WO2013014719A1

WO2013014719A1 - Imaging apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2013014719A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/007157
Authority: WO
Inventors: 友徳水谷; 真伊豫田; 横田　康夫; 美代子入来院; 康広宮本
Original assignee: パナソニック株式会社
Priority date: 2011-07-26
Filing date: 2011-12-21
Publication date: 2013-01-31
Also published as: JP2014194438A

Abstract

An imaging apparatus is provided with an exterior case (1, 2) to which an exhaust opening (1b) is provided, a fan (22) and a movable cover (10) for protecting the exhaust opening. The fan (22) vents air from inside the exterior case (1, 2) to the outside through the exhaust opening (1b). The movable cover (10) closes the exhaust opening (1b) in a closed state, and causes the exhaust opening (1b) to open to the outside in an open state. An air-passage hole (10a) for venting of the fan (22) may also be provided in the movable cover (10). A configuration may be adopted in which the exhaust opening (1b) in the exterior case (1, 2) and the air-passage hole (10a) in the movable cover (10) are communicated when the movable cover (10) is in the open state.

Description

Imaging device

The present invention relates to an imaging device including a plurality of imaging means.

Recent digital cameras have increased power consumption of image sensors and camera controllers due to higher image quality and video shooting support, and the amount of heat generated by image sensors and camera controllers has increased.

Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a digital camera provided with a plurality of imaging means. The digital camera described in Patent Literature 1 has two optical systems and two CCDs and other imaging elements to capture a stereoscopic image (3D image) that enables stereoscopic viewing, and controls the same subject to the left and right. It is possible to shoot from these two viewpoints.

Since such a digital camera has two image pickup units including an optical system and an image pickup device, the amount of heat generated in the image pickup unit is twice that of a digital camera having only one image pickup unit. The amount of heat generated by the camera controller that processes the processed image is also relatively large.

Such an increase in heat generation causes a problem that the inside of the digital camera becomes hot and the digital camera does not operate normally. Further, when the image sensor becomes high in temperature, there is a problem that a lot of noise components are mixed with the output signal and the image quality of the image is deteriorated.

JP 2008-167066 A

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus that can prevent overheating inside the imaging apparatus.

In order to achieve such an object, an imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an exterior case provided with an exhaust port, a fan, and a movable cover for protecting the exhaust port. The fan exhausts the air inside the outer case to the outside through the exhaust port. The movable cover closes the exhaust port in the closed state, and allows the exhaust port to communicate with the outside in the open state.

In the movable cover, a vent hole for exhausting the fan is provided. When the movable cover is open, the exhaust port of the outer case and the vent hole of the movable cover may communicate with each other.

According to the present invention, the image pickup apparatus can prevent overheating inside the image pickup apparatus when the fan provided inside the apparatus discharges air inside the apparatus.

Also, when the image pickup apparatus is not used, the movable cover closes the exhaust port, thereby preventing dust and water droplets from entering the image pickup apparatus.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the digital camera of embodiment 1 is a perspective view showing the internal structure with the front case removed. Schematic diagram explaining the detailed configuration of the imaging unit Schematic diagram centering on the configuration of the circuit block 1 is a front view with the slide cover removed. Sectional drawing explaining the positional relationship of a fan and a slide cover Illustration of a digital camera with a slide cover without holes

1. Configuration of Entire Imaging Device Hereinafter, an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described using a digital camera as an example with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of FIG. 1 with the front case removed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the digital camera is configured by housing a camera body 3 in an exterior case made up of a front case 1 and a back case 2. The digital camera according to the present embodiment can capture a stereoscopic image that can be viewed stereoscopically. For this reason, the camera body 3 includes a first imaging unit 4 and a second imaging unit 5. The first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5 are attached to a metal frame 6 inside the exterior case with a space therebetween. The camera body 3 also includes a power supply block 7 that houses a battery (not shown) that serves as a power source for the digital camera, and a circuit block 8 that controls the operation of the camera body 3. Placed in the space. The power supply block 7 supplies power for use in the camera body 3 to each unit. The power supply block 7 accommodates a battery therein and further has a power supply terminal to which a power supply adapter for converting AC power into DC power is connected.

