阅读说明：本技术 成像装置和信息终端 (Imaging device and information terminal ) 是由 宇野胜 米山厚司 于 2018-10-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种成像装置设有反射镜,以避免对显示屏施加限制。所述成像装置(100)包括：反射镜(3)；移动机构(200),用于使所述反射镜(3)从第一位置弹出到第二位置,所述第一位置为所述装置内的保持位置,所述第二位置在所述装置的顶部处；以及切换机构(300),用于响应所述反射镜(3)的弹出使所述反射镜(3)从第一反射模式切换为第二反射模式,所述第一反射模式允许反射来自所述装置(100)的第一表面的光,所述第二反射模式允许反射来自所述装置(100)的第二表面的光。(An imaging device is provided with a mirror to avoid imposing restrictions on a display screen. The imaging apparatus (100) includes: a mirror (3); a moving mechanism (200) for ejecting the mirror (3) from a first position, which is a holding position within the device, to a second position at the top of the device; and a switching mechanism (300) for switching the mirror (3) from a first reflective mode to a second reflective mode in response to the mirror (3) being ejected, the first reflective mode allowing light from a first surface of the device (100) to be reflected, the second reflective mode allowing light from a second surface of the device (100) to be reflected.)

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a mirror;

a moving mechanism for ejecting the mirror from a first position to a second position, the first position being a holding position within the apparatus, the second position being at a top of the apparatus; and

a switching mechanism for switching the mirror from a first reflective mode to a second reflective mode in response to the mirror popping out, the first reflective mode allowing light from a first surface of the device to be reflected, the second reflective mode allowing light from a second surface of the device to be reflected.

2. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mirror is configured to move from the first position to the second position in response to the positional movement of the moving mechanism.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the switching mechanism is configured to move with a positional movement of the moving mechanism, and to urge the mirror to rotate based on the movement, so that the first reflection mode can be changed to the second reflection mode.

4. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the moving mechanism includes a drive source, a lead screw rotated by the drive source, and a member for linearly moving together with the switching mechanism in the direction of the optical axis by rotation of the lead screw.

5. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the switching mechanism includes a rotatable rotating member and a spring that is in contact with one end of the mirror and is provided to urge the mirror so as to switch the reflection mode of the mirror from the first reflection mode to the second reflection mode by rotation of the rotating member.

6. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the moving mechanism includes an imaging optical system.

7. The imaging apparatus of claim 6, wherein the moving mechanism comprises: an oscillator; a driving member that is provided on one end side of a lens of the imaging optical system and that moves the lens of the imaging optical system in a direction of an optical axis by oscillation of the oscillator; and a guide member provided on the other side of the lens and guiding movement of the lens.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the imaging optical system includes a focus lens and a zoom lens.

9. The imaging apparatus of claim 7, wherein the oscillator is a piezoelectric element.

10. An information terminal characterized by comprising the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, and more particularly, to a mechanism of a mirror.

Background

There is known a portable information terminal such as a smartphone mounted on a camera, which images an object with the camera. The portable interface is provided with a display device capable of displaying an object on its display screen.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide an imaging device and an information terminal equipped with a mirror, thereby eliminating the limitation on the display screen area.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the following technical solutions are used in the embodiments.

A first aspect of the embodiments provides the following image forming apparatus.

The image forming apparatus includes:

a mirror;

a moving mechanism for ejecting the mirror from a first position to a second position, the first position being a holding position within the apparatus, the second position being at a top of the apparatus; and

a switching mechanism for switching the mirror from a first reflective mode to a second reflective mode in response to the mirror popping out, the first reflective mode allowing light from a first surface of the device to be reflected, the second reflective mode allowing light from a second surface of the device to be reflected.

According to the first aspect, for example, the optical path formed by the first reflection mode and the second reflection mode of the mirror does not function as the display screen side on the first surface side, so that the occupation area of the display screen is not reduced. Therefore, the limitation of the display screen can be eliminated.

In a first possible form of the first aspect of the embodiment, the mirror may be adapted to move from the first position to the second position accordingly with a positional movement of the moving mechanism. This enables a displacement of the mirror position and thus an ejection of the mirror.

