JP2007047198A - Optical equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide optical equipment capable of removing dust adhered to units other than an imaging device, using a simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: A dust-proof filter A 58 is arranged in the photographic optical path of a camera body 30, and a piezoelectric element A 79 is provided on the dust-proof filter A 58. Meanwhile, a dust-proof filter B 60 is arranged on the outside of the photographic optical path, on an optical path divided by a first reflecting mirror 51, and a piezoelectric element B 72 is provided on the dust-proof filter 60. The piezoelectric element A 79 and the piezoelectric element B 72 are both driven by a dust-proof filter drive circuit 90. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical device, and more particularly to an optical device that is installed in an optical path of an optical device that generates an image and removes dust adhering to an optical element through which a light beam that forms the image passes.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a camera that subjects a subject image formed by a photographing optical system such as a photographing lens to photoelectric conversion by an image sensor and displays it on an image display device such as a liquid crystal monitor based on an image signal obtained thereby is generally used. Known to.

In the case of an interchangeable lens camera, dust may enter the mirror box when the lens is replaced. When dust adheres to the surface of the image sensor, the dust is reflected in the photographed image, which is unsightly. Further, dust may adhere to other units in the mirror box, such as a focusing screen or an AF unit. In these cases, problems such as difficulty in seeing the finder image or a decrease in AF accuracy occur. On the other hand, a technique for removing dust adhering to the surface of the image sensor is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.
JP 2003-330082 A

  However, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 describes the removal of dust attached to the image sensor, but does not describe the point of removing dust attached to a unit other than the image sensor. It was.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical apparatus that can remove dust attached to a unit other than an image sensor with a simple configuration.

  That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the optical apparatus, the first filter disposed in the photographing optical path, the first excitation means provided in the first filter, and the optical path dividing means A second filter outside the imaging optical path, a second excitation means provided in the second filter outside the imaging optical path, and the first excitation means arranged on the divided optical path And a single drive circuit capable of driving the second vibration means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, each of the first and second filters has a sealed structure between optical components behind the filter. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in an optical apparatus, at least one optical path dividing means disposed in the photographing optical path, a first filter disposed in the photographing optical path, and the first filter A first excitation means provided in the filter; a second filter outside the at least one photographing optical path; and a second filter outside the at least one photographing optical path disposed on the optical path divided by the optical path dividing means. A second driving means provided in two filters, the first vibrating means, and a single drive circuit capable of driving the second vibrating means, and in the recording optical path The surface of the first filter disposed in the plane is substantially perpendicular to the imaging optical path, and the plane of the second filter outside the imaging optical path is substantially parallel to the imaging optical path. To do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of dustproof filters, a plurality of vibration members provided in each of the plurality of dustproof filters, and a periodic drive signal for each of the plurality of vibration members. And a common drive means for supplying, wherein the drive means sets the frequency of the drive signal so that each of the plurality of dustproof filters can vibrate in the vicinity of the respective resonance frequency. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the drive means sequentially changes the frequency of the drive signal in accordance with the resonance frequency of each of the plurality of dustproof filters. It is characterized by that.

  The invention described in claim 6 is the invention described in claim 4, characterized in that the dustproof filter is provided in the imaging optical path and the observation optical path.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the first filter disposed in the photographing optical path, the first vibration means for vibrating the first filter, and the incident light path other than the photographing optical path and the photographing optical path An optical path splitting means for splitting a light beam; at least one second filter disposed on an optical path other than the photographing optical path; at least one second vibration means for vibrating the second filter; And a single drive circuit capable of driving the first vibration means and the second vibration means.

  The invention described in claim 8 is the invention described in claim 7, characterized in that the first and second filters each have a sealed structure between optical components behind the filter. .

  The invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 7, wherein the surface of the first filter is substantially perpendicular to the photographing optical path, and the surface of the second filter is the surface of the first filter. It is characterized by being substantially parallel to the photographing optical path.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect of the present invention, the single drive circuit supplies a periodic drive signal to the first and second vibrating means. Thus, the frequency of the drive signal is set so that each of the first and second filters can vibrate in the vicinity of the respective resonance frequency.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the tenth aspect, the single drive circuit has a frequency of the drive signal in accordance with a resonance frequency of each of the first and second filters. It is characterized by changing sequentially.

  The invention described in claim 12 is the invention described in claim 7, wherein the at least one second filter is provided in an observation optical path.

