JP4775337B2 - Image input device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image input device, and more particularly to a strong image input device.

  In recent years, the demand for reliability and safety for social information and corporate information management / protection or security such as crime prevention has increased socially, and personal authentication is recognized as a very important issue. Has been. In order to meet such a growing social demand, technology for personal authentication using biometric information such as fingerprints, irises and veins has been actively developed.

  Various sensors have been developed to incorporate biometric information into a personal authentication system. Sensors include optical, capacitance, electric field, heat sensitive, pressure sensitive, ultrasonic, and other types of sensors, such as the surface form of a subject (eg, finger) touching the sensor contact surface or The internal form is captured as an image by the sensor, the captured image becomes biometric information, and the image is verified by the personal authentication system.

In order to suppress the power consumption of the sensor, the sensor performs a sensing operation only when the subject touches the sensor. Specifically, a push switch is provided on the lower side of the sensor, and when the sensor is pushed down by the subject and the push switch is pushed, the output of the push switch triggers the sensor (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-57328 A

By the way, if the sensor is further pushed in while the push switch is pushed by the sensor, the sensor is bent while being supported by the push switch, so that the sensor may be damaged. For this reason, the applicant conducts sharp research and development to improve the strength of the sensor and suppress damage to the sensor. Still, it is desired to further reduce the probability of sensor damage.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent damage to the sensor body.

In order to solve the above problems, according to the invention according to claim 1,
Image input device
Base and
A sensor main body provided on the base so as to be rotatable up and down, and a rotation shaft that allows the base and the sensor main body to be rotated up and down;
The intersection of the surface direction of the lower surface of the sensor main body and the upper surface of the base is on the rotating shaft side of the sensor main body, and the intersection angle forms an acute angle.

According to the invention of claim 2,
Image input device
Base and
A sensor body provided on the base so as to be rotatable up and down,
The upper surface is inclined with respect to the lower surface of the base, or the lower surface is inclined with respect to the upper surface of the sensor body.

According to the invention of claim 3,
Image input device
Base and
A sensor body provided on the base so as to be rotatable up and down;
A pivot shaft that allows the base and the sensor body to pivot up and down;
A switch provided on the upper surface of the base or the lower surface of the sensor body at a position away from the rotation axis of the sensor body,
In a state where the sensor body is rotated to the base side and the switch is turned on / off, the intersection of the surface direction of the lower surface of the sensor body and the upper surface of the base is the rotation axis side of the sensor body. The crossing angle is an acute angle.

According to the invention of claim 4,
Image input device
Base and
A sensor body provided on the base so as to be rotatable up and down;
A pivot shaft that allows the base and the sensor body to pivot up and down;
A push switch provided on the upper surface of the base or the lower surface of the sensor main body at a position away from the rotation axis of the sensor main body,
In the state where the sensor body is rotated to the base side and the push switch is pressed, the intersection of the surface direction of the lower surface of the sensor body and the upper surface of the base is on the rotation axis side of the sensor body, The intersection angle forms an acute angle.

According to the invention according to claim 5, in the image input device according to claim 3 or 4,
The switch is a push switch that can be restored.

According to the invention according to claim 6, in the image input device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
It further includes a convex portion formed at a location facing the switch on the upper surface of the base or the lower surface of the sensor body.

According to the invention of claim 7, in the image input apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
In the restored state of the switch, the upper surface of the sensor body and the lower surface of the base are parallel to each other.

According to the invention according to claim 8, in the image input device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The thickness of the base in the vertical direction is gradually increased from the switch toward the rotation axis of the sensor body.

According to the invention of claim 9, in the image input device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The vertical thickness of the sensor body gradually increases from the switch toward the rotation axis of the sensor body.

  According to the present invention, when the sensor body is pushed down, the lower surface of the sensor body and the upper surface of the base form an acute angle on the rotation axis side of the sensor body. Therefore, the lower surface of the sensor body is further received by the upper surface of the base on the rotation shaft side, so that the sensor body can no longer be bent downward. Therefore, damage to the sensor body can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, although various technically preferable limitations for implementing the present invention are given to the embodiments described below, the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[First Embodiment]
1 and 2 are right side views showing the image input apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Here, in FIG. 1, the push switch 16 is in a natural state, and in FIG. 2, the sensor body 9 is rotated downward about the rotation shaft 13 and the push switch 16 is pressed. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base 2 is a plate-like or thin plate-like member, and the upper surface 2a and the lower surface 2b of the base 2 are not parallel, and the upper surface 2a is inclined with respect to the lower surface 2b. Yes. Therefore, the thickness of the base 2 in the vertical direction gradually increases from the front end 2c of the base 2 toward the rear end 2d. The upper surface 11a and the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 are parallel to the surface direction.

