WO2019230477A1

WO2019230477A1 - Imaging device

Info

Publication number: WO2019230477A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/019900
Authority: WO
Inventors: 悠大今上
Original assignee: 日本電産コパル株式会社
Priority date: 2018-05-30
Filing date: 2019-05-20
Publication date: 2019-12-05
Also published as: JP2019208190A; CN112236993A

Abstract

This imaging device includes: a case; an imaging element which images a subject; a first substrate which is fixed to the case; a second substrate which is located on an opposite side of the subject with respect to the first substrate, and can be engaged with the first substrate; and an elastic portion that biases the second substrate toward the subject. The imaging element is mounted on either the first substrate or the second substrate.

Description

Imaging device

One embodiment of the present invention relates to an imaging device or the like.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an imaging device in which a lens barrel that holds a lens and a substrate on which an imaging element is mounted is housed in a case has been widely adopted, and has also been installed in automobiles and the like. As a conventional technique related to such an imaging apparatus, an apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is disclosed.

JP 2007-22364 A

In recent years, small and highly functional on-board cameras have been demanded. For this reason, there are many mounting components for the in-vehicle camera, and there may be a plurality of substrates on which electronic components are mounted. In addition, a compact and high-density design is required. In the in-vehicle camera described in Patent Document 1, two substrates are provided, and these substrates are connected by flexible lead wires such as FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits).

In such a configuration having two substrates, for example, a configuration in which the two substrates are connected by a fixed connector instead of the FPC is conceivable. In such a configuration using a fixed connector, when the connector is connected to the substrate, mounting floating may occur due to uneven solder amount, and the amount of protrusion of the connector with respect to the substrate may vary. If the protruding amount of the connector varies, the connection between the two boards becomes incomplete, or the board and other parts physically interfere with each other. The technology to fix is required.

The present invention adopts the following means in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, reference numerals and the like in the drawings are appended in parentheses, but each component of the present invention is not limited to these appendices. It should be construed broadly to the extent that contractors can technically understand.

One means of the present invention is to
Case (11),
An image sensor (23) for imaging a subject;
A first substrate (21) fixed to the case;
A second substrate (31) located on the opposite side of the subject to the first substrate and engageable with the first substrate;
An elastic portion (32a) for urging the second substrate toward the subject,
The imaging element is mounted on either the first substrate or the second substrate.
An imaging device.

According to the imaging apparatus having the above-described configuration, by urging the second substrate toward the subject, it is possible to ensure a degree of freedom in which the second substrate approaches the first substrate or moves away from the first substrate. it can. Thereby, for example, in a configuration in which the connector fixed to the first board and the connector fixed to the second board are engaged, the connector of the second board moves due to the variation in the protruding amount of the connector of the first board. Therefore, even if the protruding amount of the connector on the first board varies, the connector on the first board and the connector on the second board can be correctly engaged. And it can avoid that the connection between a 1st board | substrate and a 2nd board | substrate becomes incomplete, or a 1st board | substrate or a 2nd board | substrate, and other components interfere physically.

In the imaging apparatus, preferably,
A restriction unit (82a) for restricting movement of the second substrate to the subject side is further provided.

According to the imaging apparatus having the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent the second substrate biased toward the subject from falling off when the case is disassembled and when the case is attached to the main body or the rear case. Thereby, operations such as repair and assembly can be performed efficiently.

In the imaging apparatus, preferably,
A lens (15) fixed to the case;
The second substrate can move in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens.

According to the imaging apparatus having the above configuration, even when the position of the first substrate is adjusted in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, the second substrate moves when the first substrate is moved based on the position adjustment. Can be absorbed. Thereby, for example, even when the position of the image sensor with respect to the lens is adjusted in order to form an image of the subject, the connector on the first board and the connector on the second board can be correctly engaged.

In the imaging apparatus, preferably,
A sub case (12) engaging with the case;
The elastic portion is provided between the sub case and the second substrate.

According to the imaging apparatus having the above configuration, since the sub case can be used as a fulcrum of the elastic portion, the second substrate can be favorably biased toward the subject in the case and the sub case.

