JP6957235B2 - Imaging device and moving object - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an imaging device and a moving body.

In an image pickup apparatus, it is known that a member holding a lens and a substrate on which an image pickup device is mounted are adhered with an adhesive to ensure dust resistance in a region around the image pickup device (for example,). See Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-128755

When the member holding the lens generates foreign matter such as dust, the foreign matter may adhere to the light receiving surface of the image sensor and affect the captured image.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an image pickup apparatus and a moving body capable of reducing the influence of foreign matter on a captured image.

The image pickup apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has an image pickup optical system including at least one optical element and a light receiving surface that receives a subject image imaged by the image pickup optical system, and takes an image of the subject image. It includes an image pickup unit having an element and a cover for a light receiving surface of the image pickup device. The image pickup apparatus has a first case having a holding portion for holding an image pickup side optical element located closest to the image pickup unit among the at least one optical element at a predetermined position, and the image pickup device having light transmission property. A plate-shaped member located between the side optical element and the imaging unit and located inside the outer shape of the first case when viewed in a plan view from the direction of the optical axis of the imaging optical system, and the first case. It includes a second case that forms a housing by joining with. The plate-shaped member is joined to the holding portion on the first surface located on the image pickup side optical element side, and is joined to the cover of the light receiving surface of the image pickup portion on the second surface located on the image pickup side. do. The imaging optical system, the imaging unit, and the plate-shaped member are arranged in the housing so as not to be in contact with the second case. The plate-shaped member is joined at the joint surface of the first case and has a thickness based on the focal length of the image pickup side optical element. The imaging unit is joined only to the plate-shaped member and is arranged in the housing in a state where it is not in direct contact with the first case and the second case.

The moving body according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is equipped with an imaging device. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup optical system including at least one optical element, a light receiving surface that receives a subject image imaged by the image pickup optical system, and an image pickup element that captures the subject image, and the image pickup device. It includes an image pickup unit having a cover for a light receiving surface. The image pickup apparatus has a first case having a holding portion for holding an image pickup side optical element located closest to the image pickup unit among the at least one optical element at a predetermined position, and the image pickup device having light transmission property. A plate-shaped member located between the side optical element and the imaging unit and located inside the outer shape of the first case when viewed in a plan view from the direction of the optical axis of the imaging optical system, and the first case. It includes a second case that forms a housing by joining with. The plate-shaped member is joined to the holding portion on the first surface located on the image pickup side optical element side, and is joined to the cover of the light receiving surface of the image pickup portion on the second surface located on the image pickup side. do. The imaging optical system, the imaging unit, and the plate-shaped member are arranged in the housing so as not to be in contact with the second case. The plate-shaped member is joined at the joint surface of the first case and has a thickness based on the focal length of the image pickup side optical element. The imaging unit is joined only to the plate-shaped member and is arranged in the housing in a state where it is not in direct contact with the first case and the second case.

According to the image pickup apparatus and the moving body according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the influence of foreign matter on the captured image can be reduced.

It is a top view which shows the structural example of the image pickup apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. It is a bottom view which shows the structural example of the image pickup part. It is sectional drawing which shows the image pickup apparatus which concerns on a comparative example. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the image pickup apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image pickup apparatus 1 according to the embodiment includes an image pickup optical system 2, an image pickup unit 3, a plate-shaped member 4, and a first case 5. The imaging optical system 2 includes a first lens 21 and a second lens 22. The first lens 21 and the second lens 22 are collectively referred to as a lens. In FIG. 1, the imaging unit 3 and the plate-shaped member 4 are represented by virtual lines of alternate long and short dash lines.

The image pickup optical system 2 forms an image of a subject incident on the image pickup device 1 on the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 31. The lens constituting the imaging optical system 2 is joined to the first case 5. The number of lenses is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more. At least a portion of the lens may be replaced by another element such as a mirror. Other elements such as lenses or mirrors are collectively referred to as optical elements. In other words, the imaging optical system 2 includes at least one optical element. The lens may be joined to the first case 5 with, for example, an adhesive. The lens may be joined to the first case 5 by a fitting structure. The lens may be joined to the first case 5 by fastening screws or the like. Of at least one optical element, the optical element located closest to the image pickup element 31 is also referred to as an image pickup side optical element. In the present embodiment, the first lens 21 corresponds to the image pickup side optical element. When the image pickup apparatus 1 includes only one optical element, it is assumed that the optical element corresponds to the image pickup side optical element.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the image pickup unit 3 includes an image pickup element 31, a substrate 32, a cover 33, and a cover support portion 34. The image sensor 31 is mounted on the substrate 32. The cover 33 is supported by a cover support portion 34 joined to the substrate 32, and is located between the image pickup device 31 and the image pickup optical system 2. The cover 33, together with the cover support portion 34, seals the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 31. By doing so, the dustproof property of the image pickup surface of the image pickup device 31 can be improved. As a result, the image captured by the image pickup device 31 is less likely to be affected by foreign matter such as dust existing inside the image pickup device 1.