According to the first aspect of the embodiments or the first possible manner of the first aspect, in the second possible manner of the first aspect of the embodiments, the switching mechanism may be configured to move in accordance with a positional movement of the moving mechanism, and to urge the mirror to rotate based on the movement, so that the first reflection mode can be changed to the second reflection mode. This allows switching the reflective mode of the mirror.

According to the first aspect of the embodiments, or the first or second possible manner of the first aspect, in a third possible manner of the first aspect of the embodiments, the moving mechanism may include a drive source, a lead screw rotated by the drive source, and a member for linearly moving together with the switching mechanism in the direction of the optical axis by rotation of the lead screw. This may allow the switching mechanism and the member to move linearly, and thus, ejection of the mirror and switching of the reflection mode thereof may be achieved.

According to the first aspect of the embodiments, or the first to third possible manners of the first aspect, in a fourth possible manner of the first aspect of the embodiments, the switching mechanism may include a rotatable rotating member and a spring that is in contact with one end of the mirror and is provided to urge the mirror so as to switch the reflection mode of the mirror from the first reflection mode to the second reflection mode by rotation of the rotating member. This may allow a spring to apply a force to the mirror 3 in order to switch the reflective mode of the mirror.

According to the first aspect of the embodiments, or the first possible manner to the fourth possible manner of the first aspect, in a fifth possible manner of the first aspect of the embodiments, the moving mechanism may include an imaging optical system. This may also allow the moving mechanism to move the imaging optical system.

According to the first aspect of the embodiments, or the first possible manner to the fifth possible manner of the first aspect, in a sixth possible manner of the first aspect of the embodiments, the moving mechanism may include: an oscillator; a driving member that is provided on one end side of a lens of the imaging optical system and that moves the lens of the imaging optical system in a direction of an optical axis by oscillation of the oscillator; and a guide member provided on the other side of the lens and guiding movement of the lens. This may allow moving the lens in the imaging optical system.

Drawings

In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments, the drawings required for describing the embodiments are briefly described below. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description depict only some of the possible embodiments and that still further drawings may be derived therefrom by those skilled in the art without inventive effort, in which:

fig. 1A is a perspective view of a schematic configuration example of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment before mirror ejection.

Fig. 1B is a perspective view of a schematic configuration example of an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment after mirror ejection.

Fig. 2A is an exemplary view of a cross section of the imaging device in fig. 1A.

Fig. 2B is an exemplary view of a cross section of the imaging device in fig. 1B.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the internal components of the imaging device of FIG. 1A.

Fig. 4 is an exemplary view of a cross section of the mirror, the switching mechanism, and the moving mechanism in the imaging device in fig. 3.

Fig. 5A is a schematic configuration diagram of a mirror and a switching mechanism in the imaging device in fig. 1A.

Fig. 5B is a schematic configuration diagram of the mirror and the switching mechanism in the imaging device in fig. 5A as viewed from the a side.

Fig. 6A is a schematic configuration diagram of a mirror and a switching mechanism in the imaging device in fig. 2A.

Fig. 6B is a schematic configuration diagram of the mirror and the switching mechanism in the imaging device in fig. 6A as viewed from the a side.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions of the embodiments are described below clearly with reference to the drawings of the embodiments. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are not all embodiments, but are merely some embodiments. It should be noted that all other embodiments that can be obtained by a person skilled in the art on the basis of embodiments without inventive step shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

The imaging apparatus 100 in the present embodiment will be explained below. In this imaging apparatus 100, the mirror is used for pop-up. The embodiment shows an exemplary case where the imaging apparatus is incorporated in a smartphone as an example, but is not limited thereto. An information terminal such as a tablet type terminal, a notebook personal computer, or the like is an example of the imaging apparatus 100.

First, referring to fig. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B, states before and after the mirror is ejected will be explained. Fig. 1A is a perspective view of a schematic configuration example of the imaging apparatus 100 before the mirror 3 is ejected. Fig. 1B is a perspective view of a schematic configuration example of the imaging apparatus 100 after the mirror is ejected. Fig. 2A is an exemplary diagram of a cross section of the imaging device 100 in fig. 1A. Fig. 2B is an exemplary diagram of a cross section of the imaging device 100 in fig. 1B.

