JP2022164455A - Compound eye imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a compound eye imaging device capable of maximally effectively utilizing the entire imaging area of an image sensor by appropriately suppressing overlap of images in adjacent ommatidia when performing close-up photography.SOLUTION: A compound eye imaging device 100 includes a plurality of lenses 31, a lens holder 30 holding the plurality of lenses 31, an image sensor 51, a regulating member 41 that regulates an optical path incident on the image sensor 51 from each of the plurality of lenses 31, a first adjusting member 42 that adjusts at least one of a first position P1 of the lens holder 30 in the optical axis direction of the plurality of lenses 31 and a second position P2 of the regulating member 41 in the optical axis direction, and a second adjusting member 43 that adjusts the other of the first position P1 and the second position P2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a compound eye imaging device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a compound-eye imaging apparatus that includes a plurality of lenses and forms an image by forming images of light incident from the plurality of lenses on a plurality of regions of an image sensor (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1 discloses a microlens array in which microlenses are arranged, a light receiving element array disposed below the microlens array, and a grid-like partition layer disposed between the microlens array and the light receiving element array. , is disclosed. A predetermined region of the light receiving element array corresponds to one microlens, and a grid-like partition layer regulates the optical path to prevent optical signals from entering from adjacent microlenses. The partition layer extends downward from the microlens array to an intermediate position between the microlens array and the light receiving element array.

Japanese Patent No. 3821614

2. Description of the Related Art In a compound-eye imaging apparatus such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a need to perform close-up photography with a short imaging distance from an image sensor to an object. However, as the photographing distance is shortened with infinity as the reference, the amount of movement of the lens toward the subject for focusing increases, so the regulating member (partition wall layer) is separated from the light receiving surface together with the lens. As a result of the regulating member moving away from the light receiving surface, some of the light beams that have passed through the adjacent lenses overlap each other, resulting in an overlap region in which the images corresponding to the individual eyes (individual lenses) overlap. is formed. As described above, the conventional compound-eye imaging apparatus has a problem that it is impossible to suppress overlap of images in adjacent ommatidia (adjacent optical systems) when performing close-up photography.

In order to avoid this problem, conversely, if the regulating member is fixed at an appropriate position for close-up photography, light rays will be insufficiently regulated and overlap will occur in the case of long-distance photography. On the other hand, if the regulating member is fixed at an appropriate position for long-distance photography, the luminous flux is excessively regulated for close-up photography, making it impossible to fully utilize the entire photographing area (for each eye) of the image sensor.

In this way, when the photographing distance is changed in the compound eye photographing device, even if the positions of the restricting member and the lens are integrally adjusted, or conversely, even if only the restricting member is fixed at a predetermined position, the imaging of the image sensor is The entire area cannot be used effectively.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and one object of the present invention is to appropriately suppress overlap of images in adjacent ommatidia when performing close-up photography. It is an object of the present invention to provide a compound eye imaging device capable of maximally and effectively utilizing the entire imaging area of an image sensor.

In order to achieve the above object, a compound eye imaging device according to one aspect of the present invention forms a plurality of lenses, a lens holding section that holds the plurality of lenses, and a plurality of images formed by each of the plurality of lenses. a regulating member for regulating an optical path incident on the image sensor from each of the plurality of lenses; a first position of the lens holding portion in the optical axis direction of the plurality of lenses; and a second position of the regulating member in the optical axis direction. and a first adjusting member for adjusting at least one of the position and a second adjusting member for adjusting the other of the first position and the second position. In addition, in the present invention, the first adjustment member may adjust only the first position, only the second position, or both the first position and the second position. In configurations where the first adjustment member adjusts only one of the first and second positions, the second adjustment member is configured to adjust the other of the first and second positions, but the first adjustment member is configured to adjust only one of the first and second positions. In a configuration that adjusts both the first position and the second position, the second adjustment member may adjust either the first position or the second position.

In the compound-eye imaging device according to one aspect of the present invention, the first position of the lens holding portion in the optical axis direction and the second position of the restricting member in the optical axis direction are achieved by the combination of the first adjusting member and the second adjusting member. and can be adjusted separately. Therefore, when the first position of the lens holder is adjusted (extended) for focus adjustment in close-up photography, the lens passes through adjacent lenses (adjacent facets) in accordance with the adjusted first position of the lens holder. The second position of the regulating member can be adjusted to a position that can appropriately prevent the light beams from overlapping each other. As a result, when performing close-up photography, the entire imaging area of the image sensor can be effectively utilized to the maximum by appropriately suppressing overlap of images in adjacent ommatidia. In addition, as a result, compound-eye photography over a wider range of photographing distances can be realized with the same device configuration simply by varying the adjustment amounts of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member.

In the compound eye imaging device according to the above aspect, preferably the lens holding portion and the restricting member are connected to each other, and the first adjusting member integrally adjusts both the first position and the second position. A second adjusting member is provided between the lens holding portion and the regulating member and is provided to adjust the first position or the second position. With this configuration, the lens holding portion and the regulating member can be connected to each other and integrated. The lens holding portion and the regulating member have relative positions not only in the optical axis direction, but also in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis (the direction parallel to the light receiving surface of the image sensor) and the relative angle (that is, the regulating member with respect to the lens optical axis). angle of inclination) must be adjusted. Therefore, by integrating the lens holding portion and the regulating member, it is possible to avoid variations in the relative positions and relative angles between the two members independently of each other, so that the assembly accuracy of the lens holding portion and the regulating member can be improved. can do. Even in that case, the relative position (distance) between the lens holding portion and the regulating member in the optical axis direction can be adjusted by the second adjusting member between the lens holding portion and the regulating member. , the first position and the second position can be adjusted separately.

In this case, preferably, a base member to which the lens holding portion and the regulating member are assembled is further provided, the lens holding portion is laminated on the base member via the first adjusting member at the first portion, and the regulating member is the lens holding portion. is connected to a second portion different from the first portion of the via a second adjustment member. According to this configuration, the first adjusting member and the second adjusting member are provided in parallel with respect to the first portion and the second portion of the lens holding portion, respectively. The adjustment amount (thickness) of the first adjustment member can determine the position (first position) of the lens holding portion with respect to the base member, and the adjustment amount of the first adjustment member and the adjustment amount of the second adjustment member can be determined. can determine the position (second position) of the regulating member relative to the base member.

In the configuration in which the first adjusting member adjusts both the first position and the second position integrally, and the second adjusting member adjusts the first position or the second position, preferably the lens holding portion and the regulating member are A base member to be assembled is further provided, and a first adjustment member, a regulation member, a second adjustment member, and a lens holding portion are laminated on the base member in order from the base member side. According to this configuration, the lens holding portion, the regulating member, the first adjusting member, and the second adjusting member are stacked and provided in series. In this case, the adjustment amount (thickness) of the first adjustment member can determine the position (second position) of the regulation member with respect to the base member, and the adjustment amount of the first adjustment member and the adjustment amount of the second adjustment member can be determined. can determine the position (first position) of the lens holding portion with respect to the base member.

In the structure in which at least one of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member is a spacer member configured by a laminate of a plurality of thin plates, preferably the first adjustment member is used for the first position and regulation of the lens holding portion. The member is provided to adjust one of the second positions independently of the other, and the second adjusting member adjusts the other of the first position of the lens holding portion and the second position of the regulating member independently of the other. is provided to adjust the According to this configuration, the first position of the lens holding portion and the second position of the restricting member can be adjusted independently by the first adjusting member and the second adjusting member. Since the adjustment amount of the first adjustment member and the adjustment amount of the second adjustment member can be determined independently, the adjustment amount of each adjustment member can be easily determined.

In the compound eye imaging device according to the above aspect, preferably, at least one of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member is a spacer member configured by a laminate of a plurality of thin plates and performing position adjustment according to thickness. With this configuration, the first position and/or the second position can be adjusted according to the number of laminated thin plates. Since a thin plate having a small thickness can be easily manufactured, highly accurate position adjustment can be achieved with an extremely simple structure, unlike the case where a mechanical precision positioning mechanism is provided.

In this case, preferably one of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member includes a spacer member, and the other of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member is rotated to adjust the position in the optical axis direction. Includes position adjustment screws to carry out. With this configuration, it is possible to perform stepless position adjustment over a wide range by using the position adjustment screw, and to perform precise position adjustment by adjusting the number of laminations of the thin plates that constitute the spacer member.

