Camera device

• US 8,792,003 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2011
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US12/931,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20110199485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 348/148, 359/533, 396/29
• US Class Current: 348/148
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/001 Miniaturised objectives for electronic devices, e.g. portable telephones, webcams, PDAs, small digital cameras G02B23/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/08 Waterproof bodies or housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a camera device including: a housing having an opening; a lens exposed from the opening of the housing; a lens barrel for holding the lens, the lens barrel being fitted in the housing to expose the lens from the opening of the housing; a packing provided between the lens barrel and the housing for preventing the entry of a water flow passed through the opening; an imaging mechanism having an imaging device for detecting incident light transmitted through the lens; and a buffer portion configured to reduce the pressure of the water flow in a water flow path between the opening and the packing.

Claims

1. A camera device comprising:

a housing having an opening;

a lens exposed from said opening of said housing;

a lens barrel for holding said lens, said lens barrel being fitted in said housing to expose said lens from said opening of said housing;

a packing provided between said lens barrel and said housing for preventing the entry of a water flow passed through said opening;

an imaging mechanism having an imaging device for detecting incident light transmitted through said lens; and

a buffer portion configured to reduce the pressure of said water flow in a water flow path between said opening and said packing;

wherein the buffer portion comprises at least first and second buffer walls projecting from opposite walls of the water flow path.

2. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein said buffer portion comprises a buffer wall projecting from an outer circumferential surface of said lens barrel.

3. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein said buffer portion comprises a buffer projection formed on an inner wall of said housing.

4. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein said buffer portion comprises a conical surface formed on an outer circumferential surface of said lens barrel so as to gradually increase in diameter toward the rear end of said lens barrel.

5. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein said housing is composed of a front case having said opening and a rear case containing said imaging mechanism;

and

said front case and said rear case are joined together by ultrasonic welding or adhesive.

6. The camera device according to claim 5, wherein said imaging mechanism includes a substrate for mounting said imaging device, said substrate being contained in said housing.

7. The camera device according to claim 6, wherein said imaging mechanism and said lens barrel are preliminarily assembled as a unit;

said unit is supported in said rear case; and

said lens barrel is fitted in said opening of said front case.

8. The camera device according to claim 7, wherein said camera device is used as an on-vehicle camera.

9. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the water flow is a high pressure water jet flow.

10. The camera device according to claim 2, wherein the buffer wall is at a position other than on an axis extending through the opening.