JP7520565B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device capable of image stabilization.

Conventionally, there is a technology for an image stabilization device that optically corrects image blur by displacing a movable part carrying an optical element in a plane perpendicular to the photographing optical axis. The movable part of the image stabilization device is electrically connected to a control board by a flexible board.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233693 discloses an imaging device in which an image stabilization device and a control board are disposed adjacent to each other in substantially the same plane, and a flexible board is housed in the space between the image stabilization device and the control board.

JP 2006-81006 A

However, in the conventional technique disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the connection of the connector portion of the flexible board may become loose when the movable portion of the image stabilization device is displaced significantly.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging device that prevents loosening of connectors that may occur during image stabilization.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging device according to the present invention comprises:
an image stabilization unit having a movable unit and a fixed unit, the image stabilization unit optically correcting a shake of the imaging device by displacing the movable unit along a plane perpendicular to an imaging optical axis;
a control board on which a drive circuit for controlling the movable unit is disposed;
a first flexible board that electrically connects the movable unit and the control board;
a second flexible substrate for elastically biasing the connector of the first flexible substrate in a direction for inserting the connector of the control substrate;
the second flexible board is for electrically connecting the control board to a circuit board different from the control board,
when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first direction, a first bent portion is formed in the first flexible substrate from the image blur correction unit toward an exterior member of the imaging device,
a second bent portion is formed on the second flexible substrate from the circuit substrate toward an exterior member of the imaging device;
The first bent portion and the second bent portion are bent in the same direction when viewed from the orthogonal direction.

The present invention provides an imaging device that prevents loosening of connectors caused by image stabilization.

1 is a perspective view of an external appearance of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing a configuration of an imaging device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a connection between the image stabilization unit 200 and a control board 300. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration for preventing a connector from coming off. FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same members or elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted or simplified.
In the embodiment, the imaging device is a digital still camera, but the imaging device may also include electronic devices having an imaging function, such as digital movie cameras, smartphones with cameras, tablet computers with cameras, vehicle-mounted cameras, and network cameras.

An imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 shows an external view of an image pickup apparatus (digital still camera) 100 according to this embodiment.
FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of an imaging device 100, and FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the imaging device 100. As shown in FIG.

The shutter button 110 is an operating part for issuing shooting instructions. The dial 120 is a rotary operating member that can be rotated clockwise and counterclockwise without hitting anything. By turning this dial 120, various settings such as the shutter speed and aperture can be changed.

The mode switching dial 130 is an operation unit for switching between various modes.
The power switch 140 is an operating member for switching ON and OFF the power supply of the imaging apparatus 100. The SET button 150 is a push button, and is mainly used for confirming a selection item.
The display device 160 is a monitor using a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence), and displays various setting screens of the imaging device 100, captured images, live view images, and the like.

The EVF (electronic viewfinder) 170 is an eyepiece finder that displays various setting screens of the imaging device 100, captured images, and live view images. An interchangeable lens (not shown) can be attached to the mount 180. The axis passing through the center of the mount 180 approximately coincides with the imaging optical axis P. The imaging element 210 is an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS that includes an infrared cut filter and a low-pass filter, and an image of the subject is formed during shooting by the interchangeable lens (not shown).

Figure 2 is a circuit block diagram showing the configuration of the imaging device 100 in Figure 1. 200 is an image stabilization unit, which has a movable unit 200a and a fixed unit 200b. The movable unit 200a also includes an imaging element 210. The imaging element 210 has its driving timing and other factors controlled by the imaging control unit 102, and converts an optical image of a subject incident via a photographing optical system (not shown) into an electrical signal and outputs it.

The A/D converter 103 converts the analog signal output from the image sensor 210 into a digital signal. The digital data generated by the conversion is stored in the internal memory 107 under the control of the memory control unit 105 and the system controller 101.
The image processing unit 104 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the data from the A/D converter 103 or the data read out from the internal memory 107 by the memory control unit 105 .

The memory control unit 105 controls the A/D converter 103, the image processing unit 104, the compression/decompression unit 106, and the internal memory 107, and also controls the recording and reproduction of data to and from a recording medium .
The display image data written in the internal memory 107 is displayed on the display device 160 or the EVF 170 via the image display control unit 161 .

The internal memory 107 is used to store captured still images and moving images, and can also be used as a work area for the system controller 101 .
A compression/decompression unit 106 that compresses and decompresses image data reads an image stored in the internal memory 107 , performs compression or decompression processing, and writes the processed data back into the internal memory 107 .

The system controller 101 has a built-in CPU as a computer, and functions as a control means for executing various operations of the entire imaging device based on computer programs stored in memory. The system controller 101 accepts various operational instructions input from the shutter button 110, dial 120, mode switching dial 130, power switch 140, SET button 150, etc. The system controller 101 also communicates with a lens control circuit in an interchangeable lens (not shown) via electrical contacts provided in the mount 180.

