JP4874722B2 - Dust blower - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dust blower for cleaning an object by injecting air, and more particularly to a dust blower suitable for use in removing foreign matters such as dust attached to an imaging surface of a digital camera.

In a camera including an image sensor such as a CCD element or a CMOS element such as a digital camera, the image quality is deteriorated due to foreign matter adhering to the image pickup surface of the image sensor. In particular, in an imaging device in which the imaging surface of the imaging device is exposed to the outside, such as a digital single-lens reflex camera, when an interchangeable lens that can be attached to and detached from the camera body is removed, external foreign matter passes through the lens mount opening. The foreign matter that has entered when the body enters the body and then the shutter is opened to expose the imaging surface will adhere to the imaging surface. A dust blower is used to remove such foreign matter adhering to the imaging surface. This dust blower is also called an air blower. For example, in Patent Document 1, the dust blower is used to clean the back surface of a built-in conversion lens. When a conventional dust blower grasps an elliptical main body made of a flexible material by hand, the air in the main body is ejected from a nozzle portion that is extended from a part of the main body, and this air injection pressure The foreign matter adhering to the object is removed by blowing away and cleaning is performed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-273737

  When such a conventional dust blower releases the grip of the main body of the dust blower, the main body is restored to its original state by its own elastic force, but at that time, the elastic recovery is performed while sucking air from the nozzle into the main body. To do. Therefore, when this foreign dust blower is used to clean foreign matter adhering to the imaging surface of the image sensor exposed in the camera body of a digital single-lens reflex camera, the foreign matter removed from the imaging surface is floating in the camera body. If the grip of the main body of the dust blower is released in the meantime, foreign matter floating in the camera main body is sucked into the dust blower through the nozzle portion. Then, when the main body is gripped again and air is ejected from the nozzle, there is a situation in which the foreign matter sucked into the main body is again ejected from the nozzle and injected to the imaging surface. There is a possibility that foreign matter may adhere to the imaging surface. Therefore, the foreign matter in the camera body is simply circulated in the dust blower and the camera body, and there is a problem that the foreign matter cannot be removed from the camera body and the imaging surface cannot be cleaned appropriately.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a dust blower capable of performing cleaning by jetting air onto an object and preventing foreign matters removed from the object from adhering to the object again.

The present invention provides a Dasutoburowa comprising an elastically deformable hollow body portion and a said body portion cylindrical nozzle portion communicating with the inside at the proximal end extending from the body portion, a nozzle portion a nozzle tip A first valve that has two nozzles, an air ejection nozzle and an air suction nozzle , arranged at the same position, and allows only air flow from the air suction nozzle into the main body in the main body, and the main body And a second valve that allows only an air flow from the inside to the air ejection nozzle. Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable to provide the inside of a main-body part with the dustproof filter for removing the foreign material in the air which flows toward the air ejection nozzle from the said main-body part.

  The dust blower of the present invention ejects air in the main body from the air ejection nozzle by grasping the main body, and when air is sucked into the main body from the air suction nozzle by releasing the grasping of the main body, It will be passed through the 2 valve and the 1st valve, and it will be suppressed by the 1st valve that the air goes out from the air suction nozzle, and at the same time the air is blown out when passing through the 2nd valve. It becomes difficult for foreign matter to be mixed in. Moreover, by providing a dustproof filter in the main body, it is possible to reliably prevent foreign matter sucked into the main body from being ejected together with air. Thereby, the dust blower of this invention can remove a foreign material suitably.

In the present invention, the nozzle tip of the air ejection nozzle and the air suction nozzle is disposed in the same position. For example, the air ejection nozzle and the air suction nozzle are arranged coaxially. Alternatively, the air ejection nozzle and the air suction nozzle are arranged in parallel. In this way, immediately after the air is ejected from the air ejection nozzle, the air in the vicinity of the area where the air is ejected is sucked into the main body by the air suction nozzle, so that the foreign matter removed from the object by the air ejection is immediately Suction by the air suction nozzle is prevented from adhering to the object again.