As shown in fig. 1A and 2A, an aperture is provided in the rear side 100B of the imaging device 100, and a lens 13 is provided to block this aperture. In the pre-ejection state, the mirror 3 is placed at a storage position (first position) on the back of the lens 13. The angle of the mirror 3 is set so that the mirror 3 at this position shown in fig. 2A can reflect the light d1 entering from the back side 100B via the lens 13 and direct the light d1 toward the optical system (located on the lower side of the device in fig. 2A).

As shown in fig. 1B and 2B, on the other hand, after the mirror 3 is ejected, the mirror 3 is placed at a position (second position) above the upper portion of the apparatus. In this case, as will be described later, the angle of the mirror 3 is set so that the mirror 3 can reflect the light d2 from the display screen (top surface) 100A and direct the light d2 toward the optical system. As will be described in detail later, when the mirror 3 moves from the pre-pop-up state to the post-pop-up state, the mirror 3 rotates in accordance with the movement, whereby the angle of the mirror 3 can be set. Therefore, in the case where the mirror 3 is in the pop-up state, for example, an object on the display screen side of the smartphone can be imaged. At this time, for example, since the display screen of the smartphone is not used as the optical path when imaging the object, the occupied area of the display screen does not become small, and thus the limitation on the display screen can be eliminated.

In the following description of the embodiments, the manner in which the mirror 3 reflects the light d1 shown in exemplary fig. 2A before ejection as shown in fig. 1A is referred to as a "first reflection mode". The manner in which the mirror 3 reflects light d2 as shown in exemplary FIG. 2B after ejection as shown in FIG. 1B is referred to as a "second reflection mode".

Fig. 3 illustrates exemplary internal components of imaging device 100 prior to ejection as shown in fig. 1A and 2A. In the example of fig. 3, the imaging apparatus 100 includes a moving mechanism 200 for the mirror 3 and a switching mechanism 300 for switching the reflection mode of the mirror 3.

The moving mechanism 200 may include a stepping motor (driving source) 21, a lead screw 9 rotated by the stepping motor 21, and a member 5 for linearly moving along the x-axis direction (optical axis) together with the switching mechanism 300 with the rotation of the lead screw 9. The stepping motor 21 may be driven upon receiving the eject instruction. For example, this instruction may include an instruction based on a touch operation on the display screen.

In the example of fig. 3, the spindle 8 is arranged to extend parallel to the screw 9 in the x-axis direction and is coupled to the screw 9 via a nut 11. The holding members 81, 82, 83 are arranged in connection with the edges of the member 5 to hold the member 5. The moving mechanism 200 is also adapted to be slidable relative to the main shaft 8. One end of the holding member 82 is connected to one end of the spring 22 for surrounding the main shaft 8. The other end of the spring 22 is connected to the fixed end 91. Thus, the rotation of the stepping motor 21 can be converted into a linear movement of the nut 11 along the spindle 8 via the lead screw 9. The movement of the nut 11 and the elastic force of the spring 22 allow the member 5 to move as described above.

The moving mechanism 200 further includes an imaging optical system. For example, the zoom lens 10 and the autofocus lens 15 are equipped with an imaging optical system. The aperture system 16 is mounted on the front side of the auto-focus lens 15, and has two different aperture diameters. These aperture diameters allow the focus to be adjusted.

In this embodiment, piezoelectric elements (oscillators) 13a and 13b that expand and contract due to an applied voltage are used as an example of the position adjustment of the lenses 10 and 15.

The piezoelectric element 13a is used to adjust the position of the zoom lens 10 in the x-axis direction. In the example of fig. 3, the fixed member 12a is in contact with one end of the piezoelectric element 13a, and the driving shaft 14a as a driving friction member is in contact with the other end of the piezoelectric element 13 a. The fixing member 12a is, for example, a mandrel. The drive member 30 is frictionally retained on the drive shaft 14 a. The guide member 33 is movably mounted on the drive shaft 14 a.

The fixed member 12b is in contact with one end of the piezoelectric element 13b, and the driving shaft 14b as a driving friction member is in contact with the other end of the piezoelectric element 13 b. The fixing member 12b is, for example, a mandrel. The drive shaft 14b is disposed parallel to the drive shaft 14 a. The guide member 31 is movably mounted on the drive shaft 14 b.

