JP4610328B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to an imaging apparatus capable of releasing a shutter while narrowing an opening.

Some conventional imaging devices include a shutter sector and an aperture sector (see, for example, Patent Document 1 shown below). In such an imaging apparatus, the diaphragm state is switched by driving the diaphragm sector. Therefore, a driving member for driving the shutter sector and a driving member for driving the diaphragm sector are separately provided.
JP 2001-188276 A

  However, the above-described conventional configuration requires at least two configurations for driving the shutter sector and the aperture sector, which causes problems such as an increase in the size of the apparatus and an increase in power consumption.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of driving a shutter sector and an aperture sector as necessary.

  In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a substrate provided with an opening, a first sector, a second sector provided with a diaphragm for reducing the amount of light incident from the opening, and the first sector. And the second sector is driven to retract the first and second sectors from the opening, and the opening is fully opened, and the opening is fully closed to allow the first and second sectors to enter the opening. And a driving means for switching to the small aperture state in which the aperture portion of the second sector has entered the opening, wherein the driving means is from the fully open state to the fully closed state or the When switching from the fully closed state to the fully open state, the first and second sectors are driven and the small aperture state is changed to the fully closed state or the fully closed state to the small aperture state. When switching to Configured to drive the first sector while maintaining a state of stopping the motor. By configuring so that the operation of driving the first sector while maintaining the state in which the second sector is stopped can be realized by one driving means, each sector can be driven as necessary. . As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus and reduce power consumption. Further, when the fully open state is changed to the fully closed state, the opening can be closed by the first and second sectors, thereby enabling a quicker operation.

  According to the present invention, when the shutter is switched from the fully open state to the fully closed state or from the fully closed state to the fully open state and from the small aperture state to the fully closed state or from the fully closed state to the small aperture state, An imaging apparatus that changes the driving of the sector can be realized.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, Embodiment 1 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the internal configuration of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The imaging device 1 is formed including three main unit parts. That is, the imaging apparatus 1 includes an imaging unit 10 including an imaging element, an optical unit 20 including a lens, and a sector driving unit 30 that drives a sector. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the imaging apparatus 1 has a structure in which an optical unit 20 and a sector drive unit 30 are provided in this order on an imaging unit 10. Each unit is arranged so that a part thereof overlaps in the upper and lower sides. The imaging unit 10 and the optical unit 20 are collectively referred to as an imaging optical module.

  The imaging unit 10 includes an imaging substrate 11, an imaging element 12, a lens barrel 13, and an optical filter 14. The image pickup device 12 is an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS, and is fixed at a predetermined position on the image pickup substrate 11. The lens barrel 13 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is fixed on the imaging substrate 11 so as to surround the outer periphery of the imaging element 12. An optical filter 14 such as an IR cut filter is disposed in the lower portion 13L of the lens barrel 13. The upper portion 13U of the lens barrel 13 is engaged with a part on the optical unit 20 and sector drive unit 30 side. Further, an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) 17 for connecting the imaging apparatus 1 to an electronic device such as a camera or a mobile phone is connected to a wiring pattern (not shown) formed on the imaging substrate 11. The FPC 17 is provided with a connector 18 for connecting to a main circuit board (motherboard) on the electronic device side.

  A lens holder 21 that forms part of the optical unit 20 is screwed into the upper portion 13U of the lens barrel 13. Three lenses 22, 23 and 24 are held in the lens holder 21. Screws that are screwed to each other are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lens holder 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the upper portion 13 </ b> U of the lens barrel 13. Therefore, by rotating the lens holder 21 with respect to the lens barrel 13, the position in the optical axis direction LA is changed, so that light incident through the lenses 22, 23, and 24 is imaged on the image sensor 12. You can adjust the focus. After the focus adjustment is completed, the lens holder 21 is fixed in the lens barrel 13 using, for example, an adhesive.

  Further, a notch 25 having a stepped outer periphery is formed at the upper end of the lens holder 21 (end on the subject side). The notch 25 has an annular surface 25F perpendicular to the optical axis direction LA. As will be described later, the sector substrate 31 of the sector drive unit 30 contacts the annular surface 25F.

