JP2018173431A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging device capable of thickly forming a thickness of a permeable resin side in a configuration for laser-welding a front case and a rear case.SOLUTION: An imaging device comprises a substrate coming with an imaging unit, a lens barrel holding a lens, a front case, and a rear case arranged at the rear of the front case in an optical axis direction and housing the lens barrel and the substrate together with the front case. The rear case comprises a surface part located at the rear of the front case in the optical axis direction, a cylindrical part extending from the surface part toward the front case in the optical axis direction, and a coupling part having a spread outside the cylindrical part in a surface vertical to an optical axis and in contact with an end surface at the rear of the front case in the optical axis direction. The coupling part of the rear case is formed of a material transmitting laser light. The end surface of the front case is formed of a material melted by laser light. The coupling part is welded to the end surface of the front case by laser light.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  One embodiment of the present invention relates to an imaging device or the like.

  In an imaging device in which a lens barrel and a substrate on which an imaging element is mounted are accommodated in a case, in order to connect a case made up of a front case and a rear case without using a connector such as a screw or an adhesive. A method of connecting by welding may be adopted. In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a laser welding method for a resin material.

JP 2011-5705 A

  When the front case and the rear case are welded in the imaging apparatus, it is conceivable to employ the method described in Patent Document 1. However, in the conventional welding method as described in Patent Document 1, since both resins are welded by irradiating a laser from the transparent resin side and melting the absorbent resin, the thickness of the transparent resin side is determined by the laser. It will be limited to the thickness which can permeate | transmit. For this reason, when such a laser welding method is employed, it is necessary to have a structure in which the thickness on the transparent resin side is thin and the thickness on the absorbent resin side is large. If it does so, the part formed with the absorptive resin needs to be made into a deep box shape in the thickness direction, and there existed a subject in dimensional accuracy, such as sinking at the time of resin molding, and dimensional dispersion | variation.

  The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above-described problems. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, reference numerals and the like in the drawings are appended in parentheses, but each component of the present invention is not limited to these appendices. It should be construed broadly to the extent that contractors can technically understand.

One means of the present invention is to
A substrate (41) on which an imaging unit is mounted;
A lens barrel (3) for holding the lens;
Front case (1),
A rear case (7) disposed behind the front case in the optical axis direction and housing the lens barrel and the substrate together with the front case;
The rear case (7)
A surface portion (7a) located rearward in the optical axis direction;
A cylindrical portion (7b) extending from the surface portion toward the front in the optical axis direction;
A connecting portion (7c) that extends outward from the cylindrical portion in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and is in contact with an end surface of the front case in the optical axis direction rearward;
The connecting portion of the rear case is formed of a material that transmits laser light,
The end surface of the front case is formed of a material that is melted by the laser beam,
The connecting portion is welded to the end surface of the front case by the laser beam.
An imaging device.

Another means of the present invention is as follows:
A substrate (41) on which an imaging unit is mounted;
A lens barrel (3) for holding the lens;
Front case (1),
A rear case (7) disposed behind the front case in the optical axis direction and housing the lens barrel and the substrate together with the front case;
The front case (1)
A surface portion positioned forward in the optical axis direction;
A cylindrical portion extending rearward in the optical axis direction from the surface portion;
A surface that extends outward from the cylindrical portion in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and a connecting portion that contacts an end surface in the optical axis direction of the rear case,
The connecting portion of the front case is formed of a material that transmits laser light,
The end face of the rear case is formed of a material that is melted by the laser beam,
The connecting portion is welded to the end face of the rear case by the laser beam.
An imaging device.

  In the imaging device having the above-described configuration, the laser beam is irradiated to the connecting portion of the rear case (or the front case), so that the laser beam is welded to the front case (or the rear case). The shape portion can be formed with an arbitrary length in the optical axis direction. Therefore, the length (thickness) of the rear case (or front case) in the optical axis direction can be formed long (thick), so that the length of the front case (or rear case) in the optical axis direction is relatively long. Even if it is formed short, a large accommodation space can be secured. In this case, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of dimensional variations and the like when the front case (or rear case) is molded.

In any of the above imaging devices, preferably,
The thickness of the connecting portion in the optical axis direction is a thickness through which the laser beam can be transmitted.

  According to the imaging apparatus having the above configuration, the connecting portion of the rear case (or front case) and the end surface of the front case (or rear case) can be reliably laser-welded.

In any of the above imaging devices, preferably,
The end face and the connecting portion are welded to the entire optical axis.

  According to the imaging apparatus having the above-described configuration, the front case and the rear case can be reliably laser-welded, and a configuration in which liquid such as water can easily be prevented from entering from the outside can be achieved.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the imaging apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rear case of the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the rear case of the embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the rear case of the embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the rear case of the embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the rear case of the embodiment as viewed from the side.