  Further, in the present invention, the base end portion of the air suction nozzle is communicated with one end side in the main body portion, the base end portion of the air ejection nozzle is communicated with the other end side in the main body portion, and the dustproof filter is the base end portion of the air ejection nozzle. Since the foreign matter sucked into the main body through the air suction nozzle does not flow toward the air ejection nozzle by the dust filter, it is only collected in the main body, and the foreign matter is collected in the main body. The volume can be increased, and the effect of removing foreign matters is increased.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a dust blower of the present invention. The dust blower 1 includes a main body portion 2 having a shape close to an elliptical sphere (a shape obtained by rotating an ellipse around a major axis), and a nozzle portion 3 extending along the major axis direction of the main body portion 2. . The main body is made of airtight rubber or elastic resin, and the inside is hollow. When gripped by hand, the internal space can be reduced, and when the grip is released, it can return to its original state. It is like that. Here, the main body portion is formed with appropriate ribs 20 in the axial direction and the circumferential direction along the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion in order to maintain its own shape and increase the elastic force. The nozzle part 3 is formed in a pipe shape with both ends having a small diameter made of resin or the like, and is composed of an inner nozzle 31 and an outer nozzle 32 arranged coaxially as will be described later.

  2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and the outer nozzle 32 has a predetermined length from one end portion (left end portion in FIG. 2) in the long axis direction of the main body portion 2 toward the front end in the left direction. The inner nozzle 31 extends from the same position as the tip of the outer nozzle 32 to the inside of the main body 2 along the major axis direction on the other end on the opposite side of the main body 2 (the right end in the figure). ) Is extended to a position close to. An annular gap 33 is formed between the inner side of the outer nozzle 32 and the outer side of the inner nozzle 31, and this gap 33 communicates with the inside of the main body 2 at one end of the main body 2. . The base end portion of the inner nozzle 31 communicates with the inside of the main body 2 at the other end of the main body 2. In this embodiment, in order to facilitate the manufacture and assembly of the dust blower, the inner nozzle 31 is divided in the axial direction, and a first pipe 31 a extending inside the main body 2 and the first pipe 31 a are provided. The second pipe 31b has an end inserted into one end of the first pipe 31a. In addition, in order to form the gap 33 between the inner nozzle 31 and the outer nozzle 32 and maintain the shape, a spoke or the like that actually connects the inner nozzle 31 and the outer nozzle 32 in the radial direction is provided. However, the illustration is omitted here. Here, as will be understood from the description below, the inner nozzle 31 is configured as an air ejection nozzle, and the outer nozzle 32 is configured as the air suction nozzle with the gap 33 between the inner nozzle 31. They are referred to as an air ejection nozzle 31 and an air suction nozzle 32, respectively.

  A first valve for opening and closing a communication state between the air gap 33 formed between the air ejection nozzle 31 and the air suction nozzle 32 and the inside of the main body 2 is provided at one end of the main body 2. 21 is disposed. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the first valve 21, and the first valve 21 is composed of a valve piece 211 formed in a thin disc shape by an airtight elastic material such as rubber or flexible resin. The outer peripheral portion 211a is integrated with the inner wall of the main body portion 2, and the inner peripheral portion 211b is somewhat thinned to have a somewhat cylindrical shape, and then the other end portion of the main body portion 2. In a state of being slightly bent toward the side, it is brought into contact with the peripheral surface of the air ejection nozzle 31 (first pipe 31a) by its own elasticity, and is elastically deformed in the outer diameter direction from the peripheral surface of the air ejection nozzle 31. It is designed to be separated. With this configuration, the first valve 21 cuts off air from the inside of the main body 2 toward the air suction nozzle 32 (gap 33) in the left direction of the figure as indicated by a broken line in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 (c), the air suction nozzle 32 is configured as a one-way valve that allows the air in the right direction in FIG.

  A second valve 22 for opening and closing the communication state between the inside of the main body 2 and the inside of the air ejection nozzle 21 is disposed at the other end of the main body 2. Although the detailed illustration of the second valve 22 is omitted, the second valve 22 is formed in a thin disk shape by an airtight elastic material such as rubber or flexible resin like the first valve 21, and its outer peripheral portion is the main body 2. It is integrated with the inner wall, and the inner peripheral part is somewhat thinned to be somewhat cylindrical and is bent slightly toward the other end side of the air ejection nozzle 31 itself. Is brought into contact with the circumferential surface of the air ejection nozzle 31 and is separated from the circumferential surface of the air ejection nozzle 31 when elastically deformed in the plate thickness direction. With this configuration, the second valve 22 allows air to pass only from the inside of the main body 2 toward the base end of the air ejection nozzle 31, and toward the inside of the main body 2 from the inside of the base end of the air ejection nozzle 31 in the opposite direction. It is configured as a one-way valve that shuts off air in the direction.

  Further, a dustproof filter 23 is disposed in the main body 2 at a position close to the second valve 22. Although the dust filter 23 allows air to pass therethrough, it can block the passage of foreign matter such as dust adhering to the image pickup surface of the image pickup device of the camera, and the inner wall of the main body 2 and the air ejection nozzle 31 can be prevented. Between the peripheral surfaces of the two. Here, although not shown in detail, the dustproof filter 23 is formed in an annular plate shape, the outer peripheral portion is fixed to the inner wall of the main body 2, and the inner peripheral portion is fixed to the peripheral surface of the air ejection nozzle 31. An annular region between the outer peripheral portion and the inner peripheral portion is made of a breathable filter material.

