JP5332661B2 - Imaging device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus having a function of removing dust reflected on an imaging element by vibration.

  Conventionally, in an interchangeable lens digital single-lens reflex camera, dust that intrudes when the lens is replaced and abrasion powder (hereinafter referred to as foreign matter) generated from driving parts in the camera are arranged on the front surface of the image sensor. There is a problem that the image sticks to the surface of the image and appears in the image taken by the image sensor.

  Therefore, a technique has been proposed in which foreign matters appearing on the image sensor are removed by vibrating an optical member arranged in front of the image sensor (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-293097 A

  In the prior art in which an optical member is vibrated by a piezoelectric element, a method of vibrating the optical member by combining a plurality of vibration modes having different resonance frequencies is the mainstream. However, conventionally, it has been difficult to efficiently remove foreign matter because vibrations in vibration modes having different resonance frequencies are repeated a certain number of times regardless of the position where the foreign matter is attached.

  The subject of this invention is providing the imaging device which can remove the foreign material adhering to the surface of an optical member efficiently.

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.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging element (4) for photoelectrically converting a subject image on a photoelectric conversion surface, an optical member (5) provided on the photoelectric conversion surface side of the imaging element, and the optical member. A vibrating element (6) for vibrating, a display means (12), a display control means (10) for displaying a position designation screen for designating a position on the optical member on the display means, and an operation input by a user an operation input means for receiving (11), the target position acquisition means (10) for the user to obtain the target position specified through said operation input means to said position designation screen displayed on the display unit, vibration shape different vibration element drive means a plurality of the optical member in each vibration mode you drive the vibrating element to vibrate and (9), and the target position acquired by the target position acquisition means and the crest of the vibration shapes of Matches With selecting the oscillation mode that includes a vibration control means for said optical member plurality of said each vibration mode for controlling the vibration element driving means to oscillate (10), wherein the vibration control means, said The vibration condition of the vibration mode in which the target position acquired by the target position acquisition means and the peak portion of the vibration shape match is changed, and the vibration condition of the vibration mode in which the target position and the peak portion of the vibration shape do not match is changed. do not change, an imaging apparatus according to feature a.
Invention of Claim 2 is an imaging device of Claim 1, Comprising: The said vibration control means (10) is a peak part of the target position and vibration shape which were acquired by the said target position acquisition means (10). If there is no vibration condition in the vibration mode that matches the vibration condition, the vibration condition in any of the vibration modes is not changed.
The invention according to claim 3, an imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control means (10), the display image showing the foreign matter attached to the surface of the optical member (5) It is displayed as a position designation screen of the means (12).
Invention of Claim 4 is an imaging device of Claim 3 , Comprising: The said display control means (10) is the said image based on the image data of the white screen imaged by the said image pick-up element (4). It is displayed as a position designation screen of the display means (12).
Invention of Claim 5 is an imaging device of Claim 3 or 4 , Comprising: The foreign material identification means (10) which pinpoints the position of the foreign material adhering to the said optical member (5), The said, The display control means (10) displays a small area in which the foreign matter specified by the foreign matter specification means exists on the position designation screen of the display means (12).
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the imaging apparatus according to the fifth aspect , wherein the display control means (10) displays the small area in a different color according to the specified foreign matter. And
A seventh aspect of the present invention is the imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the vibration control means (10) uses the vibration mode as a drive condition of the selected vibration mode. It is characterized in that at least one of the driving time, the number of times of driving, and the driving voltage at the resonance frequency is changed .
Na us, the configuration described by a reference numeral may be suitably modified, may also be replaced at least in part on the other constituents.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the imaging device which can remove efficiently the foreign material adhering to the surface of an optical member can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the camera concerning embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a vibration unit. Explanatory drawing which shows the vibration shape when an optical member resonates. It is a perspective view when a camera is seen from the back side. (A)-(d) is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the imaged white screen and the position of the foreign material adhering to the optical member. (A), (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the white screen displayed on a liquid crystal monitor. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the foreign material removal process in embodiment.