  A convex portion 5 is provided on the upper surface 2a of the base 2 near the front end 2c. The convex portion 5 is a projection provided in a state of projecting from the upper surface 2 a of the base 2.

  Support portions 3 are provided on both the left and right side surfaces of the base 2 and closer to the rear end 2d than the convex portion 5, respectively. A shaft hole penetrates the support portion 3 in the left-right direction.

  A rotation shaft 13 that allows the base 2 and the sensor body 9 to rotate up and down is attached to the support portion 3. The sensor main body 9 includes a chassis 10 made of resin and a sensor chip 11 mounted on the chassis 10. A rotation shaft 13 is formed on each of the left and right side surfaces of the chassis 10 and behind them, and the rotation shaft 13 is inserted into the shaft hole of the support portion 3. Thus, the pivot shaft 13 is pivotally supported by the support portion 3, so that the sensor body 9 can be pivoted up and down with respect to the base 2 on the base 2. The center is the center line of the rotating shaft 13 and extends in the left-right direction. Although the rotation shaft 13 is provided in the chassis 10 and the shaft hole is provided in the support portion 3, the rotation shaft 13 is provided in the support portion 3 and the shaft hole is provided in the chassis 10. Also good.

  A sensor chip 11 is mounted on the chassis 10. The lower surface 10a of the chassis 10 and the upper surface 11a of the sensor chip 11 are parallel, that is, the upper surface 11a and the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 are parallel to each other.

  The sensor chip 11 is a contact-type sensor having the upper surface 11a as a sensor surface, and the surface shape of the subject (eg, a finger or the like) touching the upper surface 11a (for example, a pattern with unevenness (when the subject is a finger) Is a fingerprint))) or an internal form of the subject touching the upper surface (for example, when the subject is a finger, a vein pattern inside the finger) is imaged and inputted. As the sensor chip 11, a sensor that senses the surface form or the internal form of the subject by an optical method, an electrostatic capacitance method, an electric field method, a heat sensitive method, a pressure sensitive method, an ultrasonic method, or other methods can be used. A driver may be mounted on the outer edge of the sensor chip 11 (for example, the front end of the sensor chip 11).

  A flexible wiring sheet 15 is connected to the upper surface 11a of the sensor chip 11 and to the front end thereof. The wiring sheet 15 is bent from the front end portion of the upper surface 11 a of the sensor chip 11 to the lower surface 10 a of the chassis 10 and routed to the rear of the chassis 10. The wiring sheet 15 is adhered to the lower surface 10 a of the chassis 10.

  The wiring sheet 15 is formed by laminating insulating films, and wiring for driving the sensor chip 11 is patterned between these layers. The wiring formed on the wiring sheet 15 is electrically connected to the terminals of the sensor chip 11.

  Active elements (transistors, diodes, light emitting diodes) and passive elements (resistors, capacitors) may be mounted on the wiring sheet 15. In particular, when the sensor chip 11 is a light-transmitting solid-state imaging device, exhibits sensitivity to light incident on the upper surface 11a, and has a characteristic that light incident on the lower surface is emitted from the upper surface 11a. A light emitting diode is mounted on the wiring sheet 15. When the sensor chip 11 is a light-transmitting solid-state imaging device, the chassis 10 is transparent, and light emitted from the light emitting diode mounted on the wiring sheet 15 passes through the chassis 10 and enters the lower surface of the sensor chip 11. The light is emitted from the upper surface 11a of the sensor chip 11.

  A push switch 16 is provided on the lower surface 10 a of the sensor body 9 and closer to the front end than the rotation shaft 13. Specifically, the push switch 16 is attached to the wiring sheet 15, and the push switch 16 is provided at a position corresponding to the convex portion 5. The push switch 16 is a dome switch, a tactile push switch, a push button switch, or other push switches, and has a restoring force to return to the original state from the pushed state. In the case where the push switch 16 is a dome switch, the push switch 16 has a conductive elastic material formed in a dome shape so as to protrude downward, and the wiring sheet 15 on the inner side of the conductive elastic material. A plurality of electrical contact portions provided and an insulating elastic material provided to cover the outside of the conductive elastic material. When the conductive elastic material and the insulating elastic material are pressed, the conductive elastic material and the insulating elastic material are elastically deformed so that the conductive elastic material comes into contact with the electrical contact portion, thereby conducting the electrical contact portion. To do. When the pressure on the conductive elastic material and the insulating elastic material is released, the conductive elastic material and the insulating elastic material are restored to the original dome shape.