The attitude detection unit 112 is composed of an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor, and outputs attitude information of the image capture device 100 to the system controller 101. The attitude information is then supplied to an image blur correction unit drive control unit 111. Note that image blur here includes hand shake of the image capture device.
Then, according to the attitude information, the movable unit 200a of the image stabilization unit 200 is driven to move along a plane perpendicular to the imaging optical axis, thereby making it possible to optically correct camera shake (shake) of the imaging device.

The image blur correction unit 200 is made up of a movable unit 200a having an image pickup element 210 and a coil, and a fixed unit 200b having a magnet.
The Lorentz force generated by energizing the coil facing the magnet causes the movable unit 200a to translate or rotate in a plane perpendicular to the photographing optical axis P. Note that this is a known technique, so a detailed description will be omitted.

3A is an exploded perspective view of the imaging device 100 as viewed from the front, and FIG 3B is an exploded perspective view of the imaging device 100 as viewed from the rear. Also, FIG 4 is a diagram for explaining the connection between the image stabilization unit 200 and the control board 300.
In FIG. 3 and subsequent figures, in order to facilitate understanding, parts necessary for explaining this embodiment are shown, and parts unnecessary for the explanation are not shown as much as possible.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the imaging device 100 has an image blur correction unit 200, a control board 300, a base member 310, and a rear exterior member 340.
The image blur correction unit 200 is fixed to the base member 310 by screws 353a, 353b, and 353c. In addition, the control board 300 is fixed to the base member 310 by screws 352a, 352b, and 352c.

The rear exterior member 340 is fixed to the base member 310 by screws 351a, 351b, and 351c. Therefore, the control board 300 and the rear exterior member (circuit board) 340 are fixed to the base member 310 of the imaging device 100, and the positional relationship between the control board 300 and the rear exterior member (circuit board) 340 is determined with high precision.

The image stabilization unit 200 and the control board 300 are electrically connected by a first flexible board 320. The image stabilization unit drive control section 111, which serves as a drive circuit for controlling the drive of the movable unit, and the system controller 101 are arranged on the control board 300.

The second flexible substrate 330 has a connector 332 and a bent portion 331, and is fixed to a rear exterior member 340. The rear exterior member 340 functions as a circuit board different from the control substrate, and circuits such as the image display control unit 161 are arranged on the rear exterior member 340. The second flexible substrate 330 and the control substrate 300 are electrically connected by connecting the connector 332 of the second flexible substrate 330 and the connector 302 of the control substrate 300.

Further, the second flexible substrate 330 and the rear exterior member (circuit board) 340 are electrically connected by a connector (not shown), and the rear exterior member (circuit board) 340 and the control board are electrically connected.
The movable unit 200a of the image blur correction unit 200 has a connector 325. Furthermore, the fixed unit 200b of the image blur correction unit 200 has a fixed base 201. The control board 300 has a connector 301 and a connector 302.

The first flexible substrate 320 has a connector 321 and a connector 322, and a reinforcing plate 323 is disposed on the back side of the connector 321. The first flexible substrate 320 and the control substrate 300 are electrically connected by connecting the connector 321 and the connector 301. The first flexible substrate 320 and the movable unit 200a of the image stabilization unit 200 are electrically connected by connecting the connector 322 and the connector 325.

The first flexible board 320 also has a fixing portion 324, which is fixed to the fixing base 201 of the fixed unit 200b by adhesive. That is, the first flexible board is fixed to a part of the imaging device at a midway position between the movable unit and the control board. This stops the displacement of the first flexible board 320 caused by the displacement of the movable unit 200a at the fixing portion 324, making it difficult for vibrations of the movable unit to be transmitted to the connector and difficult for the connector to come loose.

The connectors 301, 302, 321, 322, 325, and 332 are BtoB connectors.
A connector of a type other than a BtoB connector may be used to connect the connector 302 and the connector 332. Similarly, a connector of a type other than a BtoB connector may be used to connect the connector 322 and the connector 325.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration for preventing the connector from coming loose. The relationship between the first flexible board 320 and the second flexible board 330 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5(A) to 5(C).
Fig. 5(B) shows a part of the cross section taken along line AA of Fig. 5(A). In Fig. 5(A), the control board 300, the second flexible board 330, and the rear exterior member 340 are not shown.

Connector section 400 in FIG. 5B is in a state where connector 321 of first flexible substrate 320 and connector 301 of control substrate 300 are connected.
The second flexible substrate 330 is fixed to the rear exterior member 340 by a fixing member 410 .

Here, the bent portion 331 of the second flexible board 330 abuts against the reinforcing plate 323 of the connector section 400 in the insertion/removal direction (horizontal direction) 450 of the connector section 400, and pushes the connector 321 in the direction of inserting it into the connector 301 (to the left in the figure). That is, the bent portion 331 abuts against the connector of the first flexible board, and functions as a biasing portion for elastically biasing the connector of the first flexible board in the direction of inserting it into the connector of the control board.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the connection between the connector 321 and the connector 301 in the connector portion 400 from being loosened or released due to vibration caused by the displacement of the movable unit 200a.
3, the positional relationship between the control board 300 and the rear exterior member 340 is determined with high precision. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the second flexible board 330 and the control board 300 are connected by the connector 332 and the connector 302.

