IMAGING DEVICE

• US 20120133825A1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: NAKAJIMA, Mitsuru, YOSHIMURA, Kenichi, TANAKA, Chihiro, OGATA, Tetsuya, SHIMIZU, Kohei
• Granted Patent: US 8,675,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/374
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/025 using glue
• 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
• 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 device includes a welded part on a lens barrel side that is hardened after a contact portion of a lens barrel or a contact part on the lens barrel side is softened, where the contact portion of the lens barrel and the contact part on the lens barrel side are fixed, and a welded part on a light-receiving circuit side that is hardened after a contact portion of the light-receiving circuit or a contact part on a light-receiving circuit side is softened, where the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit and the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side are fixed.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

a lens barrel that holds at least one optical element;

a light-receiving circuit that at least has an image sensor that obtains an image of a photographic subject formed by the optical element and a drive substrate that drives the image sensor; and

a welding structure in which the lens barrel and the optical element are joined by welding, in a state where a positional relationship between the image sensor and the optical element optically positioned is maintained,

wherein the welding structure has an intermediate holder where a contact part on a lens barrel side that comes into contact with a contact portion of the lens barrel and a contact part on a light-receiving circuit side that comes into contact with a contact portion of the light-receiving circuit are provided;

a welded part on the lens barrel side that is hardened after the contact portion of the lens barrel or the contact part on the lens barrel side is softened, where the contact portion of the lens barrel and the contact part on the lens barrel side are fixed; and

a welded part on the light-receiving circuit side that is hardened after the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit or the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side is softened, where the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit and the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side are fixed.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the welded part on the lens barrel side is formed by hardening after the contact portion of the lens barrel and the contact part on the lens barrel side are softened, and the welded part on the light-receiving circuit side is formed by hardening after the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit and the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side are softened.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the contact part on the lens barrel side is formed into a convex shape that projects from a facing surface on the lens barrel side that faces the contact portion of the lens barrel, and the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side is formed into a convex shape that projects from a facing surface on the light-receiving circuit side that faces the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit.

4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the convex shapes of the contact part on the lens barrel side and the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side are spherical.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a strengthened adhesive layer that is provided to be bridged between the lens barrel and the light-receiving circuit after the welding structure is formed.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit is provided on the drive substrate.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit is provided on the image sensor.

8. An in-vehicle camera comprising:

the imaging device according to claim 1.

9. A positioning and fixing method for a lens barrel and a light-receiving circuit of an imaging device,

the imaging device including:

the lens barrel that holds at least one optical element; and

the light-receiving circuit that at least has an image sensor that obtains an image of a photographic subject formed by the optical element and a drive substrate that drives the image sensor,

the method comprising;

a first process of fixing relatively the lens barrel and the light-receiving circuit in a state where the optical element and an image sensor are optically positioned;

a second process of providing an intermediate holder to be bridged between the lens barrel and the light-receiving circuit by contacting a contact part on a lens barrel side of the intermediate holder that fixes the lens barrel and the light-receiving circuit on a contact portion of the lens barrel, and contacting a contact part on a light-receiving circuit side of the intermediate holder on a contact portion of the light-receiving circuit;

a third process of softening the contact portion of the lens barrel or the contact part on the lens barrel side, and at the same time softening the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit or the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side, and pressing the intermediate holder to the lens barrel and the light-receiving circuit, in a state where a relative positional relationship between the lens barrel and the light-receiving circuit is maintained; and

a fourth process of forming a welded part on the lens barrel side by hardening the contact portion of the lens barrel or the contact part on the lens barrel side that is softened, and at the same time forming a welded part on the light-receiving circuit side by hardening the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit or the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side that is softened, in a state where the relative positional relationship between the lens barrel and the light-receiving circuit is maintained.

10. The positioning and fixing method according to claim 9, wherein in the third process, the contact portion of the lens barrel and the contact part on the lens barrel side are softened, and at the same time the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit and the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side are softened, and in the fourth process, the welded part on the lens barrel side is formed by hardening the contact portion of the lens barrel and the contact part on the lens barrel side, and at the same time the welded part on the light-receiving circuit side is formed by hardening the contact portion of the light-receiving circuit and the contact part on the light-receiving circuit side.