Also, in the camera body 3, the first imaging unit 4 is disposed at the end of the exterior case (the right end in FIG. 1), and the second imaging unit 5 is disposed at substantially the center of the exterior case. The first imaging unit 4 is an imaging unit that is always driven when an image is captured by a digital camera. The second imaging unit 5 is an imaging unit that is driven only when capturing a stereoscopic image.

Furthermore, an operation unit 9 including a main power switch 9a and a release button 9b is provided on the upper surface of the outer case. The front case 1 is provided with a slide cover 10 that can slide up and down to open and close the shooting windows 1a of the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5. A support attachment portion 11 is disposed on the bottom surface of the outer case so as to be exposed to the outside. The support attachment part 11 is made of a metal such as a stainless alloy, and is used when the digital camera is installed on a support such as a tripod or a monopod. The support fixture mounting portion 11 is fixed to the frame 6 and only a portion fixed to the support fixture such as a tripod or a monopod is exposed on the bottom surface portion of the exterior case.

Also, an opening / closing lid 12 for opening and closing the opening for accommodating the battery in the internal space of the power supply block 7 is provided on the bottom surface of the back case 2 constituting the exterior case. The user of the digital camera can attach / detach the battery to / from the power supply block 7 by opening / closing the opening / closing lid 12.

2. Configuration of Imaging Unit FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a digital camera that explains the configuration of the first imaging unit 4 or the second imaging unit 5 in detail. The first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5 have the same configuration.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5 are arranged on the upper part of the front case 1 facing the shooting window 1a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5 include a lens unit, an image sensor 42 (52), a circuit board 43 (53), a lens group 44 (54), and an aperture unit. 45 (55) and a unit housing 46 (56).

The lens unit includes a lens 41a (51a) that receives the optical image A1 of the subject through the photographing window 1a, and a bending optical system 41b (51b) that guides the incident optical image A1 to the image sensor 42 (52).

The image sensor 42 (52) is disposed below the imaging unit, and converts the optical image A1 received by the lens unit into image data. The image sensor 42 (52) is mounted on the circuit board 43 (53), and is composed of, for example, CMOS.

A circuit board 43 (53) is mounted with a circuit for controlling the image sensor 42 (52) and processing image data obtained from the image sensor 42 (52).

The lens group 44 (54) and the aperture unit 45 (55) are disposed between the lens unit and the image sensor 42 (52).

The unit housing 46 (56) accommodates the components constituting each of the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5 as described above.

A camera monitor 13 composed of a liquid crystal display or the like is disposed on the rear surface of the rear case 2.

3. Circuit Block The configuration and operation of the circuit block 8 of the camera body 3 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram mainly showing the configuration of a circuit block that controls the operation of the camera body 3.

The circuit block 8 includes a camera controller 16, a lens controller 17, a drive unit, and a memory 19. The circuit board 43 (53) includes the timing signal generator 14 and the AD converter 15.

The image sensor 42 (52) converts the optical image of the subject incident through the lens unit into image data such as still image data and moving image data. The image sensor 42 (52) operates based on the timing signal from the timing signal generator 14 mounted on the circuit board 43 (53), and converts the optical image into image data.

The image data converted by the image sensor 42 (52) is converted into a digital signal by the AD converter 15 mounted on the circuit board 43 (53) and sent to the camera controller 16 for image processing. The image processing here is, for example, gamma correction processing, white balance correction processing, scratch correction processing, YC conversion processing, electronic zoom processing, JPEG compression processing, and the like.

The camera controller 16 controls each part of the camera body 3 in response to an instruction from the operation unit 9. Specifically, the camera controller 16 transmits a signal for controlling the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5 to the lens controller 17 and receives various signals from the lens controller 17. Based on the control signal of the lens controller 17, the drive unit 18 drives each lens group (zoom lens group, OIS lens group, focus lens group) of the optical system of the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5, The diaphragm unit 45 (55) is controlled. The aperture unit 45 (55) is a light amount adjusting member that adjusts the amount of light transmitted through the optical system.