  A sector drive unit 30 is disposed above the optical unit 20. The sector drive unit 30 includes a configuration generally referred to as a sector drive device or a shutter device. In the imaging apparatus 1, the sector drive unit 30 is disposed on the subject side with respect to the optical unit 20. More specifically, a part of the sector substrate 31 included in the sector drive unit 30 is fixed on the lens holder 21 of the optical unit 20. A sector pressing plate 32 is disposed so as to face the sector substrate 31. In the space SP between the sector substrate 31 and the sector pressing plate 32, two sectors of a shutter sector 33 and an aperture sector 34 are disposed.

  The sector substrate 31 includes a cylindrical portion 37 that is in contact with the lens holder 21 and covers the upper portion 13U of the lens barrel 13, and a motor storage portion 39 in which a step motor 36 as an actuator is installed. Contains. A shutter opening 38 is formed in the upper part of the cylindrical portion 37. The shutter opening 38 is formed so as to be fitted into the notch 25 described above formed in the upper portion of the lens holder 21. That is, the peripheral portion 38 </ b> C of the shutter opening 38 is fixed in a state of being in contact with the annular surface 25 </ b> F of the notch portion 25. The portion of the sector substrate 31 where the shutter opening 38 is formed has a flat plate shape perpendicular to the optical axis direction LA. Therefore, the sector substrate 31 is fixed perpendicularly to the optical axis direction LA when the annular surface 25F of the notch 25 and the peripheral portion 38C of the shutter opening 38 come into contact with each other.

  If the notch 25 on the lens holder 21 side is formed in a step having a right-angled cross section, and the shutter opening 38 is formed so as to be just fitted into the notch 25, the sector substrate with respect to the lens holder 21 is formed. 31 can be fitted with higher positional accuracy.

  The lens holder 21 is fixed in the lens barrel 13 as described above. The lens holder 21 is fitted with a shutter opening 38 of the sector substrate 31. Therefore, in the imaging device 1, the relative positions of the lenses 22 to 24 in the optical unit 20 and the sector drive unit 30 do not change. Therefore, the imaging device 1 is an imaging device in which the angle of view of the lenses 22 to 24 and the amount of incident light are not changed. In the image pickup apparatus 1, the shutter opening 38 of the sector substrate 31 is fitted to the lens holder 21, so that it does not substantially function as a shooting opening. In the imaging device 1, the opening 32HL formed in the sector presser plate 32 corresponds to the shooting opening pointed out earlier.

  Further, a positioning structure is formed between the cylindrical portion 37 of the sector substrate 31 and the upper portion 13U of the lens barrel 13.

  Further, a printed circuit board 40 for connecting the electrode of the step motor 36 to the imaging substrate 11 is joined to the side portion of the sector substrate 31. This printed board is a hard printed board formed of a base material such as polyimide resin, epoxy resin, or glass epoxy resin. The printed board 40 is electrically connected to the imaging board 11 by solder 41 and fixes the imaging board 11 to the imaging board 11 at a substantially right angle. Therefore, the sector drive unit 30 is electrically connected to the imaging board 11 and is reliably supported by the imaging board 11 via the hard printed board 40. Further, as described above, the sector drive unit 30 is fixed to the imaging substrate 11 on the cylindrical portion 37 side via the lens barrel 13. Since the sector drive unit 30 is stably supported by the imaging substrate 11 in this way, the imaging apparatus 1 has a structure that is excellent in impact resistance and can reduce internal load generation. Therefore, the imaging apparatus 1 does not cause a problem that the sector of the sector drive unit 30 collides with the peripheral portion and is damaged.

  Moreover, since the printed circuit board 40 is connected to the imaging board 11 as described above, the imaging apparatus 1 can control the step motor 36 from the imaging board 11 side. By adopting such a structure, it is possible to arrange electronic components for a motor, which should originally be arranged on the sector drive unit 30 side, on the imaging substrate 11 side. As described above, when there is a space on the image pickup substrate 11 side, the image pickup apparatus 1 can be downsized as a whole by utilizing the space. Such a device for miniaturization is not limited to the imaging apparatus 1. For example, a sector drive IC (control circuit element) for driving and controlling a sector has a relatively large external shape, and therefore, when mounted on the motherboard side of the electronic device, the size increases. In the imaging apparatus 1, the sector driving IC 15 is arranged on the imaging substrate 11 by utilizing space. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the electronic apparatus that employs the imaging device 1.

