Abstract:
An image capturing device a circuit base, an image sensor, a cooling member, and an elastic member. The image sensor is disposed on the circuit base. The circuit board defines a first opening covered by the image sensor. The elastic member is interposed between the circuit board and the cooling member. The elastic member comprises a bulged elastic flange running through the first opening and compressively abutting against the image sensor and the circuit board and an elastic arm bent towards the cooling member and elastically abutting against the cooling member.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present disclosure relates to an image capturing devices and, particularly, to an image capturing device having high efficiency in heat dissipation. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Nowadays, because of advances in micro-circuitry and multimedia technology, image capturing devices are now in widespread use, such as Digital Video (DV) or video recorders. However, during a long time of capturing image, the image sensor will generate a lot of heat. Nowadays, heat dissipating efficiency of image capturing devices is still less than satisfactory. 
         [0005]    Therefore, it is desirable to provide an image capturing device which can overcome the above-mentioned problems. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0006]    Many aspects of the present image capturing device could be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the image capturing device. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of an image capturing device, according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is similar to, but shown from another angle. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an assembled, isometric view of the image capturing device of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0010]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an image capturing device  100 , according to an exemplary embodiment, includes an image sensor  10 , a circuit board  30 , a cooling member  40 , a lens module  50 , and a shell (not shown). The image sensor  10 , the circuit board  30 , and the lens module  50  all are received in the shell. The image sensor  10  is disposed on the circuit board  30 . The heat generated by the image sensor  10  and the circuit board  30  transmits to the cooling member  40 . The cooling member  40  partially protrudes out of the shell and exposed to dissipate the heat from the interior of the shell to outside. The image capturing device  100  may be, for example, a video recorder or a digital video (DV), in the present embodiment, the image capturing device  100  is a DV. 
         [0011]    The image sensor  10  is a charged coupled device (CCD), or a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor (CMOS). In the present embodiment, the image sensor  10  is a CCD. The image sensor  10  is configured to convert light signals into digital electrical signals. The image sensor  10  includes a first surface  11  and a second surface  12  opposite to the first surface  11 . The first surface  11  has a photosensitive area (not shown). 
         [0012]    In the present embodiment, the image capturing device  100  further includes an elastic member  20 . The elastic member  20  is made of a metallic material, such as aluminum, magnesium, or aluminum-magnesium alloy. In the present embodiment, the elastic member  20  is made of aluminum-magnesium alloy. The elastic member  20  includes an elastic plate  21 . The elastic plate  21  is rectangular and includes a supporting surface  22  and a bottom surface  24  facing away from the supporting surface  22 . Each corner of the elastic plate  21  defines a first threaded hole  222 . A bulged flange  26  bulges upwardly from a central portion of the supporting surface  22  for supporting the image sensor  10 . The bulged flange  26  is substantially an elongated plate extending along the widthwise direction of the elastic plate  21 . Two openings  27  are respectively defined at two widthwise sides of the bulged flange  26  and are substantially symmetrical with each other about the bulged flange  26 . The elastic member  20  further includes two elastic arms  28  extending away from the central portion of two opposite longer sides of the elastic plate  21  respectively. The elastic arms  28  are integrally formed with the elastic plate  21 . Each of the elastic arms  28  includes an extending portion  281  and a supporting portion  282 . The extending portions  281  extend from the longer sides of the elastic plate  21  respectively and are bent towards the bottom surface  24  at an angle to the elastic plate  21 . The supporting portions  282  extend outwards from distal ends of the extending portions  281  along a direction substantially parallel to the elastic plate  21 . 
         [0013]    The circuit board  30  includes an upper surface  31  and a lower surface  32  facing away from the upper surface  31 . The circuit board  30  defines a first opening  312  shaped corresponding to the bulged flange  26  of the elastic member  20  to allow the bulged flange  26  to position therethrough. The circuit board  30  is disposed on the supporting surface  22  of the elastic member  20  and the bulged flange  26  goes through the first opening  312 . The circuit board  30  is electrically coupled to the image sensor  10  by one of the following processes, a chip-scale packaging process, a wafer-level chip-scale packaging process, a ceramic leaded packaging process, a plastic leadless chip packaging process, a thermal compression bonding process, or a flip chip packaging process, for example. In the present embodiment, the circuit board  30  is electrically coupled to the image sensor  10  by a chip-scale packaging process. Each corner of the circuit board  30  defines a second threaded hole  314  aligned with the first threaded hole  314 . 
         [0014]    It should be noted that, the arrangement of the image capturing device  100  is not limited to the present embodiment, the image sensor  10  also can be directly disposed on and electrically coupled to the supporting surface  31  of the circuit board  30 , therefore, omitting the elastic member  20 . 
         [0015]    The cooling member  40  is made of a high thermal conductive material, such as aluminum, magnesium or aluminum-magnesium alloy. In the present embodiment, the cooling member  40  is made of aluminum. The cooling member  40  includes a substrate  41 , two blocks  42 , and a number of fins  43 . The substrate  41  includes a first side surface  411  and a second side surface  412  facing away from the first side surface  411 . The two blocks  42  are disposed on the first side surface  411 . The fins  43  are disposed on the second side surface  412  and all substantially perpendicular to the second side surface  412 . 
         [0016]    The lens module  50  includes a lens barrel  51  and a number of lenses (not shown) received in the lens barrel  51 . The lens barrel  51  includes an image surface  512  facing to a first surface  11  of the image sensor  10 . Four protrusions  514  are integrally formed with and extend upward from the image surface  512 . Alternatively, the four protrusions  512  and the lens barrel  51  may be separately formed. The protrusions  514  can be attached to the lens barrel  51  by adhesive, welding (e.g., plastic welding), or other combination methods. All of the protrusions  514  have essentially identical height. The four protrusions  514  are respectively located on the four corners of the image surface  512 . Each of the protrusions  514  defines a screw-receiving portion  516 . 
         [0017]    Also referring to  FIG. 3 , in assembly, the assembled elastic member  20 , the circuit board  30 , and the image sensor  10  are assembled to the image surface  512  of the lens barrel  51  via four screws  60  passing through the first threaded hole  222 , the second threaded hole  314  and threadedly engaged with a corresponding screw-receiving portion  516 . The cooling assembly  40  and the assembled lens barrel  51 , the elastic member  20 , the circuit board  30 , and the image sensor  10  are held in the shell with the two blocks  42  abutted with the supporting portion  282  of the elastic arms  28 , and the fins  43  protruding out of the shell. 
         [0018]    In use, the bulged flange  26  abuts with the image sensor  10  and the circuit board  30 , and the elastic arms  28  abut with the blocks  42  of the cooling assembly  40  respectively, providing a high efficient heat dissipating passage for the image sensor  10  and the circuit  30 . As such, the heat generated by the image sensor  10  and the circuit  30  is efficiently transmitted to the cooling member  40  via the elastic member  20  and thus are efficiently dissipated. In addition, the bulged flange  26  and the elastic arms  28  can be elastically deformed when the image capturing device  100  is dropped, to function as a cushion for the image sensor  10 . 
         [0019]    It will be understood that the above particular embodiments and methods are shown and described by way of illustration only. The principles and the features of the present disclosure may be employed in various and numerous embodiments thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure as claimed. The above-described embodiments illustrate the scope of the disclosure but do not restrict the scope of the disclosure.