Therefore, the bent portion 331 of the second flexible substrate 330 abuts against the reinforcing plate 323 of the connector section 400 without moving up or down. The frictional resistance of the contact surfaces of the bent portion 331 of the second flexible substrate 330 and the reinforcing plate 323 is low so that they can abut and slide smoothly. Also, to prevent wear of the bent portion 331 of the second flexible substrate 330, the portion of the bent portion 331 that abuts against the reinforcing plate 323 is reinforced. For this reason, a reinforcing plate may also be provided on the portion of the bent portion 331 that abuts against the reinforcing plate 323.

Fig. 5C shows the connector section 400 and the second flexible substrate 330 as viewed from the direction C in Fig. 5B. Portions that cannot be seen when viewed from the direction C are indicated by dashed lines.
A width 430 of the bent portion 331 of the second flexible substrate 330 is greater than a lateral width 440 of the connector portion 400 .

That is, the width of the bent portion of the second flexible board in a predetermined direction (horizontal direction) is greater than the width of the connector 321 of the first flexible board in the predetermined direction (horizontal direction).
Therefore, the connector portion 400 can be biased over the entire width direction in FIG. 5(C), and the connection of the connector portion 400 can be more reliably prevented from loosening or being released due to vibration caused by displacement of the movable unit 200a.

In addition, in the insertion/removal direction 450 of the connector part 400, the end (boundary part) 411 of the fixing member 410 is provided so as to be located approximately in the center of the vertical width 420 of the connector part 400. In other words, a part of the second flexible board is fixed by the fixing member 410 to the rear exterior member 340 as a circuit board.

The boundary portion 411 between the second flexible substrate and the fixing member 410 is located at a position facing the center of the vertical width of the connector 321 of the first flexible substrate. Therefore, the bent portion 331 of the second flexible substrate 330 is set to abut approximately the center of the vertical width of the connector portion 400. In other words, the bent portion 331 of the second flexible substrate is located so as to bias the center of the width of the connector portion 321 of the first flexible substrate in a direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to a predetermined direction (horizontal direction).

If the bent portion 331 of the second flexible substrate 330 were to come into contact with the edge of the reinforcing plate 323, there is a possibility that the connection of the connector portion 400 may be loosened or released. However, in this embodiment, the bent portion 331 of the second flexible substrate 330 is designed to come into contact with the center of the vertical width of the reinforcing plate 323, so such a problem can be prevented.

In the above embodiment, the bent portion 331 is used as a biasing means, but other elastic bodies (e.g., springs, etc.) may be used to elastically bias the connector 321 of the first flexible board in the direction of inserting it into the connector 301 of the control board 300.
In addition, in the embodiment, the bent portion 331 abuts against the connector 321 of the first flexible board via the reinforcing plate 323 and urges it in the direction of insertion into the connector 301 of the control board 300, but it may also be urged by direct abutment without the reinforcing plate.

The present invention has been described in detail above based on preferred embodiments thereof, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

200 Image stabilization unit 200a Movable unit 200b Fixed unit 300 Control board 301 Connector 320 First flexible board 321 Connector 323 Reinforcing plate 330 Second flexible board 331 Bending portion 340 Rear exterior member (circuit board)
400 Connector section 450 Insertion/removal direction

Claims (8)

an image stabilization unit having a movable unit and a fixed unit, the image stabilization unit optically correcting a shake of the imaging device by displacing the movable unit along a plane perpendicular to an imaging optical axis;
a control board on which a drive circuit for controlling the movable unit is disposed;
a first flexible board that electrically connects the movable unit and the control board;
a second flexible substrate for elastically biasing the connector of the first flexible substrate in a direction for inserting the connector of the control substrate;
the second flexible board is for electrically connecting the control board to a circuit board different from the control board,
when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first direction, a first bent portion is formed in the first flexible substrate from the image blur correction unit toward an exterior member of the imaging device,
a second bent portion is formed on the second flexible substrate from the circuit substrate toward an exterior member of the imaging device;
The imaging device, wherein the first bent portion and the second bent portion are bent in the same direction when viewed from the orthogonal direction. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that a reinforcing plate is disposed between the second bent portion of the second flexible substrate and the connector of the first flexible substrate. The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first flexible board is fixed to a part of the imaging device at a midpoint between the movable unit and the control board. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the width in the predetermined direction of the second bent portion of the second flexible substrate is greater than the width in the predetermined direction of the connector of the first flexible substrate. The imaging device according to claim 4, characterized in that the second bent portion of the second flexible substrate is arranged so as to bias the center of the width of the connector of the first flexible substrate in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction. The imaging device according to claim 5, characterized in that a portion of the second flexible board is fixed to the circuit board by a fixing member, and a boundary portion between the second flexible board and the fixing member in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction is disposed at a position opposite to the center of the width of the connector of the first flexible board in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the arc of the second bend is smaller than the arc of the first bend. 7. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board and the control board are fixed to the imaging device.

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