JP7286983B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device .

The applicant of the present invention combines two imaging systems of the same structure each having a wide-angle lens (optical system) having an angle of view wider than 180 degrees and an imaging sensor for imaging an image by the wide-angle lens. A patent application has been filed and patent rights have been obtained for an omnidirectional imaging system that synthesizes two images to obtain an image within a solid angle of 4π radians (for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Literature 1 describes a technique for assembling two imaging systems into one lens barrel.

Japanese Patent No. 6019970

When an image pickup system having a plurality of optical systems as described above is installed in an image pickup apparatus, there are the following problems. First, in a structure in which a plurality of optical systems are incorporated into one lens barrel, the structure of the lens barrel tends to be complicated and difficult to manufacture. In addition, in a configuration in which a plurality of optical systems are assembled into lens barrels of different structures and then assembled with each other, it is necessary to prepare lens barrels of different structures and their peripheral members, and many types of parts are required to be manufactured. It is disadvantageous in terms of labor and cost. In addition, in a structure in which multiple optical systems are incorporated into lens barrels of the same structure, and each lens barrel is attached to a base member that serves as a foundation, the number of parts increases and the cost increases. Since the number of parts increases by one, it is disadvantageous in terms of accuracy between individual lens barrels.

In addition, when configuring an optical system by combining multiple optical systems, it is possible to easily set the proper orientation and positional relationship of each optical system, and to prevent misalignment of the optical systems after positioning. It is required to ensure

The present invention has been made based on the awareness of the above problems, and an image pickup apparatus having two optical systems, which is excellent in productivity and capable of easily and reliably determining the positions of the mutual optical systems. The purpose is to provide an apparatus . Another object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of obtaining high-quality images using the two optical systems described above.

The present invention comprises two optical systems, one of the two optical systems forming an image by one of the optical systems, and one of the two optical systems forming an image by the other optical system. An imaging device comprising a second imaging sensor and a composite lens barrel configured by symmetrically combining two imaging units having the same structure, one of the two imaging units One holding body holding the optical system and the one imaging sensor, and the other of the two imaging units comprises the other holding body holding the other optical system and the other imaging sensor. and said one holding body has a lens positioning portion for determining the position of the lens constituting said one optical system, and an abutment portion provided at a position different from said lens positioning portion , and said other holding body has a lens positioning portion for determining the position of the lens constituting the other optical system, and an abutting portion provided at a position different from the lens positioning portion, and fixing means for fixing the two imaging units to each other. with the two image pickup units being fixed by the fixing means, the one holding body and the other holding body each maintaining the position of the lens determined by the lens positioning section. , wherein the abutting portions are in contact with each other.

The present invention also includes two optical systems, one of the two optical systems forming an image by one of the optical systems, and one of the two optical systems forming an image by the other optical system. and the other imaging sensor , comprising a composite lens barrel configured by symmetrically combining two imaging units having the same structure, one of the two imaging units One holding body that holds an optical system and the one imaging sensor are provided, and the other of the two imaging units includes the other holding body that holds the other optical system and the other imaging sensor. The one holding body has a lens positioning portion for determining the position of the lens constituting the one optical system, an abutment portion, and a lens accommodating portion at different positions, and the other holding body has has a lens positioning section for determining the position of the lens constituting the other optical system, a contact section, and a lens accommodating section at different positions, and fixing means for fixing the two imaging units to each other. wherein the lens accommodating portion of the other holding body is opposed to the lens positioning portion of the one holding body in a state where the two imaging units are fixed by the fixing means, and the lens positioning portion and the The lens of the one optical system is positioned between the lens accommodating portions, and the lens accommodating portion of the one holding body faces the lens positioning portion of the other holding body, and the lens positioning portion and the lens accommodating portion, the lens of the other optical system is positioned.

The above configuration is suitable for an imaging apparatus that obtains one image by combining images captured by two optical systems and two imaging sensors.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an imaging apparatus that is excellent in productivity and that can easily and reliably determine the positions of the two optical systems. Further, it is possible to provide an image pickup apparatus capable of obtaining a high-quality image by using the above two optical systems .

It is the figure which looked at the imaging system which comprises the imaging device of this embodiment from the left. FIG. 4 is a view of the imaging system as seen from the rear; It is the figure which looked at the imaging system from upper direction. 1 is a perspective view of a compound lens barrel including an imaging system; FIG. It is the figure which looked at the composite lens-barrel from the back. It is the figure which looked at the composite lens-barrel from the left. It is the figure which looked at the compound lens-barrel from above. It is the figure which looked at the compound lens-barrel from the downward direction. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which two lens barrels forming a composite lens barrel are separated; It is the figure which looked at two divided lens-barrels from the left. It is the figure which looked at two division|segmentation lens-barrels from upper direction. It is the figure which looked at two divided|segmented lens-barrels from the downward direction. It is a front view of one of the two divided lens barrels. FIG. 4 is a rear view of one of the two divided lens barrels; 4 is a front view of a base frame that constitutes the lens barrel; FIG. It is a rear view of a base frame. It is the perspective view which looked at the base frame from the back side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state in which base frames of two lens barrels are divided; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which two positioning shaft members are attached to the base frame of the front lens barrel; It is sectional drawing which follows the XX-XX line of FIG.15 and FIG.16, (A) shows the non-mounting state of a shaft member, (B) shows the mounting state of a shaft member. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXI-XXI of FIG. 5; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a positioning mechanism on the main reference side; FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the front cover of the imaging device is attached to the lens barrel at the cross-sectional position of FIG. 21; It is sectional drawing which follows the XXIV-XXIV line of FIG.15 and FIG.16, (A) shows the non-mounting state of a shaft member, (B) shows the mounting state of a shaft member. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV of FIG. 5; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a positioning mechanism on the secondary reference side; FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the front cover of the imaging device is attached to the lens barrel at the cross-sectional position of FIG. 25; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an error state in which the shaft member is assembled in the opposite direction in the positioning mechanism on the secondary reference side; It is the figure which looked at the base frame of the state which attached the front group frame from the back side. FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXX-XXX in FIG. 29; FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the base frame and the front group frame viewed cross-sectionally along line XXX-XXX in FIG. 29; 31 is a cross-sectional view showing an adhesion structure by enlarging a part of FIG. 30; FIG. It is a sectional view showing a modification of adhesion structure. It is a sectional view showing a modification of adhesion structure. 1A and 1B are external configuration diagrams (front view and rear view) of an imaging device as viewed from the front and rear. 3A and 3B are external configuration diagrams (a right side view and a left side view) of the imaging device as viewed from the right and left. 2A and 2B are external configuration diagrams (plan view and bottom view) of the imaging device as viewed from above and below; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the two when the imaging unit is attached to the housing; 36 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXXIX-XXXIX of FIG. 35; FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view along line XL-XL of FIG. 35; FIG. FIG. 36 is a cross-sectional view along line XLI-XLI of FIG. 35; It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of an imaging device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An optical system and an imaging apparatus according to embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. The imaging apparatus of this embodiment includes a composite lens barrel 10 (FIGS. 4 to 7) configured by incorporating an imaging system 1 (FIGS. 1 to 3), and is configured by attaching exterior members and the like to the composite lens barrel 10. be. The composite lens barrel 10 is a symmetrical combination of lens barrels 11A and 11B having the same structure. First, the outline of the imaging system 1 will be described, and then the composite lens barrel 10 will be described. The front, back, up, down, left, and right directions in the following description are based on the directions of the arrows shown in each drawing.

The imaging system 1 includes two wide-angle lens systems (imaging optical systems) A and B arranged symmetrically with each other, and two imaging sensors AI and BI on which images formed by the two wide-angle lens systems A and B are formed. have. The two wide-angle lens systems A and B and the imaging sensors AI and BI have the same specifications. The wide-angle lens systems A and B have an angle of view wider than 180 degrees. The imaging system 1 can be an omnidirectional imaging system that obtains an image within a solid angle of 4π radians by synthesizing two images formed by the imaging sensors AI and BI.

The wide-angle lens systems A and B respectively include, in order from the object side to the image side, front groups AF and BF having negative power, first prisms AP1 and BP1, variable aperture stops AS and BS, and second prisms. It has AP2, BP2, rear groups AR, BR having positive power, and third prisms AP3, BP3. The front groups AF and BF have a function of taking in light beams with a high angle of view larger than 180°, and the rear groups AR and BR have a function of correcting aberrations of the formed image. The variable aperture stops AS, BS are shown conceptually in FIG.

In the wide-angle lens system A (one of the optical systems), the front group AF diverges the subject light flux entering from the front and emits it rearward. The first prism AP1 reflects the subject light flux incident from the front group AF by 90° to the left. The variable aperture stop AS adjusts (light amount adjustment) the transmission amount of the subject light beam reflected by the first prism AP1. The second prism AP2 reflects downward 90° the subject light flux whose light amount has been adjusted by the variable aperture stop AS. The rear group AR emits downward while converging the subject light flux reflected by the second prism AP2. The third prism AP3 reflects the subject light flux incident from the rear group AR by 90° to the right, and forms an image on the imaging surface of the imaging sensor AI (one imaging sensor). The front group AF and the rear group AR are composed of a plurality of lenses.

In the wide-angle lens system B (the other optical system), the front group BF diverges the subject light flux entering from the rear and emits it forward. The first prism BP1 reflects the subject light beam incident from the front group BF by 90° to the right. A variable aperture stop BS adjusts (light amount adjustment) the transmission amount of the subject light beam reflected by the first prism BP1. The second prism BP2 reflects downward 90° the subject light flux whose light amount is adjusted by the variable aperture stop BS. The rear group BR converges the subject light flux reflected by the second prism BP2 and emits it downward. The third prism BP3 reflects the subject light flux incident from the rear group BR by 90° to the left to form an image on the imaging surface of the imaging sensor BI (the other imaging sensor). The front group BF and the rear group BR are composed of a plurality of lenses.

The first prism AP1 and the first prism BP1 are arranged so that their slopes are close to each other. In the wide-angle lens systems A and B, the imaging surface of the imaging sensor AI faces left, the imaging surface of imaging sensor BI faces right, and the back surface of imaging sensor AI and BI (imaging surface the opposite side) are supported back-to-back.

In each of the wide-angle lens system A and the wide-angle lens system B, the optical axis of the front groups AF and BF is assumed to be an optical axis X1 (incident optical axis). The optical axis of the portion from the reflecting surfaces of the first prisms AP1 and BP1 to the reflecting surfaces of the second prisms AP2 and BP2 is defined as an optical axis X2. The optical axis of the rear groups AR and BR is assumed to be an optical axis X3. The optical axis from the reflecting surfaces of the third prisms AP3 and BP3 to the imaging sensors AI and BI is defined as an optical axis X4. The wide-angle lens system A and the wide-angle lens system B are arranged so that their optical axes X1 are coaxial with each other and face the front-rear direction. The front lens group AF and the front lens group BF are arranged so as to be front-rear symmetrical with respect to .

Further, the optical axes X2, X3 and X4 of the wide-angle lens system A and the optical axes X2, X3 and X4 of the wide-angle lens system B are positioned within the above-mentioned opposing planes. More specifically, the optical axis X2 of the wide-angle lens system A and the optical axis X2 of the wide-angle lens system B are coaxially aligned and oriented in the left-right direction, and the optical axis X4 of the wide-angle lens system A and the optical axis X4 of the wide-angle lens system B are aligned. are located on the same axis and face left and right. Further, the optical axis X3 on the rear group AR and the optical axis X3 on the rear group BR are spaced apart in the horizontal direction and parallel to each other.

In this way, by bending the optical path a plurality of times in different directions within the opposing planes of the wide-angle lens systems A and B, a long optical path length of the wide-angle lens systems A and B can be ensured. Also, the maximum image for the lens closest to the object side of the wide-angle lens system A (the first lens L1 of the front group AF to be described later) and the lens closest to the object side of the wide-angle lens system B (the first lens L1 of the front group BF to be described later) The distance between the incident positions of angular rays (maximum angle-of-view distance) can be reduced (the maximum angle-of-view distance is shown in FIG. 1). As a result, the size of the imaging sensors AI and BI can be increased while the imaging system 1 can be made smaller (thinner). images can be obtained.

The composite lens barrel 10 is configured by combining a lens barrel 11A that supports the wide-angle lens system A and the image sensor AI, and a lens barrel 11B that supports the wide-angle lens system B and the image sensor BI. The lens barrel 11A and the lens barrel 11B have the same shape (structure) and can be arranged and combined with each other symmetrically. Details of the lens barrels 11A and 11B will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and subsequent figures. Components common to the lens barrels 11A and 11B are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, in each of the lens barrels 11A and 11B, in the front-rear direction along the optical axis X1, the subject side (object side) is referred to as the "front", and the opposite side to the subject is referred to as the "rear". In the lens barrel 11A, the front side is the front side (subject side) and the rear side is the rear side. In the lens barrel 11B, the rear side is the front side (subject side) and the front side is the rear side.

The lens barrels 11A and 11B in this embodiment each include an imaging optical system (wide-angle lens systems A and B) and imaging sensors (AI and BI), and each of them can independently acquire a subject image. imaging unit. Of the lens barrels 11A and 11B, the imaging optical system (wide-angle lens systems A and B) and members that directly or indirectly hold the imaging optical system (a base frame 12, a front group frame 13, a rear group Frame 14, third prism frame 15, etc.) constitutes an optical system.