  Embodiments of an imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, an embodiment when the present invention is applied to a digital camera will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the camera 1 according to this embodiment. Hereinafter, each part will be described.

  The photographing lens 2 is an optical system that refracts incident subject light and emits it to the image pickup unit 3 side, and the amount of the subject light is adjusted by a diaphragm unit (not shown).

  The imaging unit 3 is a circuit that images subject light emitted from the photographing lens 2, exposes the subject light to convert it into an electrical image signal, and outputs the electrical image signal to the image processing unit 7. The imaging unit 3 includes an imaging element 4, an optical member 5, and a vibration unit 6.

  The image pickup device 4 is a portion that photoelectrically converts a subject image on a photoelectric conversion surface, and is configured by photoelectric conversion devices and the like regularly arranged in a planar shape. The optical member 5 is provided on the front surface of the image sensor 4 and forms a subject image on the photoelectric conversion surface of the image sensor 4. The optical member 5 has spectral characteristics and filtering characteristics of the subject light. The optical member 5 is composed of a plurality of stacked quartz plates, filters, and the like.

  The vibration unit 6 is a vibration generating unit that vibrates the optical member 5 by applying a voltage. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the vibration unit 6. In the vibration unit 6 of the present embodiment, a pair of piezoelectric elements 61 and 62 are installed as vibration elements for vibrating the optical member 5 at both left and right ends on the front side of the optical member 5. Each piezoelectric element is formed in a plate shape, and is attached to both left and right ends of the optical member 5 outside the effective photographing region by adhesion.

  In addition, flexible printed boards 63 and 64 are connected to the ends of the piezoelectric elements 61 and 62. These flexible printed boards 63 and 64 are electrically connected to the piezoelectric element driving circuit 9 (FIG. 1), and an alternating voltage having a resonance frequency corresponding to the vibration mode is applied from the piezoelectric element driving circuit 9.

  When an AC voltage having a specific frequency (resonance frequency of the optical member 5) is applied to the piezoelectric elements 61 and 62, the optical member 5 resonates with the vibration of the piezoelectric elements 61 and 62, and vibration of the optical member 5 is generated. Foreign matter adhering to the surface of the optical member 5 is removed by this vibration.

  Next, the vibration mode and vibration shape in the vibration unit 6 will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a vibration shape when the optical member 5 resonates. FIG. 3 schematically shows the vibration shape when the optical member 5 is resonated at different resonance frequencies in each vibration mode. In each vibration shape, one shape of the amplitude motion is indicated by a solid line, and the other shape is indicated by a two-dot chain line. That is, two symmetrical amplitude shapes are periodically generated according to the cycle of the alternating voltage applied to the piezoelectric elements 61 and 62.

  As the resonance frequency applied to the piezoelectric elements 61 and 62 increases, the amplitude period of the vibration shape also decreases, and the number of vibration-shaped abdomen increases. Further, as the resonance frequency is lowered, the amplitude period of the vibration shape is also increased, and the number of vibration-shaped abdomen is reduced. Here, vibration mode A, vibration mode B, and vibration mode C are set in ascending order of the number of abdominal parts. In the present embodiment, three vibration modes are taken as an example to simplify the description, but the number of vibration modes may be further increased. Further, the vibration-shaped “abdomen” refers to a section of the vibration-shaped mountain (near the apex), and the “node” refers to a section between adjacent abdomen and abdomen.

  When removing the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the optical member 5, vibrations with different resonance frequencies are usually generated in the order of vibration mode A, vibration mode B, and vibration mode C. According to this, in the effective shooting area (horizontal width direction) of the optical member 5, the amplitude due to the peak portion of the vibration shape of any of the vibration modes A to C is generated. It is possible to vibrate almost entirely including it.