  The invention described in claim 13 is the invention described in claim 7, wherein the at least one second filter is provided in the distance measuring optical path.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the optical apparatus which can remove the dust adhering to units other than an image pick-up element with simple structure can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention and is an external perspective view showing a configuration of a single-lens reflex digital camera to which an optical apparatus of the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 1, this single-lens reflex digital camera (hereinafter abbreviated as “camera”) 1 is mainly composed of a lens barrel 10 as an interchangeable lens and a camera body 30. A desired lens barrel 10 is detachably set with respect to the front surface.
On the upper surface of the camera body 30, a release button 31, a mode dial 32, a power switch lever 33, a control dial 34, and the like are provided.

  The release button 31 is a button for executing a shooting preparation operation and an exposure operation. The release button 31 is composed of a two-stage switch of a first release switch and a second release switch. When the release button 31 is pressed halfway, the first release switch is turned on to perform photometric processing or Shooting preparation operations such as distance measurement processing are executed. Further, when the release button 31 is fully pressed, the second release switch is turned on and the exposure operation is executed.

  The mode dial 32 is an operation member for setting a shooting mode at the time of shooting. When the mode dial 32 is rotated in a predetermined direction, a shooting mode at the time of shooting is set. The present embodiment also has a function of switching an image displayed on a liquid crystal monitor (to be described later) between a viewfinder view and a live view. The power switch lever 33 is an operation member for turning on / off the power of the camera 1. By turning the power switch lever 33, the main power source of the camera 1 is switched on / off.

  The control dial 34 is a member for setting shooting information. By operating the control dial 34, various settings are performed during shooting.

  On the back surface of the body unit 30, a liquid crystal monitor 36 for displaying a photographed image, a menu, and the like, a playback button 37, a menu button 38, a cross key 40, an OK button 41, and an eyepiece optical system finder 43 are provided. Etc. are arranged.

  The playback button 37 is a button for switching the operation mode of the camera 1 to a playback mode in which an image can be played back from a JPEG file recorded on a flash memory 84 or a recording medium 85 described later. The menu button 38 is a button for displaying a menu screen on the liquid crystal monitor 36. This menu screen is composed of menu items having a plurality of hierarchical structures. The user can select a desired menu item with the cross key 40 and can determine an item selected with the OK button 41.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the finder optical system of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The viewfinder optical system 50 includes a plurality of mirrors for guiding the light beam from the subject that has passed through the photographing lens 11 in the lens barrel to the eyepiece lens 64 constituting the viewfinder 43, that is, the first reflection mirror 51 and the second reflection mirror 51. A reflection mirror 52, a third reflection mirror 53, a fourth reflection mirror 54, an eyepiece lens 57, a dustproof filter B60 as a second filter, and a focusing screen (screen mat) 61 are configured.

  The first reflecting mirror 51 is an optical path dividing means, and is configured to be rotatable about the shaft 51a in the direction of the arrow A in the figure. A part of the first reflecting mirror 51 is a half mirror for an AF sensor unit 83 described later. It is configured. As shown in the figure, the first reflecting mirror 51 observes the light beam incident from the photographing lens 11 in the direction of the second reflecting mirror 52, which is an angle of about 90 ° with respect to the optical axis of the photographing lens 11, as shown in the figure. Reflected rightward when viewed from the lens barrel 10 side of the camera body 30. At the time of imaging, the light beam is retracted from the imaging optical path and operates so that the light flux from the subject is guided to an imaging element (not shown) disposed behind the first reflection mirror 51.

  Further, the light beam transmitted through the half mirror portion of the first reflecting mirror 51 during observation is reflected below the camera body 30 by the AF movable mirror 57 and guided to an AF sensor unit 83 described later. The AF movable mirror 57 is also provided so as to be able to advance and retreat in the photographing optical path in conjunction with the first reflecting mirror. That is, it is arranged in the photographing optical path during observation, but is retracted out of the photographing optical path during photographing. In this case, it is retracted below the camera body 20 and positioned behind the AF movable mirror 57 on the photographing optical axis. A light beam from a subject (not shown) is guided to a dustproof filter A58, which is a first filter.

  The light beam reflected by the reflecting surface of the first reflecting mirror 51 enters the second reflecting mirror 52 through the dustproof filter B60 and the focusing screen 61. The second reflection mirror 52 is disposed on the reflection optical axis from the first reflection mirror 51, and the reflection surface is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the reflection optical axis of the first reflection mirror 51. Yes. The reflected light beam from the first reflecting mirror 51 incident on the second reflecting mirror 52 is reflected toward the angle of about 90 ° with respect to the reflected optical axis from the first reflecting mirror 51, that is, upward of the camera body 30. Is done.