  The imaging apparatus 1 is devised so as not to increase the size even if the sector driving IC 15 is arranged on the imaging substrate 11 side. This point will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the right side portion where the lens barrel 13 and the lens holder 21 are stacked is relatively high. On the other hand, there is a space on the imaging substrate 11 facing the motor storage unit 39. A sector driving IC 15 is arranged in this space. Therefore, the imaging apparatus 1 is not increased in size by moving the components used for the sector drive unit 30 to the imaging substrate 11 side, and can be reduced in size as a whole by effectively utilizing the space.

  Further, as described above, the FPC 17 is connected to the imaging board 11 for connection to an electronic device, and the FPC 17 is provided with a connector 18 for connecting to a circuit board (motherboard or the like) on the electronic device side. Yes. Therefore, the imaging unit 10 and the sector drive unit 30 can be controlled simply by connecting the connector 18 to a motherboard or the like of the electronic device. Therefore, compared with the case where the sector drive unit 30 and the imaging optical module are individually controlled as in the prior art, the electrical configuration of the imaging device 1 can be simplified.

  In addition, the printed circuit board 40 electrically connected to the electrodes of the step motor 36 is connected to the terminal pins 45. The terminal pin 45 is inserted into a contact hole 11HL provided in the image pickup substrate 11 and is fixed to the image pickup substrate 11 with solder 41.

  Next, driving examples of the shutter sector 33 and the aperture sector 34 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration when the opening 32HL is in a fully opened state.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the shutter sector 33 and the aperture sector 34 are provided with cam holes 332 and 342, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the cam hole 332 has a V shape, whereas the cam hole 342 has a square shape. That is, the cam holes 332 and 342 are bent near the center. However, the bent portion has no corners and is in a smooth state.

  A drive pin 362 is engaged with the cam holes 332 and 342. The shutter sector 33 is provided with a hole 333 for weight reduction. The aperture sector 34 is provided with an aperture (diaphragm hole 343) having a smaller radius than the aperture 32HL. The throttle hole 343 is configured to make the opening 32HL have a small diameter.

  The shutter sector 33 is supported on the sector substrate 31 by a fixing pin 331 for attaching the shutter sector 33 in a swingable manner. Similarly, the diaphragm sector 34 is supported on the sector substrate 31 by a fixing pin 341 for attaching the diaphragm sector 34 in a swingable manner.

  The drive pin 362 is provided at one end of a drive arm 361 fixed to the rotation shaft of the step motor 36. Therefore, by driving the step motor 36, the shutter sector 33 and the aperture sector 34 can be swung via the drive arm 361 and the drive pin 362. For this reason, in this embodiment, the step motor 36, the drive arm 361, and the drive pin 362 constitute a drive means. FIG. 3 shows a state when the drive arm 361 is rotated about 65 ° counterclockwise.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the drive pin 362 is rotated from the end of one side (right side in the drawing) by turning the drive arm 361 about 65 ° from the bent part of the cam holes 332 and 342. Slide on the side (right side in the drawing) and reach the bent portion. In this operation, that is, the operation from FIG. 2 to FIG. 3, the shutter sector 33 is driven clockwise and the aperture sector 34 is driven counterclockwise. Thereby, the opening 32HL shifts from the fully open state to the fully closed state. More specifically, from the fully open state, the opening 32HL is fully closed by two sectors of the shutter sector 33 and the aperture sector 34. When the opening 32HL is fully closed with two sectors, a faster operation is possible than when the opening 32HL is fully closed with one sector.

  When the drive arm 361 is further rotated counterclockwise by about 15 °, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive pin 362 passes the bent portion and the other side of the cam holes 332 and 342 (in the drawing) (Left side) At this time, the aperture hole 343 provided in the aperture sector 34 reaches the center of the opening 32HL. The shutter sector 33 is driven in the opposite direction (counterclockwise). Since the shutter sector 33 starts to retract from the opening 32HL while the aperture hole 343 reaches the center of the opening 32HL, it is possible to shorten the time for setting the aperture.

