JPH09312725A - Image sensor module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the small sized image sensor module manufactured at a low cost by configuring a light receiving element board to be small in a broadwise direction while effectively preventing a damage or the like of the light receiving element board. SOLUTION: The image sensor module is provided with a light receiving element board 11 whose one side is provided with a light receiving section consisting of a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, a support frame 14 fixed to a lower side of the light receiving element board 11 so as to be contained as a whole and with a notch open toward one side at the part placed to the lower part of the light receiving section, and a protection cover 13 fixed to an upper side of the light receiving element board 11 to be contained as a whole and having a protection wall 25 extended downward from the light receiving element board 11 through one side of the light receiving element board 11 at one side of the cover 13. Then the light receiving section is seen through a slit-shaped opening 28 formed by the notch and the protection wall 25.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image sensor module used in a facsimile, an image scanner, a copying machine, an electronic blackboard and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as an image sensor module used in a facsimile or the like, a C which requires a reduction optical system is used.
In place of the CD type, a contact type image sensor module capable of reading a document at the same size is widely adopted. As a conventional image sensor module, as shown in FIG. 8, a light receiving element substrate 101 in which a light receiving portion 100 composed of a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements is provided along a length direction on a transparent substrate upper surface, and the light receiving element substrate 101 is damaged. To prevent
Protective covers 1 arranged on both upper and lower sides of the light receiving element substrate 101
02 and the support frame 103, and the support frame 1
The light receiving unit 10 is placed at a position of 03 corresponding to the light receiving unit 100.
The one in which the slit 104 through which 0 can be seen is formed has been put into practical use. Reference numeral 105 is a lens unit,
Reference numeral 106 is a printed matter sent to a facsimile or the like, and reference numeral 108 is a light source.

[0003]

By the way, since the light receiving element substrate is made of expensive special glass, it is preferable to make the size as small as possible in order to reduce the manufacturing cost. Regarding the direction, there is a restriction from the size of the printed matter because it is read at the same size, and it cannot be made compact. Further, in the image sensor module,
Since the outer peripheral part of the light receiving element substrate is sandwiched between the protective cover and the support frame to prevent damage to the light receiving element substrate, it is necessary to form a holding space in the outer peripheral part of the light receiving element substrate. This is a major limitation when configuring a small size in the width direction. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8, the light receiving element substrate 101 on the housing side of the support frame 103
Since the mounting margin portion 107 is adjacent to the slit 104, it is necessary to secure a sufficient width in order to obtain the strength and rigidity of the mounting margin portion 107, and the entire module becomes large in the width direction. It also includes the problem of becoming.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image sensor module which is small in size and can be manufactured at a low cost by effectively preventing the damage of the light receiving element substrate and the like and making the light receiving element substrate small in the width direction. That is.

[0005]

An image sensor module according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a light receiving element substrate having a light receiving portion formed of a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements on one side of a transparent substrate upper surface, and a lower side of the light receiving element substrate. A support frame fixed so as to include the whole thereof, wherein a support frame having a notch opening to one side is formed in a portion located on the lower side of the light receiving section, and on the upper side of the light receiving element substrate. A support cover that is fixed so as to include the whole of the support frame, the protection cover having a protection wall formed on one side thereof and extending below the light receiving element substrate through one side of the light receiving element substrate. The light receiving portion can be seen through the slit-shaped opening formed by the notch and the protection wall in a state where the light receiving element substrate is assembled between the protective cover and the protective cover.

Here, as described in claim 2, a positioning protrusion extending toward the protective cover is provided in the vicinity of both ends of one side of the support frame, and one side edge of the light receiving element substrate is abutted to this positioning protrusion. The light receiving element substrate is positioned in the width direction with respect to the support frame by making contact with each other, and as described in claim 3, a fitting recess is formed by cutting out portions near both ends of the protective wall, and the positioning projection is provided in the fitting recess. It is a preferred embodiment to fit the parts and position the protective cover in the longitudinal direction with respect to the support frame.

