Image-pickup unit and image-taking apparatus

• US 20050041310A1
• Filed: 08/03/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Higashihara, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,425,989 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/819
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils

Abstract

There is disclosed an image-pickup unit which is capable of locating precisely an image-pickup element and capable of repressing a separation of a cover glass or the image-pickup element and the flexible circuit board. The image-pickup unit comprises an image-pickup element, disposed at the side of a first surface of a flexible circuit board, for converting light incident through an opening portion formed in the circuit board into an electrical signal; a cover member fixed to a second surface of the circuit board to cover the opening portion; a first holding member disposed at the side of the first surface; and a second holding member, for holding an optical element disposed at the side of an incident surface of the cover member, held by the first holding member. The first holding member is in contact with the first surface of the circuit board, and a biasing member biases the cover member from the side of the second holding member toward the first holding member.

Claims

1. An image-pickup unit comprising:

a flexible circuit board having an opening portion through which light passes;

an image-pickup element, disposed at the side of a first surface of the circuit board and electrically connected to the circuit board, for converting light passed through the opening portion into an electrical signal;

a cover member fixed to a second surface opposite to the first surface of the circuit board to cover the opening portion;

a first holding member disposed at the side of the first surface of the circuit board;

an optical element disposed at the side of an incident surface of the cover member;

a second holding member being held by the first holding member for holding the optical element; and

a biasing member for biasing the cover member,

wherein the first holding member is in contact with the first surface of the circuit board, and

the biasing member biases the cover member from the side of the second holding member toward the first holding member.

2. The image-pickup unit according to claim 1, wherein a wiring portion having wiring lines connected to the image-pickup element, is sandwiched between the cover member and the first holding member.

3. The image-pickup unit according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is an elastically deformable member which is integrally formed in the second holding member.

4. The image-pickup unit according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is an elastically deformable member which is disposed between the second holding member and the cover member.

5. The image-pickup unit according to claim 1, wherein a region of the cover member, to which a biasing force of the biasing member is applied, and a region of the first surface of the circuit board, with which the first holding member is in contact, are overlapped in a light incident direction to the image-pickup element.

6. The image-pickup unit according to claim 1, wherein in one holding member of the first holding member and the second holding member, a protrusion portion for locating the one holding member with respect to the other holding member is formed, and

the protrusion portion is inserted into holes formed in the circuit board and the other holding member.

7. The image-pickup unit according to claim 1, wherein the first holding member has a fixing portion which is fixed to a chassis of an image-taking apparatus.

8. An image-taking apparatus comprising:

an image-pickup unit according to claim 1;

and

a chassis to which the image-pickup unit is fixed.

13. An image-taking apparatus comprising:

an image-pickup unit according to claim 1;

a holding member for holding the image-pickup unit; and

a chassis to which the holding member is fixed.

9. An image-pickup unit comprising:

a flexible circuit board having an opening portion through which light passes;

an image-pickup element, disposed at the side of a first surface of the circuit board and electrically connected to the circuit board, for converting light incident through the opening portion into an electrical signal; and

a cover member fixed to a second surface opposite to the first surface of the circuit board to cover the opening portion,

wherein, on the circuit board, a wiring portion having wiring lines connected to the image-pickup element and a locating portion for locating the image-pickup element on the circuit board are formed, and

the wiring portion and the locating portion are separated from each other.

10. The image-pickup unit according to claim 9, wherein the locating portion extends substantially parallel to the wiring portion.

11. The image-pickup unit according to claim 9, wherein, on the circuit board, the plurality of the locating portions are provided at positions where the opening portion is interposed therebetween.

12. The image-pickup unit according to claim 9, wherein in a region of the circuit board to be exposed outside of the cover member, an indexing portion for indicating a fixed direction of the image-pickup element with respect to a chassis of an image-taking apparatus is provided.