Imaging device and cooling method

Abstract

The present technology relates to an imaging device and a cooling method capable of efficiently cooling a device body. An imaging device according to one aspect of the present technology comprises a device body provided with: a separation wall that separates a path from an intake port to an exhaust port into a plurality of paths; and heat sinks that are respectively provided to the separated paths and have a cooling target different from each other. The present technology can be applied to a video camera having a plurality of built-in substrates on which electronic components are mounted.

Description

Imaging device and cooling method

[0001] The present technology relates to an imaging device and a cooling method, and more particularly to an imaging device and a cooling method that enable efficient cooling of the device body.

[0002] The main body of a professional video camera used in the production of TV programs, movies, and other video content contains multiple circuit boards equipped with heat-generating components, such as a large image sensor and a CPU, which requires a mechanism to efficiently cool the main body of the device.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which air taken in through an air intake is simultaneously directed to a heat sink for cooling the image sensor and a heat sink for cooling the main circuit board, and the air that has passed through the two heat sinks is exhausted from a fan installed inside the device body.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-34789

[0005] In conventional cooling mechanisms, the heat sink for cooling the image sensor and the heat sink for cooling the main circuit board are located in the same flow path for air taken in from the air intake, so heat exchange occurs between the heat sinks using the air as a medium. Even if it is desired to keep the image sensor board at a lower temperature than the main circuit board, heat exchange between the heat sinks transfers heat from the heat sink for the main circuit board to the heat sink for cooling the image sensor, making it impossible to cool the image sensor board efficiently.

[0006] The present technology has been made in view of such circumstances, and aims to enable the main body of an apparatus to be cooled efficiently.

[0007] An imaging device according to one aspect of the present technology is an imaging device including a device body provided with a separation wall that separates a path from an intake port to an exhaust port into multiple paths, and in which heat sinks with different cooling targets are provided in each of the separated paths.

[0008] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present technology; FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a device main body; FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing an internal configuration of the device main body; FIG. 4 is a view showing a separation wall; FIG. 5 is a view showing the separation wall; FIG. 6 is a view showing the separation wall as viewed from each direction; FIG. 7 is a view showing a duct formed in the device main body; FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of an imaging device; FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of the internal configuration of the device main body; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the device main body; FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of the arrangement of each board; FIG. 12 is a view showing the flow of air inside the device main body; FIG. 13 is a view showing an enlarged view of a portion of a heat sink; FIG. 14 is a view showing an example of a cooling structure using air convection;

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technology will be described in the following order: 1. Overview of the configuration of the imaging device 2. Detailed configuration of the imaging device 3. Air flow within the device body 4. Modified examples

[0010] <Outline of Configuration of Imaging Device> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present technology.

[0011] An imaging device 1 according to an embodiment of the present technology is a professional video camera. A lens mount 12 is provided on the front surface of a device body 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The imaging device 1 is a video camera with a detachable lens.

[0012] The exterior shape of the device body 11 is formed by, for example, attaching a resin exterior member to each surface of a metal frame. The device body 11 has a structure that efficiently cools components such as a circuit board provided inside the device body 11.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the device main body 11. Here, the configuration that is the premise of the device main body 11 will be described. Of the configuration shown in Fig. 2, the same components as those shown in Fig. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals. The same applies to Fig. 3 and subsequent figures.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2A, exhaust port #1 is provided at a lower position on the left side of the device body 11. Also, as shown in Fig. 2B, air intake ports #11 and #12 are provided at an upper position on the right side of the device body 11 and a position near the rear of the bottom surface, respectively. Exhaust port #1 and air intake ports #11 and #12 are provided on different sides of the device body 11. The device body 11 is provided with two air intake ports and one exhaust port.

[0015] 3 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the internal configuration of the device body 11. For the sake of convenience, the lens mount 12 is not shown.

[0016] As shown in Figure 3, a fan 21 is provided at a position near the front of the bottom surface of the device body 11. The fan 21 has a shape in which a short duct extends from a substantially flat, cylindrical housing. As shown by the arrows, air taken in through intake ports #11 and #12 flows through a duct (not shown in Figure 3) inside the device body 11, is taken in by the fan 21, and then is exhausted from exhaust port #1.

