JP7652268B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device.

Conventionally, imaging devices have been disclosed that, when camera shake is detected, correct the camera shake by driving an image sensor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In these conventional imaging devices, a mechanism is provided to hold the image sensor in a predetermined position.

JP 2007-102035 A

The imaging device of the present invention comprises a movable part which holds an imaging element, is movably arranged in an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and is provided with an engagement part which protrudes toward one side in the optical axis direction, and a locking unit which is arranged on the one side of the movable part, is movably arranged in an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and has a locking member which moves within the orthogonal plane to engage with the engagement part provided on the movable part to lock the movable part, and the locking member has a U-shaped part which holds the engagement part, and a tip of the U-shaped part is provided with a tapered part which is wider than the base end side of the U-shaped part .

1 is a schematic diagram showing a camera 1 of an embodiment and an interchangeable lens 2 that is detachable from the camera 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the movable portion 20, the fixed portion 30, and the lock unit 40 as viewed obliquely from the rear. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the movable portion 20, the fixed portion 30, and the lock unit 40 as viewed obliquely from the front. FIG. 5A and 5B are views of the engagement portion 27 and a part of the lock unit 40 as viewed from the rear, in which FIG. 5A shows the engagement portion 27 in an unlocked state and FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lock unit 40 as seen obliquely from the rear. 13 is a view of the cam plate 42 as seen from the front side.

Hereinafter, a camera 1 as an embodiment of an imaging device will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a camera 1 of an embodiment and an interchangeable lens 2 that is detachable from the camera 1. Note that, although a camera 1 to which an interchangeable lens 2 is detachable will be described in the embodiment, the camera 1 of the present invention may be an integrated lens type camera.

(Camera 1)
The camera 1 comprises a fixed part 30 fixed to the camera 1, a movable part 20 including an image sensor 21 and moving relative to the fixed part 30, a lock unit 40 that limits the movement of the movable part 20, a release switch 11, a display unit 12, a shake detection sensor 13, a drive unit 3 that drives the movable part 20 relative to the fixed part 30, a position detection unit 4, a control unit 14, and an operation unit 15.

The release switch 11 is a component that controls the shooting operation of the camera 1 and controls the timing of the shutter drive (not shown).

The image sensor 21 is provided at the intended focal plane of the imaging optical system of the interchangeable lens 2, and generates a signal by photoelectrically converting the subject image light incident via the imaging optical system of the interchangeable lens 2 based on the control of the control unit 14. The image sensor 21 is composed of, for example, a CCD, a CMOS, etc.

The display unit 12 is a color LCD display provided on the rear of the camera 1 and displays captured subject images (still images, videos including live view images) and information related to operation (menus), etc.

The shake detection sensor 13 uses an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor to detect shake caused by camera shake of the camera 1.

The control unit 14 controls the shooting of the image sensor 21 by pressing the release switch 11. The control unit 14 also performs processes such as noise processing and A/D conversion on the signal output by the image sensor 21 to generate image data and display it on the display unit 12. The control unit 14 also detects the target position of the image sensor 21 based on the shake signal of the image sensor 21 detected by the shake detection sensor 13. The control unit 14 then calculates the drive amount for correcting the shake of the image sensor 21 based on the detected target position, and drives the image sensor 21 via the drive unit 3 based on the calculated drive amount.

Figure 2 is an oblique view of the movable part 20, the fixed part 30 and the locking unit 40 seen diagonally from the rear, and Figure 3 is an oblique view of the movable part 20, the fixed part 30 and the locking unit 40 seen diagonally from the front.

In the following figures, an XY Cartesian coordinate system has been provided as appropriate to facilitate explanation and understanding. In this coordinate system, the direction toward the left side as seen by the photographer in the position of camera 1 (normal position) when the photographer takes a landscape image with the optical axis OA horizontal is defined as the X-positive direction. Also, the direction toward the upper side in the normal position is defined as the Y-positive direction. Also, the subject side in the optical axis OA direction will be described as the front, the opposite side as the rear, the Y-positive side as the top, the Y-negative side as the bottom, and the rear surface as the rear surface.

(Movable part 20)
The movable part 20 is movable within an XY plane, which is an orthogonal plane perpendicular to the optical axis OA, relative to the fixed part 30. The movable part 20 includes a movable frame 22 that holds an image sensor 21, and the image sensor 21 is attached to the front surface of the movable frame 22.