In the imaging apparatus, preferably,
The elastic part is a shield plate.

According to the imaging apparatus having the above configuration, for example, by processing a part of the shield plate, it is possible to form a leaf spring that functions as an elastic portion, so that the second substrate is moved to the subject side while ensuring shielding properties. Can be energized. Thereby, the number of parts can be reduced and the structure of the imaging device can be simplified, so that the manufacturing process of the imaging device can be prevented from becoming complicated and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is an external view of the front case of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 7 is an external view of the rear case of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of the rear shield plate of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 9 is an external perspective view of the rear shield plate of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the rear case of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a notch hole in the external connection substrate of the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the notch hole in the external connection substrate of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment.

An image pickup apparatus according to the present invention includes a first board that is fixed to a case and mounts an image pickup element, and a second board that is located on the opposite side of the subject with respect to the first board and that can be engaged with the first board. One of the features is that the elastic portion biases the second substrate toward the subject.

In this specification, the center position of the lens and the center position of the light incident on the image sensor is referred to as an “optical axis”. An imaging target located on the opposite side of the imaging element from the lens is referred to as a “subject”. The direction in which the subject is located with respect to the image sensor is referred to as “front side” or “front in the optical axis direction”, and the direction in which the image sensor is located with respect to the subject is referred to as “rear side” or “back in the optical axis direction”.

An embodiment according to the present invention will be described according to the following configuration. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and the description may be abbreviate | omitted.
1. Embodiment 2. FIG. Supplementary matter

<1. Embodiment>
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are external views of the image pickup apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a front view, and FIG. 2 is a view from the rear side. 3 and 4 are exploded perspective views of the image pickup apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front side view, and FIG. 4 is a rear side view. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment.

Each drawing shows the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis. An axis that is parallel to the optical axis of the lens and that faces the subject from the image sensor 23 is defined as a “z-axis”. Further, an axis that is perpendicular to the z axis and that faces the direction in which the leaf springs 32a are arranged is defined as an “x axis”. An axis perpendicular to both the z-axis and the x-axis is defined as “y-axis”. Here, the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis form a right-handed three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate. The arrow direction of the x axis may be called the x axis + side, and the direction opposite to the arrow may be called the x axis-side, and the same applies to the other axes. That is, along the z axis, the z axis + side is “front side” or “front in the optical axis direction”, and the z axis − side is “rear side” or “back in the optical axis direction”.

<Imaging device 1>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment includes a front case 11, a rear case 12, a harness 13, a lens barrel 14, an imaging element substrate 21, a front shield plate 22, an external connection substrate 31, And the rear shield plate 32. The imaging device 1 is an in-vehicle camera mounted on a vehicle, for example. The imaging device 1 may be another type of camera such as a digital camera or a surveillance camera.

<Lens barrel 14>
The lens barrel 14 includes a lens 15. Specifically, the lens barrel 14 is a cylindrical member that holds one or more optical members including the lens 15 and extends in the optical axis direction. The optical member held by the lens barrel 14 includes a spacer, a caliber plate, an optical filter, and the like in addition to the one or more lenses 15. The lens 15 is made of a transparent material such as glass or plastic, and transmits light from the front in the optical axis direction while refracting light from the front in the optical axis direction. The spacer is a plate-like and annular member having an appropriate thickness in the optical axis direction, and adjusts the position of each lens in the optical axis direction. The spacer has an opening at the center including the optical axis. The aperture plate determines the outermost position of the light passing therethrough. The optical filter suppresses or blocks light having a predetermined wavelength. The optical filter includes, for example, an infrared cut filter that suppresses passing infrared rays. The number and type of these optical members can be arbitrarily changed.

<Front case 11>
FIG. 6 is an external view of the front case of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the front case 11 and the rear case 12 are disassembled and the image pickup device substrate 21 is attached to the front case 11. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the front case 11 includes an exterior case 11a and a lens flange 11b. The front case 11 is a member that forms a housing of the image pickup apparatus together with the rear case 12, and is formed of metal or resin. By connecting the front case 11 and the rear case 12, an internal space for accommodating the lens barrel 14, the image pickup device substrate 21, the front shield plate 22, the external connection substrate 31, the rear shield plate 32, and the like is formed. . The front case 11 and the rear case 12 are specific examples of “case” and “subcase” in the present invention, respectively.