  Since the push switch 16 is provided at a position corresponding to the convex portion 5, as shown in FIG. 1, the push switch 16 and the convex portion 5 are in contact with each other due to the weight of the sensor body 9. When the push switch 16 is in a natural state and is not pressed, the upper surface 11a of the sensor body 9 and the lower surface 2b of the base 2 are parallel to each other, and the upper surface 2a of the base 2 is in contact with the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9. Is inclined. Therefore, the upper surface 2a of the base 2 and the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 form an acute angle on the rear end side. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, even when the sensor body 9 is rotated to the base 2 side and the push switch 16 is pressed, the upper surface 2a of the base 2 and the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 are on the rear end side. It has an acute angle.

The installation position of the convex part 5, the push switch 16, and the sensor chip 11 is demonstrated.
The convex portion 5 is provided at a position away from the sensing area of the upper surface 11a of the sensor chip 11 when viewed from above. The sensing area is an area that can be sensed by the sensor chip 11, and sensing is not performed by the sensor chip 11 outside the sensing area.
The convex portion 5 is provided at a position corresponding to the central portion in the left-right direction of the sensor chip 11.

Next, the operation and operation of the image input apparatus 1 will be described.
When the subject touches the upper surface 11a of the sensor chip 11 with a finger or the like and pushes the sensor main body 9 downward with the finger or the like, the sensor main body 9 rotates downward about the rotation shaft 13 as a fulcrum. When the sensor body 9 is pushed down, the push switch 16 is received by the convex portion 5, and the push switch 16 is further pushed by the convex portion 5. When the push switch 16 is pressed, the electrical contact portion of the push switch 16 is conducted by the conductive elastic body, so that the push switch 16 is switched from OFF to ON, and the ON signal changes the wiring of the wiring sheet 15 from the push switch 16. Output to the control circuit. With this as a trigger, the sensor chip 11 is driven by the control circuit, and the surface form or internal form of a finger or the like is captured by the sensor chip 11 as an image.

  When the subject removes his / her finger from the sensor chip 11, the push switch 16 is restored to the original state, and the push switch 16 is restored to rotate the sensor body 9 upward, so that the push switch 16 is in a natural state. Return to. Note that when the push switch 16 is pressed, the push switch 16 is turned on from off. However, when the push switch 16 is separated, the push switch 16 may be turned off from on.

  According to the present embodiment, since the thickness of the base 2 gradually increases from the front end 2c toward the rotation shaft 13, the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 and the base 2 are in a state where the sensor body 9 is pushed down. The crossing point of the upper surface 2a in the surface direction is on the rotating shaft 13 side of the sensor body, and the crossing angle forms an acute angle. When the subject presses the sensor main body 9 further downward from the state in which the push switch 16 is pressed by the convex portion 5 from this state, the sensor main body 9 is slightly bent downward. Since the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 and the upper surface 2a of the base 2 form an acute angle on the rotating shaft 13 side, the portion of the bent lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 near the rotating shaft 13 is the upper surface of the base 2. 2a abuts on the upper surface 2a. Thus, since the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 is supported, the sensor chip 11 and the chassis 10 can be protected from a downward load, and the sensor chip 11 and the chassis 10 can be reduced in size and weight. . In particular, when the sensor chip 11 is based on a glass substrate like a solid-state imaging device, the deformation of the sensor chip 11 can be suppressed and the sensor chip 11 can be protected.

  Moreover, since the convex part 5 is provided in the position away from the sensing area of the sensor chip 11, the sensing performance of the sensor chip 11 is reduced due to the sensor body 9 being pushed down and the convex part 5 coming into contact. Can be suppressed.

  Further, in a natural state where the push switch 16 is not pressed, the upper surface 11a of the sensor chip 11 and the lower surface 2b of the base 2 are parallel, so even when the base 2 is installed on a horizontal surface or the like, a part of the image input device 1 is used. Does not protrude above the horizontal plane or dent below the horizontal plane. Therefore, it is possible to realize a thin image input device 1 as a whole.

[Second Embodiment]
3 and 4 are side views showing the image input apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Here, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which mutually respond | corresponds between the image input device 1 shown by FIG.3 and FIG.4 and the image input device 1 of 1st Embodiment. Hereinafter, the image input device 1 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be described with respect to differences from the image input device 1 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the base 2 is a plate-like or thin plate-like flat plate, and the upper surface 2 a and the lower surface 2 b of the base 2 are parallel to the surface direction. Further, the upper surface 11a and the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 are not parallel, and the lower surface 10a is inclined with respect to the upper surface 11a. Therefore, the thickness of the sensor body 9 in the vertical direction gradually increases from the front end toward the rear end. Here, since the thickness of the sensor chip 11 in the sensor body 9 is substantially uniform, the thickness of the chassis 10 gradually increases from the front end toward the rear end.

