Image-pickup unit including a flexible circuit board on a surface of which an image-pickup element is disposed

• US 7,425,989 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2004
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Higashihara, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Ngoc-Yen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cutler; Albert H
• Application Number:
  US10/909,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20050041310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 348/373, 348/374, 257432-434, 359/819
• US Class Current: 348/374
• 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 device comprising:

an image-pickup element;

a flexible circuit board which is electrically connected to the image-pickup element so that the image-pickup element is disposed at a side of a first surface of the flexible circuit board, the flexible circuit board having a rectangular opening portion through which light guided to the image-pickup element passes and having a wiring portion and an extended portion which are bifurcated with each other on a long side of the rectangular opening portion, the extended portion having a locating hole;

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

a signal processing board which is disposed at a side opposite to a side of the flexible circuit board with respect to the first holding member and connected to the image-pickup element through the wiring portion bent along the first holding member; and

a second holding member which is disposed at a side of a second surface opposite to the first surface of the flexible circuit board and held by the first holding member to bias the flexible circuit board toward the first holding member,

wherein one holding member of the first and second holding members has a pin for locating the one holding member with respect to the other holding member, and

wherein the pin is inserted into a hole formed in the other holding member passing through the locating hole when the second holding member is held by the first holding member.

2. The image-pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit board has a plurality of extended portions, and the extended portions are provided at positions where the rectangular opening portion is interposed therebetween.

3. The image-pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the extended portion extends substantially parallel to the wiring portion.

4. The image-pickup device according to claim 1, further comprising a cover member which is fixed to the second surface of the flexible circuit board to cover the rectangular opening portion,

wherein the second holding member biases the flexible circuit board through the cover member.

5. The image-pickup device according to claim 1, wherein the second holding member has an elastically deformable arm portion and the flexible circuit board is biased by receiving an elastic force of the arm portion.

6. An image-pickup device according to claim 5, wherein the pin extends from the arm portion.

7. An image-pickup unit device according to claim 1,

further comprising an elastically deformable member which is disposed between the flexible circuit board and the second holding member,

wherein the flexible circuit board is biased toward the first holding member by receiving the elastic force of the elastically deformable member.