  The light beam reflected by the reflecting surface of the second reflecting mirror 52 is on the reflecting optical axis of the reflecting surface of the second reflecting mirror 52, and the reflecting surface is predetermined with respect to the reflecting optical axis of the second reflecting surface. It is incident on the third reflecting mirror 53 that is inclined at an angle of. The reflected light beam from the second reflecting mirror 52 incident on the third reflecting mirror 53 is approximately 90 ° with respect to the reflected optical axis from the reflecting surface of the second reflecting mirror 52 at the reflecting surface of the third reflecting mirror 53. And is reflected in a direction opposite to the reflection direction by the reflection surface of the first reflection mirror 51. That is, the reflected light beam from the reflecting surface of the second reflecting mirror 52 is reflected by the reflecting surface of the third reflecting mirror 53 toward the left direction of the camera body 30. In other words, the light beam reflected by the reflecting surface of the first reflecting mirror 51 is guided by the second and third reflecting mirrors 52 and 53 so that the reflected optical axis of the reflecting surface of the third reflecting mirror 53 is The first reflection mirror 51 is directed to the fourth reflection mirror 54 substantially parallel to the reflection optical axis of the reflection surface.

  The light beam reflected by the reflecting surface of the third reflecting mirror 53 is on the reflecting optical axis of the reflecting surface of the third reflecting mirror 53, and the reflecting surface is the reflected light of the reflecting surface of the third reflecting mirror 53. The light is incident on a fourth reflecting mirror 54 that is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis. Then, the reflected light beam from the third reflection mirror 53 incident on the fourth reflection mirror 54 is approximately 90 ° with respect to the reflection optical axis from the third reflection mirror 53 on the reflection surface of the fourth reflection mirror 54. Reflected at an angle of. That is, the reflected light beam from the reflection surface of the third reflection mirror 53 is incident on the eyepiece 64 disposed on the reflection optical axis of the reflection surface of the fourth reflection mirror 54.

  The focusing screen 61 has a diffusing surface for diffusing the light beam incident on the finder optical system 50 described above as an optical image, and is on the image pickup surface of a recording image pickup device 80 to be described later. Are arranged at optically equivalent positions.

  The second reflection mirror 52 and the fourth reflection mirror 54 are half mirrors. A photometric sensor 62 for measuring the brightness of the subject is disposed on the back side of the reflecting surface of the second reflecting mirror 52. On the other hand, an imaging lens 67 and a through image display image sensor 68 are disposed on the back surface side of the reflection surface of the fourth reflection mirror 54. This through-image display image pickup device 68 is for forming an image on the focusing screen 61 through an image forming lens 67. Therefore, although the image formed on the through-image display imaging element 68 is inverted, it is the same as the image seen by the photographer's eyes 65.

  In this way, the subject luminous flux from the photographing lens 11 is inverted by the first to fourth reflection mirrors 51 to 54 described above so that the image becomes an erect image and guided to the eyepiece lens 57. As a result, the subject image formed on the focusing screen 61 by the photographer's eye 65 can be observed through the eyepiece 64 (finder 43).

  In the present embodiment, the first reflecting mirror 51, the second reflecting mirror 52, the third reflecting mirror 53, and the fourth reflecting mirror 54 are arranged so as to reflect at an angle of about 90 ° with respect to the incident light beam. However, it is not limited to this.

  FIG. 3A shows an attachment structure of the finder unit main body 70 that integrally accommodates the second to fourth reflection mirrors 52 to 54 and the eyepiece 64 described above, the dustproof filter B60, and the focusing screen 61. It is a perspective view. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting structure portion of the dustproof filter B60 and the focusing screen 61.

  The second reflection mirror 52, the third reflection mirror 53, the fourth reflection mirror 54, and the eyepiece lens 64 are integrally configured as a finder unit main body 70. A focusing screen 61 is fixed to the incident light side of the finder unit main body 70 by adhesion. An annular packing 71 is disposed around the focusing screen 61, and an annular piezoelectric element B72 and a dustproof filter B60 are disposed so as to be pressed against the packing 71.

  The piezoelectric element B72, which is the second vibrating means (vibrating member), is fixed to the dustproof filter B60 by adhesion, and is connected to a dustproof filter driving circuit described later via a flexible substrate 73. The piezoelectric element B72 is attached to the peripheral edge of the dustproof filter B60, and removes dust attached to the surface of the dustproof filter B60 by vibrating the dustproof filter B60 at a predetermined frequency. Further, the filter fixing plate 74 is fitted into an insertion hole provided at a predetermined position of the finder unit main body 70, whereby the dustproof filter B 60 and the piezoelectric element B 61 press the packing 71. Thereby, the incident surface side of the focusing screen 61 is sealed so that dust does not enter.