The memory 19 is used for the camera controller 16 to temporarily store data when the camera controller 16 performs drive control of each lens group of the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5 and the aperture unit 45 (55). It is used for storing programs and parameters for controlling the camera controller 16.

Further, the card slot 20 is a slot into which the memory card 21 is detachably attached. The card slot 20 controls the memory card 21 based on a control signal transmitted from the camera controller 16, and writes and reads still image data and moving image data obtained from the image sensor 42 (52). Further, the card slot 20 is attached to the space where the power supply block 7 is arranged in the outer case, and the memory card 21 is attached / detached by the card slot 20 by opening the opening / closing lid 12 for attaching / detaching the battery. Configured to be able to.

The moving image data generated by the image sensor 42 (52) is also used for displaying a through image. The through image is an image in which data is not recorded in the memory card 21 among the moving image data. The through image is processed by the camera controller 16 and displayed on the camera monitor 13 for the user to determine the composition of the moving image or still image.

4). Fan and Slide Cover As shown in FIG. 1, the digital camera of this embodiment includes a slide cover 10. 1A shows a state where the slide cover 10 is closed, and FIG. 1B shows a state where the slide cover 10 is opened. The slide cover 10 is installed on the front surface of the front case 1. When the slide cover 10 is opened / closed, the photographing window 1a is exposed / closed. The slide cover 10 is provided with a plurality of slits 10 a as vent holes at an intermediate position corresponding to between the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the digital camera of this embodiment when the slide cover is removed. As shown in FIG. 5, the digital camera of this embodiment includes a fan 22 for exhausting air in the exterior case. The fan 22 is provided at a position between the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5. The front case 1 is provided with an exhaust port 1b for exhausting the air flow generated by the fan 22 to the outside of the digital camera. The fan 22 is accommodated in the exhaust port 1 b and installed on the camera body 3. The first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5 generate image data based on the subject light incident through the imaging window 1a.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the positional relationship between the fan 22 and the slide cover 10. This cross-sectional view is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 6A is a diagram of a state when shooting is not performed, and FIG. 6B is a diagram of a state when shooting is performed. As shown in FIG. 6A, with the slide cover 10 closed, the slide cover 10 is arranged at a position to close the photographing window 1a and the exhaust port 1b provided in the front case 1 of the exterior case. The slide cover 10 is provided with a slit 10a for the fan 22 to exhaust. As shown in FIG. 6B, the slit 10a is provided in the slide cover 10 so as to be positioned at the front portion of the exhaust port 1b when the slide cover 10 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 6A, when the slide cover 10 slides upward and closes, the photographing window 1a is closed and the exhaust port 1b is closed.

As shown in FIG. 6B, when the slide cover 10 slides downward and opens, the photographing window 1a is exposed and the exhaust slit 10a comes to the front of the exhaust port 1b. As the slit 10a comes to the front surface of the exhaust port 1b, the exhaust port 1b communicates with the outside.

The fan 22 operates when, for example, the camera body 3 generates a particularly large amount of heat (such as when shooting a stereoscopic image or when shooting a high resolution). As the fan 22 discharges the heated air inside the exterior case, the camera body 3 is cooled. When the camera body 3 is cooled, noise from the image sensor caused by the operating temperature of the camera body 3 can be reduced.

5. Summary of Embodiment As described above, the digital camera of this embodiment can prevent overheating inside the digital camera by the fan 22 discharging air inside the digital camera.

In the digital camera of this embodiment, when the digital camera is not used, the slide cover 10 closes the exhaust port 1b and the photographing window 1a, thereby preventing intrusion of dust and water droplets from the exhaust port 1b. Can be protected.

Also, since the fan 22 is arranged in front of the digital camera, there is an advantage that the user can operate the digital camera without paying attention to the operation of the fan 22.

Further, the installation of the exhaust port 1b and the fan 22 at the positions shown in FIG. 5 is particularly suitable for cooling the

image sensors

42 and 52 that generate a lot of heat.