In the compound-eye imaging device according to the aspect described above, preferably, the restricting member includes a partition wall defining a path of light incident on the image sensor from each of the plurality of lenses, and is separated from the light-receiving surface of the image sensor in the optical axis direction. placed in position. With this configuration, the optical path can be partitioned so as to reduce as much as possible a region where the light flux from each of the plurality of lenses does not enter on the light receiving surface of the image sensor. That is, when the partition is in contact with the light-receiving surface of the image sensor, the pixel region in contact with the partition cannot receive the light flux and cannot be used as an image. In the configuration in which the partition wall is separated from the light receiving surface of the image sensor, the optical path can be divided so that the light flux passing through the lens is also incident on the pixel area directly below the partition wall, so the pixel area of the image sensor can be effectively utilized.

In this case, preferably, the regulating member is arranged such that the image areas formed by the light beams incident from the plurality of lenses do not overlap each other on the light receiving surface of the image sensor, and the distance between the image areas is smaller than the thickness of the partition walls. Side by side, they are aligned in a second position that limits the optical path. With this configuration, the optical path can be restricted so that the two image areas formed on the light receiving surface by the adjacent ommatidia are as close as possible without overlapping each other. As a result, the pixel area that cannot be used for image formation in the image sensor can be reduced as much as possible.

In the compound-eye imaging device according to the above aspect, preferably, the lens holder is positioned at the first position where each lens is focused at a shooting distance that is 10 times or less the focal length. Here, when the photographing distance is shortened, the change in the extension amount of the lens rapidly increases when the photographing distance becomes about 10 times or less of the focal length. As a result, in the configuration in which the regulating member is extended integrally with the lens holding portion, the overlapping area of the images is also significantly enlarged. Therefore, the present invention, which can suppress image overlap by separately adjusting the first position of the lens holding portion and the second position of the regulating member, is useful in ultra-close-up photography in which the photographing distance is 10 times or less of the focal length. Especially useful. Thus, with the same device configuration, by only changing the adjustment amounts of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member, a wide range of compound eyes from infinity to ultra-close-up photography (photographing distance is 10 times or less than the focal length). shooting can be realized.

According to the present invention, as described above, when performing close-up photography, a compound-eye imaging apparatus capable of maximally and effectively utilizing the entire imaging area of an image sensor by appropriately suppressing overlap of images in adjacent ommatidia. can be provided.

1 is a perspective view showing a compound eye imaging device; FIG. 2 is a perspective cross-sectional view along the optical axis of the lens of the compound-eye imaging device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the compound-eye imaging device shown in FIG. 1; 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a compound eye imaging device according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the optical system and position adjustment of the compound-eye imaging device according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a first adjustment member and a second adjustment member made of thin plates; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an optical system in which the photographing distance is set to infinity in a comparative example; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an optical system in which the photographing distance is shorter than infinity in a comparative example; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an optical system with a shorter shooting distance than that in FIG. 8 in a comparative example; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a case where the regulation member is fixed at the reference distance in a comparative example; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an optical system with a shooting distance shorter than infinity in the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an optical system for ultra-close-up photography according to the first embodiment; 7 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the shooting distance and the thicknesses of the first and second adjustment members; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a compound eye imaging device according to a second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the optical system and position adjustment of the compound-eye imaging device according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining an optical system and position adjustment of a compound-eye imaging device according to a first modified example; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining an optical system and position adjustment of a compound-eye imaging device according to a second modified example;

Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
(Configuration of compound eye imaging device)
The configuration of a compound eye imaging device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. In the following description, the optical axis direction of the lens 31 (the direction in which the optical axis AL (see FIG. 5) extends) is the Z direction, one of the Z directions is the Z1 direction, and the other is the Z2 direction. Also, in a plane perpendicular to the Z direction, the two directions perpendicular to each other are defined as the X direction and the Y direction, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the compound-eye imaging device 100 includes a plurality of lenses 31, a lens holder 30, an image sensor 51 (see FIG. 2), a regulation member 41 (see FIG. 2), and a first It has an adjusting member 42 and a second adjusting member 43 (see FIG. 2). The compound eye imaging device 100 also includes a filter holding section 10 , a diaphragm section 20 , a support structure section 40 and a substrate section 50 .

The compound-eye imaging device 100 forms a plurality of images (a plurality of monocular images) by each of a plurality of lenses 31 (a plurality of ocular images) on a single image sensor 51 (see FIG. 2) at once. It is a device. Thus, the compound-eye imaging apparatus 100 is configured to be able to form a plurality of images at once by each of the plurality of lenses 31 using a single image sensor 51 . In this specification, an optical system composed of individual lenses 31 is called an "ommatidium". An image formed on the image sensor 51 by each ommatidium is referred to as an "ommatidium image". An output image of the image sensor 51 includes a plurality of ommatidium images. In this embodiment, an example of a compound eye imaging device 100 having four facets is shown.

Further, the compound eye imaging apparatus 100 is configured to be able to form a plurality of ommatidium images of substantially the same viewpoint in a single output image. For example, the compound-eye imaging apparatus 100 can simultaneously form a plurality of images of the same viewpoint with different spectral characteristics by combining spectral filters with different characteristics for each of the lenses 31 . As a result, it is possible to acquire various information about the spectral characteristics of the subject by imaging once.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the compound-eye imaging device 100, from the Z1 direction side to the Z2 direction side along the optical axis, the filter holding portion 10, the diaphragm portion 20, the lens holding portion 30, the support structure portion 40, and the substrate The parts 50 are stacked in order. The support structure portion 40 is a portion configured including the regulation member 41 , the first adjustment member 42 , the second adjustment member 43 and the base member 44 . The compound-eye imaging apparatus 100 forms an image with light that passes through the filter holding section 10, the diaphragm section 20, the lens holding section 30, and the support structure section 40 in the Z2 direction and enters the image sensor 51 of the substrate section 50. FIG.

<Filter holder>
The filter holder 10 is configured to be able to individually hold an optical filter Ft (see FIG. 4) for each ommatidium. That is, the filter holding portion 10 is formed with a plurality of holding holes corresponding to the plurality of lenses 31 (a plurality of ommatidia), and each holding hole can hold the optical filter Ft.

The filter holding portion 10 includes a first filter holding plate 11 , a first filter holding plate 12 , a second filter holding plate 13 and a second filter holding plate 14 . The filter holding portion 10 is configured by laminating these plate-like members, and has a flat plate shape as a whole. Each member of the filter holding part 10 is provided with a number of holes (four) corresponding to the number of eyes.

A through hole 11a smaller than the outer shape of the optical filter Ft (see FIG. 4) is formed in the first filter holding plate 11 . The first filter holding plate 12 is formed with a filter installation hole 12a, which is a through hole having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the optical filter Ft. An optical filter is arranged inside the filter installation hole 12a. A through hole 13a smaller than the outer shape of the optical filter Ft is formed in the second filter holding plate 13 . The first filter holding plate 11 and the second filter holding plate 13 hold the Z1 side and the Z2 side of the first optical filter Ft arranged on the first filter holding plate 12 . The second filter holding plate 14 is formed with a filter installation hole 14a, which is a through hole having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the optical filter Ft. An optical filter is arranged inside the filter installation hole 14a. The Z1 side and the Z2 side of the second optical filter Ft (see FIG. 4) arranged on the second filter holding plate 14 are held by the second filter holding plate 13 and the diaphragm portion 20 which will be described later. In this way, the filter holder 10 is configured so that two optical filters can be arranged for one eyelet.

The optical filter Ft to be arranged can be selected from, for example, a polarizing filter, a spectral filter (bandpass filter, high-pass filter, low-pass filter), a light reduction filter (ND (Neutral Density) filter), and the like. One or two optical filters Ft are arranged in each holding hole of the filter holding part 10 according to the optical characteristics required for the image of one eye. .

<Dropped part>
The diaphragm unit 20 is configured to adjust the amount of light incident on each of the plurality of lenses 31 (a plurality of ommatidia). Further, the aperture unit 20 is provided to improve imaging performance such as aberration correction and focal depth adjustment. The diaphragm part 20 is made of a plate member in which a plurality (four) of diaphragm holes 20a corresponding to the number of eyes are formed. The diaphragm portion 20 is arranged between the filter holding portion 10 and the lens holding portion 30 .

