JP2009128890A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus suppressing entering of water or moisture into a housing thereof, and excellent in environmental durability. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus includes: an imaging part 40 for imaging an object; the housing 10 for storing the imaging part 40; a glass plate 20 attached to the opening of the housing 10 to protect the imaging part 40; and a sealing material 30 for sealing a gap between the glass plate support surface 12 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening and the outer circumferential surface 21 of the glass plate 20; wherein the glass plate support surface 12 of the opening is formed so that the entering path of the water or the moisture entering from the outside becomes longer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging device in which a glass plate is attached to a housing.

  In recent years, a technique for applying a stereo vision system to a visual sensor of an autonomous mobile robot has been developed. The stereo vision system calculates a distance to an object based on a subject image acquired by a stereo camera including a plurality of camera modules. The case of such a stereo camera is formed of a metal material in order to maintain the positional relationship of the plurality of camera modules accommodated therein with high accuracy.

  As a technique for accommodating a camera module in a housing formed of a metal material, a solid-state imaging device as shown in Patent Document 1 below is known. The solid-state imaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is formed such that the outer edge shape of a housing that holds a glass lid is gradually reduced toward the front of the lid. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the adhesive that bonds the lid and the housing from being peeled off due to the stress generated due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the lid and the housing. it can.

The solid-state imaging device of Patent Document 1 is quite useful in suppressing water or moisture from entering the housing from the gap formed between the lid and the housing by peeling off the adhesive. Further, development of a more useful device is desired.
JP 2006-278743 A

  The present invention has been made from such a viewpoint. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device with excellent environmental durability that can suppress the intrusion of water or moisture into the housing.

  The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

  (1) An imaging unit that captures an image of a subject, a housing that houses the imaging unit, a glass plate that is attached to the opening of the housing and protects the imaging unit, and is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening And an encapsulating material that seals a gap between the glass plate support surface and the outer peripheral surface of the glass plate, and enters the glass plate support surface of the opening from the outside. An imaging apparatus, characterized in that the intrusion path of water or moisture is long.

  (2) The imaging apparatus according to (1), wherein the glass plate support surface has a step shape.

  (3) The imaging apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the glass plate support surface has an inclined shape.

  (4) The opening has an abutting portion that abuts on a peripheral edge of the glass plate, and an auxiliary sealing material that bonds the peripheral edge of the glass plate and the abutting portion to the abutting portion. The image pickup apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein a groove portion filled with is formed.

  (5) A sealing material that seals a gap between the glass plate support surface of the opening and the outer peripheral surface of the glass plate, and an auxiliary seal that bonds the peripheral edge of the glass plate and the contact portion. The imaging device according to (4), wherein the stopper has different characteristics from each other.

  (6) The imaging device according to (5), wherein the sealing material and the auxiliary sealing material differ in at least one of a thermal expansion coefficient, a viscosity, and a thixo ratio.

  (7) The imaging device according to (1), wherein the opening includes a stepped portion that supports the plurality of glass plates.

  (8) The imaging apparatus according to (1), wherein the glass plate support surface is formed at a bottom of an accommodation space in which the imaging unit is accommodated.

  (9) The imaging device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the casing is formed of stainless steel, an aluminum alloy, or a magnesium alloy.

  (10) The imaging apparatus according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein a plurality of the imaging units separated from each other at a predetermined interval are accommodated in the housing.

  According to the imaging device of the present invention, the intrusion of water or moisture into the housing is suppressed. Therefore, an imaging device excellent in environmental durability is provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, a case where the imaging apparatus of the present invention is applied to a stereo camera will be described as an example. In addition, the same code | symbol was used for the same member in the figure.

(First embodiment)
First, a stereo camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the stereo camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an exploded view of an end portion of the stereo camera shown in FIG. It is a perspective view.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the stereo camera 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 10, a glass plate 20, a sealing material 30, and an imaging unit 40. Two glass plates 20, the sealing material 30, and the imaging part 40 are provided, respectively, and constitute two imaging systems separated by a predetermined interval inside the casing 10.

  The housing 10 accommodates the imaging unit 40. The housing 10 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel, aluminum alloy, and magnesium alloy. An opening 11 that penetrates in the depth direction is formed in the housing 10, and a part of the opening 11 forms an accommodation space in which the imaging unit 40 is accommodated. Moreover, the glass plate support surface 12 which supports the outer peripheral surface 21 of the glass plate 20 is formed in the internal peripheral surface of the opening part 11, and the glass plate support surface 12 is an infiltration route of the water or water | moisture content which infiltrates from the outside. Is formed to be long.