  Further, when the drive arm 361 is rotated counterclockwise by about 50 °, the drive pin 362 slides on the other side (the left side in the drawing) of the cam holes 332 and 342 as shown in FIG. And reach the other end of these. In this operation, that is, the operation from FIG. 4 to FIG. 5, the shutter sector 33 is swung clockwise, but the aperture sector 34 is not swung. That is, in the state of FIGS. 4 to 5, the other side of the cam hole 342 (the left side in the drawing) moves along the circle centering on the rotation axis of the step motor 36, that is, the drive pin 362 moves. It is comprised so that it may be provided in the area | region along the range to do. Therefore, even when the drive arm 361 is swung, the diaphragm sector 34 is not driven. In this way, the drive arm 361 can swing the shutter sector 33 while keeping the stop sector 34 stopped. In other words, the drive arm 361 can open and close the opening 32HL by the shutter sector 33 while keeping the opening 32HL in the small aperture state by the aperture hole 343.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the opening 32HL can be switched from the fully open state to the fully closed state to the small aperture state by rotating only the drive arm 361 counterclockwise. Conversely, by rotating only the drive arm 361 clockwise, the opening 32HL can be switched from the small aperture state to the fully closed state to the fully open state.

  Therefore, when shooting without aperture, the drive arm 361 goes to the state of FIG. 3 through the state of FIG. On the other hand, when shooting with a small aperture, the drive arm 361 goes to the state of FIG. 4 through the state of FIG. As described above, in the present embodiment, the number of sectors to be driven varies depending on whether shooting is performed without a diaphragm or when shooting is performed with a small aperture. When shooting with a small aperture, only one of the shutter sectors 33 is driven, so that power can be saved. In addition, it is possible to perform shooting by switching between the presence and absence of an aperture with a simple operation of driving one drive pin 362. Further, since there is only one pin or arm to drive, power consumption can be reduced. Furthermore, by using the diaphragm sector 34 as the shutter sector, the configuration can be simplified, and as a result, the apparatus can be downsized.

  In the above configuration, it is desirable that the drive pin 362 is not fitted into the cam hole 342 of the aperture sector 34 when driving from FIG. 4 to FIG. 5 (and vice versa). As described above, in the state shown in FIGS. 4 to 5, the other side of the cam hole 342 (the left side in the drawing) is along a circle centered on the rotation axis of the step motor 36. This can be realized by arranging the position. In this way, when only the shutter sector 33 is driven with the small aperture opening, the drive pin 362 is configured not to contact the cam hole 342 of the aperture sector 34, thereby reducing the power loss of the step motor 36. Therefore, it is possible to realize a quicker and smoother operation and a reduction in power consumption.

  Example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The common parts with the first embodiment are unified with the reference numerals and the description is omitted. Further, since the imaging unit 10 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. The sector substrate 31 is provided with an opening 32HL. In order to open and close the opening 32HL, the sector substrate 31 is provided with a shutter sector 33 and an aperture sector 34. The shutter sector 33 is driven by a step motor 50 which is a shutter actuator. The rotation center of the shutter sector 33 is coaxial with the rotation center of the step motor 50. A pin 52 is provided at the tip of an arm 51 extending from the rotation shaft of the step motor 50, and the shutter sector 33 is driven by the pin 52 swinging. Similarly, the aperture sector 34 is driven by a step motor 60 which is an aperture actuator. The rotation center of the diaphragm sector 34 is coaxial with the rotation center of the step motor 60. A pin 62 is provided at the tip of the arm portion 61 extending from the rotation shaft of the step motor 60, and the diaphragm sector 34 is driven by the pin 62 swinging.

The sector substrate 31 is provided with pins 70 to 73 for determining the shutter sector 33 and the aperture sector 34, and regulates the swing range of each sector.
Next, driving examples of the shutter sector 33 and the aperture sector 34 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig.6 (a) is a figure which shows the state of full open. When switching from this state to the fully closed state in FIG. 6B, the step motors 50 and 60 are operated to drive the two sectors, the shutter sector 33 and the aperture sector 34. The shutter sector 33 comes into contact with the determination pin 72, and the diaphragm sector 34 is driven to a position where it comes into contact with the determination pin 71. When switching from the fully closed state to the fully open state, the step motors 50 and 60 are operated in the opposite direction to drive the two sectors, the shutter sector 33 and the aperture sector 34. The shutter sector 33 is brought into contact with the determination pin 74, and the diaphragm sector 34 is driven to a position where it comes into contact with the determination pin 73, so that the shutter sector 33 is fully opened.

