Position detection apparatus, position detection method, testing apparatus, and camera module manufacturing apparatus

1. A position detection apparatus for detecting a position of an image pickup device, comprising:

a light source;

an illumination lens constructed and arranged to cause light from said light source to illuminate said image pickup device; and

a position detecting section for detecting a relative position, based on the output of said image pickup device, of said image pickup device, said relative position being relative to said illumination lens;

wherein said image pickup device is constructed and arranged to provide an output related to light incident thereon, and comprises:

an array of photo-detecting elements, each of which provides an output corresponding to an intensity of light incident thereon; and

a plurality of micro-lenses corresponding to respective photo-detecting elements, each having a respective optical axis at a position deviated to the inside from the center of its corresponding photo-detecting element as said corresponding photo-detecting element is distant from the center of said array; and

a moving section for changing said relative position to a position set in advance by moving at least one of said image pickup device and said illumination lens based on said relative position detected by said position detecting section.

2. The position detection apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said moving section changes said relative position of said image pickup device to said position set in advance so that the intensity of light received by said respective photo-detecting elements becomes almost equal.

3. The position detection apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a structure having a slit in which an opening that transmits a part of the light generated by said light source is provided at a known position with respect to said illumination lens; wherein

said illumination lens projects an image of said opening on said image pickup device by illuminating the light received from said light source via said opening of said slit onto said image pickup device;

said image pickup device outputs said output signal that presents the projected image of said opening; and

said position detecting section detects relative position of said image pickup device with respect to said illumination lens by detecting the relative position of said opening with respect to said image pickup device based on said output signal of said image pickup device.

4. The position detection apparatus as set forth in claim 3 , wherein

a center of said openings is provided at a position overlapping with an optical axis of said illumination lens; and

said position detecting section detects relative position of said slit with respect to said image pickup device by calculating relative position of a center of images of said openings with respect to a center of said array of photo-detecting elements.

5. The position detection apparatus as set forth in claim 3 , wherein

said slit has a plurality of openings that extend respectively in an extension direction parallel to each other;

said illumination lens projects images of respective openings onto said image pickup device; and

said position detecting section detects the relative position of said image pickup device with respect to said illumination lens in an array direction in which said plurality of openings is arrayed based on differences of brightness of said respective images.

6. The position detection apparatus as set forth in claim 5 , wherein

said slit has a plurality of openings that extend in a direction of said array direction;

said illumination lens also projects the respective images of said plurality of openings that extend respectively in said array direction onto said image pickup device; and

said position detecting section also detects the relative position of said image pickup device with respect to said illumination lens in said extension direction based on the difference of brightness of the respective images of said plurality of openings extending respectively in said array direction.

7. A position detection method for detecting a position of an image pickup device that outputs an output signal corresponding to an intensity of detected light, comprising:

generating light;

illuminating light generated by said light source onto said image pickup device by means of an illumination lens; and

detecting the relative position of said image pickup device with respect to said illumination lens based on the output signal from said image pickup device,

wherein said image pickup device comprises:

an array of photo-detecting elements each of which provides an output corresponding to an intensity of light incident thereon; and

a plurality of micro-lenses corresponding to respective photo-detecting elements and each having a respective optical axis at a position deviated to the inside from the center of its corresponding photo-detecting element as said corresponding photo-detecting element is distant from the center of said array of said plurality of photo-detecting elements; and

wherein said position detecting step comprises changing the position of said image pickup relative to said illumination lens to a position set in advance by moving at least one of said image pickup device and said illumination lens based on said relative position detected by said position detecting section.