  The glass plate 20 is attached to the opening 11 of the housing 10 and protects the imaging unit 40. The glass plate 20 is formed of a transparent optical glass material, and is supported by the glass plate support surface 12 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening 11 via the sealing material 30.

  The sealing material 30 seals the gap between the glass plate support surface 12 of the opening 11 and the outer peripheral surface 21 of the glass plate 20. The sealing portion 30 is, for example, a thermosetting epoxy resin, and is filled in a gap between the glass plate support surface 12 and the outer peripheral surface 21 of the glass plate 20, and the glass plate support surface 12 and the glass plate. The 20 outer peripheral surfaces 21 are bonded.

  The imaging unit 40 images a subject. The imaging unit 40 captures an image of the subject via the glass plate 20 that is disposed forward with a predetermined interval. The imaging unit 40 includes an image sensor such as a CMOS and a plurality of lenses. Since the imaging unit 40 itself is a general camera module, detailed description is omitted.

  Next, the glass plate support surface 12 in the stereo camera 100 of this Embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2B is a partially enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 2A.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the glass plate support surface 12 of the present embodiment has a step shape, and has an inclined surface 13, a step surface 14, and a vertical surface 15 that continue from the surface of the housing 10.

  The inclined surface 13 is inclined so that the gap between the outer peripheral surface 21 of the glass plate 20 and the glass plate supporting surface 12 gradually decreases from the surface of the housing 10 toward the inside. The step surface 14 protrudes from the end of the inclined surface 13 toward the outer peripheral surface 21 of the glass plate 20, and the vertical surface 15 is formed along the outer peripheral surface 21 of the glass plate 20 from the end of the step surface 14. ing. A gap between the outer peripheral surface 21 and the inclined surface 13 of the glass plate 20 is filled with a sealing material 30.

  Further, in the opening portion 11 of the present embodiment, a contact portion 16 that contacts the peripheral edge portion of the glass plate 20 is formed. The abutting portion 16 is adjacent to the inner end of the glass plate support surface 12 and abuts on the peripheral portion of the glass plate 20 accommodated from the front side of the housing 10. A groove portion 17 is formed in the contact portion 16, and the groove portion 17 is filled with an auxiliary sealing material 31 that bonds the peripheral edge portion of the glass plate 20 and the contact portion 16. The auxiliary sealing material 31 is a thermosetting epoxy resin having different characteristics from the sealing material 31.

  Next, the sealing material 30 and the auxiliary sealing material 31 in this Embodiment are demonstrated.

  In the present embodiment, a sealing material having different characteristics is used depending on the function of the portion filled with the sealing material. That is, the sealing material 30 that seals the gap between the outer peripheral surface 21 of the glass plate 20 and the glass plate support surface 12, and the auxiliary sealing material that bonds the peripheral edge of the glass plate 20 and the contact portion 16. 31 has different characteristics. In the present embodiment, the sealing material 30 and the auxiliary sealing material 31 are epoxy resins having different constituent ratios.

  The sealing material 30 preferably has a lower hardness than the auxiliary sealing material 31 from the viewpoint of preventing it from being peeled off or broken due to externally acting stress, and from the viewpoint of preventing water or moisture from entering, It is preferable to have high affinity with a metal material and a glass material.

  Further, from the viewpoint of manufacturing, the sealing material 30 and the auxiliary sealing material 31 can have different characteristics such as a thermal expansion coefficient, a viscosity, and a thixo ratio. From the viewpoint of suppressing deformation of the liquid resin and expansion of the resin during thermosetting, the sealing material 30 has a high thixo ratio, a low baking temperature, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion, and the baking temperature is the glass transition temperature. Is preferably lower. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of preventing the liquid resin from flowing into the surface of the glass plate 20 during thermosetting, the auxiliary sealing material 31 preferably has high viscosity and low temperature curability.

In the stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above, when the ambient temperature rises, due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the metal housing 10 and the glass plate 20, the housing 10 A tensile stress acts on the sealing material 30 that bonds the glass plate 20. Since the sealing material 30 has higher adhesiveness to the glass plate 20 than the metal housing 10, the sealing material 30 may peel from the housing 10 when tensile stress acts. The thermal expansion coefficients of the optical glass material, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, and magnesium alloy are about 8 × 10 ⁻⁶ / K, 16 to 17 × 10 ⁻⁶ / K, and 23 to 24 × 10 ⁻⁶ / K, respectively. , And 27-28 × 10 ⁻⁶ / K.