(Moveable part 20 side drive part 3)
A coil 23 for X-direction drive as part of the drive unit 3 is attached to the negative X-direction side of the area of the movable frame 22 in which the image sensor 21 is located, and coils 24, 25 for Y-direction drive and rotational drive as part of the drive unit 3 are attached to the negative Y-direction side (lower side) of the image sensor 21.

(Engagement portion 27)
In the embodiment, two pin-shaped engagement parts 27, which are generally cylindrical and protrude rearward in the optical axis OA direction, are provided on the edge of the movable frame 22. However, the number is not limited to two, and may be more than two. The two engagement parts 27 in the embodiment are located approximately in the center of the movable frame 22 in the X direction, at equal positions in the Y direction from the optical axis OA, and are arranged spaced apart from each other on both edges of the movable frame 22 in the Y direction. The arrangement of the two engagement parts 27 is not limited to the above example. For example, instead of arranging the engagement parts 27 on the positive and negative sides in the Y direction, they may be arranged on the positive and negative sides in the X direction.

In the embodiment, the engagement portion 27 is pin-shaped, but is not limited to this and may be a shape other than a pin shape as long as it can engage with the locking member 43 described below. In the embodiment, the engagement portion 27 extends rearward in the direction of the optical axis OA. The two engagement portions 27 are disposed in positions facing each other with respect to the optical axis OA, i.e., at equal distances from the optical axis OA and facing in opposite directions, and a straight line connecting the centers of the two engagement portions 27 passes through the optical axis OA.

(Recess 27a)
FIG. 4 is a view of the engagement portion 27 and a part of the lock unit 40 seen from the rear, (a) in the unlocked state and (b) in the locked state. The locking operation will be described later. The tip surface of the engagement portion 27 is provided with a recess 27a recessed in an approximately mountain shape (approximately fan shape). In the embodiment, the top of the mountain shape of the recess 27a is located on or near the central axis of the engagement portion 27, but this is not limited to this. However, it is preferable that the top of the mountain shape of the recess 27a is located on a straight line connecting the axis of the engagement portion 27 and the optical axis OA. It is also preferable that the center of the part corresponding to the base of the mountain shape of the recess 27a is located on a straight line connecting the optical axis OA and the axis of the engagement portion 27. In the embodiment, the recess 27a is approximately mountain-shaped, but this is not limited to this, and it may be, for example, arc-shaped. In addition, the recess 27a does not need to be formed in the axial direction on the outer periphery of the engagement portion 27, and may be formed by cutting out a part of the outer periphery of the engagement portion 27.

(Fixed portion 30)
The fixed part 30 includes a fixed frame 31 that is fixed to the housing of the camera 1. The fixed part 30 covers the rear side of the portion of the movable part 20 where the image sensor 21 is disposed.

(Hole portion 37)
Two holes 37 are disposed spaced apart from each other at positions equidistant from the optical axis OA in the Y direction on both edges of the fixed frame 31 in the Y direction. The positions at which the holes 37 are provided substantially correspond to the positions at which the engagement portions 27 are provided.

(Fixed part 30 side drive part 3)
A magnet 33 for driving in the X direction as part of the driving unit 3 is attached to the negative X side of the fixed frame 31, and magnets 34, 35 for driving in the Y direction and for driving in the rotation direction as part of the driving unit 3 are attached to the negative Y side (lower side) of the imaging element 21. The magnets 33, 34, 35 are provided at positions corresponding to the coils 23, 24, 25, respectively.

(Position detection unit 4)
The camera 1 is provided with a position detection unit 4 (shown in FIG. 1). The position detection unit 4 detects the position of the movable unit 20 relative to the fixed unit 30. In this embodiment, the position detection unit 4 is, for example, a Hall element 26 attached to the movable unit 20 and a position detection magnet 36 attached to the fixed unit 30, but is not limited thereto and may be, for example, a light emitter and a light receiver (PSD). Note that instead of providing the position detection magnet 36, the drive magnets 33, 34, 35 may also function as a position detector.

(Drive unit 3)
As described above, the coils 23, 24, and 25 provided on the movable frame 22 and the magnets 33, 34, and 35 provided on the fixed frame 31 constitute the driving unit 3 as a voice coil motor (VCM).