  The imaging device of the present invention is configured to laser weld a front case and a rear case, and a connecting portion of the rear case to be welded to an end surface of the front case has a shape that extends outward with respect to the optical axis. Is one of the features.

An embodiment according to the present invention will be described according to the following configuration. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and the description may be abbreviate | omitted.
1. Embodiment 2. FIG. Supplementary matter

  In this specification, the center position of the lens and the center position of the light incident on the image sensor is referred to as an “optical axis”. An imaging target located on the opposite side of the imaging element from the lens is referred to as a “subject”. The direction in which the subject is located with respect to the image sensor is referred to as “front side” or “front in the optical axis direction”, and the direction in which the image sensor is located with respect to the subject is referred to as “rear side” or “back in the optical axis direction”. In addition, for convenience of explanation, description may be made by appropriately using the directions of XYZ described in the drawings. The Z direction is the optical axis direction. The X direction and the Y direction are both directions perpendicular to the optical axis. The X direction + side is referred to as the upper side, and the X direction-side is referred to as the lower side. The Y direction is referred to as a side surface.

<1. Embodiment>
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are external perspective views of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a view seen from the front side, and FIG. 2 is a view seen from the rear side. 3 and 4 are exploded perspective views of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a view seen from the front side, and FIG. 4 is a view seen from the rear side. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment includes a front case 1, a waterproof seal 2, a lens barrel 3, a first substrate 41, a second substrate 42, a shield plate 6, a rear case 7, The connector 8 and the connectors 51 and 52 are included.

<Front case 1>
The front case 1 is a member that forms a housing (case) of the image pickup apparatus together with the rear case 7, and is formed of a resin that melts by absorbing laser light. A resin that melts by absorbing laser light is referred to as an absorptive resin.

  The front case 1 has a front part having an opening centered on the optical axis in the front in the optical axis direction, and a cylindrical part extending rearward in the optical axis direction from the front part. The front part and the cylindrical part are smoothly connected. The rear of the front case 1 in the optical axis direction is open to be connectable to the rear case 7. The rear end surface of the front case 1 in the optical axis direction (the surface at the position B in FIG. 5) is in contact with the end surface in the optical axis direction of the connecting portion 7c of the rear case 7 and is welded by laser light. By connecting the front case 1 and the rear case 7 by welding, a space for accommodating the lens barrel 3, the first substrate 41, the second substrate 42, and the like is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lens 3 a held by the lens barrel 3 is located in the opening of the front case 1 in the optical axis direction front.

<Rear case 7>
As described above, the rear case 7 is connected to the front case 1 by welding to form a space for accommodating the lens barrel 3, the first substrate 41, the second substrate 42, and the like.

  6 to 10 show the rear case 7, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rear case 7, FIG. 7 is a plan view of the rear case 7 viewed from the front side, and FIG. 8 is a rear case 7 viewed from the rear side. FIG. 9 is a plan view when the rear case 7 is viewed from above, and FIG. 10 is a plan view when the rear case 7 is viewed from the side.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 10, the rear case 7 includes a surface portion 7a, a cylindrical portion 7b, and a connecting portion 7c. The surface portion 7 a is a planar portion located rearward in the optical axis direction in the rear case 7. The cylindrical portion 7b is a cylindrical portion extending from the outer edge portion of the surface portion 7a toward the front in the optical axis direction. That is, the cylindrical portion 7b extends in a wall shape forward from the surface portion 7a in the optical axis direction. The connecting portion 7c has a shape that extends outward in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis with respect to the cylindrical portion 7b. That is, the connecting portion 7c has a larger area than the cylindrical portion 7b in a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis. The front end surface of the connecting portion 7c in the optical axis direction is in contact with the end surface of the front case 1 and is welded by laser light (position B in FIG. 5).

  The rear case 7 is formed of a resin that transmits laser light. A resin that transmits laser light is referred to as a transmissive resin. The length (thickness) of the connecting portion 7c in the optical axis direction is formed to a length (thickness) that can transmit laser light.

  The rear case 7 has an opening on the rear side in the optical axis direction. A protrusion of the connector 8 is inserted into the opening of the rear case 7. The rear case 7 is connected to the connector 8 by a connector 52.

<Waterproof seal 2>
The waterproof seal 2 is an annular member formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and is disposed between the front case 1 and the lens barrel 3 so that the front case 1 and the lens barrel 3 are connected. Acts to connect without gaps. The waterproof seal 2 has an annular shape along the position of the outer edge of the opening of the front case 1.