[0007]

In the image sensor module according to the first aspect of the present invention, the portion of the supporting frame fixed to the lower side of the light receiving element substrate so as to include the whole thereof is located on the lower side of the light receiving section and is laterally moved to one side. A notch that opens toward the bottom is formed, and one side of the protective cover, which is fixed to the upper side of the light receiving element substrate so as to include the whole, passes through one side of the light receiving element substrate and is below the light receiving element substrate. A protective wall extending toward the side is formed, and the light receiving element substrate has three sides except one side sandwiched between the support frame and the protective cover, and one side protected by the protective wall. Protected against large external force. Further, the light receiving portion can be seen through the slit-shaped opening formed by the cutout portion and the protective wall, and the image can be read by the light receiving portion through the opening. That is, in this image sensor module, since one side of the light receiving element substrate is not sandwiched between the support frame and the protective cover, it is possible to form the light receiving portion near one side edge of the light receiving element substrate, and moreover, the support frame. Also, the mounting margin of the light receiving element substrate on one side of the protective cover is not necessary. Moreover, the positioning of the light receiving element substrate with respect to the protective cover can be easily performed by bringing one side edge of the light receiving element substrate into contact with the protective wall.

When positioning protrusions extending toward the protective cover are provided near both ends of one side of the support frame as in claim 2, one side edge of the light receiving element substrate is attached to the positioning protrusions. The light receiving element substrates are brought into contact with each other to position the light receiving element substrate in the width direction with respect to the support frame. As described in claim 3, when the fitting recess is formed in the vicinity of both ends of the protective wall so that the positioning projection can be fitted, the positioning projection is fitted into the fitting recess to secure the protective cover. It will be positioned longitudinally with respect to the support frame.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the image reading apparatus 1 is one in which an image sensor module 4 and a lens unit 5 are vertically arranged on a mounting surface 3 on the rear surface of a housing 2, and a light source provided below the lens unit 5 is arranged. The light transmission type image reading apparatus 1 is configured to sequentially read images by the image sensor module 4 by feeding the printed matter 7 and the like between the light source 6 and the lens unit 5 while irradiating light from the light source 6. However, the present invention can be applied to a reflection type image reading device in which light is emitted toward the upper surface of the printed matter 7 and the reflected light is read by the image sensor module 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the image sensor module 4 basically has a light receiving element substrate 11 having a light receiving portion 10 for converting an image into an electrical signal, and a light receiving element at the front edge. The circuit board 12 fixed to the light receiving element substrate 11 with an adhesive or the like in contact with the rear edge of the substrate 11, and the light receiving element substrate 11 for preventing the light receiving element substrate 11 from being damaged.
And the protective frame 13 and the support frame 14 arranged on both upper and lower sides so as to wrap the whole and the front half of the circuit board 12, and are configured as follows.

In the light receiving element substrate 11, a transparent electrode 16 made of ITO or the like is formed on the front half of the upper surface of a transparent substrate 15 in the form of an elongated flat plate, and an amorphous silicon a-Si serving as the light receiving portion 10 is formed on the transparent electrode 16. , CdS-CdSe
A plurality of photoelectric conversion elements 1 made of a thin film semiconductor such as d
7 are formed in parallel, the metal electrodes 29 are provided on the upper surface of the photoelectric conversion element 17, and the common electrodes 18 are provided at both ends of the transparent electrode 16. As the transparent substrate 15, non-alkali glass, synthetic quartz, or the like with less precipitation of impurities is adopted.

The circuit board 12 has a plurality of signal processing ICs 20 for processing signals from the photoelectric conversion element 17 and the like attached to a general plate-shaped substrate made of glass epoxy or the like, and the photoelectric conversion element. A wiring (not shown) for applying a drive voltage to the wiring 17 and a wiring (not shown) for leading out a signal from the photoelectric conversion element 17 are formed, and the rear end of the left portion of the circuit board 12 is formed. An input / output connector 21 is provided in the vicinity. The length of the light receiving element substrate 11 is set longer than that of the circuit board 12, and the engaging portions 22 protruding outward from the circuit board 12 are formed at both ends of the light receiving element substrate 11.