<Lens holder>
The lens holding section 30 is configured to hold a plurality of lenses 31 . The lens holding section 30 is configured to be able to individually hold one lens 31 for each ommatidium. That is, the lens holding part 30 has the same number (four) of lens installation holes 30a as the lenses 31 to be held. A plurality of lenses 31 are individually held in each of the plurality of lens installation holes 30a.

The lens holding portion 30 includes a lens holding plate 32, a lens holding plate 33, and a lens supporting plate . The lens holding portion 30 is configured by laminating these plate-like members, and has a flat plate shape as a whole. Each member of the lens holding portion 30 is provided with a number of holes corresponding to the number of lenses.

A through hole 32 a smaller than the outer shape of the lens 31 is formed in the lens holding plate 32 . The lens holding plate 33 is formed with a lens installation hole 33 a which is a through hole having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the lens 31 . The lens 31 is arranged inside the lens installation hole 33a. A through hole 34 a smaller than the outer shape of the lens 31 is formed in the lens support plate 34 .

The lens installation hole 30a is composed of these through hole 32a, lens installation hole 33a and through hole 34a. The lens holding plate 32 and the lens supporting plate 34 hold the Z1 side and the Z2 side of the lens 31 arranged on the lens holding plate 33 .

<lens>
A plurality of lenses 31 are provided to image the light that has passed through the aperture unit 20 . Each of the multiple lenses 31 is held by a lens holding portion 30 . In this embodiment, as described above, the four lenses 31 are held in the lens installation holes 30a of the lens holder 30, respectively. The multiple lenses 31 include glass or resin monocular lenses. Each individual lens 31 has a predetermined focal length.

Note that the focal lengths of the individual lenses 31 may not necessarily be the same, and can be arbitrarily set within the permissible range of the device configuration. For example, by forming steps (recesses) with different depths for each eyelet on the Z1 side surface of the lens support plate 34, the positions of the individual lenses 31 in the optical axis direction can be finely adjusted. This absorbs the difference in the focal positions of the lenses 31 whose focal lengths differ within the allowable range, and the focal points of the lenses 31 can be set on the same plane.

<Support structure>
The support structure 40 includes the regulating member 41, the first adjusting member 42, the second adjusting member 43, and the base member 44, as described above. The support structure part 40 has a function of supporting the filter holding part 10 , the diaphragm part 20 and the lens holding part 30 . First, the base member 44 is installed on the substrate portion 50 (Z1 side), and the lens holding portion 30 is installed on the base member 44 (Z1 side) with the first adjustment member 42 interposed therebetween.

The base member 44 has a rectangular frame-like shape with an opening 44a having a size that includes a region in which a plurality of ommatidia are formed. The base member 44 is provided so as to surround the image sensor 51 by arranging the image sensor 51 inside the opening 44a. The base member 44 has a predetermined height H (see FIG. 4) and functions to create a reference position for position adjustment of the lens holding portion 30 and the regulation member 41 by the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43. have.

The first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 are arranged between a first position P1 (see FIG. 4) of the lens holding portion 30 in the optical axis direction of the plurality of lenses 31 and a second position P2 of the regulation member 41 in the optical axis direction. (See FIG. 4). Details of the adjustment of the first position P1 and the second position P2 will be described later.

The first adjustment member 42 is arranged on the Z1 side surface of the base member 44 . The first adjustment member 42 has a planar shape that substantially matches the base member 44 . Therefore, the first adjustment member 42 has a rectangular frame-like flat plate shape with an opening 42 a (through hole) formed in a range matching the opening 44 a of the base member 44 . The first adjustment member 42 is arranged on the Z2 side of the lens holding portion 30 .

The second adjustment member 43 is arranged inside the opening 42 a of the first adjustment member 42 and is in contact with the Z2 side surface of the lens holder 30 . Therefore, the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 are provided in parallel with each other on the Z2 side surface of the lens holding portion 30 .

The second adjusting member 43 has a rectangular frame-like flat plate shape with an opening 43a (through hole) having a size that includes a region in which a plurality of ommatidia are formed. The opening 43a is smaller than the opening 44a of the base member 44 and the opening 42a of the first adjustment member 42, but is larger than the area in which the plurality of ommatidia are formed.

The regulating member 41 is configured to regulate the path of light incident on the image sensor 51 from each of the plurality of lenses 31 . The restricting member 41 is arranged inside the opening 44a of the base member 44 so as to face the image sensor 51 in the Z direction.

The restricting member 41 is provided in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The restricting member 41 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the optical axis direction (Z direction). Further, the restricting member 41 includes a plurality (four) of optical path partitioning portions 41a so as to correspond one-to-one with the plurality of lenses 31 (a plurality of ommatidia). The optical path partitioning portion 41a is a through hole penetrating the regulation member 41 in the optical axis direction. The regulating member 41 includes a partition wall 41 b that partitions the optical path from each of the plurality of lenses 31 to the image sensor 51 . An inner wall of the regulation member 41 that partitions the optical path partitioning portion 41a is a partition wall 41b. Light passing through the lens 31 is guided to the image sensor 51 while each optical path partitioning portion 41a is shielded from other optical path partitioning portions 41a by the partition walls 41b.

The restricting member 41 is arranged at a second position P2 (see FIG. 4) away from the light receiving surface 51a of the image sensor 51 in the optical axis direction. Specifically, the restricting member 41 is provided so as to be in contact with the Z2 side surface of the second adjusting member 43 . The restricting member 41 is connected to the lens holding portion 30 via the second adjusting member 43 .

<Board part>
The substrate section 50 includes an image sensor 51 and a sensor substrate 52 .

The image sensor 51 is configured to form multiple images formed by each of the multiple lenses 31 . Image sensor 51 is, for example, a semiconductor image sensor such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor. The image sensor 51 has a light receiving surface 51a (see FIG. 4) composed of a group of pixels arranged in an array in the X direction and the Y direction. The light-receiving surface 51a is a plane orthogonal to the optical axis direction (Z direction), and is the surface of the image sensor 51 on the Z1 direction side. The image sensor 51 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the optical axis direction (Z direction). The image sensor 51 is provided on the sensor substrate 52 .

The image sensor 51 is housed in a sensor package 51b. The image sensor 51 receives light on the light receiving surface 51a through the cover member 51c, which is the translucent portion of the sensor package 51b.

The sensor board 52 is a printed circuit board on which a circuit pattern connected to the image sensor 51 is formed, and has a common installation surface 52a on which the image sensor 51 and each member described above are installed. The installation surface 52a is the surface of the sensor substrate 52 on the Z1 side. An image sensor 51 is installed in the center of the installation surface 52a. A base member 44 surrounding the image sensor 51 is installed on the installation surface 52a with an insulating sheet 53 interposed therebetween.

(Laminate structure of each part of compound eye imaging device)
Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the layered structure of each part of the compound eye imaging device 100 will be described. FIG. 4 schematically shows the layered structure of the compound-eye imaging device 100, and the scale of each member is different from that in FIGS. In FIG. 4, the illustration of the holes of the members constituting the optical system is omitted.

The lens holding part 30 is stacked on the base member 44 via the first adjustment member 42 at the first portion 30b. The lens holding part 30 is arranged at the first position P1 in the optical axis direction (Z direction). The lens holding portion 30 is connected to the regulating member 41 via the second adjusting member 43 at the second portion 30c different from the first portion 30b.

The first portion 30b and the second portion 30c are both surfaces of the plate-like lens holding portion 30 on the Z2 side (the side of the light receiving surface 51a). The first portion 30b is a contact portion of the lens holding portion 30 with the rectangular frame-shaped first adjusting member 42 (see FIG. 3), and the first portion 30b has a rectangular frame shape. The first portion 30b is arranged closer to the outer periphery of the lens holding portion 30 than the second portion 30c. The second portion 30c is a region surrounded by the frame-shaped first portion 30b. The second portion 30c is a contact portion with the rectangular frame-shaped second adjusting member 43 (see FIG. 3), and the second portion 30c has a rectangular frame-shaped shape.

The regulating member 41 is suspended from the second portion 30c of the Z2 side surface of the lens holding portion 30 toward the image sensor 51 side (Z2 side) via the second adjustment member 43, and is attached to the lens holding portion 30. held. Thereby, the regulating member 41 is held at a position away from the light receiving surface 51a of the image sensor 51 on the Z1 side.

Next, the mounting structure of each member will be described. In the following description, a non-threaded hole (a through hole without a thread groove) for inserting a threaded member is called an "insertion hole". A threaded hole (a hole in which a thread groove is formed and is penetrating or non-penetrating) that meshes and fastens with a threaded portion of a screw member is called a "threaded hole".