The lens barrels 11A and 11B each have a base frame 12, a front group frame 13, a rear group frame 14, a third prism frame 15, and an image sensor unit 16. The base frame 12, the front group frame 13, the rear group frame 14, and the third prism frame 15 are each formed as a molded product such as plastic.

In lens barrel 11A, base frame 12 (one holder) supports first prism AP1, variable aperture stop AS, and second prism AP2. A front group frame 13 supports the front group AF. A rear group frame 14 supports the rear group AR. The third prism frame 15 supports the third prism AP3. The imaging sensor unit 16 is obtained by unitizing the imaging sensor AI, the substrate 17, and the like.

In lens barrel 11B, base frame 12 (the other holder) supports first prism BP1, variable aperture stop BS, and second prism BP2. A front group frame 13 supports the front group BF. A rear group frame 14 supports the rear group BR. The third prism frame 15 supports the third prism BP3. The imaging sensor unit 16 is obtained by unitizing the imaging sensor BI, the substrate 17, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 15 to 19, the base frame 12 includes a front wall portion 20, an upper wall portion 21 positioned above the front wall portion 20, and side wall portions positioned at left and right edges of the front wall portion 20. 22 and sidewalls 23 . Further, a corner wall portion 24 is provided near the boundary between the top wall portion 21 and the side wall portion 22 , and a corner wall portion 25 is provided near the boundary between the top wall portion 21 and the side wall portion 23 .

The front wall portion 20 is a wall portion that generally faces the subject, and has a front opening 20a penetrating in the front-rear direction. The optical axis X1 passes through the vicinity of the center of the front opening 20a. As shown in FIG. 15, on the front side of the front wall portion 20, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) front group frame contact portions 26 are formed around the front opening 20a. Each front group frame abutting portion 26 is formed by providing a flat surface perpendicular to the optical axis X1 on a convex portion protruding to the front side.

The front wall portion 20 is further formed with a plurality of (four in this embodiment) bonding holes 27 around the front opening 20a. Each bonding hole 27 is an arc-shaped elongated hole whose longitudinal direction is oriented in the circumferential direction about the optical axis X1, and penetrates the front wall portion 20 in the front-rear direction. A bonding facing surface 28 facing the front side is formed around each bonding hole 27 . A plurality of bonding recesses 29 are formed in the inner edge portion of the front opening 20a.

Each of the lens barrels 11A and 11B has an optical adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the positions of the front groups AF and BF (front group frame 13) with respect to the base frame 12 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis X1. A support structure for the front groups AF and BF (front group frame 13) including this optical adjustment mechanism will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front group AF and the front group BF are each composed of a first lens L1, a second lens L2, and a third lens L3. As shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the front group frame 13 includes an annular first holding portion 13a holding the first lens L1 and a second lens L2 (not shown in FIGS. 30 and 31). and an annular third holding portion 13c for holding the third lens L3.

As shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the first lens L1 held by the first holding portion 13a of the front group frame 13 is a negative meniscus lens with a convex surface facing the object side. , an annular plane L1a perpendicular to the optical axis X1 is formed. The first holding portion 13a has, on the front side, an annular lens support surface 30 that supports the plane L1a. On the rear side of the lens support surface 30, there are a joint facing surface 31 facing the front surface (including the joint facing surface 28) of the front wall portion 20 of the base frame 12, and a plurality of (main) surfaces positioned at the periphery of the joint facing surface 31. In the embodiment, it has three contact portions 32 . The contact portion 32 has a flat surface perpendicular to the optical axis X1 on a convex portion protruding from the joint facing surface 31 toward the rear side, and is located at a position facing the front group frame contact portion 26 of the base frame 12. in a relationship.

The first holding portion 13 a of the front group frame 13 is further formed with a plurality of (four in this embodiment) bonding holes 33 . Each bonding hole 33 is an arcuate long hole whose longitudinal direction is oriented in the circumferential direction about the optical axis X1, and penetrates the first holding portion 13a in the front-rear direction. The bonding hole 33 is covered with the flat surface L1a of the first lens L1 on the lens support surface 30 side, and is open on the bonding facing surface 31 side.

As shown in FIGS. 30 to 32 , the contact portion 32 of the front group frame 13 contacts (abuts) the front group frame contact portion 26 of the base frame 12 , so that the front group frame 13 is positioned against the base frame 12 . A relative position in the fore-and-aft direction is determined. The second holding portion 13b and the third holding portion 13c are smaller in diameter than the first holding portion 13a and enter the front opening 20a. In this state, there is a radial gap about the optical axis X1 between the second holding portion 13b and the third holding portion 13c and the front opening 20a. position adjustment (optical adjustment) in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis X1. After the position adjustment, the front group frame 13 is fixed to the base frame 12 by adhesion. This adhesion structure will be described.

As shown in FIG. 29, when viewed from the rear side with the contact portion 32 of the front group frame 13 in contact with the front group frame contact portion 26 of the base frame 12, four bonding holes 27 and four bonding holes 27 are shown. The holes 33 communicate with each other. Further, the rear surface of the third holding portion 13c of the front group frame 13 is exposed through the adhesive recess 29. As shown in FIG. The bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33 and the bonding concave portion 29 are each filled with adhesive, and the front group frame 13 is fixed to the base frame 12 by curing the adhesive. For example, when the position of the front group frame 13 is adjusted, the bonding concave portion 29 is filled with an ultraviolet curable adhesive and irradiated with ultraviolet rays to temporarily fix the front group frame 13 . Subsequently, the adhesive hole 27 and the adhesive hole 33 are filled with an adhesive having a strong adhesive strength to perform final fixation.

FIG. 32 shows an enlarged cross-sectional structure of the vicinity of the bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33. As shown in FIG. The bonding hole 27 has a narrow portion 27a that opens to the front side (the side facing the joining surface 28), a wide portion 27b that opens to the rear side, and a gradually changing width portion positioned between the narrow portion 27a and the wide portion 27b. and a portion 27c. The wide portion 27b has a larger width in the radial direction about the optical axis X1 and a larger length in the circumferential direction (larger cross-sectional area) than the narrow portion 27a. The width gradually changing portion 27c gradually increases in radial width and circumferential length (cross-sectional area increases) from the narrow portion 27a to the wide portion 27b. Therefore, when the bonding hole 27 is viewed in cross section in the direction along the optical axis X1 as shown in FIG. The inner surface of is formed into a tapered adhesive fitting surface 27d that widens toward the rear side.

The bonding hole 33 has a narrow portion 33a that opens toward the rear side (the side facing the bonding surface 31), a wide portion 33b that opens toward the front side (the side of the lens supporting surface 30), and the narrow portion 33a and the wide portion 33b. and a gradually changing width portion 33c located therebetween. The wide portion 33b has a larger width in the radial direction about the optical axis X1 and a larger circumferential length (larger cross-sectional area) than the narrow portion 33a. The width gradually changing portion 33c gradually increases in radial width and circumferential length (cross-sectional area increases) from the narrow portion 33a to the wide portion 33b. Therefore, when the bonding hole 33 is viewed in cross section along the optical axis X1 as shown in FIG. has a tapered adhesive fitting surface 33d that widens toward the front side.

Each bonding hole 27 is larger than each corresponding bonding hole 33 (which communicates in the front-rear direction). Surface 31 is visible (see FIG. 29). More specifically, in the bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33, the width in the radial direction around the optical axis X1 (the width in the vertical direction in FIG. 32) is approximately the same as that of the wide portion 33b at the narrow portion 27a. , the narrow portion 33a is the smallest, and the wide portion 27b is the largest. Also, each bonding hole 27 is longer than each corresponding bonding hole 33 in the circumferential direction about the optical axis X1 (see FIG. 29). Due to the difference in size between the bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33, when the position of the front group frame 13 with respect to the base frame 12 is adjusted, if the adjustment is within a predetermined range, the bonding of the front group frame 13 will not occur. The bonding hole 33 communicates with the bonding hole 27 of the base frame 12 without being blocked. Therefore, the adhesive can be smoothly injected from the bonding hole 27 side to the bonding hole 33 side. Further, according to the configuration using the bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33 as bonding objects, even if the adjustment amount exceeds the predetermined amount and a part of the narrow portion 33a exceeds the range of the narrow portion 27a, , the adhesive can be filled from the gluing hole 27 to the gluing hole 33 . As a result, the amount of adjustment that can be handled is greater than in a structure in which projections are inserted into holes and adhered. As shown in FIG. 32, when the abutting portion 32 is in contact with the front group frame abutting portion 26, there is a slight gap in the longitudinal direction between the joining facing surface 28 and the joining facing surface 31. The hole 27 for bonding and the hole 33 for bonding also communicate with the gap.

As indicated by the arrow T in FIG. 32, the adhesive injected from the wide portion 27b side of the bonding hole 27 flows into the bonding hole 33 through the gradually changing width portion 27c and the narrow portion 27a. A thin sheet (not shown) is sandwiched between the lens support surface 30 and the plane L1b of the first lens L1. , and the inside of the bonding hole 27 is filled with the adhesive. It should be noted that part of the adhesive spreads also in the gap between the joining facing surface 28 and the joining facing surface 31 depending on the viscosity of the adhesive. The adhesive filled inside the bonding hole 33 and the bonding hole 27 hardens (becomes solid) from a fluid state with the passage of time or application of energy (for example, heating), and attaches the base frame 12 and the front group frame 13 to each other. stick it. The hardened adhesive U filled in the bonding holes 27 and the bonding holes 33 is virtually shown by two-dot chain lines in FIG.

By filling the bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33 with the adhesive U, a strong fixing force can be obtained, and the load can be applied in the radial direction around the optical axis X1 and in the circumferential direction around the optical axis X1. function, the relative movement between the base frame 12 and the front group frame 13 can be reliably prevented.

Further, when a longitudinal load is applied to the base frame 12 and the front group frame 13 which are bonded and fixed as described above so as to separate the joint facing surface 28 and the joint facing surface 31 of each other, the hardened state is formed. The adhesive U functions to fit both the bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33 to prevent separation. More specifically, the bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33 have a small opening width on the side of the bonding facing surface 28 and the bonding facing surface 31 (narrow width portion 27a and narrow width portion 33a) facing each other, and are formed in two directions facing forward and backward. It has a general cross-sectional shape as if the tips of wedges were joined. Accordingly, the adhesive U filled in the bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33 also has a similar cross-sectional shape.

Therefore, when a load is applied to the front group frame 13 in a direction away from the base frame 12 (front side), a load in the same direction acts on the cured adhesive U via the adhesive fitting surface 33d. Then, the adhesive U acts like a wedge on the adhesive fitting surface 27d, which faces the opposite side (rear side) of the adhesive fitting surface 33d, and separates the front group frame 13 from the base frame 12. It can withstand the load you try. Conversely, when a load is applied to the base frame 12 in a direction away from the front group frame 13 (back side), a load in the same direction acts on the cured adhesive U via the adhesive fitting surface 27d. do. Then, the adhesive U acts like a wedge on the adhesive fitting surface 33d, which faces the opposite side (front side) to the adhesive fitting surface 27d, and separates the base frame 12 from the front group frame 13. It can withstand the load you try.

As described above, in the bonding structure of the present embodiment, in the bonding hole 27 and the bonding hole 33, the bonding engagement surface 27d and the bonding engagement surface 33d inclined in the forward and reverse directions and the adhesive U It uses the wedge effect obtained between As a result, the bonding strength between the base frame 12 and the front group frame 13 is higher than in the case where the adhesive U is fixed only to the narrow width portions 27a, 33a and the wide width portions 27b, 33b whose inner surfaces extend in the front-rear direction. can be improved. Since the bonding strength at each bonding hole 27 and each bonding hole 33 is excellent, fixing can be achieved with a small number of bonding points and bonding areas, and effects such as improved space efficiency and improved freedom in lens barrel design can be obtained. In particular, in the compound lens barrel 10 of the present embodiment, as will be described later, the first prisms AP1, BP1, the second prisms AP2, BP2, etc. are arranged at high density on the back side of the base frame 12. It is highly effective in that the frame 13 can be fixed firmly in a space-saving manner.

The adhesive structure used for fixing the base frame 12 and the front group frame 13 is not limited to the above structure. 33 and 34 show modifications of the bonding structure. In FIG. 33, the entire inner surfaces of the bonding hole 127 of the base frame 12 and the bonding hole 133 of the front group frame 13 have a tapered adhesive fit that narrows in width as they approach the bonding facing surface 28 and the bonding facing surface 31, respectively. A form consisting of mating surfaces 27e and 33e is shown. In FIG. 34, the adhesive hole 227 of the base frame 12 and the adhesive hole 233 of the front group frame 13 are planar adhesive fitting surfaces perpendicular to the optical axis X1 instead of the adhesive fitting surfaces 27d and 33d. A configuration with faces 27f, 33f is shown. In these configurations, the adhesive fitting surface 27e and the adhesive fitting surface 33e, and the adhesive fitting surface 27f and the adhesive fitting surface 33f face opposite to each other and form a pair of fitting surfaces to be fitted with the adhesive U. Therefore, an effect similar to that of the above configuration can be obtained.

Furthermore, bonding holes 27 (FIG. 32), bonding holes 127 (FIG. 33), bonding holes 227 (FIG. 34) provided on the base frame 12 side, and bonding holes 33 (FIG. 32) provided on the front group frame 13 side. ), the bonding hole 133 (FIG. 33), and the bonding hole 233 (FIG. 34) may be appropriately rearranged so as to have a pair of fitting surfaces asymmetrical in the front-rear direction.