Similar to the lens 10, the autofocus lens 15 can be moved in the x-axis direction by the oscillation of the piezoelectric element 13b connected to one end of the fixed member 12 b. That is, in the example of fig. 3, the driving member 34 is mounted to the driving shaft 14b, and is configured to move in the x-axis direction by oscillation of the piezoelectric element 13 b. In addition, the guide member 33 is mounted on the drive shaft 14a disposed parallel to the drive shaft 14b, and is used for movement in the x-axis direction.

In fig. 3, the sensor 18 as an imaging element is attached to a sensor holder 19, and the sensor holder 19 is movable in the y-axis and z-axis directions. The sensor 18 is an image sensor such as a charge-Coupled Device (CCD), a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS), or the like.

In fig. 3, when the lead screw 9 of the image forming apparatus 100 is rotated and the nut 11 is moved in the x-axis direction, the holding members 81 and 82 mounted on the main shaft 8 can also be moved in the x-axis direction. Since the member 5 is held by the holding members 81 and 82, the member 5 can also move in the x-axis direction with the movement of the holding members 81 and 82. In this case, the holding member 83 may also be moved while holding the member 5. In this embodiment, since the lenses 10 and 15, the sensor 18, and the switching mechanism 300 are mounted on the member 5, these members can also move along with the movement of the member 5.

In fig. 3, for example, when the piezoelectric element 13a is driven to elongate, the driving member 30 may move due to friction of the driving shaft 14 a. In contrast, when the piezoelectric element 13a is driven to contract, the friction of the driving shaft 14a is reduced so that the driving member 30 can be substantially held at the position. Such extension and contraction (oscillation) of the piezoelectric element 13a can move the driving member 30 in the x-axis direction. Since the driving member 30 is in contact with one end side of the zoom lens 10, the zoom lens 10 can also be moved in the x-axis direction in accordance with the movement of the driving member 30. Since the guide member 31 is in contact with the other end side of the zoom lens 10, the guide member 31 can be used to guide the movement of the other end side of the zoom lens 10 when the driving member 30 moves.

Similarly to the case of the piezoelectric element 13a, the extension and contraction (oscillation) of the piezoelectric element 13b can move the driving member 34 in the x-axis direction. In this case, since the driving member 34 is in contact with one end side of the autofocus lens 15, the autofocus lens 15 may also be moved in the x-axis direction in accordance with the movement of the driving member 34. Since the guide member 33 is in contact with the other end side of the autofocus lens 15, the guide member 33 can be used to guide the movement of the other end side of the autofocus lens 15 when the driving member 34 moves.

In fig. 3, the sensor 18 can move in the y-axis direction along with the movement of the sensor holder 19 in the y-axis direction caused by the extension and contraction (oscillation) of the piezoelectric element 13 d. The manner in which the sensor 18 moves in the z-axis direction is shown in detail in fig. 4.

As an example, fig. 4 is a schematic view of the arrangement of the moving mechanism 200 and the switching mechanism 200 in the x-axis direction. In fig. 4, the fixing member 12c is in contact with one end of the piezoelectric element 13c, and the driving shaft 14c as a driving friction member is in contact with the other end of the piezoelectric element 13 c. Illustratively, the securing member 12c may be a mandrel. The sensor holder 19 moves in the z-axis direction due to the extension and contraction (oscillation) of the piezoelectric element 13c, and the sensor 18 can also move in the z-axis direction.

In the imaging apparatus 100, the fixing member 12a contacting one end of the piezoelectric element 13a is attached to the lens mount 17, and the lens mount 17 is attached to the sub-mount 2 on the member 5. An aperture system 16 is attached to the front side of the autofocus lens 15.

In fig. 4, the mirror 3 may be configured in such a manner that, when moving from the solid line position (first position in which the mirror 3 is held within the device) to the dotted line position (second position in which the mirror 3 is ejected and moved over the upper part of the device), the mirror 3 may be rotated by 90 degrees so as to switch the reflective mode of the mirror 3 from the first reflective mode (fig. 2A) to the second reflective mode (fig. 2B). For the sake of schematic simplification, fig. 4 shows only the mirror 3, and the illustration of its switching mechanism is omitted.