The support frame 14 is a plate-shaped member having a size including the entire light-receiving element substrate 11 and the front half of the circuit board 12, and the front edge of the support frame 14 is provided on the light-receiving portion 10 of the light-receiving element substrate 11. The notch 23 is formed correspondingly. Positioning protrusions 24 protruding upward are formed in the vicinity of both ends of the front edge of the support frame 14, and the light receiving element substrate 11 and the circuit board 12 position the front edge of the engaging portion 22 of the light receiving element substrate 11 in this position. The support frame 1 is brought into contact with the protrusion 24.
4 is positioned in the width direction.

The protective cover 13 is formed to have a size including the entire light receiving element substrate 11 and the front half of the circuit board 12. The front end of the protective cover 13 passes through the front side of the light receiving element substrate 11 to receive the light receiving element. A protective wall 25 extending below the substrate 11 is formed over substantially the entire length of the protective cover 13. Positioning protrusions 24 are provided in the vicinity of the left and right ends of the protective wall 25.
The protective cover 13 is positioned in the support frame 14 in the left-right direction by fitting the fitting recess 26 into the positioning projection 24. Further, a plurality of recesses 27 for accommodating the signal processing IC 20 and the like provided on the light receiving element substrate 11 are formed on the lower surface of the protective cover 13. Fixed portions 30 are formed at both ends of the protective cover 13, and the image sensor module 4
With the front end surface 31 of the protective cover 13 abutting the mounting surface 3, the fixing portion 30 is mounted on a bracket (not shown) formed on the housing 2 and screwed to fix the housing 2 to the housing 2. On the other hand, it is positioned and fixed with high accuracy. However, the front end of the fixed portion 30 may be extended along the mounting surface 3 and the extended portion may be screwed to the housing 2. Support frame 1 on light receiving element substrate 11
4 and the protective cover 13 are assembled, the slit-shaped opening 28 through which the light receiving portion 10 can be seen through is formed on the lower surface of the image sensor module 4 by the notch 23 of the support frame 14 and the protective wall 25 of the protective cover 13. The light from the lens unit 5 is formed into an image on the lower surface of the light receiving unit 10 through the opening 28 and the transparent substrate 15.

The method of assembling the image sensor module 4 will be briefly described. First, the light receiving element substrate 1
In the state where the front edge of the engaging portion 22 of No. 1 is brought into contact with the positioning protrusion 24 of the support frame 14 to position the light receiving element substrate 11 and the circuit board 12 in the width direction with respect to the support frame 14, the circuit board 12 is fixed to the support frame 14 with a plurality of screws, and the light receiving element substrate 11 and the circuit board 12 are attached to the support frame 14. Next, the fitting recess 26 of the protective cover 13 is fitted to the positioning protrusion 24 of the support frame 14, and the front edge of the light-receiving element substrate 11 is brought into contact with the protective wall 25 of the protective cover 13 to form a plurality of pieces. The image sensor module 4 is assembled by fixing the protective cover 13 to the support frame 14 with screws.

Next, the operation and effect of the image sensor module 4 will be described. Since the left and right side portions and the rear side portion of the light receiving element substrate 11 are sandwiched between the support frame 14 and the protective cover 13 and the front edge portion of the light receiving portion 10 is protected by the protective wall 25, the light receiving element substrate during transportation or the like. It is possible to surely prevent the damage of 11. Do not sandwich the front edge of the light receiving element substrate 11 between the support frame 14 and the protective cover 13,
Since the protection wall 25 is configured to protect the front edge portion of the light receiving element substrate 11, the light receiving portion 10 is fixed to the light receiving element substrate 1.
1 can be provided in the vicinity of the front end of the light receiving element substrate 1, and the light receiving element substrate 11 can be made smaller in the width direction than in the case where the outer peripheral portion of the light receiving element substrate 11 is sandwiched between the support frame 14 and the protective cover 13. Is possible. Further, by forming the common electrodes 18 near the left and right ends of the light receiving element substrate 11 and not disposing the common electrode 18 at the front end portion of the light receiving element substrate 11, the light receiving element substrate 11 can be made smaller in the width direction, The manufacturing cost of the image sensor module 4 can be reduced by reducing the usage amount of the expensive light-receiving element substrate 11 as much as possible. Moreover, since the light receiving unit 10 can be disposed on the housing 2 side, restrictions on the incident position of the light from the lens unit 5 are alleviated. The light receiving element substrate 11 is positioned in the width direction with respect to the support frame 14 via the positioning protrusions 24, and further, the front end of the support frame 14 is brought into contact with the mounting surface 3 of the housing 2 so that the image sensor module 4 can be obtained.
Since it can be fixed to the housing 2, the distance from the mounting surface 3 to the light receiving portion 10 can be easily and accurately obtained, and the optical axis of the lens unit 5 can be easily adjusted.