The movable part 20 and the fixed part 30 are biased by a spring member via three balls (not shown) in a direction toward each other, whereby the movable frame 22 is supported so as to be movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the rotational direction around the optical axis OA relative to the fixed frame 31. Note that instead of biasing the movable part 20 and the fixed part 30 in a direction toward each other with a spring member, a magnet may be provided on one of the movable part 20 and the fixed part 30, and the magnet may be attracted to the metal part of the other, thereby biasing them toward each other.

When a current is passed through coils 23, 24, and 25, an electromagnetic force acts on the parts of coils 23, 24, and 25 where the direction of the current is perpendicular to the magnetic field lines of magnets 33, 34, and 35, and the movable part 20 is driven relative to fixed part 30. When the direction of the current flowing through coils 23, 24, and 25 is reversed, the movable part 20 is driven in the opposite direction. In addition, the force acting on the movable part 20 can be changed by changing the magnitude of the current flowing through coils 23, 24, and 25.

When current is flowing through coils 23, 24, and 25, movable part 20 is held in a predetermined position. However, when current is stopped from flowing through coils 23, 24, and 25, the force holding movable part 20 is lost. At this time, movable part 20 can move freely within the movable range inside the housing of camera 1, so when current is stopped, it may fall in the direction of gravity due to its own weight and collide with other parts inside the housing, or it may collide with other parts when camera 1 is shaken, etc., and the movable part, etc. may be damaged.

(Lock unit 40)
For this reason, in this embodiment, a lock unit 40 is provided to lock the movable part 20 when not energized. The lock unit 40 is disposed on the rear side of the fixed part 30 inside the housing of the camera 1. Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the lock unit 40 as viewed obliquely from the rear.

The lock unit 40 includes a base portion 46 disposed at the front and a cover portion 41 disposed at the rear. Between the base portion 46 and the cover portion 41, there are arranged a worm gear 47 and a second pinion gear 48, which are intermediate gear portions held by the base portion 46, an actuator 44, a first pinion gear 45 held on the shaft of the actuator 44, two locking members 43, and a cam plate 42. Instead of separately providing the worm gear 47 and the second pinion gear 48 as intermediate gear portions, the worm gear 47 and the second pinion gear 48 may be integrated together to form a single component.

(Base portion 46)
A cam plate holding shaft 46a extending rearward in the optical axis OA direction and a gear holding portion 46b disposed on the negative X side of the cam plate holding shaft 46a are provided on the rear surface of the base portion 46 in the optical axis OA direction.

The cam plate 42 is rotatably held on the cam plate holding shaft 46a. A holding shaft (not shown) extending in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis OA is arranged on the gear holding portion 46b, and the second pinion gear 48 is attached to the holding shaft on the Y minus side of the holding shaft, and the worm gear 47 is attached to the holding shaft on the upper part of the second pinion gear 48. Therefore, when the holding shaft rotates due to the rotation of the second pinion gear 48, the worm gear 47 also rotates. Note that when the worm gear 47 and the second pinion gear 48 are integrated and formed as one part, the holding shaft may be fixed to the base portion 46, and the integrated intermediate gear portion (worm gear 47 and second pinion gear 48) may be rotatably supported relative to the holding shaft.

Two through holes 46c are provided in the base portion 46. The two through holes 46c are at equal positions from the optical axis OA in the Y direction, and a straight line connecting the two through holes 46c passes through the optical axis OA. The positions at which the through holes 46c are provided substantially correspond to the positions at which the engagement portion 27 and the hole portion 37 are provided.
Furthermore, the base portion 46 is provided with a guide frame 46f that guides the movement of a locking member 43, which will be described later.

(Actuator 44)
The actuator 44 is supported on the negative Y side of the gear holding portion 46b of the base portion 46. A rotation shaft 44a of the actuator 44 is rotatable with respect to the base portion 46, and a first pinion gear 45 having a gear is attached to the lower end of the rotation shaft 44a. The first pinion gear 45 meshes with a second pinion gear 48. When the worm gear 47 is directly connected to the rotation shaft 44a of the actuator 44, the first pinion gear 45 and the second pinion gear 48 do not need to be provided.