<Installation of base material>
The base member 44 has a screw hole SH1 that meshes with a first fixing screw SC1 for fixing the base member 44. As shown in FIG. The sensor board 52 has an insertion hole IH1 for inserting the first fixing screw SC1. Similar insertion holes are also formed in the insulating sheet 53 .

A base member 44 is mounted on the sensor substrate 52 by a first fixing screw SC1 that engages the screw hole SH1.

<Lens holding portion and first adjustment member>
The lens holding portion 30 and the first adjustment member 42 each have an insertion hole IH2 for inserting the second fixing screw SC2 for fixing the lens holding portion 30 . The base member 44 also has a screw hole SH2 that meshes with the second fixing screw SC2.

The lens holding portion 30 is attached to the base member 44 by a second fixing screw SC2 that engages with the screw hole SH2 of the base member 44. As shown in FIG. Further, the first adjustment member 42 is fixed to the base member 44 by tightening the second fixing screw SC2 between the lens holding portion 30 and the base member 44 .

In the first embodiment, since the regulation member 41 is arranged inside the opening 44a of the frame-shaped base member 44 so as to be suspended from the lens holding portion 30, the base member 44 and the regulation member 41 There is an overlapping range Hr in the XY directions. The height H of the base member 44 is set to have a sufficient margin, considering that the size of the overlapping range Hr varies according to the adjustment amount (thickness) of the second adjustment member 43. Designed. Therefore, the height H of the base member 44 is increased, and a large formation range of the screw hole SH2 can be secured. Therefore, the second fixing screws SC2 having the same length can be used to accommodate a wide range of adjustment amounts without preparing many types of second fixing screws SC2 having different lengths depending on the adjustment amount (thickness) of the first adjusting member 42. can.

<Installation of the regulation member and the second adjustment member>
The lens holding portion 30 and the second adjusting member 43 have an insertion hole IH3 for inserting the third fixing screw SC3 for fixing the regulating member 41 . More precisely, the insertion hole IH3 is formed in the lens holding plate 33 and the lens supporting plate 34 excluding the lens holding plate 32 in the lens holding portion 30 . The restricting member 41 has a threaded hole SH3 that meshes with the third fixing screw SC3.

The regulating member 41 is attached to the lens holding portion 30 (lens holding plate 33) by a third fixing screw SC3 that engages with the screw hole SH3 of the regulating member 41. As shown in FIG. Further, the second adjusting member 43 is fixed to the lens holding portion 30 (lens holding plate 33) by tightening the third fixing screw SC3 between the lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41 together. With this configuration, the lens holding portion 30 and the restricting member 41 are connected to each other.

<Installation of the filter part and throttle part>
The filter holding portion 10 and the aperture portion 20 are attached to the lens holding portion 30 . Specifically, the lens holding portion 30 (lens holding plate 33) has a screw hole SH4 that meshes with a fourth fixing screw SC4 for fixing the filter holding portion 10 and the diaphragm portion 20. As shown in FIG. The lens holding plate 32 of the lens holding portion 30, the diaphragm portion 20, and the second filter holding plate 14 are each formed with an insertion hole IH4 for inserting the fourth fixing screw SC4.

The lens holding plate 32, the diaphragm portion 20, and the second filter holding plate 14 are fixed to the lens holding plate 33 by the fourth fixing screw SC4 that engages with the screw hole SH4 of the lens holding plate 33. As shown in FIG.

Further, the lens holding portion 30 (lens holding plate 33) has a screw hole SH5 that meshes with a fifth fixing screw SC5 for fixing the entire filter holding portion 10 and the diaphragm portion 20. FIG. Lens holding plate 32 of lens holding portion 30, diaphragm portion 20, filter holding portion 10 (first filter holding plate 11, first filter holding plate 12, second filter holding plate 13, second filter holding plate 14) are formed with insertion holes IH5 for inserting the fifth fixing screws SC5.

The lens holding plate 32, the diaphragm portion 20, and the entire filter holding portion 10 are fixed to the lens holding plate 33 by a fifth fixing screw SC5 that engages with the screw hole SH5 of the lens holding plate 33. FIG.

With the above configuration, each member constituting the compound eye imaging device 100 is assembled and fixed.

As a result, the optical filter holding hole (optical filter) of the filter holding portion 10, the aperture hole 20a of the aperture portion 20, the lens installation hole 30a (lens 31) of the lens holding portion 30, and the optical path partitioning portion 41a of the regulating member 41 are They are arranged along the optical axis and form an optical system corresponding to one ommatidium. As shown in FIG. 1, the four facets are formed in a grid of two rows and two columns in the XY directions. As a result, on the light receiving surface 51a of the image sensor 51, four ommatidium images of 2 rows and 2 columns are formed.

(Detailed configuration of first adjustment member and second adjustment member)
Next, detailed configurations of the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing simplified optical systems of two adjacent ommatidia by omitting illustration of the filter holding section 10 and the like, simplifying the lens holding section 30 .

In the first embodiment, the compound-eye imaging device 100 adjusts the first position P1 of the lens holder 30 in the optical axis direction, the second position P2 of the regulation member 41, and can be adjusted separately.

Specifically, the first adjustment member 42 has a first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 in the optical axis direction (Z direction) of the plurality of lenses 31, a second position P2 of the regulation member 41 in the optical axis direction, and the second adjusting member 43 is configured to adjust the other of the first position P1 and the second position P2.

Methods of adjusting the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 and the second position P2 of the restricting member 41 by the first adjusting member 42 and the second adjusting member 43 include the following (1) and (2).
(1) Only one of the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 and the second position P2 of the regulating member 41 is adjusted by the first adjustment member 42, and only the other of the first position P1 and the second position P2 is adjusted. A method of adjusting with the second adjusting member 43 (see FIG. 16).
(2) Both the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 and the second position P2 of the regulating member 41 are adjusted by the first adjustment member 42, and either the first position P1 or the second position P2 is adjusted to the first position P1 or the second position P2. 2. A method of adjusting with an adjusting member 43 (see FIG. 5).

In the adjustment method (1), the first position P1 and the second position P2 are adjusted independently. In the adjustment method (2), one of the first position P1 and the second position P2 is determined by the first adjustment member 42 . At this time, since the other position of the first position P1 and the second position P2 is also adjusted, the second adjustment member 43 takes into consideration the amount of position adjustment by the first adjustment member 42, and the first position P1 and the second position P1 are adjusted. Determine the other position of P2.

In the first embodiment, adjustment method (2) is adopted. That is, the first adjustment member 42 is provided so as to integrally adjust both the first position P1 and the second position P2, and the second adjustment member 43 is provided between the lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41. provided to adjust the first position P1 or the second position P2.

Specifically, the lens holding portion 30 shown in FIG. 5 is laminated on the base member 44 via the first adjusting member 42 and is mounted on the regulating member via the second adjusting member 43 separately from the first adjusting member 42 . 41. Therefore, the first adjusting member 42 adjusts the Z1-direction positions of both the lens holding portion 30 and the restricting member 41 with respect to the base member 44 . On the other hand, since the second adjusting member 43 is provided between the lens holding portion 30 and the restricting member 41, the amount of protrusion of the restricting member 41 in the Z2 direction with respect to the lens holding portion 30 is adjusted by the second adjusting member 43. be done.

As a result, the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 is determined by the thickness (adjustment amount) t1 of the first adjustment member 42 . Using the top surface height (Z1 side surface height) of the base member 44 as a reference, the first position P1 can be offset from the base member 44 in the Z1 direction by the thickness t1 of the first adjustment member 42 .

The second position P2 of the regulating member 41 is determined by summing the thickness (adjustment amount) t1 of the first adjustment member 42 and the thickness (adjustment amount) t2 of the second adjustment member 43 . That is, when the top surface height of the base member 44 is used as a reference, the second position P2 is offset from the base member 44 in the Z1 direction by the difference between the thickness t1 of the first adjustment member 42 and the thickness t2 of the second adjustment member 43. can be made Thus, the thickness t2 of the second adjustment member 43 allows the second position P2 to be adjusted separately from the first position P1.