  When cleaning the foreign matter adhering to the imaging surface of the image sensor of the digital single-lens reflex camera (hereinafter abbreviated as “camera”) using the dust blower 1 configured as described above, after removing the photographic lens from the lens mount of the camera, The mirror is raised manually and the shutter is opened. Alternatively, the mirror up and shutter release are performed in the same manner by setting the cleaning mode. Thereby, the imaging surface of the imaging device in the camera or the surface of an optical member such as a filter covering the imaging surface (hereinafter referred to as an imaging surface) is exposed through the opening of the lens mount. After setting the camera in such a state, the operator places the tip of the nozzle part 3 of the dust blower 1 close to the imaging surface and then grasps the main body part 2 by hand. The main body 2 is reduced by the gripping of the main body 2, and the air inside the main body 2 is opened from the base end of the air ejection nozzle 31 by opening the second valve 22 as shown by the solid line in FIG. It is pushed out, passes through the inside of the air ejection nozzle 31, is ejected from the tip of the nozzle portion 3, is ejected onto the imaging surface, and the foreign matter adhering to the imaging surface is blown away for cleaning. At this time, the inner diameter of the second valve 22 is elastically deformed and expanded in the outer diameter direction by the air pressure, and the air is allowed to flow into the main body through a gap generated by being separated from the peripheral surface of the air ejection nozzle.

  Immediately after that, when the operator releases the grip of the main body 2, the main body 2 returns to its original state due to its own elastic force. At that time, the inside of the main body 2 becomes negative pressure. As shown, the external air is sucked into the main body 2 through the nozzle 3. At this time, air tends to be sucked into the inside of the main body 2 through the inside of the air ejection nozzle 31 and the outside gap 33, that is, the air suction nozzle 32, but the air ejection nozzle 31 has the second valve 22. Since the air flow from the air ejection nozzle 31 to the inside of the main body 2 is blocked by the shielding action, the air is only sucked into the main body 2 while opening the first valve 21 from the air suction nozzle 32. Become. At this time, the inner diameter of the first valve 21 is elastically deformed in the outer diameter direction by the air pressure, and the diameter of the first valve 21 is increased. Let it flow. Since the blown-off foreign matter is mixed in the air sucked into the main body portion 2 in this manner, the foreign matter is sucked into the main body portion 2 together with the air and is accumulated in the main body portion 2. . Thereby, the foreign matter blown off from the imaging surface in the camera is sucked into the dust blower 1 and removed from the camera.

  The above operation is repeated, and air is ejected from the nozzle portion 3 every time the main body portion 2 is gripped, and foreign matters adhering to the imaging surface are removed. Since the tip of the air suction nozzle 32 is located at the same position as the tip of the air ejection nozzle 31, when the foreign matter is removed by the air ejection nozzle 31, the removed foreign matter is sucked into the dust blower together with air. Each time this is repeated, the air sucked into the body 2 passes through the air ejection nozzle 31 while opening the second valve 22 again and is ejected from the nozzle 3. Since the foreign matter sucked into the inside is blocked by the dust-proof filter 23 before passing through the second valve 22, the foreign matter sucked into the main body portion 2 is mixed with the air flowing through the second valve 22. There is nothing.

  As described above, in the dust blower 1 according to the first embodiment, the air containing foreign matter is sucked into the dust blower 1 by repeatedly grasping and releasing the main body 2, while the air from which the foreign matter has been removed is ejected from the dust blower 1. Will be. Thereby, the foreign matter adhering to the imaging surface can be removed from the imaging surface with the jetted air, and the air containing the removed foreign matter can be completely removed by sucking the dust blower 1. Therefore, no foreign matter is left in the camera, and the foreign matter once removed does not adhere to the imaging surface again, and the imaging surface can be suitably cleaned.

  The foreign matter sucked into the main body 2 is left in the main body 2 as it is and gradually accumulates. However, the accumulated foreign matter does not affect the operation of the dust blower 1 with a certain amount. Absent. In addition, when a considerable amount of foreign matter accumulates in the main body 2, the operation of the dust blower 1 may be affected. In this case, the dust blower 1 is discarded and replaced with a new dust blower. Since the dust blower of Embodiment 1 can be configured at a low cost, the economic burden can be reduced.

