JP2006251058A - Digital camera and lens unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently dissipate heat generated from an imaging device, relating to a digital camera and a lens unit. <P>SOLUTION: The digital camera 2 is constituted of a camera body 3 and the lens unit 4. The lens unit 4 is freely attachable/detachable to/from the camera body 3. The lens unit 4 comprises a lens-barrel part 6 in which a photographing lens 24 is built, a heat dissipation part 7 in which a CCD 25 is built, and a lens side mount part 8 which is mounted on a mount part 10 of the camera body 3. A heat transmission member 30 composing the heat dissipation part 7 includes a pedestal part 32 close to the CCD 25, and an abutment face 30a abutted on a body side mount part 10, and conducts the heat generated from the CCD 25 and dissipates it to the camera body 3 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an interchangeable lens type digital camera and a lens unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, digital cameras that convert a captured image captured using an image sensor such as a CCD into digital image data and record it on a recording medium such as a built-in memory or a memory card have become widespread. Among digital cameras, there are an integrated type in which a photographing lens is integrated with a camera body, and an interchangeable lens type in which various photographing lenses are detachably attached to the camera body.

  Many conventional interchangeable lens digital cameras are based on existing systems for conventional silver salt film cameras (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and interchangeable lenses are used almost as they are for silver salt films. However, a general configuration is that a subject image is formed on an image sensor incorporated on the camera body side instead of a silver salt film, and image data is recorded on a recording medium.

  However, recently, the downsizing of the image sensor and the increase in the number of pixels have progressed, so that the existing system of the conventional silver salt film has not been diverted, and the new configuration of the interchangeable lens digital camera has been adopted. It is considered to incorporate the element on the interchangeable lens side. As a result, there is no need to optically connect the interchangeable lens and the camera body, and it is only necessary to electrically connect the interchangeable lens side and the camera body side, so that the structure can be made relatively simple. Can be obtained.

On the other hand, since the number of pixels is increasing and the density of the pixels is increasing in the image pickup device, a high heat generation temperature has been a problem, and an image taken by the influence of heat generated from the image pickup device has become a problem. Since there is a problem of deterioration or noise, a structure for dissipating heat generated from the image sensor is considered. For example, in Patent Document 2, heat is generated between the image sensor and the metal plate. A structure is described in which a conductive member is interposed and heat conducted to the metal plate by the heat conductive member is released to the outside. Patent Document 3 also describes a configuration in which heat is conducted by a metal frame in contact with the CCD and radiated to the outside air.
JP-A-8-171130 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-177023 JP 2001-30569 A

  However, in the case of an interchangeable lens digital camera in which an image sensor is incorporated on the interchangeable lens side, a lens group, an image sensor, an image sensor drive circuit, a zoom motor, a focus motor, and the like are concentrated in the lens unit, and the lens unit is Due to the hermetic structure, the space in which the image sensor is incorporated is limited, heat is easily trapped, and the influence of heat generation is further increased. As a result, a sufficient heat dissipation effect cannot be obtained simply by dissipating heat from the image sensor to the outside air as in the structures described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 above.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a digital camera and a lens unit that can efficiently dissipate heat generated from an image sensor.

  The digital camera of the present invention is a digital camera comprising a lens unit that incorporates a photographic lens and an image sensor, and a camera body that has a mount portion on which the lens unit is detachably mounted. A heat transfer member that conducts heat generated to the mount portion; the heat transfer member contacting the mount portion when the lens unit is mounted on the camera body; and the contact surface And a proximity surface that is close to the image sensor and through which heat from the image sensor is conducted. Note that a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor is used as the imaging device.

  In addition, it is preferable that a filler having heat conductivity is provided between the imaging element and the proximity surface. Moreover, it is preferable to have the radiation fin located in the outer peripheral surface of the said lens unit, and provided integrally with the said heat-transfer member.

  The lens unit of the present invention includes a photographic lens and an image sensor, and is a lens unit that is detachable from a mount provided on the camera body, and a contact surface that contacts the mount when mounted on the camera body, And a heat transfer member that is formed integrally with the contact surface and has a proximity surface that is close to the image sensor and through which heat from the image sensor is conducted.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a filler having heat conductivity is provided between the imaging element and the proximity surface. Furthermore, it is preferable to have a radiation fin provided integrally with the heat transfer member. In addition, as the filler having heat conductivity described above, a viscous material having a high thermal conductivity such as silicon grease or silicon rubber, or a thin plate such as a silicon sheet is used.