[0017] 4 and 5 are diagrams showing a separation wall provided in the device main body 11. Where appropriate, the separation wall is shown through other members.

[0018] As shown in Figure 4, separation walls W1, W2, and W3 are provided within the device body 11. The separation walls W1, W2, and W3 are members that separate the air paths (flow paths). The separation walls W1, W2, and W3 may be formed by part of the frame of the device body 11, or may be formed by parts separate from the frame of the device body 11. For example, the separation wall W1 is formed by a part separate from the frame of the device body 11, and the separation walls W2 and W3 are formed by part of the frame of the device body 11.

[0019] The separation wall W1 is formed at a position slightly forward from the center of the device body 11 so as to form a surface approximately parallel to the front of the device body 11. Above the separation wall W1 provided above the fan 21, a space is formed through which air taken in from the intake port #11 flows.

[0020] The separation wall W2 is formed at a position rearward of the separation wall W1 so as to form a surface substantially parallel to the separation wall W1. The separation wall W2 is formed with substantially horizontally elongated rectangular openings W2-1 and W2-2. The opening W2-1 is provided at a position above the left side surface of the device body 11. The opening W2-2 is provided at a position above the right side surface of the device body 11.

[0021] The separation wall W3 is formed between the separation wall W2 and the rear surface of the apparatus main body 11 so as to form a surface that is in contact with the separation wall W2 at a substantially right angle.

[0022] Fig. 5A shows the separation walls W1, W2, and W3 as viewed from above. Fig. 5B shows the separation walls W1, W2, and W3 as viewed from the left side. As shown in Fig. 5B, the upper portions of the separation walls W2 and W3 are blocked by a portion of the frame of the device main body 11.

[0023] Fig. 6A shows the separation wall W1 as viewed from the front, and Fig. 6B shows the separation walls W2 and W3 as viewed from the rear.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing ducts formed in the device main body 11. As shown in FIG.

[0025] As shown by the dashed line, the space in front of the device body 11, on whose bottom surface the fan 21 is disposed, forms a center duct CD. The center duct CD is the space formed in front of the separation wall W2. The separation wall W1 is a member that separates the center duct CD, which serves as the air path from the intake port #11 to the exhaust port #1.

[0026] Meanwhile, the space behind the device main body 11 constitutes the subduct SD. The subduct SD is the space formed behind the separation wall W2. The separation wall W3 is a member that separates the subduct SD, which serves as the air path from the intake port #12 to the exhaust port #1. The subduct SD is connected to the center duct CD by openings W2-1 and W2-2 formed in the separation wall W2.

[0027] As shown by the dashed lines, the part of the center duct CD formed by the space in front of the separation wall W1 is called center duct CD1, and the part of the duct formed by the space behind the separation wall W1 is called center duct CD2. Furthermore, the part of the sub-duct SD formed by the space on the left side of the separation wall W3 is called sub-duct SD1, and the part of the duct formed by the space on the right side of the separation wall W3 is called sub-duct SD2.

[0028] As will be described in detail later, air taken in through intake port #11 flows through center duct CD. Air taken in through intake port #12 flows through sub-duct SD. Air that passes through sub-duct SD flows into center duct CD.

[0029] Based on the above-described general configuration, the detailed configuration of the device main body 11 will be described. In the following, the same components as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals. Note that the shape, position, and size of the components described above may be changed as appropriate for implementation.

[0030] <Detailed Configuration of Imaging Device> Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the imaging device 1. Fig. 8 shows the device body 11 with some parts such as an upper handle removed.

[0031] 8A, an exhaust port #1 is provided at a lower position on the left side of the apparatus main body 11. A horizontal slit is provided in the exhaust port #1.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 8B, air intakes #11 and #12 are provided at an upper position on the right side of the device body 11 and a position near the rear of the bottom surface, respectively. Air intake #11 has a horizontal slit, and air intake #12 has a vertical slit. In the example of Fig. 8, air intake #12 is formed as two separate intakes. Battery connection terminals 13 and the like are provided on the rear surface of the device body 11.

