JP2008211629A - Imaging apparatus and optical device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus capable of reducing an influence of an airtight part caused by the oscillation of an oscillation part. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus has: the oscillation part 34 which has optical transparency and oscillates; an imaging part which is provided opposite to the oscillation part 34 and picks up an image; and the airtight part 36 which performs airtight a space between the oscillation part 34 and the imaging part, wherein the airtight part 36 has a first airtight member 36a provided at a joint of the oscillation of the oscillation part 34 and a second airtight member 36b with rigidity lower than that of the first airtight member 36a and provided in the oscillation part 34. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus including an imaging element such as a CCD, and an optical apparatus including the imaging apparatus.

  In a single-lens reflex digital camera with interchangeable lenses, dust in the air adheres to the cover glass of the imaging device and the surface of the optical low-pass filter when the lens is replaced, and it is reflected in the image to obtain a good image. There is no problem. For this reason, there has been conventionally known an apparatus in which a dust-proof optical member is disposed in front of the optical low-pass filter, and the optical member is bent and vibrated by a piezoelectric element to remove dust adhering to the surface of the optical member (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

JP 2003-338916 A

  By the way, in order to prevent dust from entering the space in which the image sensor is stored, it is necessary to provide an airtight member of the vibrating optical member to maintain the airtightness of the storage space. However, in the case of the circular optical member described in the above-described prior art, airtightness is possible by providing an airtight member at the vibration node formed around the member. Therefore, there is a drawback that the dimension of the optical member becomes too large. On the other hand, in the case of a rectangular optical member, it is necessary to provide an airtight member in a portion where vibration nodes and antinodes are formed, and there is a drawback that sufficient airtightness cannot be obtained.

An image pickup apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided with a vibrating part that vibrates and vibrates, an imaging part that is provided opposite to the vibrating part, and picks up an image, and a space between the vibrating part and the imaging part. An airtight portion, and the airtight portion has a first airtight member provided at a vibration node of the vibration portion and a second airtight member provided at the vibration portion with lower rigidity than the first airtight member. It is characterized by.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to the first aspect, the vibration node of the vibration part is formed along a predetermined direction of the vibration part.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to the second aspect, two or more vibration nodes of the vibration section are formed at a predetermined interval.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the vibration unit includes a first side provided in parallel with the vibration node and a second side provided opposite to the first side. And a third side provided in a direction orthogonal to the first side and the second side, and a fourth side provided to face the third side.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to the fourth aspect, the first hermetic member is provided in parallel with the first side and the second side, and the second hermetic member is the third side and the fourth side. It is provided in parallel with the side.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the outer shape of the vibrating section is rectangular or square.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the first and second airtight members are integrally formed.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the imaging device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the first and second hermetic members are formed of materials having different elastic moduli. And
An optical device according to a ninth aspect of the invention includes the imaging device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the influence of the airtight part on the vibration of the vibration part.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an image pickup apparatus according to the present invention, and shows a schematic configuration of a digital still camera with interchangeable lenses. An interchangeable lens 2 is detachably provided on the camera body 1. A mirror 5 is detachably provided on the optical axis in the camera body 1, and in a state where the mirror 5 is disposed on the optical axis (non-exposure state) as shown in FIG. The passed subject light is reflected by a mirror 5 to a finder optical system (not shown).

  On the other hand, during exposure, the mirror 5 is retracted out of the optical axis, and the shutter unit 6 is opened and closed. As a result, the subject image formed by the interchangeable lens 2 is picked up by the image pickup device 30 provided in the image pickup unit 3. The image sensor 30 is configured by a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS. The imaging unit 3 includes a base 31 provided with an imaging element 30 and a case 32 provided so as to cover the imaging element 30.

  The case 32 is provided with an optical low-pass filter 33 and a cover plate 34. An airtight seal 36 is provided between the cover plate 34 and the case 32. A piezoelectric element 35 is bonded to the cover plate 34, and the piezoelectric element 35 is driven and controlled by the driving unit 4. The cover plate 34 that constitutes the vibration part that vibrates by the piezoelectric element 35 is formed of a transparent member such as optical glass.

  2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the imaging unit 3, where FIG. 2A is a front view seen from the shutter unit 6 side, FIG. 2B is an AA cross-sectional view, and FIG. 2C is a BB cross-sectional view. . Since the cover plate 34 is a transparent member, in the front view of FIG. 2A, the piezoelectric element 35, the imaging element 30, and the optical low-pass filter 33 on the back side of the cover plate 34 are indicated by solid lines. The cover plate 34 has a rectangular shape that is long in the horizontal direction in the figure. A pair of piezoelectric elements 35 bonded to the back surface of the cover plate 34 are provided in parallel along the left and right sides of the cover plate 34.