  In each vibration mode, the drive voltage, drive time (vibration time), and number of times of the vibration unit 6 are set as the standard number of times of drive. For example, in the vibration mode A, if the reference driving frequency is set to 5 seconds × 3 times with a predetermined driving voltage, the vibration mode A is performed for 5 seconds × 3 times each time the foreign matter removal process is executed. Is driven. For the vibration mode B and the vibration mode C, a predetermined drive voltage, drive time, and drive frequency are set, respectively.

  In the camera 1 according to the present embodiment, in addition to the normal driving method for performing the foreign substance removal process by combining the plurality of vibration modes described above, the foreign substance removal process is performed according to the vibration mode selected according to the position of the foreign substance specified by the user. The drive system of this embodiment to be performed is executed. Here, the vibration conditions in the vibration mode include the drive time, drive frequency, drive voltage, and the like of the vibration unit 6 described above. In the present embodiment, an example in which the number of times of driving is changed so as to be larger than usual will be described. However, the vibration condition to be changed may be at least one of the driving time, the number of times of driving, and the driving voltage, and a plurality of vibration conditions may be combined.

  The image processing unit 7 performs analog and digital image processing such as noise removal, A / D conversion, color correction processing, size change, and encoding on the image signal output from the imaging unit 3, and finally Create image data. This image data is temporarily stored in the DRAM 15.

  The display panel 8 is a monochrome liquid crystal display panel disposed on the upper surface of the camera 1, and displays shooting information such as a shooting mode, an aperture value, and a shutter speed.

  The piezoelectric element drive circuit 9 applies a voltage having a frequency corresponding to each vibration mode to the vibration unit 6 described above. That is, the piezoelectric element drive circuit 9 functions as a vibration element drive unit that vibrates the piezoelectric element in accordance with a plurality of vibration modes having different vibration shapes.

  The control unit 10 is a circuit that controls the operation of the entire camera 1 and is configured by a microprocessor. The control unit 10 calculates a lens driving amount for focus adjustment, and drives a motor (not shown) or a motor in the body that moves a part of the photographing lens 2 in the optical axis direction to perform focus adjustment. Further, based on the luminance of the subject light, the lens information such as the type of the photographing lens 2, the open F value, and the focal length, the photographing mode set by the user, the sensitivity information input from the sensitivity setting unit (not shown), and the like. Calculate the appropriate exposure value. Then, an aperture value and a shutter speed value corresponding to the exposure value are selected, and exposure control is performed by driving an aperture unit and a shutter unit (not shown).

  The control unit 10 displays a position designation screen having a size relatively equal to that of the optical member 5 on the liquid crystal monitor 12 to be described later when the foreign matter removal processing by the driving method of the present embodiment is selected by a user operation. Processing as display control means is executed. In the present embodiment, an image based on white screen image data captured by the image sensor 4 is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 as the position designation screen.

  In addition, the control unit 10 performs processing as foreign matter position means for specifying the position of the foreign matter attached to the optical member 5. In the present embodiment, the position of the foreign matter attached to the optical member 5 is specified based on the image data of the white screen. However, the method for specifying the position of the foreign substance is not limited to the example of the present embodiment, and any method may be used.

  In addition, the control unit 10 performs processing as target position acquisition means for acquiring a target position specified by the user on the position specification screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12. Here, the target position indicates a position when the user designates a foreign object to be removed on the position designation screen of the liquid crystal monitor 12. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the white screen is divided into a plurality of small areas and displayed, and the coordinates of the small areas designated by the user are acquired as position information from the plurality of small areas. Yes. Here, the shape of the foreign matter is displayed as it is in the small area. However, acquisition of the target position is not limited to the example of this embodiment, and any method may be used.

  In the processing as the display control means of the control unit 10, a small area where a foreign substance exists may be displayed on the position designation screen. Here, the shape of the foreign object is not displayed in the small area, and the range in which the foreign object exists is displayed as the small area. Further, in the processing as the display control means of the control unit 10, the small areas may be displayed in different colors according to the size of the foreign matter. The small area as described above is displayed on, for example, a white screen or a plain screen.

