JP2009147864A - Optical device and imaging apparatus with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical device capable of specifying a position, at which a foreign substance is deposited, at a subject side of an image sensor. <P>SOLUTION: The optical device comprises a light emitting member (21), with light transmissivity, at a subject side of an image sensor (18), and is characterized in that a position, at which a foreign substance is deposited, in the light emitting member (21) or a position on the light emitting member (21) corresponding to a position, at which a foreign substance is deposited, in an optical member (17) disposed at the subject side of the light emitting member (21) is emitted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical device and an imaging device including the same.

In an imaging device such as a camera, if foreign matter such as dust adheres to the surface of a light emitting member of an optical low-pass filter (hereinafter referred to as OLPF) disposed on the subject side of the imaging device, the foreign matter appears as a black spot in the photographed image. It will be crowded. Therefore, it is desirable to remove such foreign matters. As a device for removing foreign matter, there is a cleaning device including a rod-shaped support member and an adhesive elastic member disposed at the tip of the support member (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When removing foreign matter with this cleaning device, the lens barrel is removed from the camera, and the cleaning device is inserted into the camera through the mount. Then, the elastic member at the tip is attached to the surface of the OLPF, and the foreign matter attached to the OLPF surface is transferred to the elastic member side.
JP 2007-52074 A

  However, since the foreign matter to be removed adhering to the OLPF surface is small and the inside of the camera is dark, it is difficult to visually grasp where the foreign matter is attached on the OLPF. For this reason, when using the cleaning device as described above, for example, an elastic member is attached to a place that is registered from the photographed image, or the elastic member is attached to the OLPF many times to remove foreign matters over a wide range. Have gone. However, in any case, there is a possibility that the foreign matter cannot be removed, or the foreign substance is diffused by the OLPF or damaged to the OLPF by attaching the cleaning device to the OLPF many times.

  An object of the present invention is to specify a portion where a foreign object adheres on the subject side of an image sensor.

  The present invention solves the above problems by the following means. In addition, in order to make an understanding easy, although the code | symbol corresponding to embodiment of this invention is attached | subjected and demonstrated, it is not limited to this.

The invention described in claim 1 includes a light emitting member (21) having transparency on the subject side of the image sensor (18), and the light emitting member (21) has a foreign matter attached thereto or the light emitting member ( The optical device (1) is characterized in that a portion on the light emitting member (21) corresponding to a portion where a foreign substance is attached to the optical member (17) disposed on the subject side of 21) emits light.
Invention of Claim 2 is the optical apparatus (1) of Claim 1, Comprising: The said light emission member (21) is in several area | region (21a, ..., 21b) in which light emission control is possible individually. The optical device (1) is characterized by being divided.
Invention of Claim 3 is an optical apparatus (1) of Claim 2, Comprising: The said light emission member (21) is the said some of the said some area | region (21a, ..., 21b) divided | segmented. The optical device (1) is characterized in that it can emit light in a region (21b) to which foreign matter is attached.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is an image pickup apparatus including the optical device (1) according to any one of the first to third aspects.
Note that the configuration described with reference numerals may be modified as appropriate, and at least a part of the configuration may be replaced with another component.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to identify a location where a foreign object adheres on the subject side of the image sensor.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Each figure shown below is provided with an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system for ease of explanation and understanding. In this coordinate system, the direction toward the left side as viewed from the photographer at the position of the camera when the photographer shoots a horizontally long image with the optical axis A horizontal (hereinafter referred to as a normal photographing position) is the X plus direction. . In addition, a direction toward the upper side at a normal photographing position is a Y plus direction. Furthermore, the direction toward the subject at the normal shooting position is the Z plus direction.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the camera 1 of the present embodiment. The illustrated camera 1 is, for example, a digital single-lens reflex camera, and includes a camera body 2 and an interchangeable lens 3 that is attached to and detached from the camera body 2. A mount portion 4 is provided on the front surface of the camera body 2, and the mount portion 6 provided on the back surface of the interchangeable lens 3 is connected to the mount portion 4 of the camera body 2 so that the interchangeable lens 3 is attached to the camera body 2. . The mount portions 4 and 6 are provided with contact portions 4a and 6a. When the contact portions 4a and 6a come into contact with each other, power and control signals are supplied from the camera body 2 to the interchangeable lens 3. .

  The interchangeable lens 3 includes a lens barrel 5 that extends in the optical axis direction. The interchangeable lens 3 includes a lens system 7 configured by arranging a plurality of lenses in the lens barrel 5 so that the optical axes coincide with each other, and a diaphragm 8 that adjusts the amount of light passing through the lens system 7. ing.

  A main mirror 11 that reflects light that has passed through the lens system 7 is disposed inside the camera body 2. A focusing plate 12 and a pentaprism 13 are provided above the main mirror 11. The light beam reflected by the main mirror 11 passes through the focus plate 12 and the pentaprism 13 and is guided to the eyepiece 14 provided on the back side of the camera body 2. As a result, the subject image can be observed through the eyepiece 14.

