JP7680583B2 - Video equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a video imaging device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a video imaging device with improved cooling performance.

In general, an image capturing device is a device that captures an image of a subject. Image capturing devices can be applied to various types of inspection equipment, imaging equipment, communication equipment, etc. For example, image capturing devices can be applied to display inspection equipment, semiconductor inspection equipment, printed circuit board inspection equipment, solar panel inspection equipment, etc.

As an example, Korean Patent No. 1391176 filed by the applicant discloses an image capturing device that captures images by pixel-shifting an image sensor using a driving unit including a piezoelectric element, while cooling the image sensor using a cooling device that uses a thermoelectric module such as a Peltier element.

However, the prior art structure has the disadvantage that the heat from the thermoelectric module is dissipated to the outside through the first and second housings, resulting in a long heat path.

Korean Patent No. 1391176

The present invention aims to solve the above problems by providing a video capture device that improves the cooling performance of the image sensor by shortening the thermal path for dissipating heat generated by the image sensor to the outside while enabling micro-operation of the image sensor.

The present invention provides a video imaging device including an image sensor unit; a first housing having the image sensor unit therein and an opening formed on the lower side; a second housing provided at the lower part of the first housing; a drive unit provided in the second housing for moving the first housing in at least one direction relative to the second housing; at least two couplers penetrating the upper surface of the second housing and connecting the drive unit to a bottom end of the first housing; and a cooling unit coupled to the upper surface of the second housing for cooling the image sensor unit.

In one embodiment, the second housing has a drive unit accommodating space formed therein to accommodate the drive unit.

The second housing may also have a plurality of coupler through holes formed therein that connect the drive unit accommodating space to the upper surface of the second housing and allow the coupler to pass through.

In one embodiment, the drive unit further includes a coupler portion coupled to an upper portion of the drive unit in the drive unit accommodating space, and the coupler is formed in the coupler portion.

Additionally, the lower surface of the first housing does not have to be in direct contact with the upper surface of the second housing.

In one embodiment, a thermally conductive medium is provided between the cooling unit and the image sensor unit, and is in contact with the cooling unit and the image sensor unit.

The image sensor unit may also be provided so as to be capable of slight movement while in contact with the thermally conductive medium.

In one embodiment, the cooling unit is coupled to the image sensor unit via a sensor block, and a thermally conductive medium is provided between the sensor block and the image sensor unit.

In one embodiment, the first housing includes a first upper housing having a transparent window formed therein, and a first lower housing coupled to the lower portion of the first upper housing.

In addition, an image sensor board on which the image sensor unit is mounted may be sandwiched and fixed to the joining surface between the first upper housing and the first lower housing.

The image sensor board may also have an extension portion exposed to the outside of the first housing.

The device may further include an upper image sensor board cover and a lower image sensor board cover that are coupled to the outside of the first housing to cover the extension, or that are integrally formed with the first upper housing and the first lower housing, respectively.

In addition, a cable may be connected to the extension, and the cable may be connected to a main board provided in the second housing through a cable through hole formed on the upper surface of the second housing.

In one embodiment, the upper surface of the second housing is provided with a protruding portion, and the lower opening of the first housing is coupled to the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion.

In one embodiment, the cooling portion may be coupled to an upper surface of the second housing inside the protrusion.

A sealing member may also be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion. The sealing member may be provided to be elastically deformable, allowing the first housing to move in the one direction.

The coupler may also connect the drive unit and the end of the first housing outside the protrusion.

The present invention provides an imaging device that can further improve the cooling performance of the image sensor section and has an improved structure and manufacturing characteristics.