  Moreover, in Example 1, since the dustproof filter 23 is provided in the position of the base end part side of the air ejection nozzle 31, ie, the position of the other end part side of the main-body part 2, it is attracted | sucked inside the main-body part 2. Air and foreign matter do not pass through the dust-proof filter 23, and the suction force at the time of suction does not decrease due to air resistance when flowing through the dust-proof filter 23, and the foreign matter can be sucked effectively. Further, the fact that the dustproof filter 23 is provided at the position on the other end side of the main body 2 means that the internal volume on the one end side of the main body 2 to which the air suction nozzle 32 is communicated is increased. Thus, the volume for collecting foreign substances inside the main body 2 can be increased, and the life of the dust blower 1 can be extended. On the other hand, the air ejected through the air ejection nozzle 31 passes through the dust-proof filter 23. At this time, the air is pushed out by contraction and deformation of the main body 2 due to the gripping by the operator. The momentum of air jetting is less likely to decrease, and the air jetting has little influence on the foreign matter removal effect.

  4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of the dust blower 1A of the second embodiment. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the dust blower 1A of the second embodiment, the configuration of the first valve 21A is different from that of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the first valve 21A is composed of a valve piece 211 formed in a thin disk shape, and a cylindrical inner peripheral portion 211a is integrated with the outer wall of the first pipe 31a of the air ejection nozzle 31. The outer peripheral portion 211b is brought into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the main body 2 by its own elasticity in a state where the plate thickness is somewhat thinned and slightly bent toward the other end of the main body 2, and in the thickness direction. When elastically deformed, the main body 2 is separated from the inner peripheral surface. With this configuration, the first valve 21A blocks air from the inside of the main body 2 toward the air suction nozzle 32 (gap 33) in the left direction of the figure as indicated by a broken line in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5B, the air suction nozzle 32 is configured as a one-way valve that allows the air in the right direction in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, the dust blower 1A removes foreign matter in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, when the operator grasps the main body 2 of the dust blower 1A, the first valve as shown in FIG. 21A is closed. When the operator releases the grip of the dust blower 1A, the outer diameter of the first valve 21 is elastically deformed in the inner diameter direction by the air pressure as shown in FIG. Air is caused to flow into the main body 2 through the gap generated by the separation.

  In the configuration of the second embodiment, the first valve 21A is supported by the air ejection nozzle 31 whose inner peripheral portion 211a is not deformed, so that stable support can be performed, and a flexible outer peripheral portion for blocking and allowing air to pass therethrough. Since 211b is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the main body part 2, even when the main body part 2 is elastically deformed by grasping, the outer peripheral part 211b is elastically deformed following the elastic deformation, so that the valve function is impaired. There is nothing.

  FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of the dust blower 1B according to the third embodiment of the present invention, in which the nozzle portion 3A is configured by two parallel nozzles, one nozzle is configured as an air ejection nozzle 31A, and the other nozzle is air suctioned. This is configured as the nozzle 32A. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part as Example 1. FIG. In this dust blower 1B, as shown in the sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 7, the inner end of the air suction nozzle 32A communicates with the inside of the main body 2 and the inner end of the air ejection nozzle 31A is the main body. The first valve 21B, the second valve 22B, and the dustproof filter 23 are disposed along the peripheral surface of the air ejection nozzle 31A to perform air flow and blocking. The structure prevents the passage of foreign matter. As shown in the perspective view of the first valve 21B in FIG. 8A, the first valve 21B and the second valve 22B have the outer peripheral portion 212a in close contact with the inner wall surface of the main body 2, and the inner peripheral portion 212b is blown out by air. An annular plate-shaped shielding plate 212 is provided in close contact with the peripheral surface of the nozzle 31 </ b> A to block the inside of the main body 2 in the axial direction, and through-holes 213 in the plate thickness direction are provided at one or a plurality of locations of the shielding wall 212. The tongue piece valve piece 214 is supported at one end so as to open and close one surface of the through hole 213. In the first valve 21B, as shown in FIG. 8B, when air flows through the through hole 213 in the left direction, the valve piece 214 blocks the through hole to prevent the air from flowing. When air flows in the right direction through the through hole 213 as shown in (c), the valve piece 214 is elastically deformed to open the through hole and allow air to flow. The same applies to the second valve 22B.