(Lock member 43)
In this embodiment, two locking members 43U and 43D are arranged on the positive and negative sides (up and down) of the Y direction with respect to the optical axis OA. The locking members 43U and 43D have the same shape and are arranged on a straight line passing through the optical axis OA so as to be symmetrical with respect to the optical axis OA. In other words, they are arranged so as to face in opposite directions on a straight line passing through the optical axis OA.
The locking member 43 is disposed within a guide frame 46f provided on the base portion 46. The side surface of the locking member 43 is guided by the inner side surface of the guide frame to move on a straight line passing through the optical axis OA. At that time, the two locking members 43U and 43D can move while maintaining the same distance from the optical axis OA by the cam follower 43a described below moving in the cam groove 42b of the cam plate 42.

When there is no need to distinguish between them, locking member 43U and locking member 43D will be collectively described as locking member 43. Fig. 4(a) shows the second unlocked position (when unlocked) in which locking member 43 does not lock movable part 20, and Fig. 4(b) shows the first locked position in which locking member 43 locks movable part 20.

(Cam follower 43a)
4 and 5, the locking member 43 is provided on its rear surface on the optical axis OA side with a cam follower 43a that engages with the cam groove 42b of the cam plate 42. One end of the cam groove 42b is located on the center side of the cam plate 42, and the other end is located on the outer periphery side of the cam plate 42.

(U-shaped portion 43c)
Further, a U-shaped portion 43 c for holding the engaging portion 27 is provided at the end portion on the outer side in the radial direction of the locking member 43 with the optical axis OA as the center.
Furthermore, the locking member 43 is provided with a tapered portion 43d at the entrance of the U-shaped portion 43c, the tapered portion 43d being wider than the base end side of the U-shaped portion 43c. In other words, the opening of the entrance of the U-shaped portion 43c is wider than the other portions. Instead of providing the tapered portion 43d at the entrance of the U-shaped portion 43c, an R-shaped curved surface may be formed.

(Elastic portion 43b)
The elastic portion 43b is attached to the rear surface side of the base end of the U-shaped portion 43c. The elastic portion 43b presses the engaging portions 27 in directions away from each other while holding the engaging portions 27 in the U-shaped portion 43c.

In the embodiment, the elastic portion 43b is a leaf spring, and has a protrusion 43e protruding from the center in a direction opposite the engagement portion 27. The protrusion 43e is formed by bending the leaf spring so that it fits into the mountain-shaped recess 27a of the engagement portion 27. With the engagement portion 27 held by the U-shaped portion 43c, the protrusion 43e of the elastic portion 43b fits into the recess 27a of the engagement portion 27 and presses the surface of the recess 27a on the optical axis OA side radially outward. Note that, although the present embodiment shows an example in which the elastic portion 43b is formed as a leaf spring, it may be formed as a wire spring instead of a leaf spring.

(Cam plate 42)
6 is a front view of the cam plate 42. The cam plate 42 is a disk member that is rotatable about the optical axis OA. A gear 42a is provided on the outer periphery of the cam plate 42.

(Cam groove 42b)
Two cam grooves 42b are provided on the front surface of the cam plate 42, which faces the locking member 43. Cam followers 43a of the locking member 43 engage with the cam grooves 42b, respectively. One end of the cam groove 42b is located at the center of the cam plate 42, i.e., on the optical axis OA side, and the other end of the cam groove 42b is located on the outer periphery of the cam plate 42, i.e., at a position radially spaced from the optical axis OA.

4(b) and 6, two sides 42ba of the cam groove 42b on the other end side on the outer periphery of the cam plate 42 are parallel to each other, perpendicular to the optical axis OA, and also perpendicular to the radial direction. That is, when the locking member 43 locks the engaging portion 27 as shown in FIG. 4(b), the two sides of the cam groove 42b where the cam follower 43a is located are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the moving direction of the locking member 43 in the perpendicular plane.
Therefore, the movement of the engaging portion 27 in the Y direction is restricted by the side edge 42ba. Furthermore, the movement of the locking member 43 in the X direction is restricted by the guide frame 46f (shown in FIG. 5) that guides the movement of the locking member 43. As a result, the movement of the locking member 43 in the orthogonal plane is restricted.
On the other hand, the two sides 42bb of the cam groove 42b at one end of the cam plate 42 on the optical axis OA side are also parallel to each other and extend perpendicular to the optical axis OA and also perpendicular to the radial direction. Therefore, even when the locking member 43 is unlocked as shown in FIG. 4A, the movement of the locking member 43 within the perpendicular plane is restricted.

