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US 8,300,094 B2Granted
Image pickup module, manufacturing and assembling methods of the same, endoscope and capsule type endoscope using the same
AssigneeOlympus Medical Systems Corp.
InventorsTatsuya Orihara, Mitsujiro Konno, Hitoshi Fukuhiro
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image pickup module comprises a lens assembly including a lens having a flange part, and a frame component for shading a circumferential surface excluding a neighborhood of a top portion of the flange part in the lens; an image pickup element which the top portion of the flange part touches; and an illumination element arranged around the lens assembly and the image pickup element. The image pickup module is constituted so that exit light from a luminescent surface of the illumination element does not reach directly to an exposed portion that is not shaded by the frame component of the flange part.
Claims26
An image pickup module comprising:
- a lens having a flange part, said lens and flange part being integrally formed of a light transmitting material, and an image pickup element which a top portion of the flange part touches;
- a frame component that forms a lens assembly together with the lens having the flange part, the frame component being constructed and arranged to shade an outer circumferential surface of the lens excluding a neighborhood of the top portion of the flange part;
- and
- illumination elements arranged around the lens assembly and the image pickup element;
- wherein
- the image pickup module is constructed and arranged so that light emergent from light-emitting surfaces of the illumination elements fails to directly reach an exposed portion, which fails to be shaded by the frame component, of the flange part, and
- an inner circumferential surface of the flange part has an inclined surface such that a diameter of the inner circumferential surface becomes larger as the inclined surface approaches said image pickup element.
4 more elements
A manufacturing method of an image pickup module that includes
- (a) a lens having a flange part, said lens and flange part being integrally formed of a light transmitting material,
- (b) an image pickup element that touches a top portion of the flange part, with an inner circumferential surface of the flange part having an inclined surface such that a diameter of the inner circumferential surface becomes larger as the inclined surface approaches said image pickup element,
- (c) a frame component that forms a lens assembly together with the lens having the flange part, the frame component being constructed and arranged to shade an outer circumferential surface of the lens excluding a neighborhood of the top portion of the flange part, and
- (d) illumination elements arranged around the lens assembly and the image pickup element, wherein
- the image pickup module is constructed and arranged so that light emergent from light-emitting surfaces of the illumination elements fails to directly reach an exposed portion, which fails to be shaded by the frame component, of the flange part, and
- after the top portion of the flange part has been fixed by touching the image pickup element, a lens surface at the object side of the lens having the flange part is coated.
3 more elements
An assembling method of an image pickup module that includes
- a lens having a flange part, said lens and flange part being integrally formed of a light transmitting material by injection molding;
- an image pickup element which a top portion of the flange part touches;
- a frame component that forms a lens assembly together with the lens having the flange part, the frame component being constructed and arranged to shade an outer circumferential surface of the lens excluding a neighborhood of the top portion of the flange part;
- an inner circumferential surface of the flange part has an inclined surface such that a diameter of the inner circumferential surface becomes larger as the inclined surface approaches said image pickup element;
- and
- illumination elements arranged around the lens assembly and the image pickup element wherein
- the image pickup module is constructed and arranged so that light emergent from light-emitting surfaces of the illumination elements fails to directly reach an exposed portion which fails to be shaded by the frame component, of the flange part,
- said assembling method comprising the following steps, performed in the order indicated:
- (a) a first cutting process for cutting gate mark in said lens having a flange part integrally formed by injection molding so that a predetermined length of said gate mark in a radial direction of said lens remain, from a position that does not contain the gate mark;
- (b) a touching process for touching a top portion of the flange part to an image pickup element after said first cutting process;
- and
- (c) a second cutting process for cutting again said gate mark so as to shorten said predetermined length.
9 more elements
An image pickup module comprising:
- a lens having a flange part, said lens and flange part being integrally formed of a light transmitting material;
- an image pickup element which a top part of the flange part touches;
- illumination elements arranged around said lens;
- a frame component that forms a lens assembly together with the lens having the flange part, the frame component being constructed and arranged to shade an outer circumferential surface of the lens excluding a neighborhood of the top portion of the flange part;
- an inner circumferential surface of the flange part has an inclined surface such that a diameter of the inner circumferential surface becomes larger as the inclined surface approaches said image pickup element;
- and
- the illumination elements arranged around the lens assembly and the image pickup element;
- wherein
- the image pickup module is constructed and arranged so that light emergent from light-emitting surfaces of the illumination elements fails to directly reach an exposed portion, which fails to be shaded by the frame component, of the flange part, and
- when the image pickup module is viewed from a direction of a center axis of the lens, the illumination elements are shown at positions off a line that originates from the center axis of the lens and passes through a center of a gate mark remaining on the lens.
7 more elements
An image pickup module comprising:
- a lens assembly comprising a lens having a flange part and a frame component, said lens and flange part being integrally formed of a light transmitting material, said frame component constructed and arranged to shade an outer circumferential surface of the lens excluding a neighborhood of a top portion of the flange part;
- an image pickup element which the top portion of the flange part touches;
- an inner circumferential surface of the flange part has an inclined surface such that a diameter of the inner circumferential surface becomes larger as the inclined surface approaches said image pickup element;
- and
- illumination elements arranged around the lens assembly and the image pickup element;
- wherein the image pickup module is constructed and arranged so that light emergent from light-emitting surfaces of the illumination elements fails to directly reach an exposed portion, which fails to be shaded by the frame component, of the flange part, and
- in the light-emitting surfaces of the illumination elements, regions from which emergent light is reachable to the exposed portion of the flange part are shaded by light intercepting members of the illumination elements.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.