Imaging apparatus

• US 9,407,802 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nidec Copal Corporation (Nidec Corporation), Nidec Elesys Corporation (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nidec Copal Corporation (Nidec Corporation), Nidec Elesys Corporation (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Yuta, Nagai, Yohei, Takehara, Yushi, Takeda, Naoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Zhenzhen
• Application Number:
  US14/749,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20160028929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 348/340, 348373-375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 includes an image-forming optical system assembly, an image sensor, a sensor retaining portion that retains the image sensor, a coupling portion that is fixed to the image-forming optical system assembly, and a movement suppressing member that is immovable with respect to the coupling portion. The image-forming optical system assembly includes an optical system-side adhesive surface, the coupling portion includes an opposite surface, and the sensor retaining portion includes a sensor-side adhesive surface. A first adhesive is filled in at least a portion of a gap between the optical system-side adhesive surface and the sensor-side adhesive surface, and comes into contact with both of the optical system-side adhesive surface and the sensor-side adhesive surface. The movement suppressing member contacts the opposite surface, and contacts the sensor retaining portion on a surface facing the rear side out of surfaces of the sensor retaining portion.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an image-forming optical system assembly;

an image sensor that is disposed on a rear side which is a side on which rays incident on the image-forming optical system assembly form an image relative to the image-forming optical system assembly, and that an image generated by the image-forming optical system assembly is projected on;

a sensor retaining portion that is configured to retain the image sensor;

a coupling portion that is fixed to the image-forming optical system assembly; and

a movement suppressing member that is immovable with respect to the coupling portion;

wherein

the image-forming optical system assembly includes an optical system-side adhesive surface that spreads out at a position spaced apart from an optical axis in a direction intersecting a direction in which the optical axis extends;

the coupling portion includes an opposite surface that spreads out at a position spaced apart from the optical axis in a direction intersecting the direction in which the optical axis extends;

the sensor retaining portion includes a sensor-side adhesive surface that spreads out at a position spaced apart from the optical axis in a direction intersecting the direction in which the optical axis extends;

the optical system-side adhesive surface faces the rear side;

the sensor-side adhesive surface faces a front side reverse to the rear side;

the opposite surface faces the front side in an optical axis direction;

a first adhesive that at least a portion of a gap between the optical system-side adhesive surface and the sensor-side adhesive surface is filled with, and that comes into close contact with both of the optical system-side adhesive surface and the sensor-side adhesive surface, is included; and

the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the opposite surface, and comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion on a surface facing the rear side out of surfaces of the sensor retaining portion.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the sensor retaining portion is in a non-contacting state with a surface of the image-forming optical system assembly.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a region in which the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion at least partially overlaps with a region in which the first adhesive comes into contact with the sensor-side adhesive surface as seen in the optical axis direction.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a region in which the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion at least partially overlaps with a region in which the first adhesive comes into contact with the sensor-side adhesive surface as seen in the optical axis direction.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

regions in which the first adhesive comes into contact with the sensor-side adhesive surface are present on both sides of the optical axis;

regions in which the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion are present on both sides of the optical axis; and

the region in which the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion is closer to the optical axis than the region in which the first adhesive comes into contact with the sensor-side adhesive surface.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

regions in which the first adhesive comes into contact with the sensor-side adhesive surface are present on both sides of the optical axis;

regions in which the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion are present on both sides of the optical axis; and

the region in which the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion is closer to the optical axis than the region in which the first adhesive comes into contact with the sensor-side adhesive surface.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

regions in which the first adhesive comes into contact with the sensor-side adhesive surface are present on both sides of the optical axis;

regions in which the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion are present on both sides of the optical axis; and

the region in which the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion is closer to the optical axis than the region in which the first adhesive comes into contact with the sensor-side adhesive surface.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor retaining portion includes a through hole penetrating therethrough in the optical axis direction;

the coupling portion includes a shaft portion whose diameter is smaller than an inner diameter of the through hole and a head portion larger in maximum width than the through hole;

the shaft portion is inserted through the through hole;