  When the push switch 16 is in a natural state and is not pressed, the upper surface 11a of the sensor body 9 and the lower surface 2b of the base 2 are parallel to each other, and the upper surface 2a of the base 2 is in contact with the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9. Is inclined. Therefore, the upper surface 2a of the base 2 and the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 form an acute angle on the rear end side. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, even when the sensor body 9 is rotated to the base 2 side and the push switch 16 is pushed, the upper surface 2a of the base 2 and the lower surface 10a of the sensor body 9 are on the rear end side. It has an acute angle.

  Except for what has been described above, the image input device 1 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the image input device 1 of the first embodiment corresponding to each other are similarly provided.

  Also in this image input device 1, when the subject pushes down the sensor body 9 with a finger or the like, the push switch 16 is pushed by the convex portion 5, and the surface form or the internal form of the finger or the like is captured as an image by the sensor chip 11. . And if a test subject removes a finger | toe etc. from the sensor main body 9, the push switch 16 will return and the sensor main body 9 will rotate upwards.

  Since the thickness of the sensor body 9 gradually increases from the front end toward the rotation shaft 13, when the sensor body 9 is rotated to the base 2 side and the push switch 16 is pushed, The upper surface 2a of the base 2 forms an acute angle on the rotating shaft 13 side. Therefore, even if the sensor main body 9 is slightly bent, the lower surface 10a of the sensor main body 9 is supported on the rotating shaft 13 side in this way, so that the sensor chip 11 and the chassis 10 can be protected from a downward load. it can.

Specifically, it is considered as follows. As shown in the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 5 and 6, when the push switch 16 is pressed, the distance between the lower surface 10 a of the sensor body 9 and the upper surface 2 a of the base 2 at the front end of the sensor body 9 is L, Let the length of the sensor body 9 be d. Here, when the sensor main body 9 is further pushed down and bends, the sensor main body 9 can be displaced by L / 2 at the center thereof. The angle θ2 formed by the horizontal line and the upper surface 11a of the sensor body 9 is expressed by the following equation (1).
θ2≈sin (θ2) ≈ (L / 2) / (d / 2) = L / d (1)
Therefore, the bending angle φ2 of the upper surface 11a of the sensor body 9 is expressed by the following equation (2).
φ2 = π−2 × θ2 = π−2 × L / d (2)

On the other hand, a comparative example as shown in FIGS.
In the image input apparatus 101 of this comparative example, the base 102 is a flat plate, and the upper surface 111a and the lower surface 110a of the sensor body 109 are parallel when the push switch 116 is not pressed. Therefore, when the sensor main body 109 is pushed down, the sensor main body 109 is rotated downward with the rotation shaft 113 as a fulcrum, and the push switch 116 is pressed by the convex portion 105, the lower surface 110a of the sensor main body 109 and the base The upper surface 102 a of the sensor 102 forms an acute angle on the front end side of the sensor body 109. This is schematically shown in FIG. In this case, when the sensor main body 109 is further pushed down and bends, the sensor main body 109 can be displaced by L at the central portion thereof. Therefore, the angle θ formed by the horizontal line and the upper surface 11a of the sensor main body 109 is expressed by the following equation (3) It is represented by
θ2≈sin (θ) ≈L / (d / 2) = 2 × L / d (3)
Therefore, the bending angle φ of the upper surface 111a of the sensor main body 109 is expressed by the following formula (4).
φ = π−2 × θ = π−4 × L / d (2)
Therefore, φ2> φ, and the present embodiment is bent smaller than the comparative example, so the probability that the sensor body 9 is damaged is lower than the probability that the sensor body 109 is damaged.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to 1st or 2nd embodiment, What changed the various design with respect to the said embodiment is also contained in the scope of the present invention. Hereinafter, although a modification is given, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following modification. The following modifications are provided in the same manner as the image input device 1 in the first or second embodiment except for the changed part. Moreover, you may combine the following modifications in the possible range.

[Modification 1]
The position where the push switch 16 is provided and the position where the convex portion 5 is provided may be reversed. When the push switch is provided on the upper surface of the base 2, it is only necessary to provide a wiring different from the wiring sheet 15 on the upper surface of the base 2 and connect the wiring to the push switch. The convex portion for pushing the push switch may be formed directly on the lower surface 10 a of the chassis 10 or may be formed on the wiring sheet 15.