(Cover portion 41)
The cover portion 41 is provided with a holding portion (not shown) that holds the tip of the cam plate holding shaft 46 a of the base portion 46 , and combines with the base portion 46 to form the outer frame of the lock unit 40 .
Furthermore, two through holes 41c are provided in the cover portion 41. The two through holes 41c are located at equal distances from the optical axis OA, and a straight line connecting the two through holes 41c passes through the optical axis OA. If the cam plate holding shaft 46a is provided with sufficient bending strength so that the cam plate holding shaft 46a can be held as a cantilever, the cover portion 41 can be omitted.

The through hole 46c of the base part 46 and the through hole 41c of the cover part 41 are formed at the same position, and when the cover part 41 and the base part 46 are combined, it becomes the through hole 40c that penetrates the lock unit 40. The two through holes 40c are at equal distances from the optical axis OA, that is, they correspond to the position where the engagement part 27 is provided, and the straight line connecting the two through holes 40c passes through the optical axis OA.

The engagement portion 27 provided on the movable portion 20 is inserted into the hole portion 37 provided on the fixed portion 30, and further inserted into the through hole 46c of the base portion 46 of the lock unit 40 and the through hole 40c of the cover portion 41.

(Operation of Lock Member 43)
4A, the locking member 43 of the locking unit 40 is in a second position on the optical axis OA side, away from the engaging portion 27. At this time, the locking member 43 is not engaged with the engaging portion 27, and is in an unlocked state in which the movement of the movable portion 20 relative to the fixed portion 30 is not restricted.

In this state, for example, when the photographer selects to turn off the main power supply of the camera 1, the actuator 44 rotates before the power supply is completely turned off.
This rotates the first pinion gear 45 attached to the rotating shaft of the actuator 44, which in turn rotates the second pinion gear 48 meshing with the first pinion gear 45. The rotation of the second pinion gear 48 rotates the holder shaft, which in turn rotates the worm gear 47. This causes the gear 42a of the cam plate 42 to mesh with the worm gear 47, causing the cam plate 42 to rotate.

When the cam plate 42 rotates, the locking member 43 moves radially within the guide frame 46f perpendicular to the optical axis OA because the cam follower 43a engages with the cam groove 42b of the cam plate 42.

When the locking member 43 moves radially relative to the optical axis OA, the engaging portion 27 is sandwiched and held inside the U-shaped portion 43c, and the movable portion 20 is locked relative to the fixed portion 30. In other words, the locking member 43 is in a first position that restricts the movement of the movable portion 20 relative to the fixed portion 30.

(Effect of moving radially relative to the optical axis OA)
Here, unlike the embodiment, when the locking member 43 moves along the optical axis OA rather than radially to lock the movable part 20 to the fixed part 30, a thickness in the optical axis OA direction is required to provide space for the locking member 43 to move along the optical axis OA direction, and the camera 1 becomes larger.
However, in the embodiment, the locking member 43 moves in the radial direction relative to the optical axis OA, thereby engaging with the engaging portion 27 and locking the movable portion 20 to the fixed portion 30. This makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the camera 1. Furthermore, since the locking member 43 moves linearly within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis OA, the movement space of the locking member 43 can be reduced.

(Tapered portion 43d)
Here, a Hall element is attached to the movable part 20, and a position detection magnet 36 is attached to the fixed part 30, thereby detecting the position of the movable part 20. However, depending on the temperature, the position detection of the movable part 20 may become inaccurate, and the position of the movable part 20 may deviate from the target position. If this happens, the center of the engagement part 27 may not be on the straight line along which the locking member 43 moves.
However, in the embodiment, a tapered portion 43d that is wider than the base end side of the U-shaped portion 43c is provided at the entrance portion of the U-shaped portion 43c that is provided at the tip of the locking member 43 and holds the engaging portion 27. In other words, the opening of the entrance portion of the U-shaped portion 43c is wider.
Therefore, even if the position of the engaging portion 27 varies, the engaging portion 27 can be reliably guided into the U-shaped portion 43c. Therefore, the locking operation of the movable portion 20 can be reliably performed.

(Effect of Elastic Part 43b)
Furthermore, when the locking member 43 holds the engaging portion 27, the convex portion 43e of the elastic portion 43b fits into the concave portion 27a of the engaging portion 27 and presses the surface of the concave portion 27a on the optical axis OA side radially outward.
As a result, the two engagement portions 27 arranged on both sides of the optical axis OA are elastically pressed in directions away from each other, thereby preventing rattling of the movable portion 20 when the locking member 43 locks the engagement portions 27.