  An adhesive sheet 75 for adsorbing dust removed by vibration of the dustproof filter B60 (details will be described later) is provided around the focusing screen 61 in the finder unit main body 70. Moreover, although this adhesive sheet 75 is shown only in one place in Fig.3 (a), it is needless to say that it is not restricted to this and multiple may be provided.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 4, the lens barrel 10 can be detachably mounted via a lens mount (not shown) provided on the front surface of the camera body 30. The lens barrel 10 includes a photographic lens 11, a diaphragm 12, a lens driving mechanism 13, a diaphragm driving mechanism 14, and a lens control microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as Lμcom) 15. .

  The photographing lens 11 is driven in the optical axis direction by a DC motor (not shown) existing in the lens driving mechanism 13. The diaphragm 12 is driven by a stepping motor (not shown) existing in the diaphragm driving mechanism 14. The Lμcom 15 drives and controls each part in the lens barrel 10 such as the lens driving mechanism 13 and the aperture driving mechanism 14. The Lμcom 15 is electrically connected to a later-described body control microcomputer 80 via the communication connector 20 and controlled according to a command from the body control microcomputer 95.

  On the other hand, the camera body 30 is configured as follows.

  A light beam from a subject (not shown) that is incident through the photographing lens 11 and the diaphragm 12 in the lens barrel 10 is reflected by a first reflecting mirror 51 that is a movable mirror, and then a focusing screen 56 and the first reflecting mirror 51. At the same time, it reaches the eyepiece lens 64 through second to fourth reflecting mirrors 52 to 54 (see FIG. 2) constituting the finder optical system 50. In addition, a part of the subject luminous flux that has passed through the half mirror portion of the first reflecting mirror 51 is reflected by the AF movable mirror 57 that operates independently of the first reflecting mirror 51 to perform automatic ranging. To the AF sensor unit 83. In FIG. 4, the first reflecting mirror 51 is shown separately, but the finder optical system 50 is configured together with the second to fourth reflecting mirrors and the like.

  Behind the first reflecting mirror 51 on the optical axis is a focal plane shutter 78 and a photoelectric conversion element of an imaging optical system for photoelectrically converting a subject image that has passed through the optical system, and is composed of a CCD or the like. A recording image pickup device 80 is provided. That is, when the first reflecting mirror 51 is retracted from the imaging optical path, the light flux that has passed through the imaging lens 11 and the aperture 12 is imaged on the imaging surface of the recording imaging element 80.

  A dustproof filter A58 as an optical element is disposed between the shutter 78 and the recording image pickup device 80. The piezoelectric element A79, which is the first vibrating means (vibrating member), is fixed to the dustproof filter A58 by adhesion, and is attached to the periphery of the dustproof filter A58. The dust attached to the surface of the dust-proof filter A58 is removed by vibrating the dust-proof filter A58 at a predetermined frequency.

  The through image display image sensor 68 and the recording image sensor 80 are connected to an image processing controller 92 for performing image processing via an interface circuit 91. The image processing controller 92 is connected to the above-described liquid crystal monitor 36, the SDRAM 96, the FlashMemory 97, the recording medium 98, and the like provided as storage areas. These are configured to provide an electronic recording display function together with an electronic imaging function.

  The recording medium 98 is an external recording medium such as various memory cards and an external hard disk drive (HDD) that can be attached to and detached from the camera body 30 via a camera interface (not shown).

  The image processing controller 92 includes a photometry circuit 88 including a photometry sensor 62, an AF sensor drive circuit 84, a mirror drive mechanism 85, a shutter charge mechanism 86, a shutter control circuit 87, and drive means (drive) described in detail later. A dust-proof filter driving circuit 90 as a circuit), a temperature measuring circuit 100, and a nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) 101, and a body control microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as Bμcom) for controlling each part in the camera body 30. ) 95.

  The Bμcom 95 is further connected with an operation display LCD 102 for notifying the photographer of the operation state of the camera by display output, a camera operation switch (SW) 103, and a battery 106 via a power circuit 105. ing.

  The Bμcom 95 and the Lμcom 15 are electrically connected to each other via the communication connector 20 when the lens barrel 10 is mounted. As a digital camera, Lμcom 15 operates in cooperation with Bμcom 95 in a dependent manner.