1 is a perspective view of an image capturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image capturing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along the line A-A' of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second housing of the image capturing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a second housing of the image capturing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cutaway view of a first housing of an image capturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 11 is a view showing another embodiment of the second housing in the image shooting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an image capturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a second housing, a first lower housing, a driving unit, and a coupler unit in an image capturing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a coupling configuration of a board cover coupled to an outer side of a first housing in an image shooting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. First, when assigning reference symbols to components in each drawing, it should be noted that the same symbols are used for the same components even when they are displayed in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related well-known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Furthermore, although preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and may of course be modified and implemented in various ways by those skilled in the art.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an image capturing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image capturing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along the A-A' direction in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second housing of the image capturing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a front view of the second housing of the image capturing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Also, Figure 5 is a cutaway view of a portion of the first housing of the image capturing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The video capture device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

The image capturing device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a first housing 10, a second housing 40, an image sensor unit 20, a cooling unit 30, and a driving unit 50. A cooling fan 60 for airflow for cooling may be further provided below the heat dissipation pin 46 of the second housing 40.

The first housing 10 is coupled to the top of the second housing 40 in a state in which it can be micro-driven. The upper opening of the first housing 10 may be provided with a transparent window 12 through which light can enter. The first housing 10 also has an image sensor unit 20 below the transparent window 12. In one embodiment, the image sensor unit 20 may be configured in a form in which an image sensor is mounted or installed on a printed circuit board.

The lower part of the first housing 10 is configured to be open. In one embodiment, the inner lower part of the first housing 10 is formed with a housing coupling part 14 that is coupled to the outside of a protrusion 42 formed on the upper part of the second housing 40 described below. The housing coupling part 14 may be formed in a hollow shape that corresponds to the outer shape of the protrusion 42.

In one embodiment, the bottom surface of the first housing 10 is not in direct contact with the top surface of the second housing 40, allowing for micro-movement of the first housing 10.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the second housing 40 includes a drive unit accommodating space 48 that accommodates the drive unit 50. In one embodiment, at least one side of the drive unit accommodating space 48 may be formed to be open.

The upper surface of the second housing 40 may be provided with a protrusion 42 formed to protrude upward. A sealing member insertion groove 41 may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion 42. In one embodiment, the protrusion 42 may be formed in a ring shape.

A plurality of coupler through holes 44 are formed to communicate between the drive unit accommodating space 48 of the second housing 40 and the upper surface of the second housing 40. The coupler through holes 44 may be formed on the outside of the protruding portion 42. Although first to fourth coupler through holes 44a, 44b, 44c, and 44d are illustrated in FIG. 3, in the practice of the present invention, at least two or more coupler through holes may be provided. In FIG. 3, the coupler through holes 44 are arranged in the angular direction on the upper surface of the second housing 40, but the formation position of the coupler through holes 44 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3.

The bottom surface of the second housing 40 is provided with heat dissipation pins 46 to improve heat dissipation performance. In Figs. 3 and 4, the heat dissipation pins 46 are shown to be formed on the bottom surface of the second housing 40, but it is also possible for the heat dissipation pins 46 to be formed on the outer side surface of the second housing 40.

3 and 4, the second housing 40 including the heat sink pin 46 without the protrusion 42 is formed to have the same profile. As a result, the second housing 40 can be integrally formed by extruding a material such as aluminum and then cutting it, simplifying the process and reducing manufacturing costs. It is also possible to manufacture the second housing 40 without the protrusion 42 by extrusion, and then combine the protrusion 42 with the upper part of the second housing 40. The second housing 40 can also be manufactured by extruding the entire profile including the height of the protrusion 42, and then machining a shape corresponding to the protrusion 42.

2 and 5, the drive unit 50 is accommodated in the drive unit accommodating space 48 of the second housing 40, and the upper side of the drive unit 50 is provided with a plurality of couplers 52 that penetrate the upper part of the second housing 40 through the coupler through-hole 44 and are coupled to the bottom end of the first housing 10. The plurality of couplers 52 can be coupled to the upper side of the drive unit 50 and the bottom end of the first housing 10 using methods such as welding, adhesive, forced fitting, or screw coupling.

The multiple couplers 52 may be provided as first to fourth couplers 52a, 52b, 52c, and 52d corresponding to the first to fourth coupler through holes 44. However, due to the characteristics of the illustrations in Figures 2 and 5, the third coupler 52c is not shown. It is preferable that the cross-sectional size of the coupler through hole 44 is formed larger than the cross-sectional size of the coupler 52, so that the coupler 52 can move slightly horizontally within the coupler through hole 44.