The sealing of the imaging surface by the cover 33 may be configured to prevent foreign matter larger than a predetermined size from entering the space where the imaging surface is located. The predetermined size can be determined based on the size of the pixels of the image sensor 31.

The image pickup device 31 takes an image of a subject image formed on the image pickup surface by the image pickup optical system 2. The image sensor 31 may be composed of, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), or the like.

On the substrate 32, not only the image sensor 31 but also a circuit for processing the data of the image captured by the image sensor 31 may be mounted. The substrate 32 may be composed of a printed circuit board or the like.

The cover 33 is made of a light-transmitting material. The cover 33 may be made of glass such as lid glass. The cover 33 may be made of optical glass. The cover 33 may be made of a resin such as an acrylic resin. The surface of the cover 33 on the side of the imaging optical system 2 is also referred to as the surface of the cover 33. The surface of the cover 33 on the side of the imaging optical system 2 is also referred to as a light receiving surface of the imaging unit 3. In other words, the image pickup unit 3 receives the subject image imaged by the image pickup optical system 2 on the light receiving surface and takes an image on the image pickup element 31.

The cover support portion 34 joins the substrate 32 and the cover 33. The cover support portion 34 may be made of resin or the like. The cover support portion 34 may join the substrate 32 and the cover 33 with an adhesive or the like. The cover support portion 34 may join the substrate 32 and the cover 33 by a fitting structure. The cover support portion 34 may join the substrate 32 and the cover 33 by fastening screws or the like.

The cover 33 and the cover support portion 34 may be integrally configured. The cover 33 may be configured as the image pickup surface itself of the image pickup element 31. When the cover 33 is configured as an imaging surface, the imaging unit 3 does not have to include the cover support unit 34.

The first case 5 may be configured to include a material such as a resin. The first case 5 is not limited to the resin, and may be composed of various materials. The first case 5 has a holding portion 51 that holds the first lens 21. The holding portion 51 surrounds the first lens 21 around the optical axis. The holding unit 51 includes a joint surface 52 on the side facing the imaging unit 3.

The plate-shaped member 4 is located between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup unit 3. The plate-shaped member 4 has a first surface 41 located on the side of the first lens 21 and a second surface 42 located on the side of the imaging unit 3. The plate-shaped member 4 is joined to the joint surface 52 at the first surface 41. The plate-shaped member 4 may be joined to the joint surface 52 via the first joint member 61. The first joining member 61 may be an adhesive such as an acrylic adhesive. The first joining member 61 may be a joining member such as double-sided tape.

The plate-shaped member 4 is joined to the joint surface 52 to seal the surface of the first lens 21 on the image pickup unit 3 side together with the holding portion 51. In other words, the plate-shaped member 4, the holding portion 51, and the surface of the first lens 21 on the side of the imaging portion 3 form a sealed space. By doing so, the dustproof property of the surface of the first lens 21 on the side of the image pickup unit 3 can be improved. Since dust and the like are less likely to adhere to the surface of the first lens 21 on the side of the image pickup unit 3, it is difficult for the image of foreign matter such as dust to be included in the subject image from the image pickup optical system 2 to the image pickup unit 3. As a result, the image captured by the image pickup device 31 is less likely to be affected by foreign matter such as dust existing inside the image pickup device 1.

The plate-shaped member 4 is joined to the cover 33 of the imaging unit 3 by the second joining member 62 on the second surface 42. The second joining member 62 may be an adhesive having light transmittance. The second joining member 62 may be a tape having light transmission property. The plate-shaped member 4 seals the surface of the cover 33.