  The AF sensor driving circuit 84 is a circuit for driving and controlling the AF sensor unit 83, and the mirror driving mechanism 85 is a mechanism for driving and controlling the first reflecting mirror 51. The shutter charge mechanism 86 charges a spring that drives a front curtain and a rear curtain (not shown) constituting the shutter 78. The shutter control circuit 87 controls the movement of the front and rear curtains of the shutter 78, and exchanges a signal for controlling the opening / closing operation of the shutter and a signal synchronized with the strobe with the Bμcom 95. The photometric circuit 88 is a circuit that performs photometric processing based on the electrical signal of the photometric sensor 62 in the vicinity of the second reflecting mirror 52.

  The temperature measurement circuit 100 is provided in the vicinity of the dust-proof filter A58 in order to measure the temperature around the recording image sensor 80. Normally, temperature affects the elastic modulus of glass materials and is one of the factors that change its natural frequency. Therefore, the temperature must be measured during operation and changes in its natural frequency must be taken into account. I must. It is better to estimate the natural frequency at that time by measuring the temperature change of the dust-proof filter A58 provided to protect the front surface of the recording image sensor 80 where the temperature rises rapidly during operation. Therefore, in this example, a sensor (not shown) connected to the temperature measurement circuit 100 is provided to measure the ambient temperature of the recording image sensor 80. The temperature measurement point of the sensor is preferably set in the vicinity of the vibration surface of the dust filter A58.

  The nonvolatile memory 101 is a storage unit that stores predetermined control parameters necessary for camera control as a storage area other than the above-described SDRAM 96, FlashMemory 97, and recording medium 98, and is provided so as to be accessible from Bμcom 95.

  The operation display LCD 102 is for notifying the user of the operation state of the camera by display output. The camera operation switch 103 serves as switching means, for example, a release switch for instructing execution of a shooting operation and switching the first reflecting mirror 51 in and out of the shooting optical path as will be described later, a mode change switch for switching between a shooting mode and an image display mode, and It is composed of a switch group including operation buttons necessary for operating the camera, such as a power switch. Further, the power supply circuit 105 is provided for converting the voltage of the battery 106 as a power supply into a voltage required for each circuit unit of the camera system and supplying it.

  Next, based on the circuit diagram of the dustproof filter driving circuit 90 shown in FIG. 5 and the time chart shown in FIG. 6, the driving and operation of the dustproof filters A58 and B60 of the camera in this embodiment will be described. .

  The dust filter driving circuit 90 illustrated here has a circuit configuration as shown in FIG. 5, and in each part, signals having waveforms (Sig1 to Sig4) shown in the time chart of FIG. 6 are generated. The following control is performed based on the signal.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the dustproof filter driving circuit 90 includes an N-ary counter 111, a ½ divider circuit 112, an inverter 113, a plurality of MOS transistors (Q1, Q2, Q3) 114a, 114b, 114c, and a transformer 115. And a resistor (R1) 116.

  The transformer 115 generates a signal (Sig4) with a predetermined period on the secondary side of the transformer 115 by the on / off switching operation of the transistor (Q2) 114b and the transistor (Q3) 114c connected to the primary side. It is configured as follows. Further, the piezoelectric element A79 and the piezoelectric element B72 connected in parallel are driven based on the signal of this predetermined period, and the dustproof filter A58 and the dustproof filter B60 are caused to resonate.

  The Bμcom 95 controls the dustproof filter drive circuit 90 through the two IO ports P_PwCont and IO port D_NCnt provided as control ports and the clock generator 110 existing inside the Bμcom 95 as follows.

  The clock generator 110 outputs a pulse signal (basic clock signal) to the N-ary counter 111 at a frequency sufficiently faster than the signal frequency applied to the piezoelectric element A 79 and the piezoelectric element B 72. This output signal is a signal Sig1 having a waveform represented by the time chart in FIG. This basic clock signal is input to the N-ary counter 111.

  The N-ary counter 111 counts the pulse signal and outputs a count end pulse signal every time it reaches a predetermined value “N”. That is, the basic clock signal is divided by 1 / N. This output signal is a signal Sig2 having a waveform represented by the time chart in FIG. In the divided pulse signal, the duty ratio between High and Low is not 1: 1. Therefore, the duty ratio is converted to 1: 1 through the 1/2 divider circuit 112. The converted pulse signal corresponds to the signal Sig3 having a waveform represented by the time chart in FIG. In the High state of the converted pulse signal, the MOS transistor (Q2) 114b to which this signal is input is turned on.

  On the other hand, this pulse signal is applied to the transistor (Q3) 114c via the inverter 113. Therefore, in the low state of the pulse signal, the transistor (Q3) 114c to which this signal is input is turned on. When the transistor (Q2) 114b and the transistor (Q3) 114c connected to the primary side of the transformer 115 are alternately turned on, a signal having a cycle such as the signal Sig4 represented by the time chart in FIG. 6 is generated on the secondary side. To do.