In one embodiment, the driving unit 50 may be a nano-stage including a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element constituting the driving unit 50 may be configured in a form in which a plurality of piezoelectric element panels are stacked. The driving unit 50 may slightly move the first housing 10 in at least one horizontal direction via the coupler 52. As a result, the image sensor unit 20 coupled inside the first housing 10 may also be slightly moved in the horizontal direction.

Meanwhile, since the lower portion of the first housing 10 is open, a sealing member insertion groove 41 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion 42 of the second housing 40 is provided with a sealing member 43 such as an O-ring or a quad-ring in order to keep the internal space of the first housing 10 housing the image sensor unit 20 airtight. In one embodiment, it is preferable that the sealing member 43 is configured to be elastically deformable in the horizontal direction so as to keep the airtightness even when the first housing 10 is slightly moved in the horizontal direction by the driving unit 50.

A cooling unit 30 is provided between the upper surface of the second housing 40 and the image sensor unit 20. In one embodiment, the cooling unit 30 may be a thermoelectric module such as a Peltier element. The cooling unit 30 is cooled on the surface (cooling surface) facing the image sensor unit 20 by the supply of electricity, and after absorbing heat generated in the image sensor unit 20, releases the heat to the second housing 40 through the opposite surface (heat generating surface).

In the present invention, the heat generating surface of the cooling unit 30 is in direct contact with the upper surface of the second housing 40. As a result, the heat of the cooling unit 30 is directly dissipated through the second housing 40, and the heat path for dissipating the heat generated in the image sensor unit 20 to the outside is shortened, and the cooling performance of the image sensor unit 20 can be improved. Meanwhile, since the lower end of the first housing 10 is not directly connected to the upper part of the second housing 40, the transfer of the heat of the second housing 40 to the first housing 10 is minimized in the process of dissipating the heat generated in the cooling unit 30 through the second housing 40. As a result, the heat dissipated to the second housing 40 can be prevented from returning to the image sensor unit 20. In addition, in one embodiment, it may be preferable that the first housing 10 is made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the second housing 40.

A thermally conductive medium 32 is provided between the cooling unit 30 and the image sensor unit 20 so as to be in contact with the cooling unit 30 and the image sensor unit 20. The thermally conductive medium 32 may be thermal grease or a thermal pad. In the present invention, since the cooling unit 30 is coupled to the upper surface of the second housing 40 and the first housing 10 is formed to be capable of slight movement by the driving unit 50, it is preferable that the thermally conductive medium 32 contacts the bottom surface of the image sensor unit 20 while allowing the image sensor unit 20 to move slightly.

Figure 6 shows another embodiment of the second housing in the image capture device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the protrusion 42' formed on the upper part of the second housing 40 may be substantially rectangular, but is not limited thereto and may be other polygonal shapes other than a rectangle. In addition, the shape of the housing coupling part 14 formed on the lower inside part of the first housing 10 is formed to correspond to the protrusion 42'. A sealing member insertion groove 41' is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion 42'.

The coupler through hole 44' may also be positioned so that it is located approximately in the center of a side, rather than at a corner of the top surface of the second housing 140.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of an image capture device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of a second housing, a first lower housing, a drive unit, and a coupler unit in the image capture device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Also, Figure 9 is a diagram showing the connection configuration of a board cover that is connected to the outside of the first housing in the image capture device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The image capturing device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a first housing 110, a second housing 140, an image sensor unit 120, a cooling unit 130, and a driving unit 150. The heat dissipation pin 146 provided on one side of the second housing 140 may further include a cooling fan 160 for circulating air for cooling. The image capturing device 100 according to the second embodiment has the same basic technical idea as the image capturing device 1 according to the first embodiment, and is provided with an image sensor board 124 for the image sensor unit 120, and the first housing 110 is configured to fix the image sensor board 124, with some differences in the configuration of the coupler unit 170 for transmitting the driving force of the driving unit 150 to the first housing 110. In addition, a cover 102 for covering the upper part of the first housing 110 may be further provided.