Next, referring to fig. 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B, the manner of switching the mirror 3 will be explained below. Fig. 5A is a schematic configuration diagram of the mirror 3 and the switching mechanism 300 when the mirror 3 is substantially in the first position. Fig. 5B is a view showing an example of the arrangement of the mirror 3 and the switching mechanism 300 as viewed from the a side shown in fig. 5A. Fig. 6A is a schematic configuration diagram of the mirror 3 and the switching mechanism 300 when the mirror 3 is substantially in the second position. Fig. 6B is a view showing an example of the arrangement of the mirror 3 and the switching mechanism 300 as viewed from the a side of fig. 6A.

As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the switching mechanism 300 includes a rotatable switching plate 4, and two protruding portions 41 and 42 are formed on the switching plate 4. As described above, the switching mechanism 300 can be moved in the z-axis direction by the driving force of the stepping motor. A kick plate 50 is provided in the switching mechanism 300, wherein one ends of the protruding portions 41 and 42 can be respectively brought into contact with the kick plate 50. That is, the kick plate 550 is fixed to the apparatus main body (main base 1) and has the positional relationship described above. Therefore, one of the protruding portions 41, 42 abuts on the kick plate 50 with the movement of the switching mechanism 300, thereby rotating the protruding portion 41 or 42, thereby rotating the switching plate 4. The rotation axis of the mirror 3 is provided on this switch plate 4 coaxially with the rotation axis of the switch plate 4. Therefore, the mirror 3 can rotate with the rotation of the switching plate 4.

In the example of fig. 5A, the protruding portion 41 may abut on one end of the kick plate 50. As described above, since one end of the kick plate 50 is provided to be fixed to the apparatus main body, the switch plate 4 is rotated with the movement of the switch mechanism 300, and the reflection mirror 3 is rotated with the rotation of the switch plate 4. The switching mechanism 300 includes a center spring 7, one end of the center spring 7 is fixed to one end of the reflecting mirror 3 so as to be rotatable at the end, and the other end of the center spring 7 is fixed to the sub-base 2 of the moving mechanism 200 so as to be rotatable at a fixed point. The force of the spring 7 may be applied against the stop 27 to apply a force to the mirror 3 in the first position of the mirror 3 and against the stop 28 to apply a force to the mirror 3 in the second position of the mirror 3. Therefore, the respective positions of the mirrors 3 can be stably set.

When the switch plate 4 is rotated clockwise from the position shown in fig. 5A and 5B in the drawing (substantially the first position) to rotate the mirror 3 in the direction of the arrow 400 in fig. 5A, the mirror 3 is first rotated against the retracting force of the center spring 7, and when rotated about 45 degrees, the mirror 3 is rotated under the urging force also increased by the retracting force of the center spring 7. Then, the mirror 3 reaches a state (substantially the second position) in which the mirror 3 is rotated by about 90 degrees as shown in fig. 6A and 6B. At this time, in the example shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the protruding portions 41 and 42 are rotated as the switch plate 4 is rotated in the clockwise direction while the reflecting mirror 3 is moved from the first position to the second position so that the protruding portion 42 can abut on the one end of the kick plate 50.

As described above, the imaging apparatus 100 is configured such that the ejection of the mirror 3 can switch the reflection mode of the mirror 3 from the first reflection mode (fig. 2A) to the second reflection mode (fig. 2B). It should be noted that even when the mirror 3 is popped up, the optical path of the mirror 3 is not used on the side of the display screen so that the occupied area of the display screen is not reduced and the display screen is not restricted.

The mirror 3 may be used to return from the second position (fig. 1B) to the first position (fig. 1A). That is, since the lead screw 9 can be rotated in the x-axis direction in the direction opposite to the direction in the above-described embodiment, the switch plate 4 of the switching mechanism 300 can be moved in the x-axis direction along with the movement of the member 5. As a result, in fig. 6A and 6B, the center spring 7 can urge the protruding portion 42 of the switching plate 4 in a direction opposite to the direction of abutment from the state where the protruding portion 42 abuts on one end of the kick plate 50. This application of force may rotate the mirror 3 in a direction opposite to the direction of arrow 400 and press the mirror 3 against the stop 28. Thus, for example, the mirror 3 may be rotated by about 90 degrees, as shown in fig. 5A and 5B.

The foregoing description is of specific implementations only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Any changes or substitutions that may occur to those skilled in the art and that fall within the scope of the disclosed technology are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.