The bonding holes 27, 127, and 227 of the base frame 12 and the bonding holes 33, 133, and 233 of the front group frame 13 all have shapes that can be easily manufactured with molds that are separated in the front-rear direction. Therefore, it is possible to easily obtain the base frame 12 and the front group frame 13 without increasing the manufacturing cost.

Next, the structure of the base frame 12 will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 16 to 19, the upper wall portion 21 is a wall portion extending from the upper edge of the front wall portion 20 to the rear side, and includes an upper surface portion 21a serving as an upper surface portion of each of the lens barrels 11A and 11B, and an upper surface portion 21a. It has a pair of side portions 21b and 21c extending downward from the left and right ends of the portion 21a. The upper wall portion 21 has a U-shape, which is closed upwardly and laterally by an upper surface portion 21a, a side surface portion 21b, and a side surface portion 21c, and is opened downward.

The side wall portion 22 and the side wall portion 23 are respectively positioned below the upper wall portion 21 and extend from the lateral side edges of the front wall portion 20 to the rear side. A portion from the front wall portion 20 to the side wall portion 22 and a portion from the front wall portion 20 to the side wall portion 23 are curved along the outer surface shape of the rear group frame 14, which will be described later.

The corner wall portion 24 and the corner wall portion 25 are generally wall portions facing each other in the front-rear direction, and are positioned to be shifted to the back side from the front wall portion 20 . The corner wall portion 24 protrudes laterally from the side surface portion 21 b of the upper wall portion 21 and has a lower end connected to the upper portion of the side wall portion 22 . The corner wall portion 25 protrudes laterally from the side surface portion 21 c of the upper wall portion 21 and has a lower end connected to the upper portion of the side wall portion 23 . The corner wall portion 24 and the corner wall portion 25 are connected to a plurality of wall portions extending in different directions, so that the support strength is high and deformation is difficult to occur.

The base frame 12 further includes a first prism holding portion 35 and a second prism holding portion 36 on the rear portion of the front wall portion 20 . The first prism holding part 35 is a part for holding the first prism AP1 or the first prism BP1 behind the front opening 20a. The second prism holding portion 36 is a portion for holding the second prism AP2 or the second prism BP2.

The first prism holding portion 35 has an upper wall 35a located on the upper edge side of the front opening 20a and a lower wall 35b located on the lower edge side of the front opening 20a. A vertical wall 35c projecting downward is formed at one end of the upper wall 35a in the left-right direction, and a vertical wall 35d projecting upward is formed at one end of the lower wall 35b in the left-right direction.

The first prisms AP1 and BP1 are inserted between the upper wall 35a, the lower wall 35b, the vertical wall 35c and the vertical wall 35d. There is a clearance between each of these walls 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d and the first prisms AP1, BP1. It is fixed to the portion 35 by adhesion.

As described above, in the completed state of the compound barrel 10, the first prism AP1 and the first prism BP1 are arranged close to each other with their slopes back to back. Therefore, the first prism holding portion 35 has a shape that exposes the back side of the slopes of the first prism AP1 and the first prism BP1 without covering them.

The second prism holding portion 36 is positioned below the side portion 21b of the upper wall portion 21 and the corner wall portion 24, and includes a support seat 36a facing the back side and a support seat 36a protruding to the back side with respect to the support seat 36a. and a wall 36b. The side surfaces of the second prisms AP2 and BP2 are in contact with the support seat 36a. The slopes of the second prisms AP2 and BP2 come into contact with the support wall 36b. The second prisms AP2 and BP2 are positioned in the direction along the slope using an assembly jig. Then, the positioned second prisms AP2 and BP2 are fixed to the second prism holding portion 36 by adhesion.

FIG. 13 shows the rear group frame 14 in a single state that is not attached to the base frame 12 . As shown in FIGS. 9, 13, 14, etc., the rear group frame 14 has a substantially cylindrical tubular portion 14a centered on the optical axis X3 extending in the vertical direction. A plurality of lenses forming the group BR are fixedly supported inside the cylindrical portion 14a. The rear group frame 14 further has a prism cover 14b above the cylindrical portion 14a. A support tab 14c protrudes laterally from the cylindrical portion 14a, and a support tab 14d protrudes upward from the prism cover 14b. A joint flange 14e is formed at the lower end of the tubular portion 14a.

As shown in FIGS. 16 to 19 , a rear group frame holding portion 37 is formed below the corner wall portion 24 and the second prism holding portion 36 on the rear side of the base frame 12 . The rear group frame holding portion 37 is a concave portion surrounded by the front wall portion 20 and the side wall portion 22, and has a shape that accommodates approximately half of the cylindrical portion 14a of the rear group frame 14 located on the front side. there is A prism cover 14b covers a part of the second prisms AP2 and BP2 supported by the second prism holding portion 36 of the base frame 12 from the rear side while the tubular portion 14a is accommodated in the rear group frame holding portion 37. .

A support seat 38 is formed on the side of the rear group frame holding portion 37 (under the lower wall 35 b of the first prism holding portion 35 ), and a support seat 39 is formed above the second prism holding portion 36 . Each of the support seat 38 and the support seat 39 has an annular plane perpendicular to the optical axis X1, and a screw hole is formed in the center of the annular plane. With the tubular portion 14 a of the rear group frame 14 housed in the rear group frame holding portion 37 , the support tab 14 c contacts the support seat 38 and the support tab 14 d contacts the support seat 39 . Through holes (not shown) are formed in the support tabs 14c and 14d, respectively. The fixing screw 41 is screwed into the screw hole of the support seat 39 through the support seat 39 . By tightening the fixing screws 40 and 41, the rear group frame 14 is positioned and fixed to the base frame 12 (see FIG. 14).

A rear group frame housing portion 42 is formed below the corner wall portion 25 on the rear side of the base frame 12 . The rear group frame accommodating portion 42 is a concave portion surrounded by the front wall portion 20 and the side wall portion 23, and is shaped to accommodate approximately half of the cylindrical portion 14a of the rear group frame 14 located on the rear side. there is Before the lens barrels 11A and 11B are combined, the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 is an empty space (see FIGS. 9 and 14). When the lens barrels 11A and 11B are combined, the rear group frame holding portion 37 of one base frame 12 and the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 of the other base frame 12 face each other in the front-rear direction. A space for accommodating the cylindrical portion 14a of the group frame 14 is formed.

The third prism frame 15 has a prism support wall 15a that supports both side surfaces and slopes of the third prisms AP3 and BP3, and each of the third prisms AP3 and BP3 is fixed to the third prism frame 15 by adhesion. be done. A joint flange 15 b is provided on the upper portion of the third prism frame 15 . The joint flange 15b can be fitted to the joint flange 14e of the rear group frame 14 from below. Positioning is performed in this fitting state, and the third prism frame 15 is fixed to the rear group frame 14 by adhesion.

The imaging sensor unit 16 is provided with a pair of fitting pieces 43 at the edges in the front-rear direction. The pair of fitting pieces 43 are fitted into recesses formed in the prism support wall 15 a of the third prism frame 15 , and the fitting determines the position of the imaging sensor unit 16 with respect to the third prism frame 15 . The imaging sensor unit 16 is fixed to the third prism frame 15 by adhesion. In this fixed state, the imaging surfaces of the imaging sensors AI and BI are oriented perpendicular to the optical axis X4, the imaging surface of the imaging sensor AI faces the exit surface of the third prism AP3, and the imaging surface of the imaging sensor BI faces the third prism AP3. 3 Opposes the exit surface of the prism BP3.

The imaging sensor unit 16 includes a substrate 17 having imaging sensors AI and BI on one side. The substrate 17 has a substantially rectangular shape, and when the imaging sensor unit 16 is fixed to the third prism frame 15, the longitudinal direction of the substrate 17 faces the vertical direction, and the lateral direction of the substrate 17 faces the front-back direction. Further, the board thickness direction of the substrate 17 is oriented in the horizontal direction. A connector 17a for connecting to a control circuit (not shown) of the imaging device is provided near the lower end of the substrate 17. As shown in FIG. The connector 17a is arranged on the surface of the board 17 on the same side as the imaging sensors AI and BI.

Individual lens barrels 11A and 11B are completed by combining the components described above. 9 to 12 show the separated lens barrels 11A and 11B, and FIGS. 13 and 14 show the single lens barrels 11A and 11B. As can be seen from these figures, the individual lens barrels 11A and 11B have the same structure.

As shown in FIG. 10, the lens barrels 11A and 11B are located within the width of the substrate 17 in the width direction, except for the portions where the front groups AF and BF and the front group frame 13 partly protrude to the front side. It has a size in the front and back direction that fits in. By constructing the wide-angle lens systems A and B as a bending optical system that bends the optical path in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis X1 (within the plane facing the wide-angle lens systems A and B) using a plurality of prisms, such a configuration can be achieved. The thinning of the lens barrels 11A and 11B in the front-rear direction is realized.

The lens barrels 11A and 11B having the same structure are opposed to each other so as to be symmetrical in the front-rear direction (FIGS. 9 to 12). The completed composite lens barrel 10 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the lens barrels 11A and 11B have a structure in which concave and convex portions are combined with each other by approaching them in the front-rear direction, so that they can be combined with good space efficiency.

Here, a virtual plane Q1 (FIG. 5) that includes the optical axis X1 and extends vertically, and a virtual plane Q2 (FIG. 5) that is perpendicular to the virtual plane Q1 and passes near the lower end of the base frame 12 are set. In the lens barrel 11A, the optical path from the second prism AP2 to the imaging sensor AI after being bent by the first prism AP1 is concentrated in the area on the left side of the virtual plane Q1. In the lens barrel 11B, the optical path from the second prism BP2 to the imaging sensor BI after being bent by the first prism BP1 is concentrated in the area on the right side of the virtual plane Q1. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, on the left side of the virtual plane Q1, the constituent elements of the lens barrel 11A protrude backward from the base frame 12, while the constituent elements of the lens barrel 11B protrude forward from the base frame 12. do not. Similarly, on the right side of the virtual plane Q1, the components of the lens barrel 11B protrude forward from the base frame 12, while the components of the lens barrel 11A do not protrude from the base frame 12 rearward. Therefore, when the lens barrel 11A and the lens barrel 11B are combined, the rear group frame 14, the third prism frame 15 and the imaging sensor unit 16 on the lens barrel 11A side and the rear group frame 14 and the third prism frame 15 on the lens barrel 11B side. and the imaging sensor unit 16 are arranged symmetrically across the virtual plane Q1 without interfering with each other.

Further, in the wide-angle lens systems A and B, subject light beams distributed to the left and right by the first prisms AP1 and BP1 are reflected by the third prisms AP3 and BP3, respectively, and travel in directions approaching the imaginary plane Q1 to the imaging sensor. Enter the AI. As a result, the distance between the imaging sensor unit 16 on the lens barrel 11A side and the imaging sensor unit 16 on the lens barrel 11B side in the left-right direction is reduced, and in particular, the substrates 17 are in close proximity to each other across the virtual plane Q1. In each of the lens barrels 11A and 11B, the first prisms AP1 and BP1 are arranged above the virtual plane Q2 in the central region in the left-right direction, and the two imaging sensor units 16 are arranged back-to-back below the virtual plane Q2. are arranged in the relationship of The substrate 17 on the side of the lens barrel 11A and the substrate 17 on the side of the lens barrel 11B are flat plates substantially parallel to the imaginary plane Q1, and a clearance in the left-right direction is secured between them. When the 11A and the lens barrel 11B are brought closer to each other in the front-rear direction, no interference occurs between the substrates 17 of both.

Since the slopes of the first prism AP1 and the first prism BP1 are arranged in close proximity to each other, the two prisms are aligned in the front-rear direction, but the thickness in the front-rear direction substantially occupied by the two prisms is Approximately one prism is sufficient (see FIG. 3). In addition, the imaging sensor unit 16 of the lens barrel 11A and the imaging sensor unit 16 of the lens barrel 11B are positioned substantially at the same position in the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction. , the two imaging sensor units 16 can be accommodated below the first prisms AP1 and BP1. Therefore, not only near both left and right edges where the components of the lens barrels 11A and 11B (the rear group frame 14 and the third prism frame 15) are arranged alone, but also between the lens barrels 11A and 11B Even in the vicinity of the center in the left-right direction where the components (the first prisms AP1, BP1, and the image sensor unit 16) overlap each other, the thickness in the front-rear direction can be kept small.

As described above, in the composite lens barrel 10, the components of the lens barrels 11A and 11B are arranged with good space efficiency in each of the front-rear, left-right, and upper-lower directions. A compact configuration is realized while

As described above, the lens barrels 11A and 11B are combined by arranging them symmetrically in the front-rear direction and approaching them in the front-rear direction. Here, the lens barrels 11A and 11B must be combined in a stable positional relationship by properly aligning the optical systems (wide-angle lens systems A and B) of each other. Specifically, positioning in the front-rear direction along the optical axis X1 and positioning in the direction (vertical and horizontal directions) along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis X1 are required. In addition, in order for the imaging system 1 having two optical systems (wide-angle lens systems A and B) to function, after combining the lens barrels 11A and 11B (more specifically, including the wide-angle lens systems A and B) A high coupling strength is required so that the relative positional relationship between the lens barrels 11A and 11B does not change due to an external force or the like after the imaging system 1 has been calibrated.