The cover 102 has a central opening 104, and the lower end of the cover 102 may be coupled to the top of the second housing 140.

The first housing 110 may include a first upper housing 110A and a first lower housing 110B. The first upper housing 110A may have a transparent window 112 through which light can enter. The first upper housing 110A may be coupled to the upper part of the first lower housing 110B. In one embodiment, an image sensor board 124 for the image sensor unit 120 may be sandwiched and fixed between the first upper housing 110A and the first lower housing 110B. In this case, board sealing members 111a and 111b may be provided on the surface where the image sensor board 124 contacts the first upper housing 110A and the first lower housing 110B to improve airtightness. As an example, referring to FIG. 8, a groove 106 for the board sealing member 111b may be formed on the upper surface of the first lower housing 110B.

The first lower housing 110B is provided in a form that is open at the top and bottom, and a housing coupling part 114 is formed on the inner lower part of the first lower housing 110B, which is coupled to the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 142 formed on the upper part of the second housing 140. The housing coupling part 114 may be provided in a hollow shape that corresponds to the outer shape of the protrusion 142.

The protrusion 142 formed on the upper part of the second housing 140 may be formed in a ring shape, and a sealing member insertion groove 141 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion 142, and a sealing member 143 such as an O-ring or a quad ring is provided in the sealing member insertion groove 141.

In one embodiment, the image sensor unit 120 may be coupled to the image sensor socket 122 of the image sensor board 124 and disposed in the internal space of the first housing 110. The image sensor board 124 may be sandwiched and fixed between the first upper housing 110A and the first lower housing 110B, while the extension 124a of the image sensor board 124 may protrude to the outside of the first housing 110. The extension 124a of the image sensor board 124 may include a circuit element 125 for the image sensor unit 120. In addition, a cable 129 may be coupled to the extension 124a, and the cable 129 may be connected to the main board 180 provided in the second housing 140 through a cable through hole 145 formed in the second housing 140.

On the other hand, when the extension 124a of the image sensor board 124 is exposed to the outside of the first housing 110, the extension 124a may minimize heat exchange with the outer space of the first housing 110, and an image sensor board cover 126, 128 for shielding the extension 124a may be provided on the outside of the first housing 110.

7 and 9, the image sensor board cover may be divided into a lower image sensor board cover 126 and an upper image sensor board cover 128, but the lower image sensor board cover 126 and the upper image sensor board cover 128 may be provided as separate parts from the first housing 110. Also, the lower image sensor board cover 126 and the upper image sensor board cover 128 may be formed of a plastic or rubber material having a low thermal conductivity. However, in one embodiment, the lower image sensor board cover 126 may be formed integrally with the first lower housing 110B, and the upper image sensor board cover 128 may be formed integrally with the first upper housing 110A.

A cooling unit 130 is provided between the upper surface of the second housing 140 and the image sensor unit 120. The cooling unit 130 is coupled to the upper surface of the second housing 140 in contact with it. In one embodiment, the cooling unit 130 may be a thermoelectric module such as a Peltier element. The cooling unit 130 is cooled on the surface (cooling surface) facing the image sensor unit 120 by the supply of electricity, and absorbs heat generated in the image sensor unit 120 and then releases the heat to the second housing 140 through the opposite surface (heat generating surface).

In one embodiment, the cooling unit 130 may be connected to the bottom surface of the image sensor unit 120 via the sensor block 134. The sensor block 134 may function as a kind of cold finger. A thermally conductive medium 132 may be provided between the sensor block 134 and the image sensor unit 120. Adhesive parts 136a and 136b are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the cooling unit 130 so that the cooling unit 130 can be firmly attached to the upper surface of the second housing 140 and the lower surface of the sensor block 134. In one embodiment, the adhesive parts 136a and 136b may be configured using an adhesive. The image sensor board 124 has a through-hole formed on the bottom side of the image sensor unit 120 so that the cooling unit 130 and the sensor block 134 can pass through.