The configuration in which the first lens 21 and the cover 33 are sealed by the plate-shaped member 4 may be a configuration that prevents foreign matter larger than a predetermined size from entering the sealed portion. The predetermined size can be determined based on the size of the pixels of the image sensor 31, the optical characteristics of the first lens 21, and the like. In other words, the predetermined size may be determined as the size of a foreign object that does not appear in the image captured by the image sensor 31.

The plate-shaped member 4 is made of a light-transmitting material. The plate-shaped member 4 may be made of white plate glass or may be made of optical glass. The plate-shaped member 4 may be made of various other glasses. The plate-shaped member 4 may be made of a resin such as an acrylic resin. The plate-shaped member 4 may function as an optical filter. The plate-shaped member 4 may function as, for example, an IR (Infrared) cut filter, a wavelength selectivity filter, or the like.

The distance between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup element 31 can be adjusted by the thickness of the plate-shaped member 4. By incorporating plate-shaped members 4 having different thicknesses when assembling the image pickup apparatus 1, the distance between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup element 31 can be easily adjusted. When the plate-shaped member 4 is made of glass having a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion, the distance between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup element 31 is unlikely to change even if the ambient temperature of the image pickup apparatus 1 changes. Become. The plate-shaped member 4 may function as an optical lens. When the plate-shaped member 4 functions as an optical lens, the focal length of the subject image imaged by the imaging optical system 2 can be adjusted.

The holding portion 51 may have a positioning portion 53 protruding from the joint surface 52. The positioning unit 53 may be located on the positive and negative directions of the X-axis and the positive and negative directions of the Y-axis with respect to the first lens 21. The plate-shaped member 4 may be located between the positioning portions 53. That is, the positioning unit 53 can determine the position of the plate-shaped member 4.

The image pickup apparatus 1 may further include a second case 7 represented by an alternate long and short dash-dotted line in FIG. The second case 7 may be configured to include a material such as a resin. The second case 7 is not limited to the resin, and may be configured to include various materials. The first case 5 and the second case 7 may have a first case joint surface 54 and a second case joint surface 71, respectively. The first case joint surface 54 and the second case joint surface 71 are collectively referred to as case joint surfaces. The first case 5 and the second case 7 may be joined to each other at the case joining surface. The first case bonding surface 54 and the second case bonding surface 71 may be bonded by welding such as ultrasonic welding or heat welding, or may be bonded by bonding with a resin such as an adhesive, or caulking. They may be joined by treatment or crimping.

As shown in FIG. 4, the image pickup apparatus 9 according to the comparative example does not include the plate-shaped member 4. The image pickup apparatus 9 includes a first case 5 and a second case 7. The first case 5 and the second case 7 are joined to each other at the first case joint surface 54 and the second case joint surface 71. The second case 7 has an image pickup holding unit 72. The image pickup unit 3 is joined to the image pickup holding unit 72 and is located on the side of the second case 7.

The first case 5 and the second case 7 form a housing of the image pickup apparatus 9, and can directly receive vibration or impact from the outside. When the first case 5 and the second case 7 are joined at the case joint surface, vibration or impact from the outside is easily transmitted to the case joint surface. The case joint surface may generate foreign matter such as dust due to vibration, impact, or the like. The case joint surface can generate foreign matter such as dust even if it deteriorates over time. The foreign matter generated at the case joint surface may exist inside the space surrounded by the first case 5 and the second case 7. That is, the foreign matter generated at the case joint surface may exist inside the image pickup apparatus 9. Foreign matter existing inside the image pickup device 9 adheres to the surface of the first lens 21 on the side of the image pickup unit 3 or the surface of the cover 33 of the image pickup unit 3 and is reflected in the image pickup image captured by the image pickup device 31. sell.

On the other hand, in the image pickup apparatus 1 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) according to the present embodiment, the plate-shaped member 4 seals the surface of the first lens 21 on the side of the image pickup unit 3 and the surface of the cover 33 of the image pickup unit 3. .. By doing so, even if a foreign substance is present inside the image pickup device 1, the image captured by the image sensor 31 is not easily affected by the foreign substance. Even if the image pickup apparatus 1 does not include the second case 7 and foreign matter easily enters the inside of the first case 5, the image captured by the image pickup element 31 is not easily affected by the foreign matter.