The restricting member 41 is offset in the Z1 direction by an offset amount ΔP2 smaller than the extension amount ΔP1 of the lens 31 in the Z1 direction. Therefore, the thickness t2 of the second adjusting member 43 is normally smaller than the thickness t1 of the first adjusting member 42, and the offset amount ΔP2 of the second position P2 is a positive value (offset in the Z1 direction). As will be described later, the extension amount ΔP1 is an offset amount from the distance (reference distance R1) from the light receiving surface 51a to the lens holding portion 30 when focused on infinity. The offset amount ΔP2 of the second position P2 is also the offset amount from the distance (reference distance R2) from the light receiving surface 51a to the regulating member 41 when focused on infinity.

As shown in FIG. 6, at least one of the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 is a spacer member that is configured by a laminate of a plurality of thin plates 60 and performs position adjustment by thickness (t1, t2). In the first embodiment, an example in which both the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 are configured by a laminate of a plurality of thin plates 60 is shown.

The thin plate 60 is formed of a plate-like member made of metal. A metal material is, for example, stainless steel. The thin plate 60 has a planar shape that matches each adjusting member in its planar shape including openings and insertion holes, and has a thickness that is sufficiently smaller than the total thickness of each adjusting member. That is, the thin plate 60a that constitutes the first adjustment member 42 has a rectangular frame-like shape with an opening 42a (see FIG. 3), and an insertion hole IH2 (see FIG. 3) for inserting the second fixing screw SC2. 4) is formed. The thin plate 60b that constitutes the second adjusting member 43 has an external size one size smaller than the opening 42a, has a rectangular frame-like shape with an opening 43a (see FIG. 3) formed thereon, and is secured to the third fixing screw SC3. It is a plate member in which an insertion hole IH3 (see FIG. 4) for inserting is formed.

The thickness of the thin plate 60 is, for example, several tens of μm or more and 100 μm or less. Preferably, the thickness of the thin plate 60 is 20 μm or more and 100 μm or less. Each adjustment member may be configured by combining a plurality of types of thin plates 60 having different thicknesses. For example, each adjustment member includes three thin plates 60 with thicknesses of 20 μm, 30 μm and 100 μm. Combining the thin plates 60 of 20 μm and the thin plates 60 of 30 μm enables position adjustment in increments of 10 μm. When the amount of adjustment is large, the total number of laminated thin plates 60 can be reduced by using the thin plates 60 of 100 μm. Since the thickness of the thin plate 60 is very small in this way, it may be called a sheet-like member or a film-like member. The first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 are integrally formed, for example, by joining a plurality of stacked thin plates 60 by diffusion bonding.

(Adjustment of first position and second position)
Next, the adjustment of the first position P1 and the second position P2 will be described. The compound-eye imaging apparatus 100 of the first embodiment is configured so that the shooting distance can be set in a range from infinity to ultra-close-up shooting.

That is, whether the photographing distance is set to infinity or the photographing distance is set to ultra-close-up photography, the basic device configuration of the compound eye imaging device 100 is the same, and each adjustment of the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 is performed. The shooting distance can be changed by setting the amount (thickness t1, t2). In this specification, ultra-close-up photography means a case where the photography distance is 10 times or less the focal length of the lens.

In the compound-eye imaging apparatus 100, the positions of the lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41 are adjusted by the first adjusting member 42 and the second adjusting member 43 whose thicknesses t1 and t2 are adjusted in advance so as to obtain a predetermined photographing distance. It is assembled in a state where As a finished product of the assembled compound-eye imaging device 100, the photographing distance is a fixed value.

Referring to FIG. 5, in adjusting the first position P1 and the second position P2, first, the extension amount ΔP1 of the lens 31 for focusing according to the shooting distance is calculated. The thickness t1 of the first adjusting member 42 is determined so that the lens holding portion 30 is arranged at the first position P1 corresponding to the calculated extension amount ΔP1.

Next, on the light-receiving surface 51a of the image sensor 51, a position where the regulating member 41 can limit the light flux 70 to a range in which the image areas 72 formed by the individual eyes do not overlap each other is determined as the second position P2. . The thickness t2 of the second adjusting member 43 is determined according to the offset amount ΔP2 for arranging the regulating member 41 at the determined second position P2.

7 to 10, the relationship between the first position P1 (the extension amount of the lens 31) and the overlap between adjacent image areas 72 will be described below.

<Comparative example>
7 to 10 show an optical system according to a comparative example in which the regulation member 41 is directly attached to the lens holder 30 without using the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43. FIG. FIG. 7 schematically shows the positions of the lens holding portion 30 and the restricting member 41 when the photographing distance is set to infinity.

The first position P1 of the lens holder 30 is adjusted to focus on infinity. In other words, the first position P1 is adjusted so that the light receiving surface 51a (imaging position) is arranged at the focal length (back focus) f of the lens 31 .

A partition wall 41b constituting an optical path partitioning portion 41a of the regulating member 41 blocks the outer peripheral portion of the light flux 70 incident from each lens 31, thereby determining the position of the outermost principal ray 71 of the light flux 70. FIG. In FIG. 7, the area between the incident positions of the outermost principal rays 71 at both ends of the light beam 70 incident from one ommatidium becomes an image area 72 for forming an ommatidium image.

In the example of FIG. 7, the second position P2 of the regulating member 41 is adjusted so that the image areas 72 of the adjacent ommatidia are as close as possible. That is, the interval CL between two adjacent image areas 72 is minimized on the light receiving surface 51a. In the following description, the distance from the light-receiving surface 51a to the lens holding portion 30 at the first position P1 focused on infinity shown in FIG. 7 is defined as a reference distance R1. The distance from the light receiving surface 51a to the regulating member 41 at the second position P2 at this time is defined as a reference distance R2.

8 and 9 show examples in which the photographing distance is decreased from infinity (see FIG. 7). When shortening the photographing distance, the lens 31 is extended in the Z1 direction to focus on the light receiving surface 51a. That is, the lens holding portion 30 is offset in the Z1 direction by the extension amount ΔP from the reference distance R1. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the extension amount ΔP is larger than in FIG. 8 and the photographing distance is further shortened.

As can be seen from FIGS. 8 and 9, in the comparative example in which the regulating member 41 is directly attached to the lens holding portion 30, the lens holding portion 30 (lens 31) is offset in the Z1 direction by the extension amount ΔP. It is possible to focus at a distance. However, at this time, the regulating member 41 is also offset in the Z1 direction by the same amount as the lens holding portion 30 (by ΔP). As a result, the outermost principal rays 71 of the light beams 70 in adjacent ommatidia intersect, and an overlap area RO is formed in two adjacent image areas 72 where the image areas 72 overlap each other. In this case, in the photographed monocular image, images obtained by adjacent monocular eyes overlap each other in a portion corresponding to the overlap region RO.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when the regulating member 41 is separated from the lens holding portion 30 and fixed at a position separated from the light receiving surface 51a by the reference distance R2, the distance from the reference distance R1 of the lens holding portion 30 is The image area 72 on the light-receiving surface 51a becomes smaller as the extension amount ΔP increases. Therefore, when the image areas 72 of the adjacent ommatidia are separated from each other, a non-image area corresponding to the interval CL between the adjacent image areas 72 is formed in the output image of the image sensor 51. Pixel utilization efficiency decreases.

<First embodiment>
Therefore, in the compound-eye imaging device 100 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. The position P2 can be adjusted separately. 11 and 12 show an example in which the lens holding unit 30 is offset in the Z1 direction from the reference distance R1 for shooting at infinity by the extension amount ΔP1. This is an example in which the distance is further shortened.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the lens holding portion 30 is arranged at the first position P1, which is the reference distance R1 added by the extension amount ΔP1 corresponding to the shooting distance. That is, the thickness t1 of the first adjusting member 42 is determined so that the first position P1=R1+ΔP1.

Then, in a state where the first position P1 of the lens holding unit 30 is adjusted so that the moving amount ΔP1 for focusing at the set photographing distance is obtained, the two image areas 72 formed by the adjacent facets do not overlap each other. , the second position P2 of the regulating member 41 is adjusted.

Strictly speaking, the position of the image area 72 (the shape of the light beam 70) formed on the light receiving surface 51a by the optical system after the adjustment of the first position P1 varies depending on the aperture diameter and the specifications of the lens 31. is calculated by ray tracing (simulation). Based on the light beams 70 obtained as a result of ray tracing, the regulating member 41 is arranged so that the image regions 72 formed by the light beams 70 do not overlap each other and are arranged at intervals CL smaller than the thickness of the partition wall 41b. A second position P2 is determined. By determining the second position P2, the offset amount ΔP2 of the restricting member 41 from the reference distance R2 is determined. Thereby, the thickness t2 of the second adjustment member 43 is determined so that the regulation member 41 is arranged at the determined second position P2. That is, the thickness t2 of the second adjustment member 43 is determined so that the second position P2=R2+ΔP2.