<Lens flange 11b>
The lens flange 11b is provided between the outer case 11a and the rear case 12. The lens flange 11b has an opening that can accommodate the lens barrel 14 with the optical axis at the center in the front in the optical axis direction. On the rear side of the lens flange 11b in the optical axis direction, a rectangular tube portion 11e that covers the optical axis and extends rearward in the optical axis direction and that can be connected to the rear case 12 is provided. A seal groove 11c that accommodates the waterproof seal 17 is formed on the end surface on the rear side of the rectangular tube portion 11e so as to go around the end surface (see FIG. 6). In addition, four screw holes 11d that can be screwed to the connector 84 are provided at four corners on the rear end face of the rectangular tube portion 11e. The lens barrel 14 is accommodated in the opening of the lens flange 11b.

<Waterproof seal 16>
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the waterproof seal 16 is an annular member formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and is disposed between the outer case 11a of the front case 11 and the lens barrel 14. As a result, the front case 11 and the lens barrel 14 are connected to each other without a gap. In the present embodiment, the waterproof seal 16 is provided so as to fit into a groove formed in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the lens barrel 14.

<Exterior case 11a>
The outer case 11a has an opening that engages with the lens flange 11b and can press the lens barrel 14 from the front side. In the assembled state, the outer case 11 a is connected to the lens flange 11 b and the connector 81 with the lens barrel 14 interposed therebetween, thereby fixing the lens barrel 14 to the front case 11.

<Rear case 12>
FIG. 7 is an external view of the rear case of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the front case 11 and the rear case 12 are disassembled and the external connection board 31 is attached to the rear case 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the rear case 12 engages with the front case 11. As described above, the rear case 12 is connected to the front case 11 to accommodate the lens barrel 14, the image pickup device substrate 21, the front shield plate 22, the external connection substrate 31, the rear shield plate 32, and the like. Form. In the front of the rear case 12 in the optical axis direction, a rectangular tube portion 12g that extends forward in the optical axis direction and that can be connected to the lens flange 11b is provided. A waterproof seal 17 is accommodated on the front end face of the rectangular tube portion 12g, and a seal groove 12c having substantially the same shape as the seal groove 11c is formed (see FIGS. 7 and 10). Further, four through holes 12d for penetrating the coupler 84 are provided at the four corners on the front end face of the rectangular tube portion 12g. The rear case 12 has a through hole 12f for allowing the connector portion 13a of the harness 13 to pass therethrough on the rear side in the optical axis direction. A waterproof seal 17 is disposed between the rear case 12 and the lens flange 11b.

<Waterproof seal 17>
The waterproof seal 17 is a substantially rectangular member formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and is fitted into both the seal groove 11c of the lens flange 11b and the seal groove 12c of the rear case 12, so that the lens It acts to connect the flange 11b and the rear case 12 without gaps. The waterproof seal 17 is formed in a rectangular shape along the

seal grooves

11c and 12c.

<Harness 13>
The harness 13 has a connector portion 13a for connecting to a connector portion 31e in an external connection substrate 31 described later in front of the optical axis direction. The connector part 13a protrudes in a cylindrical shape toward the front in the optical axis direction. In the assembled state, the harness 13 is coupled to the rear surface of the rear case 12 in the optical axis direction by screwing the coupling tool 84 into the screw hole 12e.

<Front shield plate 22>
The front shield plate 22 is formed of a material having relatively high conductivity. Preferably, the front shield plate 22 is, for example, metal. The front shield plate 22 has an opening centered on the optical axis. The front shield plate 22 is fixed between the lens flange 11b and the imaging element substrate 21 inside the rectangular tube portion 11e of the lens flange 11b. The front shield plate 22 is preferably electrically connected to the ground potential.