In the image pickup apparatus 9 according to the comparative example, the positional relationship between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup element 31 can be adjusted by joining the first case 5 and the second case 7. Since the first case 5 and the second case 7 have a wide area to be joined, they are likely to be joined at positions including errors. When the first case 5 and the second case 7 are made of resin and have a relatively high coefficient of thermal expansion, the positional relationship between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup element 31 is compared by the temperature change around the image pickup apparatus 9. It can change drastically.

On the other hand, in the image pickup apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the positional relationship between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup element 31 can be adjusted by the plate-shaped member 4, the first joining member 61, and the second joining member 62. The region joined by the first joining member 61 and the second joining member 62 may be narrower than the region where the first case 5 and the second case 7 are joined. According to the image pickup device 1 according to the present embodiment, the positional relationship between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup device 31 can be adjusted with higher accuracy than the image pickup device 9 according to the comparative example. When the plate-shaped member 4 is made of glass and has a coefficient of thermal expansion lower than that of resin, the positional relationship between the imaging optical system 2 and the imaging element 31 changes even if the temperature around the imaging device 1 changes. Hateful. When the plate-shaped member 4 is made of glass and the first surface 41 and the second surface 42 have relatively high surface accuracy, the positional relationship between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup element 31 can be adjusted with higher accuracy. ..

As shown in FIG. 5, the plate-shaped member 4 may have a recess 43 on the first surface 41. The plate-shaped member 4 may have a convex portion on the first surface 41. The length at which the light from the image pickup optical system 2 toward the image pickup element 31 passes through the plate-shaped member 4 can be adjusted by the depth of the concave portion 43 or the protruding dimension of the convex portion. Light passing through the plate-shaped member 4 can be focused at different positions by being refracted by the plate-shaped member 4. That is, the plate-shaped member 4 can change the focal position of the passing light. Since the plate-shaped member 4 has the concave portion 43 or the convex portion, the focal position of the subject image imaged by the imaging optical system 2 can be adjusted while maintaining the positional relationship between the imaging optical system 2 and the imaging element 31. ..

According to the image pickup apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the distance between the surface of the cover 33 and the second surface 42 of the plate-shaped member 4 can be adjusted by the thickness of the second joining member 62. When the thickness of the second joining member 62 has a distribution in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, the angle between the surface of the cover 33 and the second surface 42 of the plate-shaped member 4 can be adjusted. The distance between the first lens 21 and the first surface 41 of the plate-shaped member 4 can be adjusted by the thickness of the first joining member 61. When the thickness of the first joining member 61 has a distribution in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, the angle between the first surface 41 of the plate-shaped member 4 and the optical axis of the first lens 21 can be adjusted. As a result, the positional relationship between the image pickup optical system 2 and the image pickup element 31 can be adjusted with higher accuracy.

According to the image pickup apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the image pickup unit 3 can be directly joined to the first case 5. By doing so, a member for joining the substrate 32 of the imaging unit 3 to the first case 5 or the second case 7 can be omitted. As a result, the assembly cost of the image pickup apparatus 1 can be reduced.

The imaging device 1 according to the present disclosure may be mounted on a moving body. "Mobile" in the present disclosure includes vehicles, ships, and aircraft. "Vehicles" in the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, automobiles and industrial vehicles, and may include railroad vehicles, living vehicles, and fixed-wing aircraft traveling on runways. The automobile includes, but is not limited to, passenger cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, trolley buses, and the like, and may include other vehicles traveling on the road. Industrial vehicles include industrial vehicles for agriculture and construction. Industrial vehicles include, but are not limited to, forklifts and golf carts. Industrial vehicles for agriculture include, but are not limited to, tractors, cultivators, porters, binders, combines, and lawnmowers. Industrial vehicles for construction include, but are not limited to, bulldozers, scrapers, excavators, mobile cranes, dump trucks, and road rollers. Vehicles include those that run manually. The classification of vehicles is not limited to the above. For example, an automobile may include an industrial vehicle capable of traveling on a road, and the same vehicle may be included in a plurality of classifications. Ships in the present disclosure include marine jets, boats and tankers. Aircraft in the present disclosure include fixed-wing aircraft and rotary-wing aircraft.

The figure illustrating the embodiment according to the present disclosure is schematic. The dimensional ratios on the drawings do not always match the actual ones.