<Lens barrel 3>
The lens barrel 3 is a cylindrical member that extends in the optical axis direction. The lens barrel 3 holds one or more optical members including the lens 3a. The optical member held by the lens barrel 3 includes a lens, a spacer, a diameter plate, an optical filter, and the like in addition to the lens 3a. The lens including the lens 3a is formed of a transparent material such as glass or plastic, and transmits light from the front in the optical axis direction while refracting light from the front in the optical axis direction. The spacer is a plate-like and annular member having an appropriate thickness in the optical axis direction, and adjusts the position of each lens in the optical axis direction. The spacer has an opening at the center including the optical axis. The aperture plate determines the outermost position of the light passing therethrough. The optical filter suppresses or blocks light having a predetermined wavelength. The optical filter includes, for example, an infrared cut filter that suppresses passing infrared rays. The number of these optical members can be arbitrarily changed.

<First substrate 41 and second substrate 42>
The first substrate 41 and the second substrate 42 are rigid substrates on which electronic components including the image sensor 43 are mounted. In the present embodiment, the image sensor 43 and electronic components are mounted on the first substrate 41, and the electronic components are mounted on the second substrate 42. The first substrate 41 and the second substrate 42 are electrically connected by a conductive wire mounted on a flexible substrate. The electrical signal acquired by the imaging device 43 is output as image data to the outside of the imaging device after being subjected to predetermined electrical processing or signal processing by electronic components mounted on the first substrate 41 and the second substrate 42. The The positions of the first substrate 41 and the second substrate 42 are fixed in the imaging apparatus by the connector 51. The first substrate 41 and the second substrate 42 are covered with the shield plate 6.

  The image sensor 43 is a photoelectric conversion element that converts irradiated light into an electrical signal, and is, for example, a C-MOS sensor or a CCD, but is not limited thereto. In the imaging apparatus, an imaging unit that requires an imaging function other than the imaging element 43 may be employed. The imaging device is an example of the “imaging unit” in the present invention.

<Shield plate 6>
The shield plate 6 is formed of a conductive plate-like member, and is arranged so as to cover the first substrate 41 and the second substrate 42 in an assembled state. The shield plate 6 includes a flat part having a surface perpendicular to the optical axis and a side part extending forward from the outer edge of the flat part in the optical axis direction. The side surface portion of the shield plate 6 is positioned so as to cover the outer periphery of the first substrate 41 and the second substrate 42 at positions outside the center of the optical axis when viewed in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. The flat portion of the shield plate 6 is positioned so as to cover at least a part of the first substrate 41 and the second substrate 42 at the rear in the optical axis direction.

<Connector 8>
The connector 8 is disposed behind the rear case 7 in the optical axis direction, and is connected to the rear case 7 by a connector 52. The connector 8 is used as a fixture for attaching the imaging device to an attachment target device while electrically connecting the imaging device and an external device. The connector 8 is connected to a terminal 42 a that protrudes rearward in the optical axis direction from the second substrate 42.

<Laser welding between front case 1 and rear case 7>
Next, laser welding between the front case 1 and the rear case 7 will be described. As already described, the connecting portion 7c of the rear case 7 has an outward spread in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis with respect to the cylindrical portion 7b. Therefore, as also shown in FIG. 8, the rear surface in the optical axis direction of the connecting portion 7c is visible from the rear in the optical axis direction.

  When laser welding the front case 1 and the rear case 7, laser light is emitted from the rear in the optical axis direction toward the connecting portion 7c with the end face of the front case 1 and the connecting portion 7c of the rear case 7 in contact with each other. Irradiate. That is, laser light is irradiated from the direction of arrow L in FIG. The laser light applied to the connecting portion 7c passes through the rear case 7 formed of a transmissive resin and reaches the front case 1 formed of an absorbent resin. The end surface of the front case 1 is melted by the laser beam and then solidified by stopping the irradiation of the laser beam. As a result, the front case 1 is welded to the connecting portion 7 c of the rear case 7. Laser welding of the front case 1 and the rear case 7 is performed over the entire circumference. That is, the end surface of the front case 1 and the connecting portion 7c of the rear case 7 are laser-welded around the entire optical axis.

  In the imaging device of the present embodiment, the connecting portion 7c of the rear case 7 is wider than the cylindrical portion 7b in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, so that the cylindrical portion 7b is not irradiated with laser light. In addition, it is possible to irradiate the connecting portion 7c with laser light. When the front case 1 and the rear case 7 are welded, the connecting portion 7c of the rear case 7 is laser-welded by irradiating the laser beam, so that the cylindrical portion 7b that does not need to transmit the laser light has an optical axis. It can be formed with any length in the direction. Therefore, the rear case 7 can be formed with a long (thickness) length (thickness) in the optical axis direction, and even if the front case 1 is formed with a relatively short length in the optical axis direction, a wide accommodation space can be provided. Can be secured. In this case, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of dimensional variations when the front case 1 is molded.