<Image sensor substrate 21>
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the image pickup device substrate 21 is fixed to the front case 11 and mounts the image pickup device 23 thereon. Specifically, the imaging element substrate 21 is a rigid substrate having a first surface facing the lens barrel 14 and a second surface facing the external connection substrate 31. In other words, the first surface and the second surface of the image sensor substrate 21 face the front side and the rear side, respectively. An image sensor 23 is mounted substantially at the center of the first surface of the image sensor substrate 21. The imaging element substrate 21 is a specific example of the “first substrate” in the present invention.

A BtoB (Board-to-Board) connector 21a protruding on the rear side is mounted on the second surface of the image pickup device substrate 21. Specifically, the BtoB connector 21 a is electrically connected to the image sensor substrate 21 by solder and is physically fixed to the image sensor substrate 21. At this time, the amount of protrusion to the rear side of the second surface of the BtoB connector 21a may vary due to variations in the amount of solder used for fixing. Note that components other than the image sensor 23 and the BtoB connector 21 a may be mounted on the first surface and the second surface of the image sensor substrate 21.

The image pickup device substrate 21 is fixed by the connector 85 so that the image pickup device 23 mounted on the first surface faces the lens 15 inside the rectangular tube portion 11e of the lens flange 11b. Specifically, the image pickup device substrate 21 is provided with two cutout holes 21b with the image pickup device 23 interposed therebetween. The connector 85 is, for example, a screw, and has a screw portion having an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the notch hole 21b and a head having an outer diameter larger than the diameter of the notch hole 21b. After the threaded portion of the connector 85 is passed through the notch hole 21b, the threaded portion and the lens flange 11b are loosely screwed together, so that the imaging element substrate 21 is movable in the xy plane. Attached to. After adjusting the position in the xy plane of the image pickup device substrate 21 so that the light beam from the subject is favorably imaged on the image pickup device 23, the image pickup device substrate 21 is attached to the lens flange by tightening the connector 85. 11b and the head of the connector 85 and is fixed to the lens flange 11b. For this reason, the position in the xy plane of the imaging element substrate 21, that is, the position in the xy plane of the BtoB connector 21a may vary depending on the variation in the position of the lens 15.

<Image sensor 23>
The imaging element 23 is a photoelectric conversion element that converts irradiated light into an electrical signal, and is, for example, a C-MOS sensor or a CCD, but is not limited thereto. The image sensor 23 receives light that has passed through the lens 15 in the lens barrel 14. In the imaging apparatus, an imaging unit that requires an imaging function other than the imaging element 23 may be employed.

<Rear shield plate 32>
FIG. 8 is an external perspective view of the rear shield plate of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 9 is an external perspective view of the rear shield plate of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the rear shield plate 32 includes two leaf springs 32a, two L-shaped portions 32c, two projecting portions 32e, two projecting portions 32f, and a plate portion 32g. Is done. The leaf spring 32a is a specific example of the “elastic portion” in the present invention.

The rear shield plate 32 is formed of a material having relatively high conductivity. Preferably, rear shield plate 32 is made of metal, for example. The rear shield plate 32 is preferably electrically connected to the ground potential.

The plate portion 32g of the rear shield plate 32 is a plate that is parallel to the xy plane and has a substantially square shape with four corners missing. A through hole 32d for penetrating the connector portion 31e and the connector portion 13a is formed in the approximate center of the plate portion 32g. Two projecting portions 32f are respectively provided on two sides of the four sides of the plate portion 32g facing each other with the through-hole 32d interposed therebetween. The protrusion 32f is a rectangular plate-like member that extends toward the front side. Of the four sides of the plate portion 32g, two projecting portions 32e are provided on two sides sandwiched by the two projecting portions 32f and facing each other with the through hole 32d interposed therebetween. The protrusion 32e is a rectangular plate-like member that extends toward the front side.