  Further, when switching from the small aperture state of FIG. 6C to the fully closed state of FIG. 6B, only the step motor 50 is operated to drive the shutter sector 33. The shutter sector 33 comes into contact with the determination pin 72, and the diaphragm sector 34 is driven to a position where it comes into contact with the determination pin 71. When switching from the fully closed state to the small aperture state, the stepping motor 50 is operated in the opposite direction to that described above to drive the shutter sector 33. The shutter sector 33 is driven to a position where it comes into contact with the determination pin 74, and a small aperture state is obtained.

  In this way, the number of sectors to be driven varies depending on whether the exposure is from the fully open state to the fully closed state or from the small aperture state to the fully closed state. When shooting with a small aperture, only one of the shutter sectors 33 is driven, so that power can be saved.

  In addition, the said Example 1 and 2 are only the examples for implementing this invention, This invention is not limited to these, It is in the scope of the present invention to modify these Examples variously. Furthermore, it is obvious from the above description that various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the small-diameter aperture hole 343 is provided in the aperture sector 34. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an ND filter may be provided at a position where the aperture 32HL can be covered without using a small-diameter hole. Further, the sector is not limited to the swing type, but may be a parallel movement type.

It is the side view shown so that the internal structure of the imaging device 1 by Example 1 of this invention could be confirmed. It is a figure which shows a structure when the opening 32HL of FIG. 1 exists in a fully open state. It is a figure which shows a structure when the opening 32HL of FIG. 1 exists in a fully closed state. It is a figure which shows the structure at the time of the state where the opening 32HL of FIG. 1 is a fully closed state, and the aperture hole 342 is located in the center of the opening 32HL. It is a figure which shows a structure when the opening 32HL of FIG. 1 exists in the state of a small aperture stop. It is a figure which shows the drive state of the sector of Example 2 of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the state by which the opening 32HL is fully opened. (B) is a diagram showing a state in which the opening 32HL is fully closed. (C) is a diagram showing a state in which the aperture 32HL is a small stop.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imaging device 10 Imaging unit 11 Imaging board 11HL Contact hole 12 Imaging element 13 Lens tube 13L Lower part of lens tube 13 13U Upper part of lens tube 13 14 Optical filter 15 IC for sector drive
17 FPC
18 Connector 20 Optical Unit 21 Lens Holder 22, 23, 24 Lens 25 Notch 25F Annular Surface 30 Sector Drive Unit 31 Sector Substrate 32 Sector Presser Plate 32HL Opening 33 Shutter Sector 34 Sector for Strain 36 Step Motor 37 Cylindrical Part 38 Shutter Opening 38C Peripheral portion of shutter opening 39 Motor housing portion 40 Printed circuit board 41 Solder 45 Terminal pin 331, 341 Fixed pin 332, 342 Cam hole 333 hole 343 Aperture hole 361 Drive arm 362 Drive pin LA Optical axis SP space

Claims (1)

A substrate provided with an opening;
A first sector having a first cam hole;
A second sector having a second cam hole and provided with a diaphragm for reducing the amount of light incident from the opening;
The first and second sectors are driven to retract the first and second sectors from the openings, and the openings are fully opened, and the openings are made to enter the first and second sectors. Drive means for switching between a fully closed state and a small aperture state in which the aperture portion of the second sector has entered the opening,
The drive means drives the first and second sectors when switching from the fully open state to the fully closed state or from the fully closed state to the fully open state, When switching from the fully closed state or the fully closed state to the small aperture state, the first sector is driven while keeping the second sector stopped,
It said drive means includes a rotatable drive arm, provided on the drive arm saw including a driving pin which engages in common to the first cam hole and the second cam hole, the first and second Does not include a biasing member for driving at least one of the sectors,
The image pickup apparatus , wherein the driving unit switches the state of the opening in the order of the fully open state, the fully closed state, and the small aperture state .

Images