  In the present invention, the lens unit is provided with a heat transfer member that conducts heat generated from the image sensor to the mount unit, and the heat transfer member is in contact with the mount unit when mounted on the camera body, Since it is formed integrally with this contact surface and has a proximity surface that is close to the image sensor and conducts heat from the image sensor, it is possible to efficiently dissipate heat generated from the image sensor, It is possible to prevent the deterioration of the image due to the influence of.

  In addition, the heat radiation effect is further enhanced by providing a heat conductive filler between the imaging element and the proximity surface, or by having a heat radiation fin provided integrally with the heat transfer member. .

  A digital camera to which a first embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the digital camera 2 includes a camera body 3 and a lens unit 4. A lens unit 4 is detachably attached to the camera body 3, and the camera body 3 and the lens unit 4 are electrically connected when mounted. 1 shows a state in which the lens unit 4 is attached to the camera body 3, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the lens unit 4 is removed.

  The lens unit 4 includes a lens barrel portion 6, a heat radiating portion 7, and a lens side mount portion 8. A bayonet claw 9 is formed on the lens side mount portion 8 located at the rear end portion. The bayonet claw 9 is provided with a connection terminal 9a (see FIG. 5). A bayonet groove 11 is formed in the body-side mount portion 10 provided on the front surface of the camera body 3. Further, a mount lid 12 that is urged forward by a coil spring 13 (see FIG. 3) is provided inside the body-side mount portion 10, and dust enters the camera body 3 when the lens unit is not attached. To prevent.

  When the lens unit 4 is attached to the camera body 3, the mount lid 12 is pushed in and rotated with the bayonet claws 9 aligned with the bayonet grooves 11. When the lens unit 4 is rotated by a predetermined angle, the lock pin 16 of the body side mount portion 10 engages with a pin hole (not shown) of the lens side mount portion 8 so that the lens unit 4 is positioned and attached to the body side mount portion 10. . Further, as the lens unit 4 is positioned, the connection terminal 9 a of the lens side mount portion 8 is connected to the connection terminal 10 a (see FIG. 5) of the body side mount portion 10.

  In the vicinity of the body side mount portion 10, a lock release button 17 that interlocks with the lock pin 16 is provided. The lock release button 17 is operated when the lens unit 4 is removed, and can be released by moving the lock pin 16 backward by pressing.

  On the upper surface of the camera body 3, there are provided a release button 18 that is pressed when shooting, and a mode operation unit 19 that is operated when switching the shooting / playback mode. Further, a strobe 21 is provided on the front surface of the camera body 3, and an LCD 22 (see FIG. 5) on which a photographed image and various setting conditions are displayed and a power switch 23 (see FIG. 5) are provided on the rear surface. ing.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the lens unit 4 has a photographing lens 24 incorporated in a lens barrel portion 6 formed in a cylindrical shape. The heat radiating portion 7 and the lens side mount portion 8 are located behind the lens barrel portion 6, and a CCD (imaging device) 25 is incorporated inside the heat radiating portion 7. The lens barrel portion 6 and the heat dissipation portion 7 are fixed to each other by, for example, screwing or bonding.

  The heat radiation part 7 and the lens side mount part 8 are configured in detail as shown in FIG. The heat radiating section 7 includes an exterior cylindrical member 26, a pressing member 27, a resin cover 28, a mounting substrate 29, and a heat transfer member 30.

  The heat transfer member 30 is made of metal, and an annular portion 31 located on the outer periphery, a pedestal portion 32 located in the center, and a connecting portion 33 that connects between the annular portion 31 and the pedestal portion 32 are integrally formed. It has become. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a mount base 34 (described later) located on the back side of the annular portion 31 is formed integrally with the heat transfer member 30. A plurality of heat radiation fins 31 a arranged in parallel are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the annular portion 31. Further, a frame portion 31 b that matches the outer shape of the mounting substrate 28 is formed on the front surface of the annular portion 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the lens side mount portion 8 is attached to the body side mount portion 10, the rear surface (contact surface) 30 a of the heat transfer member 30 is arranged so as to contact the front surface of the body side mount portion 10. It is installed.

  The pedestal 32 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that matches the dimensions of the CCD 25, and its front surface (proximity surface) 32 a is provided at a position close to the back surface of the CCD 25, and between this front surface 32 a and the CCD 25. As the heat conductive filler 36 (see FIG. 3) to be filled, a viscous material having high thermal conductivity such as silicon grease or silicon rubber is applied, for example, from the CCD 25 via the heat conductive filler 36. The generated heat is conducted. In addition, as the heat conductive filler, a thin plate such as a silicon sheet may be sandwiched and fixed. Note that heat may be conducted only by air without using these heat conductive fillers. In this case, the distance between the back surface of the CCD 25 and the front surface 32a is made as small as possible, Alternatively, the front surface 32 a is preferably brought into contact with the back surface of the CCD 25.