Although the embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications or modifications based on the present disclosure. It should be noted, therefore, that these modifications or modifications are within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or each step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and a plurality of components or steps can be combined or divided into one. Is. Although the embodiment according to the present disclosure has been mainly described for the device, the embodiment according to the present disclosure can also be realized as a method including steps executed by each component of the device. The embodiment according to the present disclosure can also be realized as a method, a program, or a storage medium on which a program is recorded, which is executed by a processor included in the apparatus. It should be understood that the scope of this disclosure also includes these.

In the present disclosure, the descriptions such as "first" and "second" are identifiers for distinguishing the configuration. The configurations distinguished by the descriptions such as "first" and "second" in the present disclosure can exchange numbers in the configurations. For example, the first lens can exchange the identifiers "first" and "second" with the second lens. The exchange of identifiers takes place at the same time. Even after exchanging identifiers, the configuration is distinguished. The identifier may be deleted. The configuration with the identifier removed is distinguished by a code. Based solely on the description of identifiers such as "first" and "second" in the present disclosure, it shall not be used as a basis for interpreting the order of the configurations and for the existence of identifiers with smaller numbers.

In the present disclosure, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are provided for convenience of explanation and may be interchanged with each other. The configuration according to the present disclosure has been described using a Cartesian coordinate system composed of the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. The positional relationship of each configuration according to the present disclosure is not limited to being orthogonal.

1, 9 Imaging device 2 Imaging optical system 21 1st lens 22 2nd lens 3 Imaging unit 31 Imaging element 32 Substrate 33 Cover 34 Cover support 4 Plate-shaped member 41 1st surface 42 2nd surface 43 Recess 5 1st case 51 Holding part 52 Joint surface 53 Positioning part 54 First case joint surface 61 First adhesive member 62 Second adhesive member 7 Second case 71 Second case joint surface 72 Imaging holding part

Claims (4)

An imaging optical system including at least one optical element,
An image pickup unit having a light receiving surface for receiving a subject image imaged by the image pickup optical system, an image pickup element for capturing the subject image, and a cover for the light receiving surface of the image pickup element.
A first case having a holding portion for holding an imaging side optical element located closest to the imaging unit among the at least one optical element at a predetermined position, and a first case.
It has light transmission, is located between the imaging side optical element and the imaging unit, and is located inside the outer shape of the first case when viewed in a plan view from the direction of the optical axis of the imaging optical system. Plate-shaped member and
A second case for forming a housing by joining with the first case is provided.
The plate-shaped member is joined to the holding portion on the first surface located on the image pickup side optical element side, and is joined to the cover of the light receiving surface of the image pickup portion on the second surface located on the image pickup side. death,
The imaging optical system, the imaging unit, and the plate-shaped member are arranged in the housing so as not to be in contact with the second case.
The plate-shaped member is joined at the joint surface of the first case, has a thickness based on the focal length of the image pickup side optical element, and has a thickness.
The imaging unit is joined only to the plate-shaped member and is arranged in the housing in a state where it is not in direct contact with the first case and the second case.
Imaging device. The plate-shaped member is glass, and is bonded to the holding portion with an adhesive on the first surface to seal the image pickup side optical element, and is bonded to the light receiving surface with an adhesive on the second surface. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving surface is sealed. The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plate-shaped member functions as an optical filter. An imaging optical system including at least one optical element,
An image pickup unit having a light receiving surface for receiving a subject image imaged by the image pickup optical system, an image pickup element for capturing the subject image, and a cover for the light receiving surface of the image pickup element.
A first case having a holding portion for holding an imaging side optical element located closest to the imaging unit among the at least one optical element at a predetermined position, and a first case.
It has light transmission, is located between the imaging side optical element and the imaging unit, and is located inside the outer shape of the first case when viewed in a plan view from the direction of the optical axis of the imaging optical system. Plate-shaped member and
A second case for forming a housing by joining with the first case is provided.
The plate-shaped member is joined to the holding portion on the first surface located on the image pickup side optical element side, and is joined to the cover of the light receiving surface of the image pickup portion on the second surface located on the image pickup side. death,
The imaging optical system, the imaging unit, and the plate-shaped member are arranged in the housing so as not to be in contact with the second case.
The plate-shaped member is joined at the joint surface of the first case, has a thickness based on the focal length of the image pickup side optical element, and has a thickness.
The imaging unit is joined only to the plate-shaped member and is arranged in the housing in a state where it is not in direct contact with the first case and the second case.
A mobile body equipped with an imaging device.

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