  When the sealing material 30 peels from the housing 10, water or moisture may enter the housing 10 from a gap formed between the peeled sealing material 30 and the housing 10. However, in the stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment, since the water or moisture intrusion path is extended by the glass plate support surface 12 having a step shape, the ingress of water or moisture into the housing 10 is suppressed. . In this specification, “moisture” mainly means water contained in air. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3, the effect of the stereo camera 100 in this Embodiment is demonstrated.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a water or moisture intrusion path that enters from the gap between the housing and the sealing material in the stereo camera illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the case in a camera as a comparative example.

  In the comparative example shown in FIG. 3B, when a gap is formed between the casing 10 ′ and the sealing material 30 ′, the outer peripheral surface of the glass plate 20 ′ as indicated by the arrow shown in FIG. An intrusion path is formed along the glass plate support surface 12 ′ that extends linearly along the direction toward the inside of the housing 10 ′. If water or moisture enters inside the housing 10 ′, water droplets adhere to the imaging unit 40 ′ and cause a failure of the imaging unit 40 ′.

  On the other hand, in stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment, as shown by the arrow shown in FIG. An infiltration path is formed along the glass plate support surface 12 having the surface 14 toward the interior of the housing 10. Furthermore, an intrusion path for water or moisture to the inside of the housing 10 is formed along the surface of the groove portion 17 provided in the contact portion 16.

  As described above, according to the stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment, the water or moisture intrusion path is long formed by the glass plate support surface 12 having the step shape and the contact portion 16 provided with the groove portion 17. Intrusion of water or moisture into the housing 10 is suppressed. Therefore, for example, when water droplets adhere to the surface of the housing 10 or in a high humidity environment, water or moisture enters the inside of the housing 10 to prevent the imaging unit 40 from being damaged, and environmental durability is ensured. The stereo camera 100 excellent in the above is provided.

  Then, in stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment, distance Z to the object is calculated based on the measurement principle shown in FIG. Since such a stereo camera 100 has the metal casing 10, the positional relationship between the two imaging units 40 accommodated in the casing 10 is maintained with high accuracy. That is, in the stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment, the interval between the two imaging units 40 is accurately maintained at the predetermined distance B, and there is a height shift between the virtual screen S1 and the virtual screen S2 of the two imaging units 40. It does not occur (see FIG. 4B).

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the case where the glass plate support surface 12 has a step shape has been described. In the present embodiment, the case where the glass plate support surface 12 has an inclined shape will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a stereo camera according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the glass plate support surface 12 of the present embodiment has an inclined surface 13 that continues from the surface of the housing 10. Note that the configuration of the stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the glass plate support surface 12 of the present embodiment has an inclined shape. The detailed explanation is omitted.

  The inclined surface 13 is inclined so that the gap between the outer peripheral surface 21 of the glass plate 20 and the glass plate supporting surface 12 gradually decreases from the surface of the housing 10 toward the inside. An abutting portion 16 that abuts the peripheral edge of the glass plate 20 is formed at the end of the inclined surface 13. A gap between the outer peripheral surface 21 and the inclined surface 13 of the glass plate 20 is filled with a sealing material 30.

  In the stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above, even when a gap is formed between the housing 10 and the sealing material 30, water or moisture is absorbed by the glass plate support surface 12 having an inclined shape. Since the infiltration path is formed long, the intrusion of water or moisture into the housing 10 is suppressed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a plurality of glass plates are attached to the opening 11 of the housing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 6, stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment includes first and second glass plates 20 and 22, and first and second steps supporting first and second glass plates 20 and 22. Parts 18 and 19. The configuration of stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that a plurality of glass plates 20 and 22 are attached to opening 11 of the present embodiment. Therefore, detailed description is omitted.

  The first glass plate 20 protects the imaging unit 40, and the first step portion 18 supports the first glass plate 20. A gap between the outer peripheral surface of the first glass plate 20 and the first step portion 18 is filled with a sealing material 30.

  The second glass plate 22 is disposed in front of the first glass plate 20, and the second step portion 19 supports the second glass plate 22. A gap between the outer peripheral surface of the second glass plate 22 and the second step portion 19 is filled with a sealing material 32.

  The first and second glass plates 20 and 22 may both be glass plates formed of a transparent optical glass material, or the second glass plate 22 may serve as an infrared filter or a diaphragm plate. It may be a glass plate having a function.