  Furthermore, the control unit 10 selects a vibration mode in which the target position acquired in the processing of the target position acquisition unit and the peak portion of the vibration shape match, and performs processing as a vibration control unit that changes the vibration condition of the vibration mode. Run. Here, one vibration mode may be selected, or two or more vibration modes may be selected. Further, the drive condition is changed in such a manner that the number of times of driving the vibration unit 6 is larger than usual in the present embodiment. However, only the vibration condition in the vibration mode in which the foreign object matches the vibration-shaped peak portion is changed, and the vibration condition in the vibration mode in which the foreign object does not match the vibration-shaped peak portion is not changed.

  The operation member 11 is an operation input unit that receives an operation input by a user, and includes a dial, a button, a lever, a switch, and the like. Here, a specific example of the operation member 11 will be described together with the appearance of the camera 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view when the camera 1 of the present embodiment is viewed from the back side. The camera 1 of the present embodiment includes a camera body 20 and a lens barrel 30 in which a photographing lens 2 and a diaphragm unit (not shown) are housed. The lens barrel 30 is detachably attached to the camera body 20. It is configured as an interchangeable lens digital camera. On the upper surface of the camera body 20, a mode dial 21 capable of selecting a shooting mode, a pop-up flash device (strobe) 22, a display panel 8, and a release button 23 are arranged. Further, when the camera 1 is viewed from the back, a grip 24 is provided on the right side which is used when the user holds the camera 1 during photographing.

  On the other hand, a main dial 25 is disposed on the back surface of the camera 1 and in the vicinity of the grip 24. Further, a sub dial 26 is disposed on the front side of the camera 1 and in the vicinity of the grip 24. These dials are mainly used to set the exposure mode, input aperture value, shutter speed, exposure correction value, etc., but various functions can be set in combination with other buttons (not shown). .

  Furthermore, a liquid crystal monitor 12 is disposed on the back of the camera 1. The liquid crystal monitor 12 is composed of a color liquid crystal display panel and functions as display means in the present embodiment. The LCD monitor 12 displays shooting information such as the same shooting mode, aperture value, and shutter speed as the display panel 8, as well as a menu screen, a mode setting screen, a captured image (reproduced image), and a live view image. And a white screen in the foreign object removal process are displayed. The user can select normal or foreign matter removal processing of the present embodiment from the menu screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12.

  In addition, a finder 29 that allows the user to observe the subject image in an eyepiece state is disposed on the upper part of the liquid crystal monitor 12. A selector dial 27 is arranged on the right side. The selector dial 27 is a dial-type switch having electric contacts (not shown) in the four directions of up, down, left and right and in the center. When the user presses the arrow mark 28a engraved vertically and horizontally with a finger, the direction of the arrow mark 28a is input as the selection direction. Further, when the OK button 28b arranged at the center is pressed, it is inputted that it is determined by the selection contents at that time. The selector dial 27 is mainly used for changing the shooting conditions displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12, the display panel 8, etc., and for changing menu items and shot images. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the user can specify the position of the foreign matter on the white screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 in the foreign matter removal processing mode by operating the selector dial 27.

  Returning again to FIG. The EEPROM 13 is a non-volatile memory that retains stored information even when the camera 1 is turned off. The EEPROM 13 stores input information such as user settings and custom settings, as well as image data of a white screen. The EEPROM 13 stores the driving time, the number of times of driving, and the driving voltage in each vibration mode. In the embodiment described later, the actual number of driving times NA, NB, NC, etc., as well as the reference number of driving times NAO, NBO, NC0 are stored as the driving number. The ROM 14 stores programs necessary for the operation and control of the camera 1, as well as initial values and setting values necessary for executing the programs. The RAM 15 is a volatile memory in which information stored when the camera 1 is turned off is erased. In addition to the above-described image data, the data required when the image processing unit 7 or the control unit 10 performs processing. Is temporarily stored.

