Image pickup apparatus with rotary lens barrel

• US 8,035,732 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hida, Hiroaki, Terada, Hirotsugu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): HSU, AMY R
• Application Number:
  US11/900,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 348/373, 348/211.99
• US Class Current: 348/373
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation

Abstract

An image pickup apparatus including a lens barrel, a hollow shaft, a base, electric wiring, and a protection member. The lens barrel has a lens and an image pickup device embedded therein. The hollow shaft is rotatable about an axis intersecting with an optical axis of the lens. The axis serves as a central axis of the hollow shaft. The base supports the lens barrel in a rotatable manner by using the hollow shaft. The electric wiring extends through the inside of the hollow shaft to electrically transmit an image pickup signal of the image pickup device. The protection member is provided in the hollow shaft so as to prevent the electric wiring from coming into contact with the hollow shaft.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus with a rotary lens barrel, comprising:

a lens barrel having a lens and an image pickup device embedded therein;

a hollow shaft rotatable about an axis intersecting with an optical axis of the lens, the axis serving as a central axis of the hollow shaft;

a base that supports the lens barrel in a rotatable manner by using the hollow shaft;

electric wiring extending through the inside of the hollow shaft to electrically transmit an image pickup signal of the image pickup device; and

a protection member provided in the hollow shaft so as to prevent the electric wiring from coming into contact with the hollow shaft,

wherein the protection member, being a hollow pipe inserted in the hollow shaft and interposed between coating resin, of the electric wiring and the hollow shaft, is made of resin and is provided over the entire length of the inner surface of the hollow shaft.

2. The image pickup apparatus with the rotary lens barrel according to claim 1,

wherein the base includes a stationary sub-base and a rotary sub-base that supports the lens barrel,

wherein the rotary sub-base is rotated with respect to the stationary sub-base about the central axis of the hollow shaft, and

wherein the lens barrel is rotated with respect to the rotary sub-base about an axis orthogonal to the central axis of the hollow shaft.

3. The image pickup apparatus with the rotary lens barrel according to claim 1,

wherein the base includes a rotation driving section for rotating the lens barrel, and

wherein the hollow shaft is a portion of the rotation driving section.

4. The image pickup apparatus with the rotary lens barrel according to claim 1, wherein a supporting position of the base for the lens barrel is adjustable.

5. The image pickup apparatus with the rotary lens barrel according to claim 1, wherein the protection member is made of a resin hollow pipe having a sliding property.

6. The image pickup apparatus with the rotary lens barrel according to claim 1, wherein the protection member includes a wiring protection portion that protects the electric wiring, and a wiring fixing portion that fixes the electric wiring.