  The cover plate 34 is placed on the airtight seal 36 of the case 32 and is pressed against the airtight seal 36 by the pressurizing member 38. Here, a metal plate is used as the pressure member 38, and the cover plate 34 is urged toward the hermetic seal 36 by the elastic force resulting from the deformation of the pressure member 38. As a result, the storage space in which the image sensor 30 and the optical low-pass filter 33 are provided is in an airtight state, and dust and the like can be prevented from entering the storage space from the outside of the case. The pressure member 38 is screwed to the case, the vertical position of the cover plate 34 is positioned by the pressure member 38, and the horizontal position is positioned by the positioning pins 37.

  FIG. 3A is a view showing a state where the pressure member 38 is removed from the imaging unit 3 shown in FIG. 2A, and the airtight seal 36 can be seen through the transparent cover plate 34. FIG. 3B shows a piezoelectric element 35 bonded to the back side of the cover plate 34 and an airtight seal 36 disposed on the back side.

  The hermetic seal 36 is provided in parallel with the first airtight member 36a provided in parallel with each short side (left and right sides in the figure) of the cover plate 34 and with each long side (upper and lower sides in the figure) of the cover plate 34. And a second airtight member 36b. The second hermetic member 36b is formed of a material having a low rigidity, that is, a low elastic modulus, which is easier to deform than the first hermetic member 36a. For example, the first hermetic member 36a is formed of solid rubber, and the second hermetic member 36b is formed of sponge rubber (rubber formed in a sponge shape).

In the case of solid rubber, the compression elastic modulus at a strain of 20% is about 1 to 10 MPa, and in the case of sponge rubber, it is about 0.01 to 1 MPa. However, the compression modulus is defined by the following formula. In the equation, E is the compression modulus, F is the load, A is the cross-sectional area, and ε is the strain (= 0.2).
E = F / (A · ε)
Here, the 1st airtight member 36a and the 2nd airtight member 36b are integrally molded.

  In the present embodiment, a periodic voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 35 provided on the cover plate 34 by the drive unit 4 to generate vibrations in the cover plate 34 that is a vibration unit, and adheres to the surface of the cover plate 34. The dust that has been removed is removed. The resonance frequency at this time is determined by the shape, thickness, material, and the like of the cover plate 34. FIG. 4 schematically shows the vibration of the cover plate 34, (a) shows the fifth-order bending vibration, and (b) shows the ninth-order bending vibration.

  4 shows a cross-section of the cover plate 34 in the longitudinal direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 3B), and the left-right direction in the figure is the longitudinal direction of the cover plate 34. When the cover plate 34 is vibrated by the piezoelectric elements 35 arranged as shown in FIG. 3B, vibration nodes are formed in parallel with the short side of the cover plate 34 at a predetermined interval. The vibration nodes and the antinodes are alternately formed along the longitudinal direction of the cover plate 34.

  By changing the frequency of the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 53, fifth-order bending vibration as shown in FIG. 4A or higher-order bending vibration as shown in FIG. 4B can be generated. it can. In any order, nodes are formed at the left and right ends of the cover plate 34, and the positions of the nodes are formed at almost constant locations regardless of the order. The 1st airtight member 36a of the airtight seal 36 is arrange | positioned so that the node of this both ends may be formed. Therefore, the vibration of the cover plate 34 is not hindered. Here, the arrangement at the position where the node is formed includes not only the position where the node is strictly formed but also the vicinity thereof.

  The pressing member 38 is provided so as to press the position where the node of the cover plate 34 is formed. Further, as described above, since the first hermetic member 36a is formed of a material having higher rigidity than the second hermetic member 36b, the pressing force of the pressurizing member 38 applied to the hermetic seal 36 via the cover plate 34. Is mainly supported by the first airtight member 36a.

  On the other hand, since the second airtight member 36b is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the cover plate 34, the second airtight member 36b is in contact with the cover plate 34 so as to cross the vibration nodes and antinodes. However, since the second hermetic member 36b is less rigid than the first hermetic member 36a and easily deforms, the portions of the second hermetic member 36b are cover plates as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). It can be deformed following the deformation of 34. As a result, the space in which the image pickup device 30 and the optical low-pass filter 33 are housed can be kept airtight. Further, since the second airtight member 36b is deformed with a slight force, the influence on the vibration of the cover plate 34 can be reduced.

  In the embodiment described above, the rigidity of the second hermetic member 36b is made lower than that of the first hermetic member 36a by using materials having different rigidity. However, different materials are used instead of the second hermetic member 36b. The rigidity may be lowered by devising the cross-sectional shape. FIGS. 5A and 5B show examples of cross-sectional shapes that can reduce the rigidity. It is assumed that the cross section of the first hermetic member 36a is circular as in the above-described embodiment.