6). Other Embodiments In the digital camera according to the above-described embodiment, the fan 22 is operated during shooting when the camera body 3 generates a large amount of heat. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The fan may operate when the slide cover 10 is opened, and the fan may be stopped when the slide cover 10 is closed.

In the digital camera according to the above-described embodiment, a temperature sensor may be disposed in the exterior case, and temperature information detected by the temperature sensor may be transmitted to the camera controller 16. Based on the temperature information from the temperature sensor, the camera controller 16 operates the fan 22 when the temperature inside the outer case exceeds the threshold temperature, and stops the fan 22 when the temperature inside the outer case falls below the threshold temperature. It ’s okay. Even if it is such a structure, the effect similar to the above-mentioned embodiment is acquired. Furthermore, there is an advantage that battery consumption by the fan 22 can be minimized.

In the digital camera of the above-described embodiment, the power switch of the digital camera body may be interlocked with the opening / closing of the slide cover 10. That is, the digital camera may be turned on when the slide cover 10 is opened, and the digital camera may be turned off when the slide cover 10 is closed.

In the digital camera of the above-described embodiment, the exhaust port 1b is disposed between the first imaging unit 4 and the second imaging unit 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is disposed at another position. May be done. However, in that case, the fan 22 and the slit 10a are arranged according to the position of the exhaust port 1b.

In the above-described embodiment, the first imaging unit 4 is disposed at the end of the outer case, and the second imaging unit 5 is disposed at substantially the center of the outer case. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The 1st imaging unit 4 may be arrange | positioned in the substantially center part of the exterior case, and the 2nd imaging unit 5 may be arrange | positioned at the edge part of an exterior case.

In the above-described embodiment, a digital camera including two imaging units is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a digital camera including one imaging unit or a digital camera including three or more imaging units.

In the above-described embodiment, the slit 10a is provided in the slide cover 10 as a vent hole for exhausting the fan 22, but the present invention is not limited to this. The vent hole of the slide cover 10 may have a shape other than the slit. For example, one hole having the same size as the fan 22 may be provided.

Alternatively, the slide cover 10 may not be provided with a vent hole. This will be described with reference to FIG. 7A shows a state where the slide cover 10 is closed, and FIG. 7B shows a state where the slide cover 10 is opened. As shown in FIG. 7, even if the slide cover 10 is not provided with a vent hole, the photographing window 1a and the exhaust port 1b can be closed simultaneously or communicated with the outside, as in the above-described embodiment. it can.

In the digital camera of the above-described embodiment, the movable cover for closing the photographing window 1a and the exhaust port 1b is a slide cover, but the present invention is not limited to this. A movable system other than sliding may be used. For example, a cover having one end fixed by a hinge may be used.

As described above, the present invention is useful in preventing overheating of the imaging device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front case

1a Shooting window

1b Exhaust port 2 Back case 3 Camera body 4 1st imaging unit 5 2nd imaging unit 6 Frame 7 Power supply block 8 Circuit block 9 Operation part 10 Slide cover 10a Slit (ventilation hole)
22

Fan

42, 52 Image sensor

Claims

An exterior case provided with an exhaust port;
A fan for exhausting the air inside the outer case to the outside through the exhaust port;
An imaging apparatus comprising: a movable cover that closes the exhaust port in the closed state and communicates the exhaust port with the outside in the open state.
The vent of the outer case and the vent of the movable cover communicate with each other when the movable cover is further provided with a vent, and when the movable cover is in an open state. The imaging device described.
The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the movable cover slides.
3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus is turned on when the movable cover is in an open state, and the imaging apparatus is turned off when the movable cover is in a closed state.
3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fan is started when the movable cover is in an open state, and the fan is stopped when the movable cover is in a closed state.
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a temperature sensor that detects a temperature in the exterior case; and a fan control unit that turns the fan on or off based on temperature information from the temperature sensor.
3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fan is disposed in an exhaust port of the exterior case.
The exterior case further includes a photographing window for transmitting subject light, and the movable cover closes the photographing window when closed, and exposes the photographing window when opened. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging apparatus is characterized.