  The main mirror 11 includes a hinge shaft 11a, and is rotatable in the vertical direction around the hinge shaft 11a. A shutter 15 is disposed behind the main mirror 11, and an LPF (low-pass filter) 17, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and a CMOS (Complementary metal) are disposed on the optical path of the light beam transmitted through the main mirror 11 on the rear side of the shutter 15. An image sensor 18 such as an oxide semiconductor) is disposed. Between the OLPF 17 and the imaging element 18, a self-luminous self-luminous element 21 made of organic electroluminescence (organic EL) is sandwiched.

  A detection light source 16 such as an LED that irradiates light to the OLPF 17 is disposed in front of the OLPF 17. The detection light source 16 is located outside the rotation range of the main mirror 11, and interference with the main mirror 11 that is rotationally driven is prevented. The detection light source 16 is a light source for detecting foreign matter adhering to the OLPF 17.

  FIG. 2 shows a stacked structure of the image sensor 18, the self-light-emitting element 21, and the OLPF 17, and the image sensor 18, the self-light-emitting element 21, and the OLPF 17 are stacked in this order toward the Z plus direction. Therefore, the OLPF 17 is located on the subject side of the image sensor 18. The self-light emitting element 21 is also located on the subject side of the image sensor 18. The self-light emitting element 21 only needs to be positioned on the subject side of the image sensor 18, and for this reason, it may be disposed on the front side of the OLPF 17.

  The self-luminous element 21 has a flat plate shape having substantially the same area as the OLPF 17 and emits light when electricity is supplied. The OLPF 17 and the self-luminous element 21 need to have an area equal to or larger than that of the imaging unit of the imaging element 18.

  FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the self-luminous element 21, which is divided into a plurality of regions (divided regions) 21a,..., 21b. In the present embodiment, the divided areas 21a,..., 21b are divided into 4 columns and 4 rows, and as a whole, there are 16 divisions. Each of the divided areas 21a, ..., 21b has a rectangular shape. This is adapted to the fact that the front end surface of the adhesive elastic member of the cleaning device used normally has a rectangular shape. In this case, it is preferable to set the divided regions 21a,..., 21b to an area somewhat smaller than the adhesive elastic member of the cleaning device. In addition, when the front end surface of an adhesive elastic member is shapes other than a rectangular shape, it is preferable to set the division | segmentation area | regions 21a, ..., 21b of the self-light emitting element 21 according to the shape.

  The self-light-emitting element 21 indicates a place where the foreign matter is attached when the foreign matter adheres to the front OLPF 17 and operates so that the divided regions 21a,. In order to show the divided areas corresponding to the foreign matter adhesion locations, the divided areas 21a,..., 21b are controlled to emit light individually. In FIG. 3, as shown by hatching, the divided area 21 b emits light, but the other divided areas 21 a do not emit light, and foreign matter is attached to the part corresponding to the divided area 21 b in the OLPF 17. Show.

  As the self light emitting element 21, a transmissive self light emitting element capable of transmitting light is used. Therefore, when light passes through the self-luminous element 21, the transmitted light can be incident on the rear imaging element 18. For this reason, it does not hinder the photographing of the subject image by the image sensor 18. Further, since the light beam from the detection light source 16 also enters the image sensor 18, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of foreign matter attached by the image sensor 18.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram for realizing the present embodiment. A detection light source driving unit 33, a signal processing unit 34, an internal memory RAM 35, a mirror driving unit 36, a shutter driving unit 37, an image sensor driving unit 38, and a self light emitting element driving unit 40 are connected to the operation panel 32. . An imaging means 39 for performing focus detection and photometry is also connected to the CPU 31.

  Although not shown, the operation panel 32 is disposed on the rear side of the camera body 2 and includes a foreign object detection button for instructing foreign object detection according to the present embodiment. The detection light source drive unit 33 controls the detection light source 16 when performing foreign object detection. The signal processing unit 34 detects whether or not a foreign substance is attached to the OLPF 17 from an electrical signal based on the light incident on the image sensor 18. The RAM 35 records a foreign matter adhesion location based on the data of the signal processing unit 34. The mirror drive unit 36 controls the rotation of the main mirror 11, the shutter drive unit 37 controls the drive of the shutter 15, and the image sensor drive unit 38 controls the drive of the image sensor 18. The self light emitting element driving unit 40 controls light emission in the self light emitting element 21.

  FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of foreign object detection. Step S11 is a step for determining whether or not to enter the foreign object detection mode, and the foreign object detection mode is set by selecting the foreign object detection mode on the operation panel 32. As a result, the camera detects the adhesion of a foreign object (step S12).