  In FIG. 5A, a convex portion 360 is formed on the surface of the second airtight member 36b on the cover plate 34 side (the upper side in the drawing), and the convex portion 360 is brought into contact with the cover plate 34 to be sealed. The cross section of the convex portion 360 is smaller than the semicircular cross sectional portion 361 at the lower portion thereof, and the width becomes narrower toward the tip. Therefore, it is easy to deform even with a slight force, and the influence on the vibration of the cover plate 34 can be reduced.

  On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 5B, a flexible lip 362 is formed on the upper part of the semicircular cross-sectional portion 361 of the second hermetic member 36b. When the cover plate 34 is deformed by vibration, the lip portion 362 is bent and deformed in accordance with the deformation. In any case, the applied pressure received from the cover plate 34 is mainly supported by the first airtight member 36a, so that the convex portion 360 and the lip portion 362 have a small deformation margin to the extent that sealing performance can be ensured. Thereby, the influence on the vibration can be made sufficiently small.

  In the embodiment described above, the hermetic seal 36 is disposed separately between the case 32 and the cover plate 34. However, the case 32 is formed of an elastic body such as rubber, and the case 32 and the hermetic seal 36 are integrated. You may make it form. In the case where the optical low-pass filter 33 also functions as a cover plate and the optical low-pass filter 33 is vibrated to remove dust, the optical low-pass filter 33 is disposed between the optical low-pass filter 33 and the case 32 as described above. What is necessary is just to arrange | position the airtight seal | sticker 36. FIG.

  FIG. 6 shows another modification of the hermetic seal 36. The hatched portion is composed of the first hermetic member 36a, and the hatched portion is composed of the second hermetic member 36b. Of the hermetic seal 36, in the portion arranged in parallel with the upper and lower sides of the cover plate 34 so as to cross the vibration node and the belly, the portion in contact with the vibration node is formed by the first airtight member 36 a, The part in contact with the abdomen was formed by the second airtight member 36b. Also in this case, since the second airtight member 36b having low rigidity comes into contact with the vibrating portion (vibration antinode), it is possible to reduce the inhibition of vibration by the airtight seal 36. The structure of the second airtight member 36b may be a structure as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b).

  In the cover plate 34 shown in FIG. 6, the four corners are rounded and rounded. The shape of the cover plate 34 may not be strictly rectangular. That is, when the hermetic seal 36 crosses the antinode of vibration, the rigidity of the portion in contact with the antinode may be made lower than the rigidity of the portion in contact with the node.

  In the above-described embodiments, the interchangeable lens type digital camera has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a lens-integrated digital camera and further includes an optical device including an imaging device. It can also be applied to. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment as long as the characteristics of the present invention are not impaired.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the imaging device by this invention. It is a figure which shows the imaging unit 3, (a) is a front view, (b) is AA sectional drawing, (c) is BB sectional drawing. (A) is a figure which shows the imaging unit 3 of the state which removed the pressurization member 38, (b) shows the piezoelectric element 35 and the airtight seal 36 which were provided in the back surface side of the cover plate 34. FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the vibration of the cover plate 34, (a) shows a 5th-order bending vibration, (b) shows a 9th-order bending vibration, respectively. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional shape of the 2nd airtight member 36b, (a) shows the convex part 360, (b) shows the lip | rip part 362. FIG. It is a figure which shows the other modification of the airtight seal.

Explanation of symbols

  3: imaging unit, 30: imaging element, 31: base, 32: case, 33: optical low-pass filter, 34: cover plate, 35: piezoelectric element, 36: hermetic seal, 36a: first hermetic member, 36b: first 2 airtight member, 38: pressurizing part, 360: convex part, 362: lip part

Claims (9)

A vibrating part that vibrates and vibrates;
An imaging unit that is provided facing the vibration unit and captures an image;
An airtight part that hermetically seals the space between the vibration part and the imaging part,
The airtight part includes a first airtight member provided at a vibration node of the vibration part, and a second airtight member provided in the vibration part with lower rigidity than the first airtight member. An imaging device. The imaging device according to claim 1,
An image pickup apparatus, wherein a vibration node of the vibration unit is formed along a predetermined direction of the vibration unit. The imaging device according to claim 2,
2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein two or more vibration nodes of the vibration unit are formed at a predetermined interval. In the imaging device according to claim 2 or 3,
The vibrating portion includes a first side provided in parallel with the vibration node, a second side provided to face the first side, and a direction orthogonal to the first side and the second side. An imaging apparatus comprising: a third side provided; and a fourth side provided to face the third side. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4,
The first hermetic member is provided in parallel with the first side and the second side,
The imaging apparatus, wherein the second hermetic member is provided in parallel with the third side and the fourth side. In the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The external shape of the said vibration part is a rectangle or a square, The imaging device characterized by the above-mentioned. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second hermetic members are integrally formed. In the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The imaging apparatus, wherein the first and second hermetic members are formed of materials having different elastic moduli.   An optical apparatus comprising the imaging apparatus according to claim 1.

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