  The winding ratio of the transformer 115 is determined from the output voltage of the unit of the power supply circuit 105 and the voltage necessary for driving the piezoelectric element A79 and the piezoelectric element B72. The resistor (R1) 116 is provided to restrict an excessive current from flowing through the transformer 115.

  When driving the piezoelectric element A 79 and the piezoelectric element B 72, the transistor (Q 1) 114 a is in an on state, and a voltage must be applied from the unit of the power supply circuit 105 to the center tap of the transformer 115. In the figure, on / off control of the transistor (Q1) 114a is performed via P_PwCont of the IO port. The set value “N” of the N-ary counter 111 can be set from the IO port D_NCnt. Therefore, the Bμcom 95 can arbitrarily change the drive frequency of the piezoelectric element A79 and the piezoelectric element B72 by appropriately controlling the set value “N”.

At this time, the frequency can be calculated by the following equation (1).
N: Set value to counter
fpls: frequency of the output pulse of the clock generator,
fdrv: the frequency of the signal applied to the electromechanical transducer,
fdrv = fpls / 2N (1)
The calculation based on this equation is performed by a CPU of Bμcom95.

  Next, the basic photographing operation of the camera according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  When a battery (not shown) is inserted into the camera body 30, this routine is started. First, in step S1, the state of the power switch (SW) by the power switch lever 33 is determined. If the power switch is not turned on, the process proceeds to step S2 to enter a sleep state (low current consumption state), which is a state waiting for operation. If any operation of the camera 1 is performed from this sleep state, and if the power switch is turned on in the above step S2, the process proceeds to step S3, for example, resetting the lens or electrically initializing the electric circuit. The initialization operation of the camera is performed.

  Next, in step S4, a subroutine “dust removal operation” is executed. The details of this subroutine “dust removal operation” will be described later. When the mode dial 32 is checked in step S5, a determination is made to shift to the following mode. That is, first, in step S6, it is determined whether or not the through image mode is set. If the through image mode is selected, the process proceeds to step S7, where the through image mode is set. If the current mode is other than the through image mode in step S6, the process proceeds to step S8 to determine whether the normal mode is set. If the normal mode is selected here, the process proceeds to step S9, where the normal mode is set. In steps S6 and S8, if neither the through image mode nor the normal mode is selected, it is determined that the image capturing mode is not set, and the process proceeds to step S10 to set the image reproduction mode.

  If any of the steps S7, S9, or S10 is set, the process proceeds to step S11 to determine the state of the power switch described above. If the power switch is on, the process proceeds to step S5, and the above-described mode determination and setting processing operations are repeated until the power switch is turned off in step S11. When the power switch is turned off in step S11, the process proceeds to step S2 and enters a sleep state.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the subroutine “dust removal operation” in step S4 in the flowchart of FIG.

  The camera 1 of this embodiment has two different dustproof removal filters A58 and B60, and the resonance frequencies are also different. Therefore, in this subroutine “dust removal operation”, different resonance frequencies are set.

  That is, when the subroutine "dust removal operation" is entered, first, in step S21, a first vibration frequency, for example, a resonance (vibration) frequency for the dustproof filter A58 is set. Next, in step S22, the vibration operation by the piezoelectric element A79 is started at the first frequency set in step S21. The vibration operation started in step S22 is performed until a predetermined time has elapsed in step S23.

  Next, in step S24, a second vibration frequency different from the first vibration frequency described above, for example, a vibration frequency for the dustproof filter B60 is set. In step S25, the vibration operation by the piezoelectric element B72 is started at the second vibration frequency set in step S24. Thereafter, the vibration operation started in step S25 is performed until a predetermined time elapses in step S26. Further, when the vibration processing end process is performed in step S27, the process exits from this subroutine and proceeds to step S5 in the flowchart of FIG.

  In this way, since the two dustproof filters having two different vibration frequencies are vibrated at the respective frequencies, not only the photographing optical system but also the dust in the finder optical system can be removed.

  Next, a modification of this embodiment will be described.

  In the embodiment described above, the vibration frequency is set stepwise for two dustproof filters having two different vibration frequencies, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, after the vibration operation at the first frequency is performed, the vibration frequency may be changed to perform the vibration operation at the second frequency.

  Hereinafter, a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a modification of the subroutine “dust removal operation” in step S4 in the flowchart of FIG.