Two L-shaped portions 32c are provided at two corners located at the diagonal corners of the four corners of the plate portion 32g. The L-shaped portion 32c extends toward the front side, and then extends along the y-axis direction to form a plate-like contact portion 32h. That is, the contact portion 32h is a plate-like member that is offset to the front side with respect to the plate portion 32g and is parallel to the plate portion 32g. A through hole 32b is formed in the contact portion 32h.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the rear case of the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 10 shows a state where the front case 11 and the rear case 12 are disassembled, the external connection board 31 is attached to the rear case 12, and the harness 13 is removed. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the two leaf springs 32a are provided between the two protrusions 32e so as to face each other with the through hole 32d interposed therebetween. The leaf spring 32a is a plate-shaped member having elasticity in a dogleg shape that extends to the front side after extending to the rear side.

<External connection board 31>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the external connection substrate 31 is located on the opposite side of the subject with respect to the image sensor substrate 21 and can be engaged with the image sensor substrate 21. In the present embodiment, the BtoB connector 31a of the external connection substrate 31 and the BtoB connector 21a of the image sensor substrate 21 are engaged. The external connection substrate 31 is a rigid substrate having a first surface facing the imaging element substrate 21 and a second surface facing the harness 13. In other words, the first surface and the second surface of the external connection substrate 31 face the front side and the rear side, respectively. The external connection board 31 is a specific example of the “second board” in the present invention.

On the first surface of the external connection substrate 31, a BtoB connector 31 a that protrudes to the front side and can be engaged with the BtoB connector 21 a on the image sensor substrate 21 is mounted. Specifically, the BtoB connector 31 a is electrically connected to the external connection substrate 31 by solder and is physically fixed to the external connection substrate 31. At this time, the amount of protrusion to the front side of the first surface of the BtoB connector 31a may vary due to variations in the amount of solder used for fixing.

On the second surface of the external connection board 31, an electronic component 31f protruding to the rear side is mounted. A connector portion 31e that protrudes rearward is mounted substantially at the center of the second surface of the external connection substrate 31. Components other than the BtoB connector 31a, the connector part 31e, and the electronic component 31f may be mounted on the first surface and the second surface of the external connection substrate 31.

The image pickup device substrate 21 and the external connection substrate 31 are electrically connected when the BtoB connector 21a and the BtoB connector 31a are engaged. The electrical signal acquired by the image sensor 23 on the image sensor substrate 21 is subjected to predetermined electrical processing or signal processing by electronic components mounted on the image sensor substrate 21, and then externally connected via the

BtoB connectors

21a and 31a. It is transmitted to the substrate 31. In the external connection board 31, electrical signals received from the image sensor board 21 are subjected to predetermined electrical processing or signal processing by electronic components mounted on the external connection board 31, and then from the connector portion 31 e via the harness 13. The image data is output to the outside of the imaging device.

<Attachment of External Connection Board 31 to Rear Case 12>
The external connection substrate 31 is provided inside the rectangular tube portion 12g of the rear case 12 so that the BtoB connector 31a and the BtoB connector 21a can be satisfactorily engaged even if the position of the BtoB connector 21a on the image pickup device substrate 21 varies. It is done. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the external connection board 31 is provided with two notch holes 31b with the connector portion 31e interposed therebetween. The leaf spring 32 a is provided between the rear case 12 and the external connection substrate 31. Specifically, the rear shield plate 32 has a rectangular tube portion 12g so that the through hole 32b of the L-shaped portion 32c and the screw hole in the rear case 12 overlap, and the tip of the U-shape of the leaf spring 32a contacts the rear case 12. Stored inside. Thereby, the rear case 12 functions as a fulcrum of the leaf spring 32a.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the notch hole in the external connection substrate of the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 shows an example of a state before the imaging element substrate 21 and the external connection substrate 31 are engaged. As shown in FIG. 11, the connecting tool 82 is, for example, a screw, and has a screw portion 82b having an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the notch hole 31b and the diameter of the through hole 32b, and the diameter of the hole of the notch hole 31b. A head 82a having a larger outer diameter.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 11, the leaf spring 32a biases the external connection board 31 to the subject side. The head 82a restricts the movement of the external connection board 31 toward the subject. The external connection substrate 31 can move in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. Specifically, after aligning these positions so that the cutout hole 31b and the through hole 32b of the L-shaped portion 32c penetrate, the external connection board 31 is pushed into the rectangular tube portion 12g of the rear case 12 The leaf spring 32a is compressed and urges the external connection board 31 to the front side. The head 82a is a specific example of the “restriction unit” in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11, after the threaded portion 82b of the connector 82 is passed through the cutout hole 21b and the through hole 32b, the threaded portion 82b and the rear case 12 are screwed together. In this state, the leaf spring 32a, that is, the rear shield plate 32 urges the external connection board 31 to the front side, and therefore, between the head portion 82a of the coupler 82 and the external connection board 31, and between the external connection board 31 and the contact portion. A frictional force is generated between 32 hours. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10, the external connection substrate 31 and the rear shield plate 32 are fixed to the rear case 12.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the notch hole in the external connection substrate of the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 12 shows an example of a state after the imaging element substrate 21 and the external connection substrate 31 are engaged. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the