[0033] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the device main body 11. Fig. 9 shows the inside of the device main body 11 with the upper part of the device main body 11 cut away. The external appearance of the device main body 11 is shown with some exterior parts removed.

[0034] An IS (Image Sensor) heat sink 31 is provided in front of the device main body 11. The IS heat sink 31 is a heat sink for cooling the IS substrate provided on the front of the device main body 11. The heat sink is configured by arranging multiple fins on a base portion. Each fin has multiple circular holes. The IS heat sink 31 is attached so that the direction of each fin is in the front-to-rear direction.

[0035] A bulkhead component 41 is provided at the front of the device body 11 to surround the IS heat sink 31. The bulkhead component 41 may be made of resin or metal. The rear wall surface of the bulkhead component 41 forms a separation wall W1. The IS heat sink 31 is a heat sink provided within the center duct CD1.

[0036] The CPU heat sink 32 and the encoder heat sink 33 are provided between the separation walls W1 and W2 of the separation wall part 41. The separation wall part 41 is provided so as to form the separation wall W1 between the IS heat sink 31 and the CPU heat sink 32 and between the IS heat sink 31 and the encoder heat sink 33.

[0037] The CPU heat sink 32 is a heat sink for cooling the CPU board that is provided on the left side of the device body 11. The encoder heat sink 33 is a heat sink for cooling the encoder board that is provided on the right side of the device body 11. The CPU heat sink 32 and the encoder heat sink 33 are attached so that the directions of the fins are in the left-right direction. The CPU heat sink 32 and the encoder heat sink 33 are heat sinks provided inside the center duct CD2.

[0038] As such, the IS heatsink 31 is a heatsink for cooling the IS board, which is the first board. The CPU heatsink 32 and the encoder heatsink 33 are heatsinks for cooling the CPU board and the encoder board, which are the second boards. The IS heatsink 31, the CPU heatsink 32, and the encoder heatsink 33 are respectively provided in center ducts CD1 and CD2, which are different paths. The direction of the fins on the IS heatsink 31 is perpendicular to the direction of the fins on the CPU heatsink 32 and the encoder heatsink 33.

[0039] A power supply heat sink 34 and a media heat sink 35 are provided behind the separation wall W2. The power supply heat sink 34 is a heat sink for cooling the power supply board provided on the rear surface of the device body 11. The media heat sink 35 is a heat sink for cooling the media board provided on the rear surface of the device body 11. The power supply heat sink 34 and the media heat sink 35 are attached so that the direction of each fin is in the front-to-rear direction.

[0040] In this way, the power supply heat sink 34 and the media heat sink 35 are heat sinks for cooling the power supply substrate and the media substrate, which are the third substrates.

[0041] 9, the power supply heat sink 34 and the media heat sink 35 are shown in color to indicate that the power supply heat sink 34 is provided in the space forming the subduct SD1, and the media heat sink 35 is provided in the space forming the subduct SD2. In Fig. 9, the power supply heat sink 34 and the media heat sink 35 are shown through the metal frame that surrounds the subducts SD1 and SD2. A separation wall W3 formed by part of the frame is provided between the power supply heat sink 34 and the media heat sink 35.

[0042] Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the device main body 11. Fig. 10 shows the cross-sectional configuration as seen from above. The fan 21 is shown below the IS heat sink 31, CPU heat sink 32, and encoder heat sink 33.

[0043] 10, an IS board 51 is provided on the front surface of the device body 11. The IS board 51 is a board on which electronic components including an image sensor (IS) are mounted.

[0044] A CPU board 52 is provided on the left side of the device body 11. The CPU board 52 is a board on which electronic components including a CPU are mounted.

[0045] An encoder board 53 is provided on the right side of the device body 11. The encoder board 53 is a board on which electronic components including an encoder chip are mounted. The CPU board 52 and the encoder board 53 are provided on the left and right sides, which are opposing surfaces of the device body 11.