First, the structure for determining the positions of the lens barrels 11A and 11B in the front-rear direction will be described. The base frame 12 is provided with a contact surface 50 on the back side of the corner wall portion 24 and a contact surface 51 on the back side of the corner wall portion 25 . A contact surface 50 is formed as an end face of a cylindrical boss 52 projecting forward and backward from the corner wall portion 24, and a contact surface 51 is formed as an end face of a cylindrical boss 53 projecting forward and backward from the corner wall portion 25. . Both the abutment surface 50 and the abutment surface 51 are annular planes perpendicular to the optical axis X1 and have front-rear symmetrical shapes.

Inside the boss 52, a threaded hole 54 is formed whose axis is oriented in the front-rear direction. The screw hole 54 is open on the abutment surface 50 at its rear end and closed at its opposite front end. A screw insertion hole 55 is formed inside the boss 53 so as to penetrate therethrough in the front-rear direction.

9 to 12 show a state in which the abutting surfaces 50 and 51 on the side of the lens barrel 11A face the abutting surfaces 51 and 50 on the side of the lens barrel 11B, respectively. When the lens barrels 11A and 11B are brought closer to each other in the front-rear direction in this positional relationship, the abutment surfaces 50 and 51 come into contact with each other, and the lens barrels 11A and 11B in the front-rear direction are brought into contact with each other. is determined. The contact surface 50 and the contact surface 51 are planes that are parallel to each other in this contact state, and have shapes that are symmetrical to each other in the contact state. By fixing the lens barrels 11A and 11B in the contact state of the abutting surfaces 50 and 51, the composite lens barrel 10 in which the longitudinal positional accuracy of the lens barrels 11A and 11B is controlled.

Screws are used as means for fixing the lens barrels 11A and 11B. For screwing, a fixing screw (not shown) is inserted from the front into the screw insertion hole 55 of the lens barrel 11A and screwed into the screw hole 54 of the lens barrel 11B. Then, a fixing screw (not shown) is inserted from behind and screwed into the screw hole 54 of the lens barrel 11B. By tightening each fixing screw, the lens barrel 11A and the lens barrel 11B are fixed to each other.

The base frame 12 of each lens barrel 11A, 11B holds a plurality of prisms (first prisms AP1, BP1, second prisms AP2, BP2), and is also an assembly target for the front group frame 13 and the rear group frame 14. It is also a member that serves as a support reference for all optical elements. Therefore, since the assembly accuracy of the base frame 12 has a particularly large effect on the optical performance, the base frame 12 is provided with abutment surfaces 50 and 51 that serve as relative positional references in the longitudinal direction of the lens barrels 11A and 11B. there is

The abutment surfaces 50 and 51 are provided near both edges in the left-right direction of the base frame 12, and the maximum distance between them is ensured within the dimensional restrictions of the base frame 12. there is By increasing the distance between the two abutting surfaces 50 and 51, which serve as positional references, the two base frames 12 are effectively prevented from tilting to improve the positioning accuracy of the lens barrels 11A and 11B. be able to. As shown in FIG. 14, the abutment surface 50 is arranged using the space behind the slopes of the second prisms AP2 and BP2, which is excellent in space efficiency. The contact surface 50 is provided above the rear group frame holding portion 37 that holds the rear group frame 14, and the contact surface 51 is provided above the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 that covers the rear group frame 14 from the rear side. is provided in Therefore, the abutting surfaces 50 and 51 can be positioned without overlapping the holding positions of the rear groups AR and BR, the first prisms AP1 and BP1, and the second prisms AP2 and BP2 held on the back side of both base frames 12. In addition, it is possible to widen the distance between the abutting surfaces 50 and 51.例文帳に追加

Both the corner wall portion 24 having the abutment surface 50 and the corner wall portion 25 having the abutment surface 51 are connected to a plurality of wall portions having different directions near the upper wall portion 21 and the side wall portions 22 and 23. , which has a high degree of rigidity despite its flat plate shape. Therefore, the abutting surfaces 50 and 51 have high surface accuracy, and the corner walls 24 and 25 are not distorted when the abutting surfaces 50 and 51 come into contact with each other, so that highly accurate positioning can be performed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the boss 52 having the abutment surface 50 and the boss 53 having the abutment surface 51 are arranged at substantially symmetrical positions in the horizontal direction with respect to the optical axis X1. This makes it easy to achieve uniform positioning accuracy in the front-rear direction on both the left and right sides of the optical axis X1, which is particularly advantageous for securing the positional accuracy of the front groups AF and BF and the first prisms AP1 and BP1 arranged on the optical axis X1. Become. Further, since the positioning accuracy and positioning stability of the abutting surfaces 50 and 51 are high, the lens barrels 11A and 11B can be combined without interfering with each other.

For example, when the lens barrel 11A and the lens barrel 11B are combined, the rear group frame 14 forming the lens barrels 11A and 11B on the other side is cylindrically shaped with respect to the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 on the back side of each base frame 12. The tubular portion 14a (rear groups AR, BR) is positioned between the rear group frame holding portions 37 and the rear group frame accommodating portions 42, which are opposed to each other. At this time, the rear group frame 14 (the rear group frame 14 on the side of the lens barrel 11A) that holds the rear group AR is covered from the rear side (rear side) by the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 provided in the base frame 12 of the lens barrel 11B. However, since the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 on the side of the lens barrel 11B does not contact the rear group frame 14 on the side of the lens barrel 11A (there is a clearance in the front-rear direction), the rear group frame 14 on the side of the lens barrel 11A is , maintains a state of being properly positioned within the rear group frame holding portion 37 on the base frame 12 of the lens barrel 11A. However, if the rear group frame 14 on the side of the lens barrel 11A is maintained in a state of being properly positioned within the rear group frame holding portion 37 on the base frame 12 of the lens barrel 11A, the position on the side of the lens barrel 11B is maintained. The rear group frame accommodating portion 42 may be in contact with the rear group frame 14 on the lens barrel 11A side. Similarly, the rear group frame 14 (rear group frame 14 on the side of the lens barrel 11B) that holds the rear group BR is covered from the rear side (front) by the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 provided in the base frame 12 of the lens barrel 11A. However, since the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 on the side of the lens barrel 11A does not contact the rear group frame 14 on the side of the lens barrel 11B (there is a clearance in the front-rear direction), the rear group frame 14 on the side of the lens barrel 11B is , maintains a state of being properly positioned within the rear group frame holding portion 37 on the base frame 12 of the lens barrel 11B. However, if the rear group frame 14 on the side of the lens barrel 11B is maintained in a state of being properly positioned within the rear group frame holding portion 37 on the base frame 12 of the lens barrel 11B, the rear group frame 14 on the side of the lens barrel 11A is The rear group frame accommodating portion 42 may be in contact with the rear group frame 14 on the lens barrel 11B side. In this manner, the base frames 12 are stably and highly accurately positioned by the abutting surfaces 50 and 51, so that the rear group frames 14 do not interfere with the rear group frame accommodating portions 42 of the respective base frames 12. can be accommodated in the appropriate position without

The contact surface 50 and the contact surface 51 are planes perpendicular to the optical axis X1 and have shapes symmetrical to each other in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the lens barrels 11A and 11B are brought closer to each other back and forth along the optical axis X1 and the contact surfaces 50 and 51 come into contact with each other, an extra component of force is not generated, and a reliable and highly accurate operation is performed. Positioning can be performed in the front-rear direction.

Both the boss 52 having the abutment surface 50 and the boss 53 having the abutment surface 51 have shapes that can be easily manufactured with a mold that is released in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the base frame 12 can be easily obtained without increasing the manufacturing cost.

When the lens barrels 11A and 11B are fixed in a state where the contact surfaces 50 and 51 are in contact with each other, the upper wall portion 21, the side wall portion 22 and the side wall portion 23 of the base frame 12 are combined to be continuous in the front-rear direction. An outer wall portion of the composite lens barrel 10 is formed. More specifically, on the upper surface of the composite lens barrel 10, the edges of the upper wall portions 21 (upper surface portions 21a) of the lens barrels 11A and 11B are in contact with each other. On the left side surface of the compound barrel 10, the edge of the side wall 22 of the lens barrel 11A and the edge of the side wall 23 of the lens barrel 11B are in contact with each other. On the right side surface of the compound barrel 10, the edge of the side wall portion 23 of the lens barrel 11A and the edge portion of the side wall portion 22 of the lens barrel 11B are in contact with each other. Each of these edges is slightly offset in the front-rear direction when the contact surfaces 50 and 51 are in contact so as not to affect the positioning accuracy in the front-rear direction due to the contact between the contact surfaces 50 and 51 . Oppose with a clear clearance. Each edge of the upper wall portion 21, the side wall portion 22, and the side wall portion 23 is provided with a light shielding structure that prevents harmful light from the outside from entering the compound lens barrel 10 even if there is a clearance. It is

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, ribs 21d and 21e are provided on the edge of the upper surface portion 21a so as to vertically overlap each other when the lens barrels 11A and 11B are combined. It is Ribs 22a and ribs 23a are provided at the edges of the side wall portion 22 and the side wall portion 23 so as to overlap each other in the left-right direction when the lens barrels 11A and 11B are combined. The overlapping of the ribs 21d and 21e, and the overlapping of the ribs 22a and 23a can block external light. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7, 11, 17, etc., a rib 21f is provided continuously from the side surface portion 21c and protrudes rearward from the upper surface portion 21a. When the lens barrel 11A and the lens barrel 11B are combined, the rib 21f and a portion of the side surface portion 21b on the other side overlap in the left-right direction (see FIG. 7). Light from the outside can be blocked by overlapping the rib 21f and the side surface 21b.

As described above, the relative positions of the lens barrels 11A and 11B in the longitudinal direction are determined by the contact between the contact surfaces 50 and 51. Predetermined clearance is secured in the direction.

Each of the upper wall 35a and the lower wall 35b of the first prism holding part 35 has a stepped edge portion facing the rear side, in which a plane perpendicular to the optical axis X1 and a plane parallel to the optical axis X1 are continuous. It has a shape. When the lens barrels 11A and 11B are combined, the stepped edges of the upper wall 35a on one side and the lower wall 35b on the other side face each other in the front-rear direction with a slight clearance. When an excessive load is applied to the lens barrels 11A and 11B in the front-rear direction (excessive load in the direction of bringing the lens barrels 11A and 11B closer together), the upper wall 35a and the lower wall 35b of each other are applied. edges can contact and receive loads. That is, the opposing portions of the upper wall 35a and the lower wall 35b are used as auxiliary abutment portions to distribute the load between the lens barrels 11A and 11B, thereby ensuring the strength of the composite lens barrel 10 as a whole. can be done. Since the edges of the upper wall 35a and the lower wall 35b have planes perpendicular to the optical axis X1 opposed to each other, when the planes come into contact with each other, the load is reliably received without generating an unnecessary force component. be able to. In particular, the location where the first prism holding portion 35 is provided is near the middle of the abutting surfaces 50 and 51, which are separated greatly in the left-right direction, and the first prisms AP1 and BP1 that greatly affect the optical performance. is also the holding position of Therefore, by allowing the front and rear first prism holders 35 to receive the load at this position, the overall strength of the compound barrel 10 can be improved and the optical performance can be ensured.

As described above, when the lens barrels 11A and 11B are combined, the cylindrical portion 14a of the rear group frame 14 is provided in the space between the rear group frame holding portion 37 and the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 facing each other in the front-rear direction. fits. A rear group frame facing portion 56 is formed in the rear group frame holding portion 37 on the back side of the base frame 12 (see FIGS. 16 to 19). The rear group frame facing portion 56 is a plane perpendicular to the optical axis X1. As shown in FIG. 13 , the rear group frame 14 has a facing convex portion 14 f on the front side facing the rear group frame holding portion 37 of the base frame 12 . The facing convex portion 14 f is provided at a position facing the rear group frame facing portion 56 of the base frame 12 in a state where the rear group frame 14 is assembled to the base frame 12 . In terms of design, the facing convex portion 14f and the rear group frame facing portion 56 are set to be in contact with each other. If there is an accuracy error such that the facing convex portion 14f and the rear group frame facing portion 56 are separated from each other, a flexible member is inserted between the base frame 12 and the rear group frame 14 to attach it to the rear group frame 14. By applying force, the facing convex portion 14f can be stabilized so as to come into contact with the rear group frame facing portion 56. FIG. Specifically, when the facing convex portion 14f of the rear group frame 14 is separated from the rear group frame facing portion 56 on the side of the lens barrel 11A, the inner surface of the rear group frame accommodating portion 42 of the base frame 12 on the side of the lens barrel 11B By arranging a flexible member in the rear group frame 14 of the lens barrel 11A, it is possible to urge the rear group frame 14 forward and bring the facing convex portion 14f into contact with the rear group frame facing portion 56. As shown in FIG. In this manner, the position of the rear group frame 14 can be managed with high accuracy by each of the lens barrels 11A and 11B. The positioning of the rear group frame 14 does not hinder the positioning of the entire lens barrels 11A and 11B by the contact surfaces 50 and 51. FIG.

