Imaging apparatus

• US 20040223074A1
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Takada, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 7,609,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/360
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/026 using retaining rings or springs G02B7/027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 9/62 having six components only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof

Abstract

An imaging apparatus having an opening of a front casing caulked with a pressure member. An O-ring is used for caulking the front casing and is designed to have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first lens, and an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the pressure member. When the pressure member is screw fitted, the O-ring is compressed. Thus, a clearance formed by the edge portion of the first lens and the inner wall surface of the pressure member is caulked by the deformation of the O-ring occurring when the O-ring is pressed.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a camera casing having an opening;

a lens set housed in a lens-barrel; and

a pressure member in a cylindrical shape having an opening defined by an annular pressure portion,

wherein said opening of said pressure member is caulked with a first lens of said lens set by fixing said pressure member to an outer circumferential portion of said lens-barrel, and

said opening of said camera casing is caulked by fixedly housing said fixed pressure member in said camera casing in which a front end portion of said fixed pressure member projects outside from said opening of said camera casing.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said lens set housed in said lens-barrel is a wide-angle lens set,

said opening of said pressure member is caulked with a first lens of said wide-angle lens set, and

said pressure member is fixedly screwed down to said outer circumferential portion of said lens-barrel in which a convex surface of said first lens projects from said opening of said pressure member to an outside of said pressure member, while an inner circumference of said pressure member is disposed to extend along an outer circumferential portion of said first lens of said lens set.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said lens set housed in said lens-barrel is a wide-angle lens set, a step portion is provided in an outer circumference of said pressure member,

said first lens has a protrusion portion provided to form a first step portion and a second step portion in a side surface formed between an object-side convex surface and an imaging-side surface of a first lens of said wide-angle lens set,

said first lens is positioned to be housed in said lens-barrel by said second step portion,

said opening of said pressure member is sealed off with said first lens and a first sealing material disposed in said first step portion of said first lens, while said pressure member is fixedly screwed down to an outer circumferential portion of said lens-barrel in which said object-side convex surface of said first lens projects from said opening of said pressure member to an outside of said pressure member, and

a front end of said pressure member screwed down fixedly projects from said opening of said camera casing, and said pressure member screwed down fixedly is fixedly housed in said camera casing in which said opening of said camera casing is sealed off with said pressure member screwed down fixedly and a second sealing material disposed in said step portion of said pressure member.

4. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a camera casing having an opening;

a wide-angle lens set housed in a lens-barrel;

a pressure member in a cylindrical shape having an opening defined by an annular pressure portion;

a step portion provided in an outer circumference of said pressure member;

a rising portion having a predetermined diameter which is provided on an object side of a first lens of said wide-angle lens set; and

a flat portion, which is perpendicular to an optical axis, provided continuously to said rising portion,

wherein said pressure member presses said flat portion of said first lens, and said opening of said pressure member caulked with said first lens, while said pressure member is fixedly screwed down to an outer circumferential portion of said lens-barrel in which a convex surface of said first lens projects from said opening of said pressure member to an outside of said pressure member, and

a front end portion of said pressure member which is fixedly screwed down projects from said opening of said camera casing, and said pressure member screwed down fixedly is fixedly housed in said camera casing in which said opening of said camera casing is caulked with said step portion of said pressure member.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a sealing material disposed between said pressure member and said first lens; and

a protrusion provided in a front end of said pressure member for abutting against an object side surface of said first lens,

wherein compression ratio of said sealing material compressed by said pressure member is established by abutment between said protrusion and said object side surface of said first lens.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

a clearance between said pressure member and said first lens is larger than a width of said sealing material before said pressure member is fixedly screwed down to said lens-barrel, while said sealing material is pressed and deformed to close said clearance when said pressure member is fixedly screwed down to said lens-barrel.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein a sealing material for sealing is disposed between said pressure member and said camera casing, and wherein

a clearance between said pressure member and said camera casing is larger than a width of said sealing material before said pressure member is fixedly screwed down to said lens-barrel, while said sealing material is pressed and deformed to close said clearance when said pressure member is fixedly screwed down to said lens-barrel.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein a diameter of said sealing material is between 0.5 mm and 3.0 mm.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein a diameter of said sealing material is between 0.7 mm and 1.4 mm.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein a length of said flat portion is at least 0.7 mm.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein a rising length of said rising portion is at least 1.2 mm.

12. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a camera casing having an opening; and

a lens assembly including a lens-barrel for housing a lens set positioned relatively to each other, a pressure member in a cylindrical shape surrounding an outer circumference of said lens-barrel, and an opening defined by said pressure member,

wherein said opening of said pressure member is caulked with a first lens of said lens set by fixedly screwing said pressure member down to an outer circumferential portion of said lens-barrel, and

said opening of said camera casing is caulked by fixedly housing said pressure member screwed down fixedly in said camera casing in which a front end portion of said pressure member screwed down fixedly projects outside from said opening of said camera casing.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein said camera casing has a front casing including said opening of said camera casing, and a rear casing, and

said lens assembly is inserted into said front casing from a rear side thereof and then fixed by screwing from said rear side, while said front casing and said rear casing are fixed by screwing from said rear side of said rear casing.