  In the stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the water or moisture intrusion path formed by the glass plate support surface 12 is further extended by the plurality of stepped portions 18 and 19, so that the interior of the housing 10 Intrusion of water or moisture into the water is more reliably suppressed.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the glass plate 20 and the imaging unit 40 are accommodated in the housing from the same location of the housing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in stereo camera 100 of the present embodiment, glass plate support surface 12 is formed at the bottom of the accommodation space of imaging unit 40 formed by opening 11 of housing 10.

  The glass plate support surface 12 has a step shape and supports the glass plate 20 disposed adjacent to the imaging unit 40. A gap between the glass plate support surface 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the glass plate 20 is filled with a sealing material 30.

  With such a configuration, in the assembly process of the stereo camera 100, the glass plate 20 and the imaging unit 40 can be sequentially accommodated from the back side of the housing 10. Therefore, the assembly process can be shortened.

  And according to the stereo camera 100 of this Embodiment, even when a clearance gap is formed between the housing | casing 10 and the sealing material 30, the intrusion path | route of water or a water | moisture content by the glass plate support surface 12 which has a level | step difference shape. Is formed long, the entry of water or moisture into the housing 10 is suppressed.

  As described above, in the first to fourth embodiments, the imaging device of the present invention has been described. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be appropriately added, modified, and omitted by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea.

  For example, in the first to third embodiments, the sealing material that seals the gap between the glass plate support surface and the outer peripheral surface of the glass plate is bonded to the peripheral portion and the contact portion of the glass plate. Resin having a different ratio of the constituent components was used as the auxiliary sealing material. However, an additive may be added to one of the sealing material and the auxiliary sealing material, or different types of resins may be used. Alternatively, the sealing material and the auxiliary sealing material may be the same resin. Furthermore, at least one of the sealing material and the auxiliary sealing material may be an ultraviolet curable resin, or may be a resin that is temporarily cured by ultraviolet rays and then thermally cured.

  Moreover, in 1st Embodiment, the glass plate support surface had the inclined surface, level | step difference surface, and perpendicular surface which are continuous from the housing | casing surface. However, the glass plate support surface may have a vertical surface, a step surface, and a vertical surface that are continuous from the housing surface.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the stereo camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an exploded view of an end portion of the stereo camera shown in FIG. It is a perspective view. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2B is a partially enlarged view of a portion B in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a water or moisture intrusion path that enters from the gap between the housing and the sealing material in the stereo camera illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the case in a camera as a comparative example. 4A is a diagram illustrating the principle of measuring the distance to the object by the stereo camera illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B is a diagram for explaining the height deviation between the two imaging units. is there. It is a figure for demonstrating the stereo camera in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the stereo camera in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the stereo camera in the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 housing,
11 opening,
12 glass plate support surface,
16 contact part,
17 Groove,
18, 19 steps,
20,22 glass plate,
21 The outer peripheral surface of the glass plate,
30, 32 sealing material,
31 Auxiliary sealing material,
40 imaging unit,
100 Stereo camera.

Claims (10)

An imaging unit for imaging a subject;
A housing that houses the imaging unit;
A glass plate attached to the opening of the housing and protecting the imaging unit;
An imaging device having a sealing material for sealing a gap between a glass plate support surface formed on an inner peripheral surface of the opening and an outer peripheral surface of the glass plate,
An image pickup apparatus, wherein the glass plate support surface of the opening is formed so that a water or moisture intrusion path enters from outside.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the glass plate support surface has a step shape.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the glass plate support surface has an inclined shape. The opening has a contact portion that contacts the peripheral edge of the glass plate,
The groove part filled with the auxiliary sealing material which adhere | attaches the peripheral part of the said glass plate and the said contact part is formed in the said contact part, The any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The imaging device according to item.   A sealing material that seals a gap between the glass plate support surface of the opening and the outer peripheral surface of the glass plate; and an auxiliary sealing material that bonds the peripheral edge of the glass plate and the contact portion. The imaging device according to claim 4, wherein the imaging devices have different characteristics.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sealing material and the auxiliary sealing material are different in at least one of a thermal expansion coefficient, a viscosity, and a thixo ratio.   The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the opening includes a stepped portion that supports the plurality of glass plates.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the glass plate support surface is formed at a bottom portion of an accommodation space in which the imaging unit is accommodated.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the casing is made of stainless steel, an aluminum alloy, or a magnesium alloy.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the imaging units separated from each other at a predetermined interval are accommodated in the housing.

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