  The resin cover 28 is formed of a transparent resin, has a substantially rectangular shape, and has an opening 38 (see FIG. 3) that matches the CCD 25 on the back side. The CCD 25 is fitted into the opening 38.

  The pressing member 27 is substantially disc-shaped and has an exposure opening 39 formed in the vicinity of the center, and is positioned in front of the resin cover 28. The presser member 27 presses the resin cover 28 from the front to the heat transfer member 30 side. Thus, the CCD 25 fitted in the resin cover 28 is pressed against the heat transfer member 30 side. The exposure opening 39 is formed in accordance with the size of the CCD 25 and exposes the CCD 25 from the front through the resin cover 28.

  The mounting substrate 29 is an approximately circular thin plate, and an opening 41 slightly smaller than the CCD 25 is formed near the center, and the CCD 25 is mounted at a position closing the opening 41. The mounting substrate 29 incorporates a control circuit for driving the CCD 25, is fitted into the frame portion 31 b of the heat transfer member 30, and is sandwiched and held between the heat transfer member 30 and the pressing member 27. The When the mounting substrate 29 is sandwiched between the heat transfer member 30 and the pressing member 27, the CCD 25 and the front surface 32 a of the pedestal portion 32 are arranged to face each other through the opening 41, and between the CCD 25 and the pedestal portion 32. The above-described heat conductive filler 36 is applied so as to fill the gaps to be formed.

  The exterior cylindrical member 26 has heat radiation fins 26a formed on the outer peripheral surface. The radiating fins 26 a are formed so as to be continuous with the radiating fins 31 a formed on the heat transfer member 30. The exterior cylindrical member 26 is further formed with a plurality of screwing bosses 42. The holding member 27, the resin cover 28, the CCD 25, and the spacer 29 described above are sandwiched between the exterior cylindrical member 26 and the heat transfer member 30 and fixed together, and heat transfer is performed by screwing a screw 43 into the boss 42. The member 30 is screwed to the exterior cylindrical member 26.

  The lens side mount portion 8 includes a mount base portion 34, a claw member 46, a terminal substrate 47, and a pressing plate 48. The mount base 34 includes a plurality of projecting portions 34b projecting from the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 34a, and a screwing boss 34c (see FIG. 3). The claw member 46 includes an annular part 46a, a protruding part 46b protruding from the outer periphery of the annular part 46a, a fitting part 46c protruding from the front surface of the annular part 46a, and a recessed part 46d formed on the back side (FIG. 3). Reference). The fitting portion 46c is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 34a of the mount base 34, and the mount base 34 and the claw member 46 are integrated. The protrusion 34b of the mount base 34 and the protrusion 46b of the claw member 46 have substantially the same outer shape and are formed so as to overlap when the claw member 46 is fitted to the mount base 34. A bayonet claw 9 is formed from the protrusion 34b and the protrusion 46b.

  The terminal board 47 has a shape substantially similar to that of the claw member 46 and is formed to be slightly smaller than the claw member 46, and is fitted into the recess 46d (see FIG. 3) of the claw member 46. A connection terminal 9a (see FIG. 5) used for electrical connection with the camera body 3 is mounted on the terminal board 47, and is electrically connected to the mounting board 29 described above by a flexible board (not shown). The The terminal board 47 is formed with a plurality of through holes 47a for passing through screws to be screwed as will be described later. The holding plate 48 is formed in a circular thin plate shape that is slightly smaller than the terminal substrate 47, and has a plurality of screw holes 48a. The lens-side mount portion 8 is formed by sandwiching the claw member 46 and the terminal substrate 47 between the mount base portion 34 and the presser plate 48, and fixing the screws 49 together with the screw holes 48 and the screw hole bosses 34c. Assembled.

  FIG. 3 shows an electrical configuration of the camera system 2. A CCD 25 is disposed behind the photographing lens 24, and a shutter mechanism, a diaphragm mechanism (not shown), and the like are disposed in front of the CCD 25.

  The CCD 25 is connected to a CCD driver 53, and the driving of the CCD 25 is controlled by a lens unit system control unit 51 (hereinafter, system control unit 51) via the CCD driver 53. The CCD 25 converts an optical subject image into an electrical imaging signal and outputs it. The image pickup signal is amplified to an appropriate level by the amplifier 54 and then digitally converted by the A / D conversion circuit 55 to become image data. This image data is transmitted to the camera body 3 side via the serial driver 56. The system control unit 51 controls the photographing process on the lens unit 4 side based on a command from the camera body system control unit 65 (hereinafter, system control unit 65).