BtoB connectors

21a and 31a are engaged with the lens seal 11b assembled with the image pickup device substrate 21 and the rear case 12 assembled with the external connection substrate 31 with the waterproof seal 17 interposed therebetween. Combine like so. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the external connection substrate 31 is pushed into the rectangular tube portion 12 g of the rear case 12. As a result, even if the protruding amount of the

BtoB connector

21a or 31a is excessive or excessive, the external connection board 31 is biased to the front side by the leaf spring 32a. It is possible to absorb an excess or an excessive amount of protrusion by the movement of.

Further, even when the position of the image pickup device substrate 21 in the xy plane is shifted to, for example, the y axis + side due to the position adjustment of the image pickup device 23, the outer diameter of the screw portion 82b is equal to the diameter of the cutout hole 31b. Since it is smaller than the diameter of the through hole 32b, the external connection substrate 31 can be moved in the xy plane. Thereby, for example, the

BtoB connectors

21a and 31a can be satisfactorily engaged by moving the external connection substrate 31 to the y axis + side. Even when the position of the image pickup device substrate 21 in the xy plane is shifted in a direction other than the y-axis + side, similarly, the external connection substrate 31 is moved and the

BtoB connectors

21a and 31a are satisfactorily engaged. Can be made.

After the

BtoB connectors

21a and 31a are normally engaged, the lens flange 11b and the rear case 12 are connected by screwing the connector 83 into the screw hole 11d through the through hole 12d. In this state, the external connection board 31 is urged to the front side by the leaf spring 32a, so that the state where the

BtoB connectors

21a and 31a are satisfactorily engaged can be maintained.

According to the imaging apparatus having the above-described configuration, the external connection substrate 31 is biased toward the subject side, so that the degree of freedom in which the external connection substrate 31 moves toward the image sensor substrate 21 or away from the image sensor substrate 21 is increased. Can be secured. Thereby, for example, in a configuration in which the BtoB connector 21a fixed to the image pickup device substrate 21 and the BtoB connector 31a fixed to the external connection substrate 31 are engaged, the variation in the protruding amount of the BtoB connector 21a is caused by the BtoB connector 31a. Since it can move and absorb, even if the protrusion amount of the BtoB connector 21a varies, the BtoB connector 21a and the BtoB connector 31a can be correctly engaged. And it can avoid that the connection between the image pick-up element board | substrate 21 and the external connection board | substrate 31 becomes incomplete, or the image pick-up element board | substrate 21 or the external connection board | substrate 31 and other components interfere physically. .

In the imaging apparatus configured as described above, the head 82a of the coupling tool 82 restricts the movement of the external connection board 31 toward the subject side, so that the front case 11 and the rear case 12 are disassembled, and the front case 11 is moved to the rear case. It is possible to prevent the external connection substrate 31 urged toward the subject side from dropping off when being attached to the object 12. Thereby, operations such as repair and assembly can be performed efficiently.

In the imaging device having the above configuration, the external connection substrate 31 can move in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens 15, and therefore the position of the imaging device substrate 21 in the xy plane perpendicular to the optical axis. Even when the adjustment is performed, the movement of the image pickup device substrate 21 based on the position adjustment can be absorbed by the external connection substrate 31 moving. Thus, for example, even when the position of the image sensor 23 with respect to the lens 15 is adjusted in order to form an image of the subject, the BtoB connector 21a and the BtoB connector 31a can be correctly engaged.