Next, a structure for determining the positions of the lens barrels 11A and 11B in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis X1 will be described. A first hole 60 and a second hole 61 are formed in the base frame 12 of each of the lens barrels 11A and 11B. A first hole 60 is formed inside a cylindrical boss 62 projecting forward and backward from the corner wall portion 24, and a second hole 61 is formed inside a cylindrical boss 63 projecting forward and backward from the corner wall portion 25. . Boss 62 is positioned above boss 52 having abutment surface 50 , and boss 63 is positioned above boss 53 having abutment surface 51 . Both the first hole 60 and the second hole 61 are through holes that penetrate the base frame 12 in the front-rear direction. The first hole 60 and the second hole 61 are provided at substantially symmetrical positions with respect to an imaginary plane Q1 (FIG. 5) that includes the optical axis X1 and extends in the vertical direction (almost equidistant from the imaginary plane Q1 in the left-right direction). ing.

The first hole 60 has a circular hole portion 60a and an elongated hole portion 60b communicating in the front-rear direction. The circular hole portion 60 a is located on the back side of the base frame 12 , and the long hole portion 60 b is located on the front side of the base frame 12 . The circular hole portion 60a is a circular hole having a cylindrical inner peripheral surface centered on an axis extending in the front-rear direction. The elongated hole portion 60b is an elongated hole whose longitudinal direction is oriented in the left-right direction (the radial direction of the circular hole portion 60a), and has a pair of parallel flat surfaces 60c facing each other in the vertical direction. Each plane 60c is a plane parallel to the optical axes X1, X2 and X4 and perpendicular to the optical axis X3. The pair of flat surfaces 60c are formed at vertically symmetrical positions with respect to the axis of the circular hole 60a. As shown in FIGS. 22 and 26, the vertical width (interval between the pair of flat surfaces 60c) K2 of the elongated hole 60b is smaller than the inner diameter K1 of the circular hole 60a. Further, the length M2 of the elongated hole portion 60b in the front-rear direction is longer than the length M1 of the circular hole portion 60a in the front-rear direction.

The second hole 61 has a circular hole portion 61a and a small diameter hole portion 61b communicating in the front-rear direction. The circular hole portion 61 a is located on the back side of the base frame 12 , and the long hole portion 60 b is located on the front side of the base frame 12 . The circular hole portion 61a and the small-diameter hole portion 61b are circular holes each having a cylindrical inner peripheral surface centered on the same axial line facing in the front-rear direction and having different inner diameters. As shown in FIGS. 22 and 26, the inner diameter K4 of the small-diameter hole portion 61b is smaller than the inner diameter K3 of the circular hole portion 61a. Further, the length M3 of the circular hole portion 61a in the front-rear direction is longer than the length M4 of the elongated hole portion 60b in the front-rear direction.

In the relationship between the first hole 60 and the second hole 61, the inner diameter K1 of the circular hole portion 60a and the inner diameter K3 of the circular hole portion 61a are substantially equal, and the vertical width K2 of the long hole portion 60b and the inner diameter K4 of the small diameter hole portion 61b are Almost equal. The lengths in the front-rear direction are, in descending order, the length M3 of the circular hole portion 61a, the length M2 of the elongated hole portion 60b, the length M1 of the circular hole portion 60a, and the length M4 of the small-diameter hole portion 61b. Become.

The length of the entire first hole 60 and the length of the entire second hole 61 in the front-rear direction are substantially the same. The first hole 60 has a tapered portion between the circular hole portion 60a and the elongated hole portion 60b, the inner diameter of which gradually decreases from the circular hole portion 60a toward the elongated hole portion 60b. The length of the entire first hole 60 also includes the length of this tapered portion.

A shaft member 65 and a shaft member 66 are inserted into the first hole 60 and the second hole 61 of the base frame 12 of each of the lens barrels 11A and 11B. The shaft members 65 and 66 are made of metal. 22 and 26 show the shaft member 65 and the shaft member 66 in an enlarged manner, respectively.

The shaft member 65 has a shaft portion 65a and a shaft portion 65b arranged in the front-rear direction, and a flange 65c located between the shaft portion 65a and the shaft portion 65b. The shaft portion 65a and the shaft portion 65b have cylindrical outer peripheral surfaces centered on the same longitudinal axis, and have substantially the same outer diameter. The flange 65c is an annular portion that has a larger diameter than the outer diameters of the shaft portions 65a and 65b and protrudes from the outer peripheral surfaces of the shaft portions 65a and 65b.

The longitudinal lengths of the shaft portions 65a and 65b are equal to each other and slightly shorter than the length M1 of the circular hole portion 60a of the first hole 60. As shown in FIG. Since the shaft portions 65a and 65b are axially symmetrical with respect to the flange 65c (the outer diameter and length are the same), the illustrated shaft member 65 is reversed front to rear so that the shaft portion 65a is positioned rearward. , the same structure is obtained even if the shaft portion 65b is arranged to face forward.

The outer diameters of the shaft portions 65a and 65b are substantially equal to the inner diameter K1 of the circular hole portion 60a and the inner diameter K3 of the circular hole portion 61a. More specifically, the outer diameters of the shaft portions 65a and 65b are set slightly larger than the inner diameters K1 and K3. It can be inserted with a light press fit against the

The shaft member 66 has a large-diameter shaft portion 66a and a small-diameter shaft portion 66b arranged in the front-rear direction, and a flange 66c located between the large-diameter shaft portion 66a and the small-diameter shaft portion 66b. The large-diameter shaft portion 66a and the small-diameter shaft portion 66b have cylindrical outer peripheral surfaces centered on the same longitudinal axis. bigger than In addition, the length in the front-rear direction is longer in the small-diameter shaft portion 66b than in the large-diameter shaft portion 66a.

The large diameter shaft portion 66a further has a proximal end 66d closer to the flange 66c and a distal end 66e farther from the flange 66c, the proximal end 66d having a slightly larger outer diameter than the distal end 66e. The length of the entire large-diameter shaft portion 66a including the base end portion 66d and the tip portion 66e in the front-rear direction is longer than the length M1 of the circular hole portion 60a and the length M4 of the small-diameter hole portion 61b. is smaller than the length M2 of the circular hole 61a and the length M3 of the circular hole 61a. In addition, the base end portion 66d is longer in the front-rear direction than the tip end portion 66e.

The small diameter shaft portion 66b further has a proximal end 66f near the flange 66c and a distal end 66g remote from the flange 66c, the proximal end 66f having a larger outer diameter than the distal end 66g. The longitudinal length of the entire small-diameter shaft portion 66b including the base end portion 66f and the tip portion 66g is slightly larger than the entire length of the circular hole portion 60a and the entire length of the circular hole portion 61a. Also, the base end portion 66f is longer in the front-rear direction than the tip end portion 66g. The length of the proximal end portion 66f is greater than the length M1 of the circular hole portion 60a, the length M2 of the elongated hole portion 60b, and the length M4 of the small diameter hole portion 61b, and slightly shorter than the length M3 of the circular hole portion 61a. to small. The length of the tip portion 66g is slightly larger than the length M4 of the small diameter hole portion 61b and slightly smaller than the length M1 of the circular hole portion 60a.

The outer diameter of the large-diameter shaft portion 66a is substantially equal to the inner diameter K1 of the circular hole portion 60a and the inner diameter K3 of the circular hole portion 61a. More specifically, the outer diameter of the proximal end portion 66d of the large diameter shaft portion 66a is set slightly larger than the inner diameters K1 and K3, and the outer diameter of the distal end portion 66e is set slightly larger than the inner diameters K1 and K3. set small. Therefore, the large-diameter shaft portion 66a can be inserted into the circular hole portion 60a or the circular hole portion 61a with the base end portion 66d thereof being lightly press-fitted.

The outer diameter of the small-diameter shaft portion 66b is substantially equal to the vertical width K2 of the elongated hole portion 60b and the inner diameter K4 of the small-diameter hole portion 61b. More specifically, the outer diameter of the base end portion 66f of the small-diameter shaft portion 66b is set slightly larger than the vertical width K2 and the inner diameter K4, and the outer diameter of the distal end portion 66g is set to be slightly larger than the vertical width K2 and the inner diameter. It is set slightly smaller than K4. Therefore, the small-diameter shaft portion 66b can be inserted into the long hole portion 60b or the small-diameter hole portion 61b with the base end portion 66f being lightly press-fitted. However, actually, the insertion of the base end portion 66f into the small diameter hole portion 61b is restricted by the flange 66c (see FIG. 28).

The drawings of this embodiment show a case where the position of the lens barrel 11B is aligned with the lens barrel 11A as a reference. That is, it shows the case where the lens barrel 11A is the reference supporting lens barrel and the lens barrel 11B is the supported lens barrel to be aligned.

First, as shown in FIG. 20, the shaft portion 65a of the shaft member 65 is inserted from the rear side into the first hole 60 on the lens barrel 11A side. Insertion of the shaft member 65 is restricted at a position where the flange 65c contacts the end surface of the boss 62 on the back side. Since the length of the shaft portion 65a is smaller than the length M1 of the circular hole portion 60a, the shaft portion 65a is inserted up to the circular hole portion 60a without reaching the position of the elongated hole portion 60b (see FIG. 22). Since the outer diameter of the shaft portion 65a is slightly larger than the inner diameter K1 of the circular hole portion 60a, the shaft portion 65a is lightly press-fitted into the circular hole portion 60a, and the shaft member 65 is attached to the base frame 12 on the lens barrel 11A side. It becomes a stable wearing state without rattling.

Further, as shown in FIG. 24, the large-diameter shaft portion 66a of the shaft member 66 is inserted into the second hole 61 on the lens barrel 11A side from the rear side. Insertion of the shaft member 66 is restricted at a position where the flange 66c contacts the end face of the boss 63 on the back side. Since the length of the large-diameter shaft portion 66a is smaller than the length M3 of the circular hole portion 61a, the large-diameter shaft portion 66a does not reach the position of the small-diameter hole portion 61b, and is inserted up to the circular hole portion 61a (Fig. 26). Since the outer diameter of the base end portion 66d of the large-diameter shaft portion 66a is slightly larger than the inner diameter K3 of the circular hole portion 61a, the large-diameter shaft portion 66a is lightly press-fitted into the circular hole portion 61a, and the base frame of the lens barrel 11A side is secured. 12, the shaft member 66 is stably attached without rattling.

Since the outer diameter of the tip portion 66e of the large-diameter shaft portion 66a is slightly smaller than the inner diameter K3 of the circular hole portion 61a, the large-diameter shaft portion 66a is not pressed into the circular hole portion 61a at the initial stage. , can be inserted smoothly. In other words, the workability of insertion is improved by configuring the large-diameter shaft portion 66a so as to be press-fitted only at the final stage of insertion where stable support is required.

FIG. 19 shows a state in which the shaft members 65 and 66 are assembled to the base frame 12 on the lens barrel 11A side as described above. As can be seen from the figure, the shaft portion 65b of the shaft member 65 and the small-diameter shaft portion 66b of the shaft member 66 each protrude rearward (back side of the lens barrel 11A).

The timing of assembling the shaft member 65 and the shaft member 66 to the lens barrel 11A can be arbitrarily selected. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the shaft member 65 and the shaft member 66 are assembled in advance to the base frame 12 in a single state, and then various members (the rear group frame 14, the third prism frame 15) are attached to the base frame 12. , image sensor unit 16, etc.) can be assembled. Alternatively, it is also possible to assemble the shaft members 65 and 66 after assembling various members to the base frame 12 to complete the lens barrel 11A. In either case, since the shaft members 65 and 66 are press-fitted into the base frame 12, there is no risk of the shaft members 65 and 66 accidentally falling after assembly. Further, the first hole 60 and the second hole 61 into which the shaft member 65 and the shaft member 66 are inserted are the first prism holding portion 35, the second prism holding portion 36, the rear group frame holding portion 37, and the rear group frame accommodating portion. It is positioned on the upper edge side of the base frame 12 away from the portion 42 and the like. Therefore, even after assembling various members to the base frame 12, the access to the first hole 60 and the second hole 61 is easy, and the work of assembling the shaft member 65 and the shaft member 66 is easy.

Subsequently, the lens barrel 11B is assembled to the lens barrel 11A to which the shaft members 65 and 66 are assembled. The second hole 61 (circular hole portion 61a) on the lens barrel 11B side faces the shaft portion 65b of the shaft member 65, and the first hole 60 (circular hole portion 61a) on the lens barrel 11B side faces the small diameter shaft portion 66b of the shaft member 66. The circular holes 60a) are opposed to each other. When the lens barrels 11A and 11B are brought closer to each other in the front-rear direction, the shaft portion 65b is inserted into the second hole 61 of the lens barrel 11B (FIG. 21), and the small-diameter shaft portion 66b is inserted into the first hole 60 of the lens barrel 11B. (Fig. 25).

As described above, the contact surfaces 50 and 51 of the lens barrels 11A and 11B come into contact with each other, thereby restricting further approach (the mutual front and rear positions are determined). As shown in FIGS. 22 and 26, when the abutment surfaces 50 and 51 come into contact with each other, there is a gap between the opposing end surfaces of the bosses 62 and 63 on the base frames 12 of the lens barrels 11A and 11B in the front-rear direction. There is a gap N. The thickness of each of the flange 65c of the shaft member 65 and the flange 66c of the shaft member 66 is slightly smaller than the gap N. Therefore, the shaft member 65 and the shaft member 66 do not interfere with positioning in the front-rear direction by the contact surfaces 50 and 51 .