  Image data from the lens unit 4 is written into the memory 58 via the serial driver 57. The signal processing unit 49 reads image data from the memory 58 and performs various image processing such as gradation conversion, white balance correction, and γ correction. The image data that has been subjected to image processing is input to the LCD driver 60 and displayed on the LCD 22 as an image. The captured image is displayed on the LCD 22 as a through image. When the mode operation unit 19 is operated to set the playback mode, the image recorded on the recording medium 63 can be displayed on the LCD 22 and the shooting setting conditions can be displayed on the LCD 22.

  When the release button 12 is pressed, image data subjected to image processing is recorded on the recording medium 63 under the control of the media controller 62. When the release button 12 is pressed, the strobe 14 is driven according to the amount of light from the shooting environment. The system control unit 65 sends a command to the system control unit 51 and controls shooting processing, image display processing, recording processing, and the like on the camera body side. A release button 18, a mode operation unit 19, and a power switch 23 are connected to the system control unit 51.

  Further, a battery 66 is disposed in the camera body 3 and supplies power to each part of the camera body 3. Furthermore, power is supplied from the battery 66 to each part of the lens unit 4 through the contact terminals 6a and 7a.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When the lens unit 4 is attached to the camera body 3, the lens unit 4 and the camera body 3 are electrically connected. When the power switch 19 of the camera body 3 is turned on and then the mode operation unit 19 is operated to select a shooting mode, the CCD 25 is activated. While the use of the digital camera 2 continues, the CCD 25 gradually generates heat. As described above, the heat transfer member 30 that conducts heat from the CCD 25 is connected to the camera body 3 side. Since the heat generated from the CCD 25 is conducted to the mount 10 and is radiated to the camera body 3 side, the heat generated from the CCD 25 can be efficiently radiated, and the image of the CCD 25 due to heat Deterioration can be prevented. In addition, since the heat conductive filler 36 is interposed between the CCD 25 and the pedestal portion 32, heat conduction from the CCD 25 is improved, and heat can be radiated more efficiently. The heat transfer member 30 is integrally provided with heat radiating fins 31a, which can further increase the heat radiating effect.

  In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made using a lens interchangeable digital camera with a detachable lens unit. However, the digital of a system for exchanging an imaging module including a CCD (imaging device) and a driving circuit for driving the CCD. The present invention can also be applied to a camera. In this case, the imaging module may be mounted with the imaging module sandwiched between the lens unit and the camera body, and heat from the imaging element may be conducted to the camera body side by a heat transfer member provided in the imaging module. . Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to cameras other than digital cameras, for example, video cameras.

It is an external perspective view of a digital camera with a lens unit attached. It is an external perspective view of the digital camera with the lens unit removed. It is principal part sectional drawing of a digital camera. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the thermal radiation part and mount part of a lens unit. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a digital camera.

Explanation of symbols

2 Digital Camera 3 Camera Body 4 Lens Unit 7 Heat Dissipation Part 8 Lens Side Mount Part 10 Camera Side Mount Part 24 Shooting Lens 25 CCD
30 Heat Transfer Member 36 Heat Transfer Filler

Claims (6)

In a digital camera comprising a photographic lens and a lens unit incorporating an image pickup device, and a camera body having a mount part to which the lens unit is detachably mounted,
The lens unit includes a heat transfer member that conducts heat generated from the image sensor to the mount, and the heat transfer member contacts the mount when the lens unit is attached to the camera body. And a contact surface formed integrally with the contact surface and in close proximity to the image pickup device to conduct heat from the image pickup device.   The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein a heat-conductive filler is provided between the image sensor and the proximity surface.   The digital camera according to claim 1, further comprising a heat dissipating fin that is located on an outer peripheral surface of the lens unit and is formed integrally with the heat transfer member. In a lens unit that incorporates a photographic lens and an image sensor and is detachable from a mount provided on the camera body,
A heat transfer member having a contact surface that comes into contact with the mount portion when mounted on the camera body, and a proximity surface that is formed integrally with the contact surface and that is close to the image sensor and through which heat from the image sensor is conducted. A lens unit characterized by comprising.   The lens unit according to claim 4, wherein a heat conductive filler is provided between the imaging element and the proximity surface. 6. The lens unit according to claim 4, further comprising a heat radiation fin formed integrally with the heat transfer member.

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