The drive unit 150 is accommodated in the drive unit accommodating space 148 of the second housing 140, and a coupler unit 170 that transmits the micro drive of the drive unit 150 to the first housing 110 is provided on the upper side of the drive unit 150. The coupler unit 170 may be fixed to the upper side of the drive unit 150 by a fixing screw 151. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the drive unit 150 is fixed to the second housing 140, and the coupler unit 170 can be micro-driven by the drive of the drive unit 150.

Referring to FIG. 8, the coupler unit 170 includes a fixed plate 172 and a plurality of couplers 174 provided on the fixed plate 172. The fixed plate 172 is fixed to the upper portion of the driving unit 150, and the couplers 174 may be configured to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the fixed plate 172.

A coupler through hole 144 is formed in the upper surface of the second housing 140, and the coupler 174 is coupled to the bottom surface of the first lower housing 110B through the coupler through hole 144. In one embodiment, the coupler 174 can be coupled to the first lower housing 110B by coupling a fixing screw (not shown) to a coupling hole 176 formed in the upper part of the coupler 174 through a coupler fixing screw hole 108 formed in the first lower housing 110B.

The above description is merely an illustrative example of the technical concept of the present invention, and various modifications, changes, and substitutions can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments and accompanying drawings disclosed in the present invention are intended to explain, not limit, the technical concept of the present invention, and the scope of the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by such embodiments and accompanying drawings. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the claims, and all technical concepts within the equivalent range should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1,100: video imaging device 10,110: first housing 12,112: transparent window 20,120: image sensor section 30,130: cooling section 32,132: thermally conductive medium 40,140: second housing 42,142: protrusion 44,144: coupler through hole 46,146: heat dissipation pin 48,148: drive section accommodating space 50,150: drive section 52,174: coupler 60,160: cooling fan 170: coupler section

Claims (16)

Image sensor section;
a first housing having the image sensor unit therein and an opening formed on a lower side;
a second housing provided below the first housing;
a drive portion provided in the second housing for moving the first housing relative to the second housing in at least one direction;
at least two couplers that connect the driving unit and a bottom end of the first housing through an upper surface of the second housing; and a cooling unit that is coupled to the upper surface of the second housing and that cools the image sensor unit;
Including ,
The second housing has an upper surface provided with a protrusion, and the lower opening of the first housing is coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the protrusion . The video imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second housing is formed with a drive unit housing space for housing the drive unit. The video capture device according to claim 2, characterized in that the second housing has a plurality of coupler through-holes that connect the drive unit storage space to the upper surface of the second housing and allow the coupler to pass through. a coupler part coupled to an upper part of the driving part in the driving part receiving space,
4. The video photographing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the coupler is formed in the coupler section. The video capture device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower surface of the first housing does not contact the upper surface of the second housing. The video imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that a thermally conductive medium is provided between the cooling unit and the image sensor unit, the thermal conductive medium being in contact with the cooling unit and the image sensor unit. The video imaging device according to claim 6, characterized in that the image sensor unit is capable of slight movement while in contact with the thermally conductive medium. The video imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling unit is connected to the image sensor unit via a sensor block, and a thermally conductive medium is provided between the sensor block and the image sensor unit. The image capture device according to claim 1, wherein the first housing comprises a first upper housing having a transparent window formed therein, and a first lower housing coupled to a lower portion of the first upper housing. The video imaging device according to claim 9, characterized in that an image sensor board on which the image sensor unit is mounted is sandwiched and fixed to the joining surface between the first upper housing and the first lower housing. The image capture device according to claim 10, wherein the image sensor board has an extension portion exposed to the outside of the first housing. The image capturing device according to claim 11, further comprising an upper image sensor board cover and a lower image sensor board cover that are coupled to the outside of the first housing to cover the extension, or are integrally formed with the first upper housing and the first lower housing, respectively. The video imaging device according to claim 11, characterized in that a cable is connected to the extension, and the cable is connected to a main board provided in the second housing through a cable through hole formed on the upper surface of the second housing. The image capturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cooling part is coupled to an upper surface of the second housing inside the protrusion. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a sealing member is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the protrusion in an elastically deformable manner to enable the first housing to move in the one direction. The image capturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the coupler couples the driving part and the end of the first housing on an outer side of the protrusion.

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