[Modification 2]
Moreover, although the convex part 5 was a protrusion in the said embodiment, the convex part 5 may be a convex shape and the convex part of another shape may be sufficient as it.

[Modification 3]
Further, a touch switch (touch sensor for detecting contact) may be provided on the wiring sheet 15 instead of the push switch 16. In this case, an elastic material (spring, rubber, or other elastic material) is sandwiched between the lower surface of the chassis 10 and the base 2, and the touch switch and the convex portion 5 are in the natural state (the sensor body 9 is not pressed). It is not touched by elastic material. On the other hand, when the sensor body 9 is pushed down, the elastic material is compressed, and the touch switch and the convex portion 5 come into contact with each other. When the pressing on the sensor body 9 is released, the elastic material is restored, and the touch switch and the convex portion 5 are separated. Here, when the touch switch comes into contact with the convex portion 5, the touch switch is turned on, and when the touch switch moves away from the convex portion 5, the touch switch is turned off. The relationship may be reversed. In addition, a non-contact type switch may be used instead of the contact type switch such as the push switch 16 and the touch switch.

[Modification 4]
In the above embodiment, the sensor chip 11 is mounted on the chassis 10. However, without mounting the sensor chip 11 on the chassis 10, rotation axes are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the sensor chip 11 to support the rotation axes. The sensor chip 11 may be connected to the part 3 so that the sensor chip 11 can be turned up and down.

[Modification 5]
When the image input apparatus 1 is mounted on an electronic device or the like, the base 2 may be the same as the casing, chassis, or other member of the device.

FIG. 1 is a right side view showing an image input apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the image input apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a right side view showing an image input apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a right side view showing an image input apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a right side view schematically illustrating the image input apparatus according to the second embodiment in a state where the push switch is pressed. FIG. 6 is a right side view schematically showing the image input apparatus according to the second embodiment in a state where the sensor body is bent. FIG. 7 is a right side view showing an image input apparatus in a comparative example. FIG. 8 is a right side view showing an image input device in a comparative example. FIG. 9 is a right side view schematically showing a comparative image input apparatus in a state where the push switch is pressed.

Explanation of symbols

1 Image input device
2 base
2a Top surface of base 5 Convex
9 Sensor body 10a Lower surface of sensor body 13 Rotating shaft 16 Push switch

Claims (9)

Base and
A sensor main body provided on the base so as to be rotatable up and down, and a rotation shaft that allows the base and the sensor main body to be rotated up and down;
An image input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an intersection of a surface direction of the lower surface of the sensor body and an upper surface of the base is on the rotation axis side of the sensor body, and an intersection angle forms an acute angle. Base and
A sensor body provided on the base so as to be rotatable up and down,
An image input device, wherein an upper surface is inclined with respect to a lower surface of the base, or a lower surface is inclined with respect to an upper surface of the sensor body. Base and
A sensor body provided on the base so as to be rotatable up and down;
A pivot shaft that allows the base and the sensor body to pivot up and down;
A switch provided on the upper surface of the base or the lower surface of the sensor body at a position away from the rotation axis of the sensor body,
In a state where the sensor body is rotated to the base side and the switch is turned on / off, the intersection of the surface direction of the lower surface of the sensor body and the upper surface of the base is the rotation axis side of the sensor body. An image input device characterized in that the crossing angle forms an acute angle. Base and
A sensor body provided on the base so as to be rotatable up and down;
A pivot shaft that allows the base and the sensor body to pivot up and down;
A push switch provided on the upper surface of the base or the lower surface of the sensor body at a position away from the rotation shaft of the sensor body,
When the sensor body is rotated to the base side and the push switch is pushed, the intersection of the lower surface of the sensor body and the upper surface of the base is on the rotation shaft side of the sensor body. An image input device characterized in that the crossing angle forms an acute angle.   5. The image input device according to claim 3, wherein the switch is a push switch that can be restored.   6. The image input device according to claim 3, further comprising a convex portion formed at a position facing the switch on the upper surface of the base or the lower surface of the sensor body. 6.   7. The image input device according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the sensor body and a lower surface of the base are parallel to each other in a state where the switch is restored.   8. The image input device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical thickness of the base gradually increases from the switch toward the rotation axis of the sensor body.   9. The image input device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical thickness of the sensor body gradually increases from the switch toward the rotation axis of the sensor body.

Images