  Further, in the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment, the thickness of the connecting portion 7c in the optical axis direction is set to a thickness that allows laser light to pass therethrough. Can be laser welded.

  Moreover, in the imaging device of this embodiment, the end surface of the front case 1 and the connecting portion 7c of the rear case 7 are welded to the entire circumference with respect to the optical axis. For this reason, the front case 1 and the rear case 7 can be reliably laser-welded, and a configuration in which liquid such as water can be easily prevented from entering from the outside can be achieved.

<2. Supplementary items>
The specific description of the embodiment of the present invention has been given above. In the above description, the description is merely an embodiment, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, but is broadly interpreted to the extent that a person skilled in the art can grasp.

  For example, in the imaging device of the above embodiment, the cross section perpendicular to the optical axis of the rear case 7 is rectangular, but the cross section perpendicular to the optical axis of the rear case 7 is circular, elliptical, polygonal, or the like. Any shape can be used.

  Moreover, although the connection part 7c of the rear case 7 of embodiment has the level | step difference outside with respect to the optical axis from the cylindrical part 7b, it is good also as a structure which replaces with a level | step difference and has an inclined part.

  Moreover, although the end face of the front case 1 of the embodiment in the optical axis direction rear side has been described as a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, the end face may be inclined with respect to the plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

  Further, the rear case 7 of the embodiment is entirely formed of a permeable resin, but it is sufficient that at least the connecting portion 7c is formed of a permeable resin, and the cylindrical portion 7b and the surface portion 7a are not necessarily permeable resin. It does not have to be formed. However, it is preferable to form the entire rear case 7 with a permeable resin because it can be easily formed as compared with a configuration in which a different member is employed depending on the part.

  In the embodiment, the front case 1 is formed of an absorbent resin and the rear case 7 is formed of a permeable resin. However, the front case 1 is formed of a permeable resin and the rear case 7 is formed of an absorbent resin. It may be formed. In this case, the front case 1 has a configuration like the rear case 7 in the embodiment, and the rear case 7 has a configuration like the front case 1.

  In the embodiment, the configuration including the first substrate 41 and the second substrate 42 has been described. However, the number of substrates on which the image sensor is mounted may be one or three or more.

  In the present specification, laser welding is exemplified as a method for welding the front case 1 and the rear case 7. However, in addition to laser welding, the front case 1 and the rear case 7 are attached in the same manner as laser welding. A method capable of welding may be employed. That is, as in the case of laser welding, the structure of the present invention can be adopted as long as the welding method can be a problem of permeability depending on the material.

  The present invention is suitably used as an imaging device for in-vehicle use or other purposes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Front case 2 ... Waterproof seal 3 ... Lens barrel 3a ... Lens 41 ... 1st board | substrate 42 ... 2nd board | substrate 42a ... Terminal 43 ... Image pick-up element 51, 52 ... Connecting tool 6 ... Shield plate 7 ... Rear case 7a ... Surface part 7b ... Cylindrical part 7c ... Connecting part 8 ... Connector

Claims (4)

A substrate on which an imaging unit is mounted;
A lens barrel that holds the lens;
A front case,
A rear case disposed behind the front case in the optical axis direction and housing the lens barrel and the substrate together with the front case;
The rear case is
A surface portion located rearward in the optical axis direction;
A cylindrical portion extending from the surface portion toward the front in the optical axis direction;
A surface extending perpendicularly to the cylindrical portion in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and having a connecting portion in contact with the rear end surface of the front case in the optical axis direction;
The connecting portion of the rear case is formed of a material that transmits laser light,
The end surface of the front case is formed of a material that is melted by the laser beam,
The connecting portion is welded to the end surface of the front case by the laser beam.
Imaging device. A substrate on which an imaging unit is mounted;
A lens barrel that holds the lens;
A front case,
A rear case disposed behind the front case in the optical axis direction and housing the lens barrel and the substrate together with the front case;
The front case is
A surface portion positioned forward in the optical axis direction;
A cylindrical portion extending rearward in the optical axis direction from the surface portion;
A surface that extends outward from the cylindrical portion in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and a connecting portion that contacts an end surface in the optical axis direction of the rear case,
The connecting portion of the front case is formed of a material that transmits laser light,
The end face of the rear case is formed of a material that is melted by the laser beam,
The connecting portion is welded to the end face of the rear case by the laser beam.
Imaging device. The thickness of the connecting portion in the optical axis direction is a thickness that allows the laser beam to pass through.
The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2. The end surface and the connecting portion are welded to the entire optical axis.
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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