Thus, the adjustment amount (thickness t1) of the first adjustment member 42 and the adjustment amount (thickness t2) of the second adjustment member 43 are determined. The first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 are configured by manufacturing a laminate of the thin plates 60 so as to obtain the determined adjustment amount. By assembling each member using the obtained first adjustment member 42 and second adjustment member 43, the compound eye imaging device 100 in which the first position P1 and the second position P2 are adjusted is obtained.

In the first embodiment, the second position P2 of the regulating member 41 is adjusted so that the outer peripheries of the image areas 72 of adjacent ommatidia are in contact with each other. In this way, according to the position-adjusted restricting member 41, the non-image area (see FIG. 10) in the output image of the image sensor 51 can be reduced as much as possible regardless of the shooting distance. 51 pixel utilization efficiency can be increased.

〈Super close-up photography〉
The compound-eye imaging apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment is particularly useful for ultra-close-up photography in which the imaging distance is 10 times or less the focal length f of the lens 31 (see FIG. 7). In the example shown in FIG. 12, the lens holding unit 30 is positioned at the first position P1 where each lens 31 is focused at a shooting distance of 10 times or less the focal length f. In accordance with the first position P1, the regulating member 41 is arranged on the light receiving surface 51a of the image sensor 51 such that the image areas 72 formed by the light beams 70 incident from the plurality of lenses 31 do not overlap each other. It is positioned at a second position P2 that limits the optical path.

FIG. 13 is a graph showing changes in the thickness t1 of the first adjustment member 42 and the thickness t2 of the second adjustment member 43 when the shooting distance is changed in the compound eye imaging device 100 having the same specifications. The horizontal axis of the graph indicates the shooting distance, and the vertical axis of the graph indicates the thickness of each adjustment member for realizing the first position P1 and the second position P2 corresponding to the shooting distance. The shooting distance is expressed as a multiple of the focal length. For each shooting distance, the thickness t1 of the first adjustment member 42 is represented by a white bar graph, and the thickness t2 of the second adjustment member 43 is represented by a hatched bar graph.

The graph of FIG. 13 shows the optical principle that the change in the thickness t1 of the first adjustment member 42, which corresponds to the extension amount ΔP1 of the lens 31 responsible for focus adjustment, is inversely proportional to the shooting distance (value obtained by subtracting 1 from a multiple of the focal length). is shown. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, the change in the thickness t2 of the second adjusting member 43 corresponds to the change in the thickness t1 of the first adjusting member 42 (the change in the first position P1). It shows that the amount (offset amount ΔP2) of pushing up the optimum position of the regulating member 41 changes due to the rise of the quadrangular pyramid shape formed by the outer chief ray 71 . Therefore, the change in the thickness t2 of the second adjusting member 43 is theoretically smaller than the change in the thickness t1 of the first adjusting member 42, and the difference in the amount of change (t1-t2) increases as the photographing distance decreases.

Therefore, as can be seen from the curved line (dashed line) in FIG. 13, there is no linear relationship between the photographing distance and the extension amount ΔP1 (thickness t1 of the first adjustment member 42). In the case of close-up photography, the thickness t1 of the first adjustment member 42 (that is, the extension amount ΔP1) increases rapidly. In FIG. 13, the thickness t1 when the shooting distance is adjusted to 50 times the focal length is about 1.8 times the thickness t1 at infinity, whereas the shooting distance is adjusted to 5 times the focal length. In this case, the thickness t1 is about 10 times or more. Therefore, in the configuration in which the position of the lens holding portion 30 and the restricting member 41 are integrally adjusted as in the comparative example shown in FIG. expand to

Therefore, in the compound-eye imaging device 100 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. Even in ultra-close-up photography in which the extension amount is remarkably large, the generation of the overlap region RO is suppressed, and the invalid region (the region where the images overlap) in the output image of the image sensor 51 is effectively reduced.

(Effect of the first embodiment)
The compound-eye imaging device 100 according to this embodiment can obtain the following effects.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the combination of the first adjusting member 42 and the second adjusting member 43 allows the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 in the optical axis direction and the second position P1 of the restricting member 41 in the optical axis direction. Position P2 can be adjusted separately. Therefore, for example, the compound eye imaging apparatus 100 is designed based on the first position P1 and the second position P2 when the photographing distance is set to infinity, and the first position of the lens holding unit 30 is adjusted for focus adjustment in close-up photographing. When the position P1 is adjusted (extended), the light beams 70 passing through the adjacent lenses 31 (adjacent ommatidia) are appropriately overlapped in accordance with the adjusted first position P1 of the lens holding unit 30. The second position P2 of the regulating member 41 can be adjusted to a position where it can be suppressed. As a result, when performing close-up photography, the entire imaging area of the image sensor 51 can be effectively utilized to the maximum by appropriately suppressing overlap of images in adjacent ommatidia. In addition, as a result, compound-eye photography over a wider range of photographing distances can be realized with the same device configuration simply by varying the adjustment amounts of the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 .

Further, in this embodiment, as described above, the lens holding portion 30 and the restricting member 41 are connected to each other, and the first adjusting member 42 integrally adjusts both the first position P1 and the second position P2. A second adjusting member 43 is provided between the lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41 to adjust the first position P1 or the second position P2. As a result, the lens holding portion 30 and the restricting member 41 can be connected and integrated with each other. The lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41 have relative positions and relative angles ( That is, it is necessary to match the inclination angle of the regulation member 41 with respect to the optical axis AL. Therefore, by integrating the lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41, it is possible to avoid independent variations in the relative position and the relative angle between both members. Assembly accuracy can be increased. Even in that case, since the relative position (distance) between the lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41 in the optical axis direction can be adjusted by the second adjusting member 43 between the lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41, the first adjusting member 42 and the second adjusting member 43, the first position P1 and the second position P2 can be adjusted separately.

Further, in this embodiment, as described above, the base member 44 to which the lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41 are assembled is further provided, and the lens holding portion 30 is mounted on the base through the first adjusting member 42 at the first portion 30b. The restricting member 41 is laminated on the member 44 and is connected to the second portion 30c of the lens holding portion 30, which is different from the first portion 30b, via the second adjusting member 43. As shown in FIG. In this case, a first adjustment member 42 and a second adjustment member 43 are provided in parallel with respect to the first portion 30b and the second portion 30c of the lens holding portion 30, respectively. The position (first position P1) of the lens holding portion 30 with respect to the base member 44 can be determined by the adjustment amount (thickness t1) of the first adjustment member 42, and the adjustment amount of the first adjustment member 42 and the second The position (second position P2) of the regulating member 41 with respect to the base member 44 can be determined by the sum of the adjustment amount of the adjusting member 43 and the adjustment amount of the adjusting member 43 .

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, at least one of the first adjusting member 42 and the second adjusting member 43 is a spacer member configured by a laminate of a plurality of thin plates 60 and performing position adjustment according to thickness. Accordingly, position adjustment of the first position P1 and/or the second position P2 can be performed depending on the number of laminated thin plates 60 . Since the thin plate 60 having a small thickness can be easily manufactured, highly accurate position adjustment can be achieved with a very simple structure, unlike the case where a mechanical precision positioning mechanism is provided.