  When the subroutine “dust removal operation” is entered, first, in step S31, a first vibration frequency, for example, a vibration frequency for the dustproof filter A58 is set. Next, in step S32, the vibration operation by the piezoelectric element A79 is started at the first frequency set in step S31. In step S33, a predetermined time, for example, 10 msec. Until the time elapses, the vibration operation started in step S32 is performed.

  Next, in step S34, the first vibration frequency set in step S31 is changed. In this case, the frequency is changed to a frequency higher than the first vibration frequency described above. In step S35, it is determined whether or not a second vibration frequency different from the first vibration frequency, for example, the vibration frequency for the dustproof filter B60 has been reached. If the second vibration frequency input / output has not yet been reached, the process proceeds to step S33, and the above-described processing operations of steps S33 to S35 are repeated until the second vibration frequency is reached.

  When the second vibration frequency is reached in step S35, the vibration operation end process is performed in step S36. Thereafter, the present subroutine is exited and the process proceeds to step S5 in the flowchart of FIG.

  In this way, even if two dust filters having two different vibration frequencies are vibrated by changing the set frequency, not only the photographic optical system but also the finder optical system as in the above-described embodiment. System dust can also be removed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first and second vibration frequencies are set to predetermined values, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, sweeping is performed in each vibration frequency band. You may make it let it. In this way, vibration is generated in the vicinity of the set frequency instead of the set frequency, so that the dust removal operation can be performed more quickly than the above-described modification.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the first embodiment described above, an example in which a dustproof filter is provided in the photographing optical system and the finder optical system has been described. In the second embodiment, an AF sensor is provided as an example in which a dustproof filter is provided in a unit other than the focusing screen. An example provided in the unit will be described.

  In the second embodiment, the configuration and basic operation of the camera are the same as the configuration and operation of the camera of the first embodiment and its modifications shown in FIGS. Therefore, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same parts, illustration and description thereof are omitted, and only different parts will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the AF optical system in the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 10, a light beam from a subject (not shown) that has entered through the taking lens 10 and the diaphragm 12 is reflected by the reflecting surface of the AF movable mirror 57 to the lower side of the camera body. Then, the light beam reflected by the AF movable mirror 57 is reflected again by the reflection mirror 123 via the dust filter C120, the infrared cut filter 121, and the condenser lens 122, passes through the separator lens 124, and passes through the AF sensor unit. Guided to the image plane of the AF sensor 125.

  FIGS. 11A and 11B show the structure of the AF sensor unit main body and its peripheral part in the second embodiment. FIG. 11A is a perspective view, and FIG. 11B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view.

  A condenser lens 122 is disposed at a predetermined position on the incident light side of the AF sensor unit main body 130. On the condenser lens 122, an infrared cut filter 121 is fixed to the AF sensor unit main body 130 by adhesion. An annular packing 129 is arranged around the infrared cut filter 121, and an annular piezoelectric element C127 and a dustproof filter C120 are arranged so as to be pressed by the packing 129.

  The piezoelectric element C127 is fixed to the dust filter C120 by adhesion, and is connected to the dust filter driving circuit 90 described above via the flexible substrate 128. The piezoelectric element C127 is attached to the periphery of the dustproof filter C120, and removes dust attached to the surface of the dustproof filter C120 by vibrating the dustproof filter C120 at a predetermined frequency. Further, when the dustproof filter C120 and the piezoelectric element C127 press the packing 129 by the filter fixing plate 132, the incident surface side of the AF sensor unit main body 130 is sealed so that dust does not enter.

  The AF sensor 125 is driven by the AF sensor driving circuit 84 via the flexible substrate 126.

  An adhesive sheet 131 for adsorbing dust removed by vibration of the dustproof filter C120 is provided around the dustproof filter C120 in the AF sensor unit main body 130. A plurality of the adhesive sheets 131 may be provided.

