IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20110234803A1
• Filed: 03/28/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ogata, Tetsuya, NAKAJIMA, Mitsuru
• Application Number:
  US13/073,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20110234803A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes an optical element forming an image of an object, a lens barrel retaining the optical element, an image pickup device section having an image pickup device and obtaining the image of the object, a mounting wall portion surrounding one end portion of the lens barrel at an object side, a lens-barrel side screw groove provided on an outer circumference surface of the lens barrel, and a screw fixation section provided on the mounting wall portion and screwing with the lens-barrel side screw groove to fix the lens barrel to the mounting wall portion while pressing the one end portion of the lens barrel to the mounting wall portion in a direction of a photographing optical axis.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

at least one optical element configured to form an image of an object;

a lens barrel retaining the at least one optical element;

an image pickup device section having an image pickup device and configured to obtain the image of the object formed by the at least one optical element;

a mounting wall portion surrounding one end portion of the lens barrel at an object side;

a lens-barrel side screw groove provided on an outer circumference surface of the lens barrel; and

a screw fixation section provided on the mounting wall portion and configured to screw with the lens-barrel side screw groove to fix the lens barrel to the mounting wall portion while pressing the one end portion of the lens barrel to the mounting wall portion in a direction of a photographing optical axis.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a bond structure configured to bond the other end portion of the lens barrel to the image pickup device section in a state where an optically-positional relationship between the image pickup device and the at least one optical element is maintained.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the image pickup device section has a substrate on which the image pickup device is provided;

and

the bond structure is configured to bond the other end portion of the lens barrel to the substrate of the image pickup device section in a state where the optically-positional relationship between the image pickup device and the at least one optical element is maintained.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the bond structure is configured to bond the other end portion of the lens barrel to the image pickup device of the image pickup device section in a state where the optically-positional relationship between the image pickup device and the at least one optical element is maintained.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the bond structure includes an indirect bond structure having

an intermediate retaining member having one end which forms a lens-barrel side bond surface to be bonded to the lens barrel and the other end which forms a light-receiving side bond surface to be bonded to the image pickup device section,

a lens-barrel side bond layer provided on the lens-barrel side bond surface, and

a light-receiving side bond layer provided on the light-receiving side bond surface.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the bond structure includes a filling bond structure having a filling bond layer to fill a gap between the other end portion of the lens barrel and the image pickup device section in a state where the image pickup device and the at least one optical element are optically positioned.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the bond structure includes

an indirect bond structure having

an intermediate retaining member having one end which forms a lens-barrel side bond surface to be bonded to the lens barrel and the other end which forms a light-receiving side bond surface to be bonded to the image pickup device section,

a lens-barrel side bond layer provided on the lens-barrel side bond surface, and

a light-receiving side bond layer provided on the light-receiving side bond surface, and

a filling bond structure having a filling bond layer to fill a gap between the other end portion of the lens barrel and the image pickup device section, the filling bond structure being formed after forming the indirect bond structure.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the mounting wall portion has a stepped penetration opening having two concentric circular shapes when viewed from the object side in the direction of the photographing optical axis and an orthogonal surface orthogonal to the photographing optical axis at a stepped part of the stepped penetration opening;

the lens barrel having a larger external diameter at a side of the one end portion than that at a side of the other end portion has a stepped external shape and an orthogonal surface orthogonal to the photographing optical axis at a stepped part between the side of the one end portion and the side of the other end portion; and

a sealing member is arranged between the orthogonal surface of the mounting wall portion and the orthogonal surface of the lens barrel.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising

a retaining portion provided on the outer circumference surface of the lens barrel and is configured to rotate the lens barrel about the photographing optical axis relative to the mounting wall portion at an inner side of the mounting wall portion in a state where the lens barrel is inserted into the stepped penetration opening of the mounting wall portion.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the bond structure includes an indirect bond structure having

an intermediate retaining member having one end which forms a lens-barrel side bond surface to be bonded to the lens barrel and the other end which forms a light-receiving side bond surface to be bonded to the image pickup device section,

a lens-barrel side bond layer provided on the lens-barrel side bond surface, and

a light-receiving side bond layer provided on the light-receiving side bond surface;

and

the intermediate retaining member has an annular shape to surround the image pickup device about the photographing optical axis.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the bond structure includes a filling bond structure having a filling bond layer which fills a gap between the other end portion of the lens barrel and the image pickup device section in a state where the image pickup device and the at least one optical element are optically positioned;

and

the filling bond layer is formed by an adhesive having a light blocking effect.

12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a box-shaped member having one end to be opened and configured to cooperate with the mounting wall portion to be bonded to the mounting wall portion, to form a case housing the lens barrel and the image pickup device.

13. An in-vehicle camera, comprising:

the imaging apparatus according to claim 1.