In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above, the regulation member 41 includes the partition wall 41b that partitions the optical path incident on the image sensor 51 from each of the plurality of lenses 31. is located at a second position P2 away from the Accordingly, it is possible to partition the optical path so as to reduce as much as possible the area where the light flux 70 from each of the plurality of lenses 31 does not enter on the light receiving surface 51 a of the image sensor 51 . That is, when the partition 41b is in contact with the light receiving surface 51a of the image sensor 51, the pixel region in contact with the partition 41b cannot receive the light flux 70 and cannot be used as an image. In the configuration in which the partition wall 41b is separated from the light receiving surface 51a of the image sensor 51, the optical path can be divided so that the light flux 70 passing through the lens 31 is also incident on the pixel area directly below the partition wall 41b. It can be used effectively.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the regulating member 41 is arranged so that the image areas 72 formed by the light fluxes 70 incident from the plurality of lenses 31 overlap each other on the light receiving surface 51a of the image sensor 51. The positions are adjusted to the second position P2 that restricts the optical path so that they are not separated from each other and arranged at intervals smaller than the thickness of the partition wall 41b. With this configuration, the optical path can be restricted so that the two image areas 72 formed on the light receiving surface 51a by the adjacent ommatidia are as close as possible without overlapping each other. As a result, the pixel area that cannot be used for image formation in the image sensor 51 can be reduced as much as possible.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the lens holding unit 30 is adjusted to the first position P1 where each lens 31 is focused at a shooting distance that is 10 times or less the focal length f. As shown in FIG. 13, the extension amount ΔP1 of the lens 31 required for focusing when the photographing distance is shortened sharply increases when the photographing distance becomes 10 times or less of the focal length. Therefore, the compound-eye imaging apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, which can suppress image overlap by separately adjusting the first position P1 of the lens holding unit 30 and the second position P2 of the regulating member 41, has a focal length of 10 It is particularly useful for ultra-close-up photography where the photography distance is twice or less. As a result, with the same device configuration, only by changing the respective adjustment amounts of the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43, a wide range of shooting from infinity to ultra-close photography (shooting distance is 10 times or less than the focal length) can be achieved. compound eye photography can be realized.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. In the second embodiment, a first adjustment member 42 and a second adjustment member 43 are provided in parallel on the lens holding portion 30 (the first portion 30b and the second portion 30c). Unlike the above-described first embodiment, in which the lens holding portion 30 is laminated on the base member 44 and the lens holding portion 30 is connected to the regulation member 41 via the second adjustment member 43 separately from the first adjustment member 42. , the first adjusting member 42, the regulating member 41, the second adjusting member 43, and the lens holding portion 30 are stacked in series on the base member 144. As shown in FIG.

In the second embodiment, the compound-eye imaging device 200 is the same as the compound-eye imaging device 100 of the first embodiment except for the configuration of the lens holding unit 130 and the support structure unit 140, so the same reference numerals are used and the description is made. is omitted. In the compound eye imaging device 200 of the second embodiment, the first adjusting member 142, the regulating member 141, the second adjusting member 143, and the lens holder 130 are layered on the base member 144 in this order from the base member 144 side.

That is, in the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the regulating member 141 is laminated on the base member 144 (Z1 side) with the first adjusting member 142 interposed therebetween. The lens holding portion 130 is laminated on the regulation member 141 (Z1 side) via the second adjustment member 143 . Therefore, the first adjusting member 142, the restricting member 141, the second adjusting member 143, and the lens holding portion 130 are arranged in series from the base member 144 side.

The second adjusting member 143 and the regulating member 141 have substantially the same external shape as the base member 144 and the first adjusting member 142, unlike the first embodiment. In other words, the second adjusting member 143 and the regulating member 141 are not arranged inside the frame-like base member 144 and the first adjusting member 142 as in the first embodiment, and are arranged between the base member 144 and the first adjusting member 142 . It is laminated with the member 142 in the optical axis direction (Z direction). For this reason, in the second embodiment, the range Hr in which the base member 44 and the regulating member 41 shown in FIG. Small compared to the base member 44 .

Also in the second embodiment, the lens holding portion 130 and the restricting member 141 are connected to each other via the second adjusting member 143 .

The first adjusting member 142 is arranged between the base member 144 and the regulating member 141 to integrally adjust both the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 130 and the second position P2 of the regulating member 141. is provided as follows.

The second adjusting member 143 is arranged between the regulating member 141 and the lens holding portion 130 to determine the distance between the regulating member 141 and the lens holding portion 130 . As a result, the second adjustment member 143 is provided so as to adjust the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 130 .

The first adjusting member 142, the regulating member 141, the second adjusting member 143, and the lens holding portion 130 each have an insertion hole IH11 for inserting the second fixing screw SC2. The restricting member 141, the first adjusting member 142, the second adjusting member 143, and the lens holding portion 130 are fixed to the base member 144 by the second fixing screw SC2 that engages with the screw hole SH11 of the base member 144. As shown in FIG.

The regulating member 141 and the second adjusting member 143 each have an insertion hole IH12 for inserting the third fixing screw SC3. The restricting member 141 has a threaded hole SH12 that meshes with the third fixing screw SC3. The regulation member 141, the second adjustment member 143, and the lens holding portion 130 are connected to each other by a third fixing screw SC3 that passes through the insertion hole IH12 and engages with the screw hole SH12 of the regulation member 141. As shown in FIG.

(Position adjustment by first adjusting member and second adjusting member)
As shown in FIG. 15, the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 130 is the height (constant value) of the regulating member 141 and the adjustment of the first adjusting member 142 when the height of the upper surface of the base member 144 is taken as a reference position. It is determined by the sum of the amount (thickness t1) and the adjustment amount (thickness t2) of the second adjusting member 143. FIG.

The second position P2 of the regulating member 141 is determined by the adjustment amount (thickness t1) of the first adjusting member 142 when the height of the upper surface of the base member 144 is taken as a reference position. As a result, the regulation member 141 prevents the image areas 72 formed by the light beams 70 incident from the plurality of lenses 31 on the light receiving surface 51a of the image sensor 51 from overlapping each other, and prevents the image areas 72 from overlapping each other. are aligned at a second position P2 that restricts the optical path so that they are arranged at a small interval CL. The second embodiment is also particularly useful when the lens holder 130 is adjusted to the first position P1 where each lens 31 is focused at a shooting distance of 10 times or less of the focal length.

Other configurations of the compound-eye imaging device 200 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the compound-eye imaging device 100 according to the first embodiment.

(Effect of Second Embodiment)
The following effects can be obtained in the second embodiment.

In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the first position P1 and the second position P2 can be adjusted by the combination of the first adjustment member 142 and the second adjustment member 143, so that close-up photography can be performed. In addition, by appropriately suppressing overlap of images in adjacent ommatidia, the entire imaging area of the image sensor 51 can be utilized as effectively as possible.

Further, in the second embodiment, as described above, the first adjustment member 142, the regulation member 141, the second adjustment member 143, and the lens holding portion 130 are layered on the base member 144 in this order from the base member 144 side. With this configuration, the lens holding portion 130, the regulating member 141, the first adjusting member 142, and the second adjusting member 143 are stacked and provided in series. In this case, the position (second position P2) of the regulating member 141 with respect to the base member 144 can be determined by the adjustment amount (thickness) of the first adjustment member 142, and the adjustment amount of the first adjustment member 142 and the second adjustment The position (first position P1) of the lens holding portion 130 with respect to the base member 144 can be determined by the sum of the amount of adjustment of the member 143 and the adjustment amount of the member 143 .

Other effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[Modification]
It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as examples and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the description of the above-described embodiments, and includes all modifications (modifications) within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

(First modification)
For example, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the first adjustment member 42 (142) is provided to integrally adjust both the first position P1 and the second position P2. The invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the first position P1 and the second position P2 may be adjusted independently.

In the first modification shown in FIG. 16, the first adjusting member 42 is provided so as to adjust one of the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 and the second position P2 of the regulating member 41 independently of the other. The second adjusting member 43 is provided so as to adjust the other of the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 and the second position P2 of the regulating member 41 independently of the other. FIG. 16 shows an example in which the first adjustment member 42 adjusts the first position P1 and the second adjustment member 43 adjusts the second position P2.

In the first modified example, a frame-shaped base member 244 has a first installation surface 244a and a second installation surface 244b. The second installation surface 244b is provided on the inner peripheral side of the first installation surface 244a. The lens holding portion 30 and the regulating member 41 are not connected, and are separately attached to each installation surface of the base member 244 .

Specifically, the lens holding part 30 is installed on the first installation surface 244a via the first adjustment member 42 . Thereby, the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 is determined by the adjustment amount (thickness) of the first adjustment member 42 . A regulating member 41 is installed on the second installation surface 244b via a second adjusting member 43 . Thereby, the second position P2 of the regulation member 41 is determined by the adjustment amount (thickness) of the second adjustment member 43 .

With this configuration, the first position P1 of the lens holding portion 30 and the second position P2 of the restricting member 41 can be adjusted independently by the first adjusting member 42 and the second adjusting member 43 . Since the adjustment amount of the first adjustment member 42 and the adjustment amount of the second adjustment member 43 can be independently determined, the adjustment amount of each adjustment member can be easily determined.

