JP3234888U - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image pickup device which realizes a cap member provided in an image pickup device according to a mounting location and a mounted vehicle at low cost without increasing the types of an image pickup device for a vehicle. An image pickup apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a lens barrel, a housing, a ring member, and a cap member. The lens barrel holds the lens. The housing accommodates the lens barrel. The ring member is provided on the lens barrel. The cap member has an opening corresponding to the lens, covers the lens barrel, and is connected to the ring member by a snap-fit structure. [Selection diagram] Fig. 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to an imaging device.

In recent years, with the spread of vehicle driving support systems, cameras are increasingly being installed in vehicles. Cameras are required to be mounted in various places such as the front grille, side mirrors, and rear trunks of vehicles. In addition, since there are many types of cameras if the shape of the camera is changed according to the mounting location and vehicle, it is necessary to use one type of base camera and use a camera cap to design it according to each mounting location and vehicle. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 2020-12940

However, in Patent Document 1, since the camera cap is attached to a camera component with a bracket, the bracket is fastened with a screw, which increases the component cost.

The present disclosure provides an imaging device that realizes a cap member provided in an imaging device that matches a mounting location and a mounted vehicle at low cost without increasing the types of vehicle-mounted imaging devices.

The imaging device according to the present disclosure includes a lens barrel, a housing, a ring member, and a cap member. The lens barrel holds the lens. The housing accommodates the lens barrel. The ring member is provided on the lens barrel. The cap member has an opening corresponding to the lens, covers the lens barrel, and connects to the ring member with a snap-fit structure.

According to the image pickup device according to the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a cap member provided in the image pickup device according to the mounting location and the mounted vehicle at low cost without increasing the types of the image pickup device for vehicles.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a perspective view of an image pickup apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a component configuration diagram of the image pickup apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view of the image pickup apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view of the image pickup apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view of the image pickup apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which the imaging device according to the embodiment is applied to the side of the vehicle. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which the imaging device according to the embodiment is applied to the front of the vehicle. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which the imaging device according to the embodiment is applied to the rear of the vehicle. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view of the image pickup apparatus according to the modified example. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view of the image pickup apparatus according to the modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the imaging apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

The imaging device according to the present embodiment can be mounted on a vehicle and used for driving support of the vehicle. The image pickup device for driving assistance detects objects such as vehicles, pedestrians, and obstacles by image processing by the internal ISP (Image Signal Processor), warns the driver, and forcibly stops the vehicle. It plays a major role in the driving support system of vehicles.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the image pickup apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a component configuration diagram of the image pickup apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image pickup apparatus 100 according to the embodiment includes a cap member 1, a lens barrel 2, a housing 3, a ring member 4, and a substrate 5.

Further, in the drawings described below, for convenience, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other are shown, and the image pickup apparatus 100 of the embodiment shows the left-right direction (X direction), the front-back direction (Y direction), and the up-down direction. (Z direction) will be described using the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. In the following description, when it is simply described as the X direction, the Y direction, or the Z direction, it is each axial direction and includes two directions opposite to each other. Further, when it is specified as the positive direction of the X axis, it is one direction from the left side to the right side, and when it is specified as the positive direction of the Y axis, it is one direction from the front side to the rear side, and it is the positive direction of the Z axis. When specified, it is one direction from the lower side to the upper side.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the cap member 1 has an opening 11 corresponding to the lens 21 in the center of the cap member 1 and covers the lens barrel 2. The cap member 1 is connected to the ring member 4. The cap member 1 has a first protruding portion 12 and a second protruding portion 13 projecting from the top surface of the cap member 1 in the −Z direction. The first protruding portion 12 is connected to the upper end surface 41 of the ring member 4. The second protruding portion 13 is connected to the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 in a snap-fit structure. The connection configuration will be described later.

The lens barrel 2 holds the lens 21 from the outside in the XY direction. The lens barrel 2 has a cavity inside the XY direction through which the optical axis passes, and guides the light of the lens 21 to the downstream side (−Z direction) along the optical axis. The lens barrel 2 has an annular third protruding portion 23 that projects outward from the outer peripheral surface 22 of the lens barrel 2. The third protrusion 23 is housed inside the housing 3. The third protruding portion 23 is connected to the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4. The connection configuration will be described later.