  As described above, by providing the AF optical system with the dustproof filter, it is possible to remove the dust entering the AF optical system.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention other than embodiment mentioned above, this invention can be variously modified.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention, and is an external perspective view illustrating a configuration of a single-lens reflex type digital camera to which an optical apparatus of the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the finder optical system of the camera in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is the perspective view which showed the attachment structure of the finder unit main body 70 which integrally accommodates the 2nd thru | or 4th reflective mirrors 52-54, and the eyepiece lens 64, dustproof filter B60, and the focusing screen 61, (b) ) Is a cross-sectional view showing an attachment structure portion of the dust filter B60 and the focusing screen 61. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of a camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a dustproof filter driving circuit 90 in FIG. 4. It is a time chart showing the waveform signal concerning the drive of a dustproof filter, and its operation. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a basic photographing operation of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the subroutine “dust removal operation” of step S4 in the flowchart of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the modification of the subroutine "dust removal operation | movement" of step S4 in the flowchart of FIG. It is the figure which showed schematic structure of AF optical system in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The structure of the AF sensor unit main body and its peripheral part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is sectional drawing to which one part was expanded.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Lens barrel, 11 ... Shooting lens, 12 ... Diaphragm, 13 ... Lens drive mechanism, 14 ... Diaphragm drive mechanism, 15 ... Microcomputer for lens control (L [mu] com), 20 ... Communication connector, 30 ... Camera body, 31 ... Release button, 32 ... mode dial, 33 ... power switch lever, 34 ... control dial, 36 ... liquid crystal monitor, 43 ... finder, 50 ... finder optical system, 51 ... first reflecting mirror, 52 ... second reflecting mirror, 53 ... Third reflective mirror, 54 ... Fourth reflective mirror, 57 ... AF movable mirror, 58 ... Dust filter A, 60 ... Dust filter B, 61 ... Focusing screen, 62 ... Photometric sensor, 64 ... Eyepiece, 68 ... Through image Display image sensor, 70 ... finder unit body, 72 ... Piezoelectric element B, 78 ... Shutter, 79 ... Piezoelectric Child A, 80 ... Recording image sensor, 83 ... AF sensor unit, 84 ... AF sensor drive circuit, 85 ... Mirror drive mechanism, 86 ... Shutter charge mechanism, 87 ... Shutter control circuit, 91 ... Interface circuit, 92 ... Image processing Controller, 96 ... SDRAM, 97 ... FlashMemory, 98 ... Recording medium, 100 ... Temperature measuring circuit, 101 ... Nonvolatile memory (EEPROM), 102 ... Operation display LCD, 103 ... Camera operation switch (SW), 105 ... Power supply circuit .

Claims (13)

In optical equipment,
A first filter disposed in the imaging optical path;
First excitation means provided in the first filter;
At least one second filter outside the imaging optical path, disposed on the optical path divided by the optical path dividing means;
Second vibration means provided in a second filter outside the photographing optical path;
A single drive circuit capable of driving the first vibration means and the second vibration means;
An optical apparatus comprising:   The optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second filters has a sealed structure between optical filters behind the filter. In optical equipment,
At least one optical path dividing means disposed in the imaging optical path;
A first filter disposed in the imaging optical path;
First excitation means provided in the first filter;
At least one second filter outside the imaging optical path disposed on the optical path divided by the optical path dividing means;
Second vibration means provided in a second filter outside the at least one photographing optical path;
A single drive circuit capable of driving the first vibration means and the second vibration means;
Comprising
The surface of the first filter disposed in the photographing optical path is substantially perpendicular to the photographing optical path, and the surface of the second filter outside the photographing optical path is substantially parallel to the photographing optical path. An optical apparatus characterized by that. A plurality of dustproof filters,
A plurality of vibration members provided in each of the plurality of dustproof filters;
Common drive means for supplying a periodic drive signal to each of the plurality of vibration members;
Comprising
The optical device, wherein the drive means sets the frequency of the drive signal so that each of the plurality of dustproof filters can vibrate in the vicinity of the resonance frequency.   5. The optical apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the driving unit sequentially changes the frequency of the driving signal in accordance with the resonance frequency of each of the plurality of dustproof filters.   The optical apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the dustproof filter is provided in an imaging optical path and an observation optical path. A first filter disposed in the imaging optical path;
First vibration means for vibrating the first filter;
Optical path dividing means for dividing an incident light beam into the imaging optical path and an optical path other than the imaging optical path;
At least one second filter disposed on an optical path other than the imaging optical path;
At least one second vibration means for vibrating the second filter;
A single drive circuit capable of driving the first vibration means and the second vibration means;
An optical apparatus comprising:   The optical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of the first filter and the second filter has a sealed structure between optical filters behind the filter.   8. The surface of the first filter is substantially perpendicular to the photographing optical path, and the surface of the second filter is substantially parallel to the photographing optical path. Optical equipment.   The single drive circuit supplies a periodic drive signal to the first and second exciting means, and each of the first and second filters vibrates in the vicinity of their resonance frequencies. 8. The optical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the frequency of the drive signal is set so as to be possible.   11. The optical apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the single drive circuit sequentially changes the frequency of the drive signal in accordance with the resonance frequency of each of the first and second filters. .   The optical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the at least one second filter is provided in an observation optical path.   The optical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the at least one second filter is provided in a distance measuring optical path.

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