[0046] A power supply board 54 and a media board 55 are provided on the rear surface of the device main body 11. The power supply board 54 is a board on which electronic components including a power supply controller are mounted. The media board 55 is a board on which electronic components including a media controller are mounted.

[0047] Each heat sink and each substrate to be cooled are connected via a heat dissipation member such as a heat dissipation sheet or graphite sheet. Heat from the IS substrate 51 is transferred to the IS heat sink 31 via the heat dissipation member. Heat from the CPU substrate 52 is transferred to the CPU heat sink 32 via the heat dissipation member. Similarly, heat from the encoder substrate 53, power supply substrate 54, and media substrate 55 is transferred to the encoder heat sink 33, power supply heat sink 34, and media heat sink 35, respectively.

[0048] In this way, each substrate is arranged to surround the center duct CD and sub-duct SD shown by dashed lines in Figure 11. Each heat sink is arranged with the tips of its fins facing toward the center of the duct and its base facing outward. Each substrate is cooled by heat transfer to the heat sinks arranged in the center duct CD and sub-duct SD.

[0049] <Air Flow Inside Apparatus Main Body> Figures 12 and 13 are diagrams showing the air flow inside the apparatus main body 11 having the above-described configuration. Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 9.

[0050] As shown by arrow A1 in Figure 12, air taken in through intake port #11 flows into center duct CD. Air taken in through intake port #12 also passes through sub-duct SD and flows into center duct CD as shown by arrow A2 in Figure 12.

[0051] A portion of the air taken in through intake port #11 and flowing into center duct CD passes through the gaps between the fins of IS heat sink 31 provided in center duct CD1 as shown by arrows A11 and A12 in Figure 13, passes through fan 21, and is exhausted from exhaust port #1.

[0052] Furthermore, some of the air taken in through intake port #11 and flowing into center duct CD passes through the gaps between the fins of the CPU heat sink 32 and the encoder heat sink 33 provided in center duct CD2, as shown by arrows A21 and A22 in Figure 13, and together with the air flowing in from sub-duct SD, passes through fan 21 and is discharged from exhaust port #1.

[0053] On the other hand, air taken in through intake port #12 and flowing into sub-duct SD passes through the gaps between the fins of the power supply heat sink 34 and the media heat sink 35 as indicated by arrow A31 in Fig. 13 and flows into center duct CD2 through openings W2-1 and W2-2. More specifically, air taken in through intake port #12 and flowing into sub-duct SD1 passes through the gaps between the fins of the power supply heat sink 34 and flows into center duct CD2 through opening W2-1. Air taken in through intake port #12 and flowing into sub-duct SD2 passes through the gaps between the fins of the media heat sink 35 and flows into center duct CD2 through opening W2-2 as indicated by arrow A32 in Fig. 13.

[0054] The air that flows into center duct CD2 from openings W2-1 and W2-2 passes through the gaps between the fins of the CPU heat sink 32 and the encoder heat sink 33 provided in center duct CD2, as shown by arrow A33 in Figure 13, and together with the air that flows into center duct CD2 from intake port #11, passes through fan 21 and is discharged from exhaust port #1.

[0055] In this way, the cooling structure of the device body 11 is such that the air that has passed through each heat sink is finally discharged from the exhaust port #1 through the fan 21. The fan 21 has the function of taking in the air that has passed through the heat sinks provided on each path and discharging it from the exhaust port #1.

[0056] Also, a structure is used in which the heat transferred from the substrate to each fin of the heat sink is cooled by air flowing inside the duct.

[0057] Specifically, heat transferred from the IS substrate 51 to the fins of the IS heatsink 31 is cooled by the air flowing through the center duct CD1. Heat transferred from the CPU substrate 52 to the fins of the CPU heatsink 32 and heat transferred from the encoder substrate 53 to the fins of the encoder heatsink 33 are cooled by the air flowing through the center duct CD2. Heat transferred from the power supply substrate 54 to the fins of the power supply heatsink 34 is cooled by the air flowing through the sub-duct SD1, and heat transferred from the media substrate 55 to the fins of the media heatsink 35 is cooled by the air flowing through the sub-duct SD2.