The housing 3 houses the lens barrel 2 and the substrate 5. The housing 3 accommodates the lens barrel 2 so as to be inserted into the opening 31 of the housing 3. The housing 3 is connected to the ring member 4. The connection configuration will be described later.

The ring member 4 is a flat plate square ring. The inner peripheral surface 44 of the ring member 4 faces the outer peripheral surface 22, and the inner diameter of the ring member 4 is a diameter into which the lens barrel 2 can be inserted. The ring member 4 is provided between the cap member 1 and the lens barrel 2. The upper end surface 41 of the ring member 4 is connected to the first protruding portion 12 and the second protruding portion 13 of the cap member 1. The lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 is connected to the second protruding portion 13 of the cap member 1, the third protruding portion 23 of the lens barrel 2, and the housing 3. The connection configuration will be described later.

The substrate 5 is housed in the housing 3. The substrate 5 mounts a solid-state image sensor that images the subject increase formed on the image pickup surface by the lens 21. The solid-state image sensor is, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type image sensor.

Next, the connection configuration of the cap member 1, the lens barrel 2, the housing 3, and the ring member 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the area surrounded by the dotted line diagram shown in FIG.

First, the connection configuration of the upper end surface 41 of the ring member 4 will be described. As described above, the upper end surface 41 of the ring member 4 is connected to the first protruding portion 12 and the second protruding portion 13 of the cap member 1. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface 43 of the upper end surface 41 of the ring member 4 and the first protruding portion 12 are connected. Further, the inner peripheral surface 44 of the upper end surface 441 of the ring member 4 and the second protruding portion 13 are connected to each other.

Next, the connection configuration of the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 will be described. As described above, the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 is connected to the second protruding portion 13, the third protruding portion 23 of the lens barrel 2, and the housing 3. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface 43 of the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 and the housing 3 are connected. Further, the inner peripheral surface 44 of the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 and the second protruding portion 13 are connected to each other. Further, the third protruding portion 23 is connected between the outer peripheral surface 43 and the inner peripheral surface 44 of the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4.

Further, the second protruding portion 13 is fitted with a fitting hole 50 for fitting the cap member 1, and is connected by a snap-fit structure. In the matching hole 50, the matching hole 50 is formed by covering the space 51 with the ring member 4 with respect to the space 51 in which the outer peripheral surface 22 and the third protruding portion 23 serve as side walls. The lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4, the third protruding portion 23, and the housing 3 may be fixed by applying an adhesive to each of them, or by welding with a laser. Not limited to.

As a result, the cap member 1 and the housing 3 can be connected via the ring member 4. Further, by connecting the cap member 1 to the ring member 4 with a snap-fit structure, fixing parts using fastening parts such as screws are not required, which leads to cost reduction of the image pickup apparatus 100.

Further, the connection configuration of the cap member 1 and the ring member 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the dotted line region in FIG. 1 as viewed from B.

The cap member 1 has one or more second protrusions 13, for example, the second protrusion 13 includes a fourth protrusion 131, a fifth protrusion 132, a sixth protrusion 133, and a seventh. The protrusion 134. Further, the cap member 1 has a plurality of ribs. Specifically, the plurality of ribs are the reference rib 14 and the crushed rib 15. The plurality of ribs are provided to connect the cap member 1 to the ring member 4 so that the position of the cap member 1 does not shift.

The fourth protrusion 131, the fifth protrusion 132, the sixth protrusion 133, and the seventh protrusion 134 are arranged at positions corresponding to the corners of the inner peripheral surface of the ring member 4.

The shape of the reference rib 14 is a polygonal shape having a surface with respect to the inner peripheral surface 44 of the ring member 4. The shape of the crushing rib 15 is a polygonal shape having a protrusion with respect to the inner peripheral surface 44 of the ring member 4. The reference rib 14 is, for example, a first reference rib 141 and a second reference rib 142. Further, the crushing ribs 15 included in the cap member 1 include, for example, a first crushing rib 151, a second crushing rib 152, a third crushing rib 153, a fourth crushing rib 154, a fifth crushing rib 155, and a sixth. Crushing rib 156. The shape and number of the reference rib 14 and the crushing rib 15 are not limited to this.