  The foreign object detection in step S12 is performed according to the following procedure. By attaching a lens cap or the like to the interchangeable lens 3, the incidence of the light beam from the interchangeable lens 3 side is blocked. On the camera body 2 side, the main mirror 11 is rotated upward by the control of the mirror drive unit 36 to close the optical path on the focusing screen 12 side, and the light beam entering the camera body 2 from the eyepiece 14 is blocked. Further, the shutter 15 is opened by the control of the shutter drive unit 37. Thereafter, the detection light source 16 emits light under the control of the detection light source driving unit 33 to illuminate the image sensor 18.

  The image sensor 18 is controlled by an image sensor drive unit 38, and incident illumination light is converted into an image signal. The imaging signal is converted into image data by the signal processing unit 34, and a foreign matter attached to the OLPF 17 is detected (step S13). When the adhesion of foreign matter is detected, the foreign matter attachment position information is recorded in the RAM 35 (S14).

  If the attachment of a foreign object is detected, a warning is issued to the camera user (step S15). The warning can be performed by displaying that a foreign object is attached to the LCD provided in the camera body 2 or by generating a buzzer sound. Thereafter, in step S16, it is selected whether or not to shift to the foreign matter cleaning mode. In the foreign matter cleaning mode, the main mirror 11 is rotated upward by the control of the mirror driving unit 36 and the shutter 15 is opened by the control of the shutter driving unit 37 (step S17). If the main mirror 11 has already been rotated upward or the shutter 15 has already been opened, the process proceeds to step S18 without performing step S17.

  In step S <b> 18, the self light emitting element driving unit 40 causes the self light emitting element 21 to emit light based on the foreign substance adhesion position information recorded in the RAM 35. That is, the self-light emitting element driving unit 40 causes the divided areas 21b corresponding to the foreign substance attachment position information to emit light among the divided areas 21a,. As a result, the camera user can know the location of foreign matter on the OLPF 17.

  Since the foreign matter adhering location is found from the above, the camera user removes the interchangeable lens 3 from the camera body 2 and inserts the cleaning device into the camera body 2 from the mount portion 4. Then, the cleaning device is brought into contact with the light emitting portion to remove foreign matters from the surface of the OLPF 17 (step S20). Whether or not to perform step S20 is a step that can be selected by the camera user.

  Step S19 following step S18 is a step of determining whether or not to end the foreign matter cleaning mode, and the foreign matter operation mode is ended by an operation on the operation panel 32. In this embodiment, when it is necessary to confirm whether or not the foreign matter has been removed by the above-described cleaning by the cleaning device, it is possible to repeat step S11.

As described above, the present embodiment has the following effects.
(1) When foreign matter is attached to the OLPF 17 of the camera, the divided region of the self-light emitting element 21 stacked on the OLPF 17 emits light and displays the foreign matter attachment location on the OLPF 17. For this reason, the cleaner can know the foreign matter adhesion location of the OLPF 17 accurately.
(2) Since the foreign matter adhesion location can be accurately grasped, the cleaning device can be brought into contact only with the location that needs to be cleaned, so that the foreign matter can be reliably removed. Further, since it is not necessary to bring the cleaning device into contact with the OLPF 17 many times, the OLPF 17 can be prevented from being damaged.

(Deformation)
As described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications and changes as described below are possible, and these are also within the scope of the present invention.
(1) In the present embodiment, the self-luminous element 21 emits light based on detection of a foreign object. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the size of the foreign matter may be detected, and the emission color or emission intensity may be changed based on the size of the foreign matter. Alternatively, it may blink.
(2) Moreover, in this invention, illumination apparatuses other than the self-light-emitting element 21 can be used. For example, a module in which point light sources such as LEDs are arranged vertically and horizontally may be used as the illumination device.
(3) A bright white solid subject is photographed, and, for example, a black dot is analyzed as a foreign substance from an image (image dust data) obtained by the photographing, and a display device of the computer blinks and displays a foreign substance adhesion portion in the OLPF 17 image. You may specify by.
(4) Although the digital single-lens reflex camera has been described in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a video camera, a mobile phone, or a PC as long as it has a foreign object detection function. .
Note that the embodiment and the modification can be combined as appropriate, but detailed description thereof is omitted. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.

It is an exploded sectional view showing the camera of one embodiment of the present invention. (A), (b) is the exploded perspective view and perspective view which show the laminated structure of OLPF of one Embodiment of this invention, and an image pick-up element. It is a top view of the self-luminous element of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram for implementing one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the action | operation of one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1: Camera, 2: Camera body, 11: Main mirror, 17: LPF, 18: Image sensor, 21: Self-luminous element

Claims (4)

  Corresponding to a location where a light emitting member having transparency is provided on the subject side of the image sensor and a foreign matter is attached to the light emitting member or a location where a foreign matter is attached to an optical member disposed on the subject side of the light emitting member An optical device that emits light on a light emitting member that emits light. The optical device according to claim 1,
The optical device is characterized in that the light emitting member is divided into a plurality of regions that can individually control light emission. The optical device according to claim 2,
The optical device, wherein the light emitting member is capable of emitting light in an area where the foreign matter is attached among the plurality of divided areas.   An imaging apparatus comprising the optical device according to claim 1.

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