Television – Camera – system and detail – Optics
Reexamination Certificate
1996-02-26
2002-12-24
Ho, Tuan (Department: 2612)
Television
Camera, system and detail
Optics
C348S220100, C348S360000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06498624
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an optical apparatus and image sensing apparatus which form an object image on a solid-state image sensing element through a photographing optical member and, more particularly, to an optical apparatus and image sensing apparatus which sense an object image by using a solid-state image sensing element.
A solid-state image sensing element such as a CCD is used for an image sensing apparatus such as an electronic still camera or video camera. This solid-state image sensing element is sealed in a bare chip, a ceramic package, or the like. The image sensing surface of the solid-state image sensing element is exposed on the upper surface of this package, and a plurality of terminals such as an output terminal for outputting signals accumulated in the solid-state image sensing element and an input terminal for inputting a timing pulse or the like are arranged on the lower surface of the package. These terminals are soldered to corresponding electrical connection portions formed on a board. By soldering the terminals to the board, the solid-state image sensing element is mounted on the board.
Generally, an optical apparatus using a solid-state image sensing element has a zoom lens mechanism to obtain a desired photographing range.
A method of mounting this solid-state image sensing element will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.
30
.
FIG. 30
is a perspective view showing a method of mounting a conventional solid-state image sensing element.
When a solid-state image sensing element sealed in a package is to be mounted on a board, the solid-state image sensing element is mounted with its lower surface opposing the upper surface of the board, and the terminals arranged on the lower surface of the solid-state image sensing element are soldered to the corresponding lands on the upper surface of the board, as shown in FIG.
30
. The board on which this solid-state image sensing element is mounted is connected, through a wiring means such as lead wires or a flexible board, to a board on which a signal processing IC and the like are mounted.
The image sensing apparatus using the above solid-state image sensing element will be described next with reference to FIG.
31
.
FIG. 31
is a longitudinal sectional view showing the arrangement of the image sensing apparatus using the solid-state image sensing element.
As shown in
FIG. 31
, the image sensing apparatus includes a plurality of lens groups constituted by a first lens group
101
a,
a second lens group
101
b,
a third lens group
101
c,
and a fourth lens group
101
d.
The second and fourth lens groups
101
b
and
101
d
are moved along the optical axis within predetermined ranges. The second lens group
101
b
is moved to perform a zooming operation. The fourth lens group
101
d
is moved to perform focus adjustment.
An optical low-pass filter
102
and a solid-state image sensing element
103
such as a CCD are sequentially arranged on the optical axis behind the fourth lens group
101
d.
The first lens group
101
a,
the third lens group
101
c,
the optical low-pass filter
102
, the solid-state image sensing element
103
, and the like are held in a housing
104
.
The second lens group
101
b
is held in an optical holding member
105
. The optical holding member
105
is supported to be movable along the optical axis on a guide pin
106
and a threaded member
107
which extend parallel along the optical axis. Each end portion of the guide pin
106
is supported on the housing
104
.
The threaded member
107
has a threaded portion to be engaged with the optical holding member
105
. Each end portion of the threaded member
107
is rotatably supported on the housing
104
. A driving force from a stepping motor
110
is transferred to the threaded member
107
through a gear group
101
. When the threaded member
107
is rotated by the driving force from the stepping motor
110
, the optical holding member
105
is guided by the guide pin
106
and moved along the optical axis upon rotation of the threaded member
107
. By moving the optical holding member
105
, a zooming operation using the second lens group
101
b
is performed. The play between the threaded member
107
and the optical holding member
105
is removed by a biasing spring
108
and a biasing member
109
.
Similar to the second lens group
101
b,
the fourth lens group
101
d
is supported in an optical holding member
116
. The optical holding member
116
is supported to be movable along the optical axis on a guide pin
117
and a threaded member
113
which extend parallel along the optical axis. Each end portion of the guide pin
117
is supported on the housing
104
.
The threaded member
113
has a threaded portion to be engaged with the optical holding member
116
. One end portion of the threaded member
113
is rotatably supported on the housing
104
. The other end portion of the threaded member
113
is rotatably supported on the housing
104
and directly connected to the output shaft of a stepping motor
112
. When the threaded member
113
is rotated by a driving force from the stepping motor
112
, the optical holding member
116
is guided by the guide pin
117
and moved along the optical axis upon rotation of the threaded member
113
. By moving the optical holding member
116
, focus adjustment using the fourth lens group
101
d
is performed. The play between the threaded member
113
and the optical holding member
116
is removed by the biasing spring
108
and the biasing member
109
.
The moving positions of the second and fourth lens groups
101
b
and
101
d,
i.e., the moving positions of the optical holding members
105
and
116
, are detected by position detection means (not shown). The detection amounts are used to control a zooming operation and a focus adjusting operation.
A stop
114
is disposed between the second lens group
101
b
and the third lens group
101
c.
The aperture of the stop
114
is adjusted by a driving force from a motor
115
. The exposure amount is adjusted by this adjustment of the aperture of the stop
114
.
The housing
104
serves both as a means for shielding each lens group and the solid-state image sensing element
103
against light and as a means for shielding them against electromagnetism.
With the recent advances in semiconductor chips such as memories and microcomputers, portable information devices have spread. Efforts have been made to further miniaturize such devices and improve their performance. Portability is a requirement for such portable information devices. Regarding the forms of the devices, a low profile is especially required.
These portable information devices include an optical apparatus for photographing an object image, information equipment including this optical apparatus, and the like. In order to obtain a low-profile optical apparatus, the overall thickness of the apparatus including a photographing optical system (a system constituted by, e.g., the lens groups, the stop, and the solid-state image sensing element in
FIG. 31
) and a mechanical system (a system constituted by, e.g., the gears and the motors which drive the lens groups, the motor which drives the stop, and the like in
FIG. 31
) must be decreased.
In general, in the conventional optical apparatus, however, since the optical holding member
105
included in the mechanical system is axially supported to be symmetrical with the optical axis, the outer size of the housing
104
becomes large as compared with the lens system. In addition, since the motor and the like are disposed outside the housing
104
, the overall outer size of the apparatus further increases. It is therefore very difficult to decrease the size of the apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, i.e., to attain a decrease in thickness in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis.
The first to fourth lens groups
101
a
to
101
d,
the optical low-pass filter
102
, the solid-state image sensing element
103
, and the like are held in the hous
Kimura Ken-ichi
Kurihashi Toshiya
Ogino Hiroyuki
Ogura Shigeo
Takeda Nobuhiro
Ho Tuan
Morgan & Finnegan , LLP
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