Further, the plurality of ribs are arranged so as to sandwich the second protruding portion 13. Specifically, the fourth protrusion 131 is arranged between the first reference rib 141 and the first crushing rib 151. The fifth protrusion 132 is arranged between the second reference rib 142 and the sixth crushing rib 156. The sixth protrusion 133 is arranged between the second crushing rib 152 and the third crushing rib 153. The seventh protrusion 134 is arranged between the fourth crushing rib 154 and the fifth crushing rib 155.

The plurality of ribs are arranged between the adjacent second protrusions 13 so that the surfaces of the same side of the inner peripheral surface 44 are in contact with each other. Specifically, the first reference rib 141 and the second reference rib 142 are arranged between the fourth protrusion 131 and the fifth protrusion 132, and are arranged on the same side surface of the inner peripheral surface 44. Get in touch.

The first crushing rib 151 and the second crushing rib 152 are arranged between the fourth protruding portion 131 and the sixth protruding portion 133, and are in contact with each other on the same side surface of the inner peripheral surface 44. The third crushing rib 153 and the crushing fourth crushing rib 154 are arranged between the sixth protrusion 133 and the seventh protrusion 134, and are in contact with each other on the same side of the inner peripheral surface 44. The fifth crushing rib 155 and the sixth crushing rib 156 are arranged between the fifth protrusion 132 and the seventh protrusion 134, and are in contact with each other on the same side surface of the inner peripheral surface 44.

Further, when the cap member 1 is attached, the crushing rib 16 is pressed against the inner peripheral surface 44, and the convex portion of the crushing rib 16 is crushed. By crushing the convex portion of the crushing rib 16, there is no gap between the crushing rib 16 and the ring member 4, and rattling with the ring member 4 can be suppressed.

As a result, the reference rib 14 is crushed by pressing the crushing rib 16 against the inner peripheral surface 44 of the ring member 4, so that the position and rotation of the reference rib 14 are regulated. By restricting the position and rotation of the reference rib 14, the second protruding portion 13 is aligned with the ring member 4. That is, the cap member 1 can suppress the misalignment and misalignment with the lens barrel 2.

Subsequently, an example in which the image pickup apparatus 100 according to the embodiment is applied to a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8.

FIG. 6 is a diagram in which the image pickup device 100 of the present embodiment is installed at a side end near a vehicle door and applied as a side electronic mirror. The lateral end near the door of the vehicle is, for example, a side mirror 6. The side mirror 6 accommodates the image pickup apparatus 100. For example, when replacing the image pickup device 100 housed in the side mirror 6 with an image pickup device having a different lens diameter of the lens 21, the image pickup device is changed without changing the side mirror 6.

Specifically, the shape of the cap member 1 is changed so that the side mirror 6 can be used as it is, and the cap member 1 is applied as a hole filling role so that there is no gap in the side mirror 6. Further, the cap member 1 is painted in the same color as the side mirror 6, for example. As a result, the cap member 1 can correspond to the shape and color of the side mirror 6.

FIG. 7 is a diagram in which the image pickup device 100 of the present embodiment is installed at the front end of the vehicle and applied as a front electronic mirror. The front end of the vehicle is, for example, the front grill 7. The front grill 7 accommodates the image pickup apparatus 100. The front grill 7 differs depending on the vehicle. For example, by matching the shape with the front grill 7 and changing only the shape of the cap member 1 included in the image pickup device 100, the image pickup device 100 can be applied according to the shape of the front grill 7.

FIG. 8 is a diagram in which the imaging device 100 of the present embodiment is installed at a rear end (rear gate) of the vehicle and applied as a rear electronic mirror. The rear end of the vehicle is, for example, the rear gate 8. The rear gate 8 accommodates the imaging device 100. By providing the cap member 1 in the image pickup apparatus 100 of the embodiment, it is possible to prevent the convex portion of the lens barrel 2 from being exposed, and for example, it is possible to satisfy the external collision prevention regulation (projection regulation).

As described above, the image pickup apparatus 100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a cap member 1, a lens barrel 2, a housing 3, and a ring member 4. The cap member 1 is connected to the ring member 4 provided on the lens barrel 2 by a snap-fit structure.

As a result, according to the embodiment, the cap member 1 needs to be provided with fastening parts such as screws for attaching the cap member 1 and the housing 3 by connecting the cap member 1 to the ring member 4 provided on the lens barrel 2 with a snap-fit structure. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the component cost and the assembly man-hours of the image pickup apparatus 100.