[0058] Each heat sink targets a different substrate cooling temperature. A separation wall is provided to prevent the air taken in from the air intakes #11 and #12 from passing through both high-temperature and low-temperature fins at the same time, preventing heat exchange between the fins. This structure allows each fin to be cooled by air at the optimum temperature, enabling efficient cooling of the inside of the device body 11.

[0059] For example, of the three substrates that the heat sink in the center duct CD cools, the IS substrate 51 in particular needs to be kept at a low temperature to ensure the image quality of the imaging element. Therefore, the fins of the IS heat sink 31 need to be kept at a lower temperature than the fins of the CPU heat sink 32 and the encoder heat sink 33.

[0060] The air taken in through intake port #11 is separated by partition component 41 (separation wall W1) before it reaches the fins, and the air flow that cools the fins of the IS heatsink 31 is isolated, thereby making it possible to avoid heat exchange between the IS heatsink 31 and the CPU heatsink 32, and between the IS heatsink 31 and the encoder heatsink 33. In other words, it is possible to prevent the fins of the IS heatsink 31 from being heated by air that has been heated by passing through the CPU heatsink 32 and the encoder heatsink 33. Preventing the fins of the IS heatsink 31 from being heated makes it possible to keep the temperature of the IS board 51 low.

[0061] 14, the tips of the fins of the IS heat sink 31, CPU heat sink 32, and encoder heat sink 33 are curved, which increases the surface area of ​​the fins and improves the cooling capacity.

[0062] The CPU heat sink 32 and the encoder heat sink 33 are required to have the same level of cooling performance. By shortening the distance between the curved portions of the tips, it is possible to promote heat exchange between them and eliminate temperature imbalances between the fins. In this way, heat sinks that require the same level of cooling performance are installed in the same duct.

[0063] Similarly, of the power supply board 54 and the media board 55, the media board 55 needs to be kept at a lower temperature than the power supply board 54. By separating the air taken in from the air intake port #12 by a separation wall W3 before it reaches the fins and separating the air flow that cools the fins of the power supply heat sink 34 from the air flow that cools the fins of the media heat sink 35, it is possible to avoid heat exchange between the power supply heat sink 34 and the media heat sink 35. By preventing the fins of the media heat sink 35 from being heated by heat exchange with the power supply heat sink 34, it is possible to keep the temperature of the media heat sink 35 low.

[0064] As described above, by avoiding unnecessary heat exchange between the heat sinks provided in the device body 11, efficient cooling is possible.

[0065] Note that, within the space within center duct CD1, the space near the left side, where the fins of the IS heat sink 31 cannot be placed, is blocked by part of bulkhead component 41, as shown in Figure 14. Cover part 41A, which is the wide portion in plan view shown in the upper part of Figure 14, functions to block part of the space within center duct CD1. By blocking the space where fins do not exist, almost all of the air taken in through intake port #11 can be guided to the fins of the IS heat sink 31, enabling the fins to be cooled efficiently.

[0066] <Modification> The device body 11 may not be provided with the fan 21, and a cooling structure that relies on natural convection of air may be employed. In this case, too, as shown in Fig. 15, a separation wall 101 is provided inside the device body 11 to separate the paths of the air taken in from the air intake port. In the example of Fig. 15, the path from the air intake port to the air exhaust port is separated into a path for air that cools the fins of the heat sink 111 and a path for air that cools the fins of the heat sink 112.

[0067] Instead of providing a separate component such as the separation wall 101, the separation of the paths may be achieved by a part of the frame of the device body 11, similar to the separation walls W2 and W3 surrounding the subduct SD. Multiple fans may be provided inside the device body 11.

[0068] Although two intake ports, intake port #11 and intake port #12, are provided in the embodiment, three or more intake ports may be provided. A path may be formed for each intake port, and a heat sink may be provided for each path. Multiple exhaust ports may be provided.