the head portion is positioned more on the rear side than the through hole; and

the opposite surface is positioned at the head portion.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the sensor retaining portion includes a through hole penetrating therethrough in the optical axis direction;

the coupling portion includes a shaft portion whose diameter is smaller than an inner diameter of the through hole and a head portion larger in maximum width than the through hole;

the shaft portion is inserted through the through hole;

the head portion is positioned more on the rear side than the through hole; and

the opposite surface is positioned at the head portion.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the coupling portion or the image-forming optical system assembly includes a pair of side walls that interpose the sensor retaining portion therebetween and extend on the rear side;

tips of the pair of side walls reach the rear side more than at least a portion of the surface, of the sensor retaining portion, facing the rear side;

the coupling portion includes an extending portion extending from the tip of the side wall toward the optical axis; and

the opposite surface is positioned on a surface of the extending portion.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the coupling portion or the image-forming optical system assembly includes a pair of side walls that interpose the sensor retaining portion therebetween and extend on the rear side;

tips of the pair of side walls reach the rear side more than at least a portion of the surface, of the sensor retaining portion, facing the rear side;

the coupling portion includes an extending portion that extends from the tip of the side wall toward the optical axis; and

the opposite surface is positioned on a surface of the extending portion.

12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor retaining portion includes a circuit board;

and

the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion on a surface of the circuit board.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the sensor retaining portion includes a circuit board;

and

the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion on a surface of the circuit board.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the sensor retaining portion includes a circuit board;

and

the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion on a surface of the circuit board.

15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the sensor retaining portion includes a circuit board;

and

the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion on a surface of the circuit board.

16. The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the sensor retaining portion includes a circuit board;

and

the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion on a surface of the circuit board.

17. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the sensor retaining portion includes a circuit board;

and

the movement suppressing member comes into contact with the sensor retaining portion on a surface of the circuit board.

18. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the image-forming optical system assembly includes an image-forming optical system and an image-forming optical system retaining member that retains the image-forming optical system;

and

the optical system-side adhesive surface is positioned on a surface of the image-forming optical system retaining member.

19. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the image-forming optical system assembly includes an image-forming optical system and an image-forming optical system retaining member that retains the image-forming optical system;

and

the optical system-side adhesive surface is positioned on a surface of the image-forming optical system retaining member.

20. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the image-forming optical system assembly includes an image-forming optical system and an image-forming optical system retaining member that retains the image-forming optical system;

and

the optical system-side adhesive surface is positioned on a surface of the image-forming optical system retaining member.

21. The imaging apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the image-forming optical system assembly includes an image-forming optical system and an image-forming optical system retaining member that retains the image-forming optical system;

and

the optical system-side adhesive surface is positioned on a surface of the image-forming optical system retaining member.

22. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the image-forming optical system assembly includes an image-forming optical system and an image-forming optical system retaining member that retains the image-forming optical system;

the optical system-side adhesive surface is positioned on a surface of the image-forming optical system retaining member; and

the coupling portion is a portion of the image-forming optical system retaining member.

23. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement suppressing member is a metal member.

24. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement suppressing member is a resin member.

25. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the movement suppressing member is a resin member.

26. The imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the movement suppressing member is a resin member.

27. The imaging apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the movement suppressing member is a resin member.

28. The imaging apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the movement suppressing member is a resin member.

29. The imaging apparatus according to claim 24, wherein a ratio of a volume of the first adhesive relative to a volume of the resin member is about 0.5 or more and about 2 or less.

30. The imaging apparatus according to claim 25, wherein a ratio of a volume of the first adhesive relative to a volume of the resin member is about 0.5 or more and about 2 or less.

31. The imaging apparatus according to claim 26, wherein a ratio of a volume of the first adhesive relative to a volume of the resin member is about 0.5 or more and about 2 or less.

32. The imaging apparatus according to claim 27, wherein a ratio of a volume of the first adhesive relative to a volume of the resin member is about 0.5 or more and about 2 or less.

33. The imaging apparatus according to claim 28, wherein a ratio of a volume of the first adhesive relative to a volume of the resin member is about 0.5 or more and about 2 or less.