(Modification example)
Next, a modified example will be described with reference to the drawings. The description of the parts common to the above-described embodiment will be omitted as appropriate. The same components as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

In the above-described embodiment, the form in which the cap member 1 connects the inner peripheral surface 44 of the ring member 4 with a snap-fit structure has been described. In the modified example, for example, a form in which the cap member 10 connects the outer peripheral surface 43 of the ring member 4 with a snap-fit structure will be described.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional view of the image pickup apparatus according to the modified example. The difference from FIG. 3, which is a similar cross-sectional view, is that the lens barrel 2 of FIG. 9 is larger than the lens barrel 2 of FIG. As a result, the cap member 10 has a different configuration for connecting to the ring member 4.

As shown in FIG. 9, the cap member 10 has an opening 111 corresponding to the lens 210 in the center of the cap member 10 and covers the lens barrel 20. The cap member 10 is connected to the housing 30. The cap member 10 has an eighth protruding portion 130 that protrudes from the top surface of the cap member 1 in the −Z direction. The eighth protrusion 130 is connected to the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 in a snap-fit structure. The connection configuration will be described later.

The lens barrel 20 holds the lens 210 from the outside in the XY directions. The lens barrel 20 has a cavity inside the XY direction through which the optical axis passes, and guides the light of the lens 210 to the downstream side (−Z direction) along the optical axis. The lens barrel 20 has an annular ninth protruding portion 230 projecting outward from the outer peripheral surface 220 of the lens barrel 20. The ninth protrusion 230 is housed inside the housing 3. The ninth protrusion 230 is connected to the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4. The connection configuration will be described later.

The housing 30 houses the lens barrel 20 and the substrate 5. The housing 30 accommodates the lens barrel 20 so as to be inserted into the opening 310 of the housing 30. The housing 30 has a square tenth protruding portion 312 protruding inward from the outer peripheral surface 311 of the housing 30. The tenth protrusion 312 has an eleventh protrusion 313 that protrudes in the + Z direction. The eleventh protruding portion 313 is connected to the ring member 4. The connection configuration will be described later.

The inner peripheral surface 44 of the ring member 4 faces the outer peripheral surface 220, and the inner diameter of the ring member 4 is a diameter into which the lens barrel 20 can be inserted. The lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 is connected to the eighth protrusion 130 of the cap member 10, the ninth protrusion 230 of the lens barrel 20, and the eleventh protrusion 313 of the housing 30. The connection configuration will be described later.

Next, the connection configuration of the cap member 10, the lens barrel 20, the housing 30, and the ring member 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the area surrounded by the dotted line diagram shown in FIG.

The connection configuration of the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 will be described. As described above, the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 is connected to the eighth protrusion 130, the ninth protrusion 230, and the eleventh protrusion 313. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface 43 of the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 and the eighth protruding portion 130 are connected. A ninth protrusion 230 and an eleventh protrusion 313 are connected between the outer peripheral surface 43 and the inner peripheral surface 44 of the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4.

Further, the eighth protruding portion 130 is fitted with a fitting hole 500 for fitting the cap member 10. In the matching hole 500, the matching hole 500 is formed by covering the space 501 with the ring member 4 with respect to the space 501 in which the ninth protruding portion 230 serves as a side wall. The eleventh protruding portion 313 is connected to the lower end surface 42 of the ring member 4 by the matching hole 500.

As a result, even in the case of lens barrels 20 having different lens diameters, the cap member 10 and the housing 30 can be connected by a snap-fit structure via the ring member 4.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and the equivalent scope of the invention described in the claims for utility model registration, as well as in the scope and gist of the invention.

1 Cap member 2 Lens barrel 3 Housing 4 Ring member 13 Second protrusion 14 Reference rib 50 Alignment hole

Claims (3)

The lens barrel that holds the lens and
A housing for accommodating the lens barrel and
The ring member provided on the lens barrel and
A cap member having an opening corresponding to the lens, covering the lens barrel, and being connected to the ring member by a snap-fit structure.
An imaging device comprising. The snap-fit structure
It is formed of the ring member and the lens barrel, and is connected by a fitting hole for fitting the cap member.
The imaging device according to claim 1. The cap member is provided with a plurality of ribs.
A part of the rib is a reference rib that serves as a reference for connecting to the ring member.
The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2.

Images