8. A testing apparatus for testing an image pickup device that outputs an output signal corresponding to intensity of detected light; comprising:

a light source;

an illumination lens for illuminating light generated by said light source on said image pickup device;

a position detecting section for detecting the relative position of said image pickup device with respect to said illumination lens based on the output signal of said image pickup device;

a moving section for changing said relative position to a position set in advance by moving at least one of said image pickup device and said illumination lens based on said relative position detected by said position detecting section; and

a judging section for judging whether or not said image pickup device is defect-free based on said output signal outputted out of said image pickup device held at said position set in advance when testing said image pickup device

wherein said image pickup device comprises:

an array of photo-detecting elements each of which provides an output corresponding to an intensity of light incident thereon; and

a plurality of micro-lenses corresponding to respective photo-detecting elements and each having a respective optical axis at a position deviated to the inside from the center of its corresponding photo-detecting element as said corresponding photo-detecting element is distant from the center of said array of said plurality of photo-detecting elements; and

wherein said position detection apparatus further comprises a moving section for changing position of said image pickup relative to said illumination lens to a position set in advance by moving at least one of said image pickup device and said illumination lens based on said relative position detected by said position detecting section.

9. A camera module manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a camera module having an image pickup device that outputs an output signal corresponding to an intensity of detected light, an illumination lens for illuminating light onto said image pickup device and a holding member for holding said illumination lens; comprising:

a light source for generating light;

a position detecting section for detecting the relative position of said image pickup device with respect to said illumination lens based on the output signal of said image pickup device;

a moving section for changing said relative position of said image pickup device to position set in advance by moving at least one of said image pickup device and said holding member holding said illumination lens based on said relative position detected by said position detecting section; and

an attaching section for attaching said image pickup device to said holding member while retaining said relative position of said image pickup device at said position set in advance

wherein said image pickup device comprises:

an array of photo-detecting elements each of which provides an output corresponding to an intensity of light incident thereon; and

a plurality of micro-lenses corresponding to respective photo-detecting elements and each having a respective optical axis at a position deviated to the inside from the center of its corresponding photo-detecting element as said corresponding photo-detecting element is distant from the center of said array of said plurality of photo-detecting elements; and

wherein said position detection apparatus further comprises a moving section for changing the position of said image pickup relative to said illumination lens to a position set in advance by moving at least one of said image pickup device and said illumination lens based on said relative position detected by said position detecting section.

10. A testing apparatus for testing optical characteristics of an image pickup device in which a plurality of photo-detecting elements is disposed on its photo-detecting plane, comprising:

a short focal distance lens that has optical characteristics of short focal distance corresponding to micro-lenses for illuminating light respectively to said plurality of photo-detecting elements, whose optical axis is disposed in a direction of a vertical axis that crosses at right angles with the photo-detecting plane of said image pickup device and that inputs received and refracted parallel rays to the photo-detecting plane of said image pickup device;

a stage movable in three axial directions while retaining said short focal distance lens; and

a position detection apparatus for detecting relative position that presents relative misalignment of center position of said plurality of photo-detecting elements and the optical axis of said short focal distance lens from levels of output signals of said plurality of photo-detecting elements by receiving the output signals outputted out of said image pickup device by the rays inputted from said short focal distance lens to the photo-detecting plane of said image pickup device; wherein

said short focal distance lens is moved in a direction in which the relative misalignment of the center of said plurality of photo-detecting elements and the optical axis of said short focal distance lens is eliminated based on the relative position detected by said position detection apparatus.

11. The testing apparatus as set forth in claim 10 , further comprising a test head for mounting said image pickup device;

a parts conveying unit for conveying said image pickup device to mount on said test head;

a socket that electrically connects with electrical terminals of said image pickup device mounted on said test head; and

a signal input/output section for feeding a control signal from said testing apparatus to said image pickup device and for feeding an output signal of said image pickup device to said testing apparatus via said socket.

12. The testing apparatus as set forth in claim 10 , further comprising a slit section having an opening that transmits said parallel rays to be incident on said short focal distance lens while blocking a part thereof; and

said position detection apparatus detects relative position presenting relative misalignment of center position of said plurality of photo-detecting elements and the optical axis of said short focal distance lens from levels of output signals of said plurality of photo-detecting elements by receiving the output signal of said image pickup device corresponding to an image of said opening projected onto the photo-detecting plane of said image pickup device based on said opening.