(Effect of the shape of the cam groove 42b)
When the locking member 43 is locked to the engaging portion 27, the cam follower 43a is located at the end close to the outer periphery of the cam groove 42b provided in the cam plate 42. The two sides at the end close to the outer periphery of the cam groove 42b are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the movement direction of the locking member 43 in the orthogonal plane. That is, the cam follower 43a is held at one side and the other side in the radial direction, and further, the normal line at the contact portion between the cam follower 43a and the cam groove 42b passes through the optical axis OA, i.e., the rotation center of the cam plate 42. Therefore, even if a force in the Y direction acts on the locking member 43, no force is applied to rotate the cam plate 42, so the movement of the locking member 43 in the Y direction is restricted. Note that the movement of the locking member 43 in the X direction is restricted by the guide frame 46f that guides the movement of the locking member 43, so the movement of the locking member 43 in the orthogonal plane is restricted.

(Effect of providing two engagement portions 27)
When the engaging portion 27 is provided at one location, the locking member 43 restricts the engaging portion 27 from moving in one direction in the Y direction (positive Y direction or negative Y direction), but the engaging portion 27 can move freely in the other direction. On the other hand, when the engaging portion 27 is provided at two locations, the locking member 43 restricts the engaging portion 27 from moving in both directions in the Y direction (positive Y direction and negative Y direction), so that the movement of the movable portion 20 in the Y direction relative to the fixed portion 30 can be reliably restricted. Since the U-shaped portion 43c restricts the movement of the engaging portion 27 in the X direction, the engaging portion 27 is restricted from moving in the X and Y directions, i.e., in the orthogonal plane, so that the movement of the movable portion 20 in the orthogonal plane relative to the fixed portion 30 is restricted. As a result, the movable portion 20 is fixed even when the power is OFF, so that there is no need to constantly energize the movable portion 20, and power consumption can be reduced.
In the embodiment, the embodiment has been described in which the sensor element is held at two locations, but the sensor element may be held at three or more locations.
4B, the locking portion 43 is elastically pressed toward each other by the two engaging portions 27 arranged on both sides of the optical axis OA via the elastic portion 43b. In this case, the cam follower 43a is pressed against the side 42ba1 on the optical axis OA side of the two side edges 42ba of the cam groove 42b on the outer periphery of the cam plate 42, and the movement of the engaging portion 27 in the Y direction is restricted by the two side edges 42ba1 on the optical axis OA side.

As described above, when the power is OFF, the locking member 43 does not exert a force that rotates the cam plate 42, and therefore the locking member 43 does not move. Therefore, even when the power is OFF, the movable part 20 including the image sensor 21 is fixed, and the movable part 20 does not fall due to gravity or move due to vibrations during transport. Therefore, the movable part 20 including the image sensor 21 can be held without consuming power.
4A, when the locking member 43 does not lock the engaging portion 27, the cam follower 43a is located at the end portion close to the optical axis OA of the cam groove 42b provided in the cam plate 42. The two side edges 42bb at the end portion close to the optical axis OA of the cam groove 42b are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the movement direction of the locking member 43 in the orthogonal plane.
Furthermore, the movement of the locking member 43 in the X direction is restricted by a guide frame 46f (shown in FIG. 5) that guides the movement of the locking member 43. Therefore, the movement of the locking member 43 in the orthogonal plane is restricted. As a result, the locking member 43 does not move freely even when the power is off in the unlocked state, so there is no need to keep it energized all the time, and power consumption can be reduced.

In this manner, the movable part 20 may be held not only when the power is turned off, but also when the photographer can select and operate the operation unit 15. Also, the movable part 20 may be automatically held depending on the shooting mode.

In addition, in this embodiment, the fixing portion 30 is provided with the two holes 37 through which the engaging portions 27 are inserted, but no other openings for locking operation are provided on the rear surface side of the imaging element 21 .
Therefore, when the temperature of the image sensor 21 rises during shooting, the fixed frame 31 of the fixed part 30 can be used as a heat dissipation path, and since a sufficient area can be secured for the heat dissipation mechanism, heat can be efficiently dissipated in the area close to the heat source.