As shown in FIG. 22, since the length of the shaft portion 65b is smaller than the length M3 of the circular hole portion 61a, the shaft portion 65b is located at the position of the small diameter hole portion 61b with respect to the second hole 61 on the side of the lens barrel 11B. It is inserted up to the circular hole portion 61a without reaching up to the circular hole portion 61a. Since the circular hole portion 61a on the inner cylindrical surface fits into the shaft portion 65b on the outer cylindrical surface, the base frame 12 on the lens barrel 11B side in the radial direction of the shaft portion 65b (all directions perpendicular to the optical axis X1). movement is restricted. As a result, the relative positions of the lens barrels 11A and 11B within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis X1 are determined.

Since the outer diameter of the shaft portion 65b is slightly larger than the inner diameter K3 of the circular hole portion 61a, the shaft portion 65b is lightly press-fitted into the circular hole portion 61a. As a result, there is no possibility that the shaft member 65 will rattle in the combined state of the lens barrels 11A and 11B, causing an abnormal noise.

As shown in FIG. 26, the small-diameter shaft portion 66b is inserted into the first hole 60 on the lens barrel 11B side from the circular hole portion 60a side toward the long hole portion 60b side. Since the outer diameters of the proximal end portion 66f and the distal end portion 66g are both smaller than the inner diameter K1 of the circular hole portion 60a, the small diameter shaft portion 66b does not contact the inner surface of the first hole 60 at the initial stage of insertion.

As the insertion of the small-diameter shaft portion 66b into the first hole 60 progresses, the distal end portion 66g enters the elongated hole portion 60b. Since the outer diameter of the tip portion 66g is smaller than the vertical width K2 of the elongated hole portion 60b, no load is applied between the shaft member 66 and the first hole 60 at this stage. As the small-diameter shaft portion 66b is further inserted, the proximal end portion 66f enters the elongated hole portion 60b. Then, the base end portion 66f is sandwiched between the pair of flat surfaces 60c in the elongated hole portion 60b from above and below, and the vertical movement of the base frame 12 on the lens barrel 11B side with respect to the small diameter shaft portion 66b is restricted. As a result, the relative rotation of the lens barrels 11A and 11B about the shaft member 65 is restricted.

On the other hand, since the length of the elongated hole portion 60b in the left-right direction is larger than the outer diameter of the base end portion 66f, the small-diameter shaft portion 66b does not restrict the position in the left-right direction of the lens barrel 11B. That is, the long hole portion 60b of the lens barrel 11B can move relative to the small diameter shaft portion 66b only in a specific direction (horizontal direction) within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis X1. Accordingly, variations in assembly accuracy between the lens barrels 11A and 11B can be absorbed between the small-diameter shaft portion 66b and the first hole 60. FIG.

Since the outer diameter of the base end portion 66f is slightly larger than the vertical width K2 of the long hole portion 60b, the small diameter shaft portion 66b is lightly press-fitted into the long hole portion 60b. As a result, there is no possibility that the shaft member 66 will rattle in the combined state of the lens barrels 11A and 11B, causing abnormal noise. As described above, since the tip portion 66g is provided at the tip of the small-diameter shaft portion 66b, press-fitting does not occur until the small-diameter shaft portion 66b is inserted into the elongated hole portion 60b to some extent. With this configuration, the timing of press-fitting the small-diameter shaft portion 66b (base end portion 66f) of the shaft member 66 into the elongated hole portion 60b of the first hole 60 and the shaft portion of the shaft member 65 into the circular hole portion 61a of the second hole 61 are controlled. 65b can be press-fitted at almost the same timing, and the lens barrel 11B can be incorporated without being tilted. If, unlike this embodiment, the tip portion 66g is not provided and the entire small-diameter shaft portion 66b has a diameter corresponding to the base end portion 66f, the long hole portion 60b of the first hole 60 The timing at which the small-diameter shaft portion 66b is press-fitted is much earlier than the timing at which the shaft portion 65b is press-fitted into the circular hole portion 61a of the second hole 61 . Then, with the shaft member 66 and the first hole 60 as fulcrums, the lens barrel 11B is likely to be tilted with respect to the lens barrel 11A.

As shown in FIG. 26, the length of the small-diameter shaft portion 66b is slightly longer than the length of the entire first hole 60, so the small-diameter shaft portion 66b passes through the first hole 60 on the lens barrel 11B side, 66g projects slightly rearward from boss 63; Although the lens barrels 11A and 11B have the same symmetrical shape in the front-rear direction, it is easy to identify that the shaft member 66 protrudes from the back side of the lens barrel 11B, thereby improving workability.

As described above, the shaft members 65 and 66 are press-fitted into the first hole 60 and the second hole 61, respectively. However, if the press-fitting load is too large, there is a risk that the workability will deteriorate, or that the positioning accuracy will be affected by the distortion occurring on the base frame 12 side. Therefore, the relative diameters of the first hole 60, the second hole 61, and the shaft members 65, 66 are set so as to allow light press-fitting without impairing the positioning accuracy.

The position where positioning is performed by the shaft members 65 and 66 is close to the position where positioning is performed in the front-rear direction by the abutment surfaces 50 and 51 with respect to a virtual plane Q1 (FIG. 5) that includes the optical axis X1 and extends in the vertical direction. The shaft member 65 and the shaft member 66 are arranged substantially symmetrically. Accordingly, positioning is possible based on securing a large distance between the shaft members 65 and 66 in the left-right direction and on the symmetry of the arrangement of the shaft members 65 and 66 with respect to the front groups AF and BF and the first prisms AP1 and BP1. High accuracy can be achieved.

The first hole 60 and the second hole 61 into which the shaft member 65 and the shaft member 66 are inserted are distributed between the corner wall portion 24 and the corner wall portion 25 of the base frame 12, and the lens barrel 11A, 11B can be provided efficiently without interfering with other members constituting 11B. In addition to the rigidity of the corner walls 24 and 25 themselves, they are also reinforced by the thickness of the boss 62 having the first hole 60 and the boss 63 having the second hole 61 . is less likely to be distorted when positioned by the shaft members 65 and 66 .

The first hole 60 and the second hole 61 are also used for attaching an exterior member that constitutes the outer surface of the imaging device. A front cover 70 shown in FIGS. 23 and 27 is an exterior member that covers the front side of the imaging device. The front cover 70 has a support projection 71 (FIG. 23) and a support projection 72 (FIG. 27) protruding rearward on the inner surface side. The support protrusion 71 and the support protrusion 72 are provided in a positional relationship corresponding to the first hole 60 and the second hole 61 in the base frame 12 . The support protrusion 71 has a cylindrical outer surface portion with a constant outer diameter size near the tip, and the outer diameter of this cylindrical outer surface portion is substantially the same as the vertical width K2 of the elongated hole portion 60b in the first hole 60. . The support projection 72 has a cylindrical outer surface portion with a constant outer diameter size near the tip, and the outer diameter of this cylindrical outer surface portion is substantially the same as the inner diameter K4 of the small diameter hole portion 61b of the second hole 61 .

When assembling the front cover 70 to the composite lens barrel 10, the tip portion (cylindrical outer surface portion) of the support projection 71 is inserted from the front into the elongated hole portion 60b of the first hole 60 on the lens barrel 11A side. be. Further, the tip portion (cylindrical outer surface portion) of the support projection 72 is inserted from the front into the small diameter hole portion 61b of the second hole 61 on the lens barrel 11A side. On the lens barrel 11A side, since the shaft portion 65a of the shaft member 65 has not entered the long hole portion 60b and the large diameter shaft portion 66a of the shaft member 66 has not entered the small diameter hole portion 61b, the shaft member 65 The support protrusions 71 and 72 can be inserted without interfering with the shaft member 66 .

The position of the front cover 70 within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis X1 is determined by fitting the support projections 72 on the cylindrical outer surface into the small-diameter holes 61b on the cylindrical inner surface. Further, the rotation of the front cover 70 around the support projections 72 is restricted by the support projections 71 being sandwiched between the pair of flat surfaces 60c of the long hole portion 60b. The length of the elongated hole portion 60b in the left-right direction is larger than the outer diameter of the support protrusion 71, and the support protrusion 71 is not restricted in the left-right direction by the elongated hole portion 60b. Therefore, variations in assembly accuracy of the front cover 70 with respect to the composite lens barrel 10 can be absorbed between the support protrusion 71 and the first hole 60 . Thus, the first hole 60 and the second hole 61 are used not only for positioning by the shaft members 65 and 66 but also for assembling and positioning the front cover 70 .

On the side of the lens barrel 11B, the small-diameter shaft portion 66b of the shaft member 66 passes through the entire first hole 60 (see FIG. 26), but the shaft member 65 does not pass through the small-diameter hole portion 61b of the second hole 61. It has not entered (see Figure 22). Therefore, a projection of a separate member (for example, a rear cover constituting the exterior of the imaging apparatus together with the front cover 70) is inserted into the small-diameter hole portion 61b of the lens barrel 11B from behind to position the separate member. is also possible.

Since the shaft member 65 has an axially symmetrical shape, the directions of the shaft portions 65a and 65b can be reversed. On the other hand, since the shaft member 66 is asymmetrical in the axial direction, if the large-diameter shaft portion 66a and the small-diameter shaft portion 66b are reversed, assembly failure will occur and they will not function properly. The imaging device of this embodiment has a structure that prevents the shaft member 66 from being assembled in the opposite direction.

FIG. 28 shows a case where the shaft member 66 is assembled in the opposite direction. A small-diameter shaft portion 66b is inserted into the second hole 61 on the lens barrel 11A side. The outer diameter of the proximal end portion 66f of the small-diameter shaft portion 66b is smaller than the inner diameter K3 of the circular hole portion 61a, and the outer diameter of the distal end portion 66g is smaller than the inner diameter K4 of the small-diameter hole portion 61b. Therefore, the small-diameter shaft portion 66b can be inserted into the second hole 61 until the flange 66c contacts the end surface of the boss 63 on the back side.

On the other hand, the length of the large-diameter shaft portion 66 a is longer than the length M1 of the circular hole portion 60 a of the first hole 60 . Therefore, when the large-diameter shaft portion 66a is inserted into the first hole 60 on the lens barrel 11B side, the tip of the large-diameter shaft portion 66a is elongated with the circular hole portion 60a before the abutting surfaces 50 and 51 come into contact with each other. It abuts on the step at the boundary of the hole 60b and restricts further insertion. In this state, since there is a large gap in the front-rear direction between the flange 66c and the boss 63, it can be recognized that the approach of the barrels 11A and 11B is hindered due to the improper assembly of the shaft member 66.

28, when the front cover 70 (FIGS. 23 and 26) is assembled, the support projection 72 abuts against the small-diameter shaft portion 66b, causing the support projection 72 to move into the second hole 61 (small-diameter hole portion 61b). ) cannot be inserted. That is, since the front cover 70 is in a state of floating forward, it is possible to recognize the assembly failure of the shaft member 66 even at this stage.

In this embodiment, an example of positioning the lens barrel 11B with reference to the lens barrel 11A side has been shown. It is possible. In other words, the supporting lens barrel that serves as a reference for positioning and the supported lens barrel that is positioned by the supporting lens barrel can be reversed. Specifically, the shaft member 65 (either the shaft portion 65a or the shaft portion 65b is acceptable) is inserted into the first hole 60 (circular hole portion 60a) on the side of the lens barrel 11B, and the second hole 61 on the side of the lens barrel 11B is inserted. The large-diameter shaft portion 66a of the shaft member 66 is inserted into (the circular hole portion 61a). Then, the shaft member 65 (the side of the shafts 65a and 65b that is not inserted into the first hole 60 of the lens barrel 11B) is inserted into the second hole 61 (circular hole 61a) of the lens barrel 11A. and insert the small-diameter shaft portion 66b of the shaft member 66 into the first hole 60 (long hole portion 60b) on the lens barrel 11A side.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the compound lens barrel 10 is configured by combining the lens barrel 11A including the wide-angle lens system A and the image sensor AI and the lens barrel 11B including the wide-angle lens system B and the image sensor BI. . Since the lens barrel 11A and the lens barrel 11B are separated for each imaging system, it is easy to assemble the optical elements and the like in the individual lens barrels 11A and 11B, and the productivity is excellent. In addition, it is possible to check the image performance of individual lens barrels, select lens barrels with similar image performances, and combine them into the lens barrels 11A and 11B. Furthermore, with the type that incorporates multiple optical systems into one lens barrel, even if a problem is found in one optical system after the lens barrel is completed (especially after fixing the parts with adhesives, etc.), there is no problem. This means that the entire system including the optical system is discarded, and waste is likely to occur. In contrast, the configuration of the present embodiment in which the lens barrels 11A and 11B are combined does not cause such waste, and is advantageous in terms of productivity improvement and cost reduction.

In addition, each of the lens barrels 11A and 11B has contact surfaces 50 and 51 that determine relative positions in the front-rear direction (optical axis X1 direction). The abutment surfaces 50, 51 of the lens barrels 11A, 11B are arranged and shaped symmetrically with respect to the opposing planes of the wide-angle lens systems A, B, and are planes perpendicular to the optical axis X1. Therefore, the relative front and rear positions of the lens barrels 11A and 11B can be stably determined with high precision by the abutment surfaces 50 and 51 that are common to the lens barrels 11A and 11B.

Since the lens barrels 11A and 11B have the same shape as a whole including the abutting surfaces 50 and 51, the number of parts can be reduced compared to a configuration in which a plurality of lens barrels having different structures are combined, and the manufacturing cost and production can be reduced. can save time and effort. In addition, since the structure is such that the contact surfaces 50 and 51 of the base frame 12 constituting the lens barrels 11A and 11B are brought into direct contact with each other for positioning, another member is interposed between the two lens barrels for positioning. Compared to the structure, it is low cost and simple, and accuracy control between lens barrels is easy.