In the imaging apparatus having the above-described configuration, the rear case 12 is engaged with the front case 11 and the leaf spring 32a is provided between the rear case 12 and the external connection substrate 31, so that the rear case 12 is supported by the leaf spring 32a. Therefore, the external connection board 31 can be favorably biased toward the subject in the front case 11 and the rear case 12.

In the imaging device having the above configuration, since the elastic portion is the rear shield plate 32, for example, by processing a part of the rear shield plate 32, the leaf spring 32a that functions as the elastic portion can be formed. The external connection substrate 31 can be urged toward the subject while securing the shielding property. Thereby, since the number of parts can be reduced and the structure of the imaging device 1 can be simplified, the manufacturing process of the imaging device 1 can be prevented from becoming complicated and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

<2. Supplementary items>
The specific description of the embodiment of the present invention has been given above. In the above description, the description is merely an embodiment, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, but is broadly interpreted to the extent that a person skilled in the art can grasp.

In the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment, the configuration in which the external connection board 31 is fixed to the rear case 12 has been described. However, even if the external connection board 31 is fixed to a vehicle body on which an in-vehicle camera is mounted, for example. Good. In this case, the front case 11 is engaged with the vehicle main body, and the leaf spring 32 a is provided between the vehicle main body and the external connection board 31.

In the imaging apparatus of the present embodiment, the configuration in which a part of the rear shield plate 32 functions as the leaf spring 32a has been described. However, a configuration in which an elastic portion is provided separately from the rear shield plate 32 may be used. Specifically, the imaging device 1 may be configured to include, for example, a coil spring or rubber as an elastic portion.

In the imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment, the configuration in which the imaging device 23 is mounted on the imaging device substrate 21, that is, the first substrate has been described. However, the imaging device 23 is mounted on the external connection substrate 31, that is, the second substrate. It may be. In this case, for example, the first substrate is provided with an opening centered on the optical axis. Then, in the image sensor 23 fixed to the second substrate, a light beam from the subject is imaged via the opening.

Moreover, in the imaging device of this embodiment, although the head part 82a of the coupler 82 demonstrated the structure which functions as a restriction | limiting part, for example, by providing the protrusion part which protrudes toward an optical axis from the rear case 12, The configuration may be such that the movement of the external connection substrate 31 toward the subject is limited.

The present invention is suitably used as an in-vehicle imaging device.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Imaging device 11 ... Front case 11a ... Exterior case 11b ... Lens flange 11c ... Seal groove 11d ... Screw hole 11e ... Square cylinder part 12 ... Rear case 12c ... Seal groove 12d ... Through-hole 12e ... Screw hole 12f ... Through-hole 12g ... Square tube part 13 ... harness 13a ... connector part 14 ... lens barrel 15 ... lens 16 ... waterproof seal 17 ... waterproof seal 21 ... image sensor substrate 21a ... BtoB connector 21b ... notch hole 22 ... front shield plate 23 ... image sensor 31 ... External connection board 31a ... BtoB connector 31b ... Notch hole 31e ... Connector part 31f ... Electronic component 32 ... Rear shield plate 32a ... Leaf spring 32b ... Through-hole 32c ... L-shaped part 32d ... Through-hole 32e ... Projection part 32f ... Projection part 32g ... plate part 32h ... contact

part

81,82 ... connector 82a ... head part 82 ... threaded

portion

83, 84, 85 ... connector

Claims

Case and
An image sensor for imaging a subject;
A first substrate fixed to the case;
A second substrate located on the opposite side of the subject relative to the first substrate and engageable with the first substrate;
An elastic portion that biases the second substrate toward the subject,
The imaging element is mounted on either the first substrate or the second substrate.
Imaging device.
A restriction unit for restricting movement of the second substrate to the subject side;
The imaging device according to claim 1.
A lens that is fixed to the case;
The second substrate is movable in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens.
The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2.
A sub-case that engages with the case;
The elastic portion is provided between the sub case and the second substrate;
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The elastic part is a shield plate.
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.