In addition, by arranging the engagement parts 27 on the edge of the image sensor 21 rather than on the rear side, the distance between the engagement parts 27 can be increased. Therefore, the movable part 20 can be locked in position with greater precision.

For example, unlike the embodiment, if the retraction of the locking member 43 during unlocking is performed by the biasing force of a spring, if the standby position of the engaging portion 27 is misaligned, the frictional force between the locking member 43 and the engaging portion 27 increases, and it may not be possible to accurately and reliably retract the locking member 43. It is possible to solve this problem by increasing the biasing force of the elastic body, but in this case, there is the drawback of increasing the operating load during locking.
However, in the embodiment, when releasing the lock, the actuator 44 is rotated in the reverse direction, so that the lock member 43 is retracted with sufficient force from the engagement position with the engagement portion 27 even when releasing the lock. Therefore, the movement of the lock member 43 can be performed accurately and reliably.

The above describes preferred embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications and variations are possible.

OA Optical axis 1 Camera 20 Movable portion 21 Imaging element 22 Movable frame 27 Engagement portion 27a Recess 30 Fixed portion 31 Fixed frame 37 Hole 40 Lock unit 42 Cam plate 42a Gear 42b Cam groove 43 Lock member 43a Cam follower 43b Elastic portion 43c U-shaped portion 43d Tapered portion 43e Convex portion 44 Actuator 44a Rotation shaft 45 First pinion gear 46 Base portion 46a Cam plate holding shaft 46b Gear holding portion 46c Through hole 47 Worm gear 48 Second pinion gear

Claims (12)

a movable section that holds the image sensor, is movable within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and has an engagement section that protrudes toward one side in the optical axis direction;
a lock unit including a lock member disposed on the one side of the movable part, movable within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and moving within the plane to engage with the engaging portion provided on the movable part to lock the movable part;
Equipped with
The locking member has a U-shaped portion that holds the engagement portion,
The imaging device , wherein a tapered portion that is wider than a base end side of the U-shaped portion is provided at a tip end of the U-shaped portion . The movable portion is provided with a plurality of the engagement portions,
The lock unit has a plurality of lock members which engage with the plurality of engagement portions, respectively.
The imaging device according to claim 1 . the locking member moves in a linear direction in the orthogonal plane between a first position for locking the movable portion and a second position for unlocking the movable portion;
The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2. Any two of the plurality of engagement portions are disposed at positions facing each other with respect to the optical axis.
The imaging device according to claim 2 or 3. The engagement portions are disposed at an edge of the movable portion and spaced apart from each other.
The imaging device according to claim 2 . The locking member has an elastic portion that presses the engaging portions in directions away from each other while holding the engaging portions.
The imaging device according to claim 1 . The elastic portion is formed of a spring having a convex portion protruding in a direction facing the engagement portion, and the convex portion presses a concave portion provided in the engagement portion when the locking member holds the engagement portion.
The imaging device according to claim 6 . The lock unit is
a cam plate that is rotatable about the optical axis and has a cam groove on a surface facing the locking member;
The locking member is
A cam follower that engages with the cam groove is provided.
When the cam plate rotates, the cam follower moves along the cam groove, whereby the locking member moves within a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.
The imaging device according to claim 1 . When the locking member locks the engaging portion, two side edges of the portion of the cam groove in which the cam follower is located are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the moving direction of the locking member in the orthogonal plane, and movement of the engaging portion in the orthogonal plane is restricted by the side edges.
The imaging device according to claim 8 . When the locking member releases the lock on the engaging portion, two side edges of the portion of the cam groove in which the cam follower is located are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the moving direction of the locking member in the orthogonal plane, and movement of the engaging portion in the orthogonal plane is restricted by the side edges.
The imaging device according to claim 8 or 9 . an actuator that rotates the cam plate;
The actuator rotates the cam plate,
a locking operation for locking the engagement portion of the locking member, and an unlocking operation for unlocking the engagement portion by the locking member are performed.
The imaging device according to any one of claims 8 to 10 . Each of the cam plate and the actuator has a gear,
an intermediate gear portion having pinion gears meshing with the respective gears;
a base portion that supports the actuator and that fixes the intermediate gear portion and the cam plate,
a driving force of the actuator is transmitted to the cam plate via the intermediate gear portion to rotate the cam plate;
The imaging device according to claim 11 .

Images