An overall configuration when the imaging system 1 and the composite lens barrel 10 according to the present embodiment are applied to an omnidirectional imaging device 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. 35 to 41 .

As shown in the six views of FIGS. 35A, 35B, 36A, 36B, 37A, and 37B, the imaging device 80 has a housing 81 in which each component of the imaging device 80 is assembled and held. have. The housing 81 is short in the horizontal direction, long in the vertical direction, has a predetermined thickness in the front-rear direction, and has a rounded top surface. The housing 81 has a rear metal housing 82 and a front metal housing 83 . The front cover 70 described above (see FIGS. 23 and 27) is part of the front metal housing 83 . The rear metal housing 82 and the front metal housing 83 are made of a metal material (for example, magnesium alloy) having relatively high rigidity compared to the rear resin housing 87, the front resin housing 88, and the connection resin housing 89, which will be described later. ) can be an integrally molded product.

The rear metal housing 82 and the front metal housing 83 are connected by a left side connection housing 84 , a right side connection housing 85 and a bottom surface connection housing 86 . The left side connection housing 84, the right side connection housing 85, and the bottom connection housing 86 can be made of the same metal material as the rear metal housing 82 and the front metal housing 83, for example. has a degree of freedom, and various design changes are possible.

A positioning boss (not shown) is formed in one of the rear metal housing 82 and the front metal housing 83, and a boss insertion hole (not shown) is formed in the other of the rear metal housing 82 and the front metal housing 83. (not shown) are formed, and by inserting the positioning boss into the boss insertion hole, the rear metal housing 82 and the front metal housing 83 are positioned in a state of being close to each other. The rear metal housing 82 and the front metal housing 83 have screw holes (not shown) on the left side, the right side, and the bottom, which overlap each other in the positioning state described above and can be tightened together.

The left side connecting housing 84, the right side connecting housing 85, and the bottom connecting housing 86 are fitted into the gaps between the left side, the right side, and the bottom between the rear side metal housing 82 and the front side metal housing 83, By screwing (tightening) common fastening screws (not shown) inserted through these into the screw holes, the rear metal housing 82, the front metal housing 83, the left side connection housing 84, and the right side connection housing are connected. 85 and the bottom connection housing 86 are integrated. The configuration for integrating the rear metal housing 82, the front metal housing 83, the left side connection housing 84, the right side connection housing 85, and the bottom connection housing 86 has a degree of freedom. Design changes are possible.

A substantially circular lens exposing hole 82 a is formed above the rear metal housing 82 , and a substantially circular lens exposing hole 83 a is formed above the front metal housing 83 . The front group AF (first lens L1) of the wide-angle lens system A is exposed through the lens exposure hole 83a, and the front group BF (first lens L1) of the wide-angle lens system B is exposed through the lens exposure hole 82a. . A shutter button 90 that serves as a trigger for imaging (still image imaging, moving image imaging) is provided slightly below the middle portion in the vertical direction of the rear metal housing 82 . A display unit 91 is provided below the shutter button 90 to display various information such as an operation screen and a setting screen of the imaging device 80 . The display unit 91 can be composed of, for example, an organic EL display.

A speaker 92 for emitting, for example, a voice guidance message is provided in the vertical middle portion of the left side connection housing 84 . A power button 93 for switching on/off the power of the imaging system 1 is provided in the middle part in the vertical direction of the right side connection housing 85. A plurality of operation buttons 94 are provided for performing setting operations.

Two microphones 95 are provided on the right side slightly above the shutter button 90 of the rear metal housing 82 and are spaced apart in the vertical direction. Two microphones 96 separated in the horizontal direction are provided slightly above the middle portion in the vertical direction of the front metal housing 83 . 3D sound can be acquired by a total of four microphones, two microphones 95 on the rear metal housing 82 and two microphones 96 on the front metal housing 83 located on the front and back.

The combination of the rear metal housing 82, the front metal housing 83, the left side connection housing 84, the right side connection housing 85, and the bottom connection housing 86 constitutes a grip part GP below the middle part in the vertical direction. are doing. The photographer can press the shutter button 90, the power button 93, and the plurality of operation buttons 94 while gripping the grip part GP.

A combination of the rear metal housing 82, the front metal housing 83, the left side connection housing 84, the right side connection housing 85, and the bottom connection housing 86 has an opening OS with an open top. . The opening OS is filled with a rear resin housing 87 , a front resin housing 88 and a connection resin housing 89 . The rear-side resin housing 87, the front-side resin housing 88, and the connection resin housing 89 are made of a relatively low-rigidity resin material (for example, PC (polycarbonate)) compared to the rear-side metal housing 82 and the front-side metal housing 83. Alternatively, it can be an integrally molded product made of ABS resin or a mixture thereof.

The rear resin housing 87 has a curved shape that fits into the curved cutout of the opening OS formed above the rear metal housing 82 . The front resin housing 88 has a curved shape that fits into the curved cutout of the opening OS formed above the front metal housing 83 . The rear resin housing 87 and the front resin housing 88 have symmetrical shapes facing in opposite directions in the front-rear direction. The connection resin housing 89 has a curved shape that fits between the rear resin housing 87 and the front resin housing 88 in the opening OS formed above the rear metal housing 82 and the front metal housing 83. have.

Although not shown, a pair of projections with screw holes are formed slightly above the lens exposure hole 82a of the rear metal housing 82 so as to be spaced apart in the left-right direction. is formed with a pair of screw insertion holes corresponding to the pair of projections with screw holes. Align the pair of projections with screw holes and the pair of screw insertion holes, insert a pair of tightening screws into the pair of screw insertion holes, and screw them into the screw holes of the pair of projections with screw holes (tighten ), the rear metal housing 82 and the rear resin housing 87 are connected. Although the connection structure between the rear metal housing 82 and the rear resin housing 87 has been described here, the connection structure between the front metal housing 83 and the front resin housing 88 is the same.

As shown in FIG. 9 and the like, a pair of left and right screw insertion holes 12a and 12b are formed in the base frame 12 of each of the lens barrels 11A and 11B. The screw insertion hole 12a penetrates the corner wall portion 24 in the front-rear direction and is positioned between the bosses 52 and 62 in the vertical direction. The screw insertion hole 12b penetrates the corner wall portion 25 in the front-rear direction and is positioned between the bosses 53 and 63 in the vertical direction. In a state in which the lens barrels 11A and 11B are combined to form the composite lens barrel 10, the screw insertion hole 12a of the lens barrel 11A and the screw insertion hole 12b of the lens barrel 11B communicate with each other, and the screw insertion hole 12b of the lens barrel 11A and the lens barrel 11B communicate with each other. The screw insertion holes 12a of the cylinder 11B communicate with each other. A pair of left and right screw holes (not shown) are formed in the rear metal housing 82 in a positional relationship corresponding to the screw insertion holes 12a and 12b. A fixing screw 97 (FIG. 38A) inserted through the screw insertion hole 12a of the lens barrel 11A and the screw insertion hole 12b of the lens barrel 11B is screwed into one screw hole of the rear metal housing 82, and the screw of the lens barrel 11A is screwed. By screwing a fixing screw 98 (FIG. 38A) inserted through the insertion hole 12b and the screw insertion hole 12a of the lens barrel 11B into the other screw hole of the rear metal housing 82, the rear metal housing 82 is fixed. Then, the composite lens barrel 10 is assembled. Furthermore, by assembling other exterior members (such as the front metal housing 83 ) to the rear metal housing 82 , the composite lens barrel 10 is housed inside the housing 81 . The configuration for assembling the composite lens barrel 10 to the housing 81 has a degree of freedom, and various design changes are possible.

38A and 38B are diagrams showing the positional relationship between the composite lens barrel 10 and the rear metal housing 82 of the housing 81 when they are assembled. In FIGS. 38A and 38B, the area occupied by the compound barrel 10 in the housing 81 is emphasized by encircling it with a thick line.

As shown in FIGS. 38A and 38B , housing 81 holding compound barrel 10 has a holding area for compound barrel 10 positioned above and a holding area for compound barrel 10 positioned below when viewed in the vertical direction. and a non-holding area of . A part of the compound barrel 10 exposes the first lenses L1 of the front groups AF and BF, which are part of the wide-angle lens systems A and B, and forms the maximum outer shape excluding the exposed parts. In FIGS. 38A and 38B, the width (length in the horizontal direction) of the composite lens barrel 10 at the maximum outer shape portion is indicated by w, and the thickness (length in the front-rear direction) of the composite barrel 10 at the maximum outer shape portion is indicated by w. d.

39, 40, and 41 are cross-sectional views taken along line XXXIX-XXXIX, line XL-XL, and line XLI-XLI in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 40 and 41, in the non-holding area of the composite lens barrel 10 of the housing 81, a wireless module board 100 for converting imaging signals from the imaging sensors AI and BI into wireless signals is held (stored). there is The wireless module board 100 is formed by superimposing a sub-board 101 positioned on the front side and a main board 102 positioned on the rear side in the front-rear direction and coupling them together so as to be electrically connectable. The sub-board 101 is relatively small and has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the main board 102 is relatively large and has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. A transmission member (not shown) is attached to the main substrate 102 and extends upward toward the inner space of the rear resin housing 87 , the front resin housing 88 , and the connection resin housing 89 . This transmission member can be composed of, for example, a coaxial cable or FPC.

As shown in FIG. 41, a communication antenna 103 is provided in the space inside the rear resin housing 87, the front resin housing 88, and the connection resin housing 89. As shown in FIG. The other end of the transmission member, one end of which is connected to the main board 102 , is connected to the communication antenna 103 . The transmission member transmits imaging signals from the imaging sensors AI and BI to the communication antenna 103, and the communication antenna 103 wirelessly transmits the imaging signals to an external device. Also, the communication antenna 103 can transmit and receive various signals to and from an external device.

Although not shown, the communication antenna 103 has an antenna main body and an antenna substrate that holds the antenna main body. The antenna main body can be made of FPC or rigid FPC, for example. The antenna board has an opening OS formed on the upper surface of the housing 81 (the rear metal housing 82, the front metal housing 83, the left side connection housing 84, the right side connection housing 85, and the bottom connection housing 86). The other end of the transmission member is connected to the upper surface of the curved shape (arc shape), and the antenna main body is attached to the upper surface of the curved shape.

As shown in FIGS. 40 and 41 , a battery 104 that supplies power to each component of the imaging device 80 is held (stored) in the non-holding region of the composite lens barrel 10 of the housing 81 . The battery 104 overlaps the wireless module board 100 in the vertical direction and is arranged in front of the wireless module board 100 .

Further, the imaging sensors AI and BI, when viewed from the direction of the incident optical axis (optical axis X1) incident on the first lens L1 positioned closest to the object, They are arranged at positions that do not overlap (see FIGS. 2, 5, etc.). In the imaging device 80, when viewed from the direction of the incident optical axis (optical axis X1), the wireless module substrate 100, the communication antenna 103, It has a configuration in which parts such as the battery 104 are arranged. With this configuration, the combined lens barrel 10 can be minimized to the maximum extent in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction.

FIG. 42 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the imaging device 80. As shown in FIG. The imaging device 80 includes a digital still camera processor (hereinafter simply referred to as a processor) 500, a lens barrel unit 502 (corresponding to the composite lens barrel 10 described above), and various components connected to the processor 500. consists of The lens barrel unit 502 has two sets of wide-angle lens systems A and B and imaging sensors AI and BI described above. The imaging sensors AI and BI are controlled by control commands from a CPU 530 in the processor 500, which will be described later.

The processor 500 includes ISPs (Image Signal Processors) 508A and 508B, a DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) 510, an arbiter (ARBMEMC) 512 for memory access arbitration, and a MEMC (Memory Controller) 514 for controlling memory access. , and a distortion correction and image synthesis block 518 . The ISPs 508A and 508B perform white balance setting and gamma setting on image data input through signal processing of the imaging sensors AI and BI, respectively. An SDRAM 516 is connected to the MEMC 514 . SDRAM 516 temporarily stores data during processing in ISPs 508 A and 508 B and distortion correction/image synthesis block 518 . A distortion correction/image synthesizing block 518 corrects two partial images obtained from two imaging systems (wide-angle lens system A and image sensor AI, wide-angle lens system B and image sensor BI) from a three-axis acceleration sensor 520 . Using the information, distortion correction and top/bottom correction are performed, and images are synthesized.

Processor 500 further includes DMAC 522, image processing block 524, CPU 530, image data transfer unit 526, SDRAMC 528, memory card control block 540, USB block 546, peripheral block 550, and audio unit 552. , a serial block 558 , a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) driver 562 and a bridge 568 .

The CPU 530 controls the operation of each section of the imaging device 80 . The image processing block 524 includes a resize block 532, a JPEG block 534, an H. H.264 block 536 or the like is used to perform various image processing on the image data. A resizing block 532 is a block for enlarging or reducing the size of image data by interpolation processing. JPEG block 534 is a codec block that performs JPEG compression and decompression. H. H.264 block 536 is H.264 block 536. It is a codec block that performs video compression and decompression such as H.264. The image data transfer unit 526 transfers the image processed by the image processing block 524 . The SDRAMC 528 controls the SDRAM 538 connected to the processor 500 , and temporarily stores image data in the SDRAM 538 when performing various processing on the image data within the processor 500 .