[0069] The above-described configuration can be adopted for the cooling mechanism of the main body of an electronic device other than an imaging device.

[0070] The embodiments of the present technology are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present technology.

[0071] The effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also be present.

[0072] Example of configuration combinations The present technology can also be configured as follows.

[0073] (1) An imaging device including a device body provided with a separation wall that separates a path from an air intake port to an exhaust port into multiple paths, and heat sinks for cooling different objects are provided in each of the separated paths. (2) The imaging device described in (1), wherein a fan is provided within the device body that takes in air that has passed through the heat sinks provided in each of the separated paths and discharges it through the exhaust port. (3) The imaging device described in (1) or (2), wherein a first heat sink for a first board on which an imaging element is mounted and a second heat sink for a second board on which electronic components for signal processing are mounted are provided in different paths. (4) The imaging device described in (3), wherein the first board is provided on the front side of the device body, and the second board is provided on each of two opposing sides of the device body. (5) The imaging device described in (3) or (4), wherein the first heat sink and the second heat sink are provided so that the directions of their fins are orthogonal to each other. (6) The imaging device according to any one of (3) to (5), wherein a partition component forming the separation wall between the first heat sink and the second heat sink is provided inside the device body. (7) The imaging device according to any one of (3) to (6), wherein a sub-path from another air intake port provided at a position different from the air intake port to the exhaust port is connected to a separation path, which is a path in which the second heat sink is provided. (8) The imaging device according to (7), wherein a third heat sink for a third board on which another electronic component is mounted is provided in the sub-path. (9) The imaging device according to (8), wherein another separation wall is further provided to separate the sub-path into a plurality of paths, and wherein the third heat sink for a different cooling target is provided in each of the paths separated by the other separation wall. (10) The imaging device according to any one of (7) to (9), wherein the air intake port, the other air intake port, and the exhaust port are each provided on a different surface of the device body.(11) A cooling method for an imaging device including a device body provided with a separation wall that separates a path from an intake port to an exhaust port into a plurality of paths, and a heat sink provided in each of the separated paths, the cooling method cooling different substrates by the heat sinks provided in each of the paths.

[0074] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Imaging device, 11 Device body, 31 IS heat sink, 32 CPU heat sink, 33 Encoder heat sink, 34 Power supply heat sink, 35 Media heat sink, 41 Bulkhead part, 51 IS board, 52 CPU board, 53 Encoder board, 54 Power supply board, 55 Media board, #1 Exhaust port, #11, #12 Intake port

Claims

1. An imaging device having a device body in which a separation wall is provided to separate the path from the intake port to the exhaust port into multiple paths, and a heat sink with a different cooling target is provided in each of the separated paths.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a fan is provided within the device body for taking in air that has passed through the heat sinks provided in each of the separated paths and discharging it from the exhaust port.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein a first heat sink for a first substrate carrying an imaging element and a second heat sink for a second substrate carrying electronic components performing signal processing are provided on different paths.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the first substrate is provided on a front side of the device body, and the second substrate is provided on each of two opposing sides of the device body.

5. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the first heat sink and the second heat sink are arranged so that the directions of their fins are perpendicular to each other.

6. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein a partition part that forms the separation wall between the first heat sink and the second heat sink is provided inside the device body.

7. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein a sub-path from another air intake port provided at a position different from the air intake port to the exhaust port is connected to the separation path, which is the path in which the second heat sink is provided.

8. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein a third heat sink for a third substrate carrying other electronic components is provided in the sub-path.

9. The imaging device according to claim 8, further comprising another separation wall for separating the sub-path into a plurality of paths, and wherein the third heat sink having a different cooling target is provided in each of the paths separated by the other separation wall.

10. The imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the intake port, the other intake port, and the exhaust port are each provided on a different surface of the device body.

11. A cooling method for an imaging device having a device body in which a separation wall is provided that separates the path from an intake port to an exhaust port into a plurality of paths, and a heat sink is provided in each of the separated paths, the device cooling different substrates by the heat sinks provided in each path.

Images