[0017]

According to the image sensor module of the first aspect, the three side portions except one side portion of the light receiving element substrate are sandwiched between the support frame and the protective cover, and the one side portion is protected by the protective wall. By doing so, damage to the light-receiving element substrate and the like can be effectively prevented without increasing the number of parts. In addition, since one side of the light receiving element substrate is a free end, the light receiving section can be formed on one side of the light receiving element substrate, and the light receiving element substrate can be made compact in the width direction, resulting in an expensive light receiving element. It is possible to reduce the use amount of the substrate as much as possible and reduce the manufacturing cost of the entire device. Further, since it is not necessary to form a mounting margin portion for sandwiching one side portion of the light receiving element substrate on the support frame and the protective cover, it is possible to make them small in the width direction and to make the entire module hill small. Further, the protective wall can be effectively utilized as a member for positioning the light receiving element substrate on the protective cover in the width direction.

According to the module of the second aspect, it is possible to easily position the light-receiving element substrate in the width direction with respect to the support frame with a simple structure in which the positioning protrusion is provided. According to the module of claim 3, with a simple configuration in which the fitting recesses that can be fitted to the positioning projections are formed at both ends of the protective wall, the positioning projections are effectively used to provide the protective cover on the support frame. It becomes possible to position it in the longitudinal direction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an image processing apparatus including an image sensor module of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an image sensor module.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an image sensor module

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the image sensor module.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the image sensor module.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the main part of the image sensor module.

7A is a plan view of a light receiving element substrate, and FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along line bb of FIG. 7A.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a conventional image reading device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image reading device 2 Enclosure 3 Mounting surface 4 Image sensor module 5 Lens unit 6 Light source 7 Printed matter 10 Light receiving part 11 Light receiving element substrate 12 Circuit board 13 Protective cover 14 Support frame 15 Transparent substrate 16 Transparent electrode 17 Photoelectric conversion element 18 Common electrode 20 IC for signal processing 21 Connector 22 Engagement part 23 Notch part 24 Positioning projection part 25 Protective wall 26 Fitting recess part 27 Recess part 28 Opening part 29 Metal electrode 30 Fixing part 31 Front end face

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A light receiving element substrate having a light receiving portion composed of a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements provided on one side of a transparent substrate upper surface, and a support frame fixed to the lower side of the light receiving element substrate so as to include the whole thereof. There is a support frame having a cutout portion that opens toward one side in a portion located below the light receiving portion, and a protective cover fixed to the upper side of the light receiving element substrate so as to include the whole. And a protective cover having a protective wall formed on one side thereof and extending below the light receiving element substrate through one side of the light receiving element substrate, and the light receiving element substrate is assembled between the support frame and the protective cover. An image sensor module capable of seeing through a light receiving portion through a slit-shaped opening formed by a cutout portion and a protective wall when attached. 2. A positioning protrusion that extends toward the protective cover is provided in the vicinity of both ends of one side of the support frame, and one side edge of the light receiving element substrate is brought into contact with this positioning protrusion to support the light receiving element substrate. Positioned in the width direction with respect to
The image sensor module described. 3. A protective recess is formed by cutting out portions near both ends of the protective wall to form a fitting recess, and the positioning projection is fitted into the fitting recess,
The image sensor module according to claim 2, wherein the protective cover is positioned in the longitudinal direction with respect to the support frame.