The memory card control block 540 controls reading and writing to the memory card inserted in the memory card slot 542 and the flash ROM 544 . The memory card slot 542 is a slot for detachably inserting a memory card into the imaging device 80 . A USB block 546 controls USB communication with an external device such as a personal computer connected via a USB connector 548 . A power switch 566 is connected to the peripheral block 550 . The audio unit 552 is connected to a microphone 556 for user input of audio signals and a speaker 554 for output of recorded audio signals to control audio input and output. A serial block 558 controls serial communication with an external device such as a personal computer, and is connected to a wireless NIC (Network Interface Card) 560 . The LCD driver 562 is a drive circuit that drives the LCD monitor 564 and converts it into signals for displaying various states on the LCD monitor 564 . The LCD monitor 564 constitutes the display unit 91 (see FIGS. 35B, 36A, 36B, 40 and 41).

The flash ROM 544 stores control programs and various parameters written in code that the CPU 530 can read. When the power is turned on via the power switch 566 by operating the power button 93 or the like, the control program is loaded into the main memory. The CPU 530 controls the operation of each part of the apparatus according to the program read into the main memory, and temporarily stores data necessary for control in the SDRAM 538 and local SRAM (not shown).

The imaging device 80 shown in FIG. 42 can perform processing for synthesizing two partial images obtained from two imaging systems. Unlike this embodiment, the imaging device 80 can output up to two partial images, and an external device (personal computer, etc.) other than the imaging device 80 can perform processing such as image synthesis.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and modifications and improvements within the scope of the invention are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the abutment surfaces 50 and 51 are provided on the base frame 12 of the plurality of lens barrel members constituting the lens barrels 11A and 11B. It is also possible to provide an abutting surface instead of the abutting surfaces 50 and 51 on the holding body that directly or indirectly holds at least a part thereof.

The present invention is particularly effective in an imaging apparatus in which two imaging units to be combined have the same shape. In the above embodiment, the lens barrels 11A and 11B have completely the same shape, and only the left and right shaft members 65 and 66 incorporated in the composite lens barrel 10 have different shapes. In the present invention, two imaging units having the same shape is a concept including such a shape. That is, by focusing on combining and connecting the lens barrels 11A and 11B in the front-rear direction, it is possible to obtain the above effect of the abutment surfaces 50 and 51 regardless of the difference in shape of the shaft members 65 and 66. .

Alternatively, instead of the shaft members 65 and 66, two shaft members of the same shape may be used to perform positioning in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis X1, and select a completely symmetrical structure even in the state of the composite barrel 10. is also possible. Specifically, both of the two shaft members may be inserted into the holes 60 and 61 without play, like the shaft member 65 . In this structure, the error absorbability between the lens barrels 11A and 11B is low, but since the lens barrels 11A and 11B have the same shape, the relative accuracy is higher than when combining different shaped lens barrels. Errors are less likely to occur, and it has sufficient practicality.

In the above embodiment, each of the two base frames 12 has two abutting surfaces 50 and 51 at positions separated in the left-right direction (near the left and right edges of each base frame 12). Therefore, when the two base frames 12 are combined, high stability can be obtained by the contact of the two sets of abutment surfaces 50 and 51 . In particular, in each base frame 12, one abutment surface 50 is positioned above the rear group frame holding portion 37, and the other abutment surface 51 is positioned above the rear group frame accommodating portion 42, so that each base The contact surface 50 and the contact surface 51 are spaced apart from each other without overlapping the holding positions of the rear groups AR and BR, the first prisms AP1 and BP1, the second prisms AP2 and BP2, etc. held on the back side of the frame 12. can be made wider. However, it is also possible to use an abutment portion having a form different from the abutment surface 50 and the abutment surface 51 in the above embodiment.

For example, the number of abutting portions provided on each base frame 12 can be one, or three or more. In the case where each base frame 12 is provided with one abutment portion, if the abutment portion is arranged at a position close to the peripheral edge of the base frame 12, the inclination between the two base frames 12 when the abutment portion is in contact with each other is reduced. may be difficult to control. Therefore, when each base frame 12 has one abutment portion, the abutment portion is provided at a position away from the peripheral edge portion of the base frame 12, and tilting in the contact state is unlikely to occur (for example, the contact area is wide). Preferably, a shaped abutment is used.

In the above embodiment, both the abutting surfaces 50 and 51 provided on the two base frames are planes perpendicular to the front-rear direction (parallel planes in contact with each other). With this configuration, when the contact surface 50 and the contact surface 51 come into contact with each other, no component of force is generated in a direction that intersects the contact direction (front-rear direction), so that the two base frames can be positioned in the front-rear direction. Stable and easy to set. However, the present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which the abutting portions provided on each base frame 12 are not planes (abutting surfaces 50 and 51) perpendicular to the opposing direction.

In the above embodiment, the abutting surfaces 50 and 51 provided on the two base frames have symmetrical shapes in a state of facing and contacting each other. The present invention can also be applied to an asymmetric configuration. For example, one of the abutment portions may be a flat surface, and the other abutment portion may be a plurality of protrusions contacting the flat surface.

The composite lens barrel 10 of the above embodiment has a structure in which the optical axis X1 of the lens barrel 11A and the optical axis X1 of the lens barrel 11B are aligned coaxially. The invention can also be applied to non-positioned optical systems. For example, it can be applied to an optical system in which the incident optical axes from the subject in the two optical systems are parallel in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction in the above embodiment. In this case, the abutment surfaces provided on the two holders (corresponding to the base frame 12) that hold the two optical systems are arranged in the direction in which the incident optical axes of the two optical systems are parallel (horizontal direction and vertical direction in the above embodiment). direction).

The above embodiments are applied to the combination of the two lens barrels 11A and 11B (two imaging units) including the wide-angle lens systems A and B and the imaging sensors AI and BI. It is also applicable to a configuration that does not include an imaging sensor (the imaging sensor is separately positioned with respect to the optical system) at the stage of positioning the two holders by the surfaces.

In the above embodiment, the rear group frame 14 that holds the lenses of the rear groups AR and BR is attached to the base frame 12 that constitutes the holder. It is also applicable to a configuration in which the base frame 12 directly holds the lenses (the base frame 12 has a type of lens positioning portion that directly holds the lenses of the rear groups AR and BR). That is, the holder in the present invention directly or indirectly holds and positions an optical element such as a lens, and its specific configuration is not limited to the base frame 12 of the above embodiment.

The composite lens barrel 10 and the imaging device 80 of the above embodiment generate an omnidirectional image, but the image obtained using the two optical systems is an omnidirectional image such as a 360-degree panorama image taken only in the horizontal plane. It is possible to be other than

1: imaging system 10: compound lens barrel 11A: lens barrel (imaging unit)
11B: lens barrel (imaging unit)
12: Base frame (holding body, one holding body, other holding body)
13: Front group frame (adhesive fixing member)
14: rear group frame 15: third prism frame 16: image sensor unit 17: substrate 20: front wall portion 21: upper wall portion 22: side wall portion 23: side wall portion 24: corner wall portion 25: corner wall portion 26: front Group frame contact portion 27 : Adhesion hole 33 : Adhesion hole 35 : First prism holding portion (reflective optical element holding portion)
35a: upper wall (auxiliary contact portion)
35b: upper wall (auxiliary contact part)
36: second prism holding portion (reflective optical element holding portion)
37: Rear group frame holding portion (lens positioning portion)
38: support seat (lens positioning part)
39: support seat (lens positioning part)
42: Rear group frame accommodating portion 50: Contact surface (contact portion)
51: contact surface (contact portion)
56 : Rear group frame facing portion 60 : First hole 61 : Second hole 65 : Shaft member 66 : Shaft member 70 : Front cover 80 : Imaging device 81 : Housing 127 : Adhesion hole 133 : Adhesion hole 227 : Adhesion Application hole 233: Adhesion hole A: Wide-angle lens system (one optical system)
AF: front group AI: imaging sensor (one imaging sensor)
AP1: first prism AP2: second prism AP3: third prism AR: rear group AS: variable aperture stop B: wide-angle lens system (the other optical system)
BF: front group BI: imaging sensor (the other imaging sensor)
BP1: first prism (reflective optical element)
BP2: Second prism (reflective optical element)
BP3: third prism (reflective optical element)
BR: rear group BS: variable aperture diaphragm X1: optical axis (incident optical axis)
X2: Optical axis X3: Optical axis X4: Optical axis

Claims (17)

two optical systems, one of the two optical systems forming an image by one optical system, and the other of the two optical systems forming an image by the other optical system. An imaging device comprising
Equipped with a composite lens barrel configured by symmetrically combining two imaging units with the same structure,
One of the two imaging units includes one holding body holding the one optical system and the one imaging sensor, and the other of the two imaging units holds the other optical system. and the other imaging sensor,
the one holding body has a lens positioning portion that determines the position of the lens that constitutes the one optical system, and a contact portion that is provided at a position different from the lens positioning portion;
the other holding body has a lens positioning portion that determines the position of the lens that constitutes the other optical system, and a contact portion that is provided at a position different from the lens positioning portion;
fixing means for fixing the two imaging units to each other;
While the two image pickup units are fixed by the fixing means, the one holding body and the other holding body maintain the positions of the lenses determined by the lens positioning section, while maintaining the positions of the lenses. An image pickup apparatus, wherein the abutment portion is in contact with the image pickup device. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein said abutment portions of said one holder and said other holder comprise planes parallel to each other. 3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein said abutment portions of said one holding body and said other holding body have mutually symmetrical shapes. 3. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein each of said one holding body and said other holding body has a plurality of said abutment portions. each of the one holding body and the other holding body has a lens accommodating portion at a position different from the abutting portion and the lens positioning portion;
When the one holding body and the other holding body are combined,
The lens accommodating portion of the other holding member faces the lens positioning portion of the one holding member, and the lens of the one optical system is positioned between the lens positioning portion and the lens accommodating portion. death,
The lens accommodating portion of the one holding member faces the lens positioning portion of the other holding member, and the lens of the other optical system is positioned between the lens positioning portion and the lens accommodating portion. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein 6. Any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the one optical system and the other optical system face different directions when the one holding body and the other holding body are combined. imaging device . The one optical system and the other optical system are arranged so that the incident optical axis from the subject is coaxially positioned,
7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each of said one holder and said other holder has two said abutting portions at substantially symmetrical positions with respect to said incident optical axis. A positioning mechanism for determining relative positions of said one holding body and said other holding body in a direction perpendicular to said incident optical axis when said one holding body and said other holding body are combined. Item 8. The imaging device according to item 7. one optical adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting the position of a part of the one optical system in a direction perpendicular to the incident optical axis with respect to the one holder;
9. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising another optical adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting a position of a part of the other optical system in a direction perpendicular to the incident optical axis with respect to the other holder. The imaging device described. When the one holding body and the other holding body are combined, the one holding body and the other holding body do not come into contact with each other in the facing direction of the abutting portions, and the holding body is externally removed from the holding body. 10. The image pickup apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, having a light shielding structure for preventing light from entering into. 11. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein each of said one optical system and said other optical system has at least one or more reflecting surfaces. 12. The imaging device according to claim 11, wherein each of said one holder and said other holder has a reflective optical element holder that holds a reflective optical element having said reflective surface. one of the reflective optical elements in the one optical system and the other of the reflective optical elements in the other optical system reflect light beams from a subject in directions opposite to each other;
13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein each of said one holding body and said other holding body has two said abutment portions spaced apart in the traveling direction of the light flux reflected by each of said reflecting optical elements. 14. Any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein said one holding body and said other holding body are each provided with an auxiliary abutting portion which is normally spaced apart and which can come into contact according to the load in the opposing direction of said abutting portion. 1. The imaging device according to claim 1. one adhesive fixing member that holds a part of the one optical system and is fixed to the one holder only by adhesion;
15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising: another adhesive fixing member that holds a part of the other optical system and is fixed to the other holder only by adhesion. The imaging device described. two optical systems, one of the two optical systems forming an image by one optical system, and the other of the two optical systems forming an image by the other optical system. An imaging device comprising
Equipped with a composite lens barrel configured by symmetrically combining two imaging units with the same structure,
One of the two imaging units includes one holding body holding the one optical system and the one imaging sensor, and the other of the two imaging units holds the other optical system. and the other imaging sensor,
the one holding body has a lens positioning portion that determines the position of the lens that constitutes the one optical system, and a contact portion that is provided at a position different from the lens positioning portion;
the other holding body has a lens positioning portion that determines the position of the lens that constitutes the other optical system, and a contact portion that is provided at a position different from the lens positioning portion;
each of the one holding body and the other holding body has a lens accommodating portion at a position different from the abutting portion and the lens positioning portion;
fixing means for fixing the two imaging units to each other;
In a state in which the two image pickup units are fixed by the fixing means, the lens accommodating portion of the other holding member faces the lens positioning portion of the one holding member, and the lens positioning portion and the lens are arranged to face each other. The lens of the one optical system is positioned between the accommodation units,
The lens accommodating portion of the one holding member faces the lens positioning portion of the other holding member, and the lens of the other optical system is positioned between the lens positioning portion and the lens accommodating portion. and the abutment portions are in contact with each other. 17. A single image is obtained by combining an image captured by said one optical system and said one image sensor and an image captured by said other optical system and said other image sensor. 1. The imaging device according to claim 1.

Images