a command value relating to the object distance of the lens device, a command value relating to the focal length of the lens device, a command value relating to the aperture diameter of the aperture diaphragm of the lens device, etc. According to this embodiment, by including the above-described lens barrel, it is possible to provide a lens device or imaging device that is advantageous for unit replacement in the lens barrel.

[0024] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its essence. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0025] 1. Lens device 4. First electrical contact 5. Second electrical contact 10. Unit 2 52 Retaining member 90 Unit 1 900 Optical Components

Claims

1. A lens device having a first unit arranged sequentially along the optical axis and a second unit detachably fixed to the first unit, The first electrical contact provided in the first unit, The second electrical contact provided in the second unit, The device includes a holding member that holds the first electrical contact and has a first hole and a second hole formed in a direction parallel to the optical axis, The fitting of the retaining member and the second unit positions the retaining member such that the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact come into contact with each other. The first unit is eccentrically fixed to the holding member by a screw through the first hole, and eccentrically fixed to the second unit by a screw through the second hole. The inner diameter of the first hole is larger than the outer diameter of the shaft portion of the screw and smaller than the outer diameter of the head of the screw. A lens device characterized in that the inner diameter of the second hole is larger than the outer diameter of the screw.

2. The lens device according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer diameter portion of the retaining member and the inner diameter portion of the second unit are fitted together.

3. The lens device according to claim 2, characterized in that a convex portion in the direction of the optical axis formed on one of the retaining member and the second unit is fitted with a concave portion in the direction of the optical axis formed on the other of the retaining member and the second unit.

4. The lens device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a key member for positioning the retaining member and the second unit relative to each other, and the retaining member and the second unit are fitted together via the key member.

5. The lens device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that one of the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact is biased relative to the other of the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

6. The lens device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that one of the first unit and the second unit includes a mount portion that is attached to a camera device.

7. The mounting portion has a third electrical contact that contacts an electrical contact provided in the camera device, The lens device according to claim 6, characterized in that the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact are connected to the third electrical contact.

8. The lens device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least one of the first unit and the second unit includes an optical member.

9. The lens device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the holding member is positioned in the direction of the optical axis by the first unit and the second unit.

10. The lens device according to claim 9, characterized in that the holding member is sandwiched between the first unit and the second unit.

11. The lens device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by having an eccentricity adjustment member that eccentrically shifts the first unit relative to the holding member.

12. The lens device according to claim 11, characterized in that the eccentricity adjustment member includes a set screw.

13. The lens device according to claim 8, characterized in that it has a drive unit for driving the optical member.

14. An imaging device comprising a lens device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, and an image sensor for capturing an image formed by the lens device.

Images