(Second modification)
In the above-described first and second embodiments, both the first adjusting member 42 and the second adjusting member 43 are spacer members composed of a laminate of a plurality of thin plates 60, but the present invention is limited to this. can't For example, as shown in FIG. 17, one of the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 may be configured by a structure other than the laminate of the thin plates 60 .

For example, in FIG. 17, one of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member includes a spacer member, and the other of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member is rotated to perform position adjustment in the optical axis direction. Includes alignment screws. In FIG. 17, the first adjusting member 342 is configured by a position adjusting screw, and the second adjusting member 43 is configured by a spacer member.

The first adjustment member 342 includes an adjustment screw 342a and a fixing screw 342b. The adjusting screw 342a meshes with the adjusting screw hole 330a formed in the lens holding portion 30, and the tip portion 342c passes through the adjusting screw hole 330a and contacts the installation surface of the base member 44. As shown in FIG. By rotating the adjusting screw 342a, the amount of protrusion of the tip portion 342c from the lens holding portion 30 can be adjusted. This amount of protrusion is the amount of adjustment in the optical axis direction by the first adjustment member 342 (corresponding to the thickness t1). The fixing screw 342b passes through an insertion hole 330b formed in the lens holding portion 30 and meshes with a fixing screw hole 344a formed in the installation surface of the base member 44. As shown in FIG. The lens holder 30 is fixed to the base member 44 by tightening the fixing screw 342b in a state where the adjustment amount of the first adjustment member 342 is determined by the adjustment screw hole 330a.

The configuration of the second adjustment member 43 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

With this configuration, the position adjusting screw (first adjusting member 342) allows stepless position adjustment over a wide range, while the spacer member (second adjusting member 43) allows precise position adjustment according to the number of laminated thin plates 60. can do As described above, the extension amount of the lens 31 (adjustment amount A1 of the first adjustment member 342) differs significantly between infinity and super close-up photography. Adjustments are useful. Even in that case, since the amount of offset of the regulating member 41 is smaller than the amount of extension of the lens 31, the stack of the thin plates 60 with excellent positional accuracy minimizes the interval between the image areas 72 on the light receiving surface 51a. This is effective because such precise adjustment of the second position P2 is possible. In addition, both the first adjusting member 342 and the second adjusting member 43 may be configured by position adjusting screws.

(Other modifications)
In the first and second embodiments, it has been described that the lens holder 30 can be adjusted to the first position P1 where each lens 31 is focused at a shooting distance of 10 times or less of the focal length. In the compound eye imaging device according to the invention, the first position P1 and the second position P2 may be adjusted according to any shooting distance from infinity to ultra-close-up shooting. According to the present invention, such a wide range of photographing distances can be handled with the same device configuration by simply changing the adjustment amounts of the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 .

Moreover, although the example which provided the filter holding|maintenance part 10 was shown in the said 1st and 2nd embodiment, this invention is not limited to this. The filter holding part 10 may not be provided.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, an example in which the filter holding portion 10, the diaphragm portion 20, and the lens holding portion 30 are arranged in this order from the Z1 direction side to the Z2 direction side has been shown, but the present invention It is not limited to this. The narrowed portion 20 may be arranged on the Z1 direction side of the filter holding portion 10 . The arrangement order of the filter holding portion 10, the aperture portion 20, and the lens holding portion 30 can be any combination.

Moreover, although the first adjustment member 42 is arranged between the base member 44 and the lens holding portion 30 in the first and second embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this. A first adjustment member 42 may be positioned between the sensor substrate 52 and the base member 44 .

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the first adjusting member 42 and the second adjusting member 43 are spacer members configured by a laminate of a plurality of thin plates 60, but the present invention is not limited to this. is not limited to In accordance with the present invention, single-piece, non-laminate spacer members may be used for the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43 . However, in this case, it is necessary to manufacture spacer members with various thickness dimensions according to the amount of adjustment, which increases the number of types of parts. is preferred.

Further, in the above-described first and second embodiments, an example in which the first adjusting member 42 and the second adjusting member 43 are formed by combining three types of thin plates 60 with thicknesses of 20 μm, 30 μm, and 100 μm was shown. , the present invention is not limited to this. The number of types of thin plates 60 may be one, two, or four or more. In a configuration in which a plurality of types of thin plates 60 are combined, it is preferable to combine thin plates having thicknesses that are not multiples of each other. This is because the total thickness can be finely adjusted depending on the combination. Although the thin plate 60 has a thickness of several tens of μm or more and 100 μm or less, the thickness of the thin plate 60 may be less than 10 μm.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, each member of the base member 44, the first adjustment member 42 and the second adjustment member 43, the regulation member 41, the lens holding portion 30, the diaphragm portion 20 and the filter holding portion 10 is Although an example of fixing with various fixing screws has been shown, the present invention is not limited to this. A method for fixing each member is not particularly limited. Each member may be fixed by one of known fixing methods such as adhesion, welding, crimping, etc., or by a combination of known fixing methods.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, an example is shown in which the filter holding unit 10 is configured to hold two optical filters Ft for one eyelet, but the present invention is not limited to this. . The number of optical filters Ft that the filter holding unit 10 can hold for one ommatidium may be one or three or more.

In the first and second embodiments, the lens holder 30 has a plurality of lens installation holes 30a and holds the lens 31 for each eyelet. However, the present invention is not limited to this. do not have. The lens holding section 30 may be capable of holding a lens array in which a plurality of lenses are integrally formed. The lens holder 30 may have one lens hole for holding the lens array.

30, 130 lens holding portion 30b first portion 30c second portion 31 lens 41, 141 regulating member 41b partition wall 42, 142, 342 first adjusting member 43, 143 second adjusting member 44, 144, 244 base member 51 image sensor 51a Light receiving surface 60, 60a, 60b Thin plate 70 Luminous flux 72 Image area 100, 200 Compound eye imaging device P1 First position P2 Second position

Claims (10)

multiple lenses and
a lens holding section that holds the plurality of lenses;
an image sensor forming a plurality of images formed by each of the plurality of lenses;
a regulating member that regulates an optical path incident on the image sensor from each of the plurality of lenses;
a first adjusting member that adjusts at least one of a first position of the lens holder in the optical axis direction of the plurality of lenses and a second position of the restricting member in the optical axis direction;
and a second adjustment member that adjusts the other of the first position and the second position. the lens holding portion and the regulating member are connected to each other,
the first adjustment member is provided to integrally adjust both the first position and the second position;
2. The compound eye imaging device according to claim 1, wherein said second adjusting member is provided between said lens holding portion and said restricting member, and is provided so as to adjust said first position or said second position. . further comprising a base member to which the lens holding portion and the regulating member are assembled;
The lens holding portion is laminated on the base member via the first adjustment member at the first portion,
3. The compound eye imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the restricting member is connected to a second portion different from the first portion of the lens holding portion via the second adjustment member. further comprising a base member to which the lens holding portion and the regulating member are assembled;
3. The compound eye imaging device according to claim 2, wherein said first adjusting member, said regulating member, said second adjusting member, and said lens holding portion are layered on said base member in this order from said base member side. the first adjusting member is provided so as to adjust one of the first position of the lens holding portion and the second position of the restricting member independently of the other;
The second adjusting member according to claim 1, wherein the second adjusting member is provided to adjust the other of the first position of the lens holding portion and the second position of the restricting member independently of the other. Compound eye imaging device. 6. The spacer member according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member is a spacer member configured by a laminate of a plurality of thin plates and performing position adjustment according to thickness. Compound eye imaging device. one of the first adjustment member and the second adjustment member includes the spacer member;
7. The compound eye imaging device according to claim 6, wherein the other of said first adjusting member and said second adjusting member includes a position adjusting screw that performs position adjustment in said optical axis direction by being rotated. The regulating member includes a partition wall that defines an optical path from each of the plurality of lenses to enter the image sensor, and is arranged at the second position away from the light receiving surface of the image sensor in the optical axis direction. The compound eye imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The regulating member is configured so that, on the light receiving surface of the image sensor, the image areas formed by the light beams incident from the plurality of lenses do not overlap each other and are arranged at intervals smaller than the thickness of the partition walls. 9. The compound eye imaging device according to claim 8, wherein the compound eye imaging device according to claim 8 is positioned at said second position that limits said optical path. The compound eye imaging according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the lens holding unit is positioned at the first position where each lens is focused at a shooting distance of 10 times or less of a focal length. Device.

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