  Furthermore, in Example 3, the main body 2 is divided into two parts 2a and 2b in the axial direction at the other end side of the main body 2, and both parts are integrated by a screw structure. The part 2b is separated from the part 2a by loosening the screw structure. When the part 2b is separated, the inside of the main body 2 is exposed through the opening of the part 2a, so that the foreign matter accumulated in the main body 2 can be removed by cleaning. Is possible. At the same time, it becomes possible to remove the dustproof filter 23 from the opening of the portion 2a and replace it. In the case of the third embodiment, the foreign matter inside the main body 2 is removed, the dustproof effect due to clogging of the dustproof filter 23 and the increase in air flow resistance can be eliminated, and the dust blower 1A is used semipermanently. It is possible.

  In the third embodiment, in the nozzle portion 3A, the air jet formed integrally with the air suction nozzle 31A in order to easily connect the first nozzle 31a and the second nozzle 31b of the air jet nozzle 31A. The inner end portion 312 of the second nozzle 31b of the nozzle 31A is formed in a concave cylindrical shape, the tip portion 311 of the first nozzle 31a is fitted into the inner end portion 312, and both are connected in abutting state. is doing. By doing in this way, when the nozzle part 3A is fitted to the main body part 2, the first nozzle 31a and the second nozzle 31b are automatically abutted and the two are connected.

  Also in the dust blower of the third embodiment, when used for camera cleaning, the foreign matter adhering to the imaging surface is removed from the imaging surface by the air blown from the dust blower in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the air including the removed foreign matter is supplied to the dust blower 1B. It can be completely removed by suction. Therefore, no foreign matter is left in the camera, and the foreign matter once removed does not adhere to the imaging surface again, and the imaging surface can be suitably cleaned. In the case of the second embodiment, two or more air suction nozzles 32A may be provided to increase the air suction area, in other words, the foreign matter suction area. Further, in the second embodiment, it is possible to configure a dustproof filter by filling the through hole 213 of the shielding plate 212 with a dustproof filter material instead of the valve piece 214 constituting the first valve 21B.

  Here, the dustproof filter provided in the main body in each of the above embodiments is not necessarily required. Most of the foreign matter sucked into the main body through the air suction nozzle is attached to the inner wall of the main body due to static electricity or the like. At the same time, the first valve is placed between the air suction nozzle, the air ejection nozzle, and the main body. And the second valve is present to prevent foreign matter from flowing along with the air. In particular, the main body is grasped, the internal air is supplied to the air ejection nozzle through the second valve, and then ejected from the air ejection nozzle again. In doing so, the probability that foreign matter is mixed into the air is extremely low. Therefore, an effective cleaning action can be realized even in a dust blower not provided with a dustproof filter.

  The shape of the main body is not limited to the elliptical sphere of the embodiment, and can be formed in an arbitrary shape such as a cylindrical shape or a spindle shape as long as it can be reduced and deformed by grasping. Further, it is also possible to configure the main body portion to have a frame structure so that a part of the main body portion is pushed and deformed to eject air. Furthermore, a brush can be attached to the tip of the nozzle portion, and the imaging surface can be cleaned with the brush.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the dust blower of Example 1. FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a perspective view of the valve | bulb of Example 1, and sectional drawing explaining the operation | movement. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 1 of the dust blower of Example 2. FIG. It is an expanded sectional view explaining operation | movement of the valve | bulb of Example 2. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a dust blower of Example 3. FIG. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view of the valve | bulb of Example 3, and sectional drawing explaining the operation | movement.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1A, 1B Dust blower 2 Main body part 3, 3A Nozzle part 21, 21A, 21B First valve 22, 22A, 22B Second valve 23 Dust-proof filter 31, 31A Air ejection nozzle 32, 32A Air suction nozzle

Claims (5)

A dust blower comprising an elastically deformable hollow main body portion and a cylindrical nozzle portion extending from the main body portion and communicating with the main body portion at the base end portion , wherein the nozzle portion has the same nozzle tip portion A first valve for allowing only air flow from the air suction nozzle into the main body in the main body, and two nozzles of an air ejection nozzle and an air suction nozzle disposed at a position ; A dust blower comprising: a second valve that allows only air flow from the inside of the main body toward the air ejection nozzle. The dust blower according to claim 1 , wherein the air ejection nozzle and the air suction nozzle are arranged coaxially. The dust blower according to claim 1 , wherein the air ejection nozzle and the air suction nozzle are arranged in parallel. Wherein the body portion, Dasutoburowa according to any one of the said body portion of 3 claims 1, characterized in that it comprises a dust filter for removing foreign matter in the air that flows toward the air ejection nozzle. A base end portion of the air suction nozzle is communicated with one end side in the main body portion, a base end portion of the air ejection nozzle is communicated with the other end side in the main body portion, and the dustproof filter is a base end of the air ejection nozzle. The dust blower according to claim 4 , wherein the dust blower is disposed in the vicinity of the portion.

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