  The memory card I / F (interface) unit 16 is a writing / reading device having a function of recording image data stored in the DRAM 15 in the memory card 17 and reading out image data recorded in the memory card 17. is there. A memory card 17 is detachably attached to a memory card slot (not shown) of the memory card I / F unit 16.

  Next, specifics regarding the specification of the position of the foreign object based on the image data of the white screen, the specification of the position of the foreign object by the user, and the selection of the vibration mode in which the position of the foreign object specified by the user and the peak of the vibration shape match An example will be described.

  FIGS. 5A to 5D are explanatory diagrams illustrating the relationship between the captured white screen and the position of the foreign matter attached on the optical member 5. In the foreign matter removal processing mode of the present embodiment, it is necessary to acquire white screen image data in order to detect foreign matter attached to the optical member 5. Such white screen image data is acquired by fixing a bright and uniform white subject at a position about 10 cm away from the tip of the photographing lens 2 and photographing the image over the entire screen. When the foreign matter removal processing mode of the present embodiment is performed, the user acquires white screen image data in advance by the above-described method.

  FIG. 5A shows an example of a captured white screen (broken lines indicate divided small areas). When a foreign object is attached to the optical member 5, for example, the foreign object 101 appears in the effective shooting area 100 as illustrated. The control unit 10 analyzes the image data of the white screen by a method such as pattern recognition, and displays the image data of the white screen on the liquid crystal monitor 12 when it is estimated that a foreign object exists. When displaying a small area in which a foreign object exists, it is specified in which area of the effective imaging area 100 the foreign object is present, and position information of the small area is stored in the DRAM 15.

  FIGS. 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams showing a white screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12, each showing a method for designating the position of a foreign object. On the monitor screen 120 shown in FIG. 6A, grid-like lines corresponding to the small areas in FIG. 5A are displayed, and the foreign object 101 is displayed therein. On the monitor screen 120, a cursor 121 for the user to specify the position of the foreign object 101 is displayed. The user designates the position of the foreign object 101 to be removed while viewing the white screen displayed on the monitor screen 120. Specifically, the cursor 121 is moved in a desired direction by pressing predetermined arrow marks 28a drawn on the selector dial 27 (FIG. 4) on the back of the camera 1, and the cursor is positioned at the position of the foreign object 101. Align 121 arrow tips. Then, by pressing an OK button 28b in the center of the selector dial 27, the position of the foreign object 101 can be designated. The position information of the small area including the position specified here is stored in the DRAM 15 by the control unit 10.

  Also, on the monitor screen 120 shown in FIG. 6B, a grid-like line corresponding to the small area in FIG. 5A is displayed, and the foreign object 101 is displayed therein. In this embodiment, one small area 122 is displayed in gray instead of the cursor. While viewing the white screen displayed on the monitor screen 120, the user designates a small area where the foreign object 101 to be removed exists. Specifically, by pressing predetermined arrow marks 28a drawn on the top, bottom, left and right of the selector dial 27 (FIG. 4) on the back of the camera 1, the small area 122 displayed in gray is moved in a desired direction, and a foreign object is displayed. Match to the small area where 101 exists. Then, by pressing an OK button 28b in the center of the selector dial 27, a small area where the foreign object 101 exists can be designated. The position information of the small area designated at this time is stored in the DRAM 15 by the control unit 10.

  Note that, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a small area where the foreign substance 101 exists may be displayed on the white screen without displaying the shape of the foreign substance 101 itself. In that case, the small area where the foreign substance 101 exists may be displayed in a color different from that of the other small areas. Furthermore, in that case, the color and shading of the small area may be changed and displayed according to the size and type of the foreign object 101. For example, when the size of the foreign matter is classified into three levels of “large”, “medium”, and “small”, “large” is displayed in red, “medium” in yellow, and “small” in green. Alternatively, “large” is displayed in black, “medium” in intermediate gray, and “small” in light gray, and so on, with black and white shading (gradation). Note that the size and type of the foreign matter 101 can be specified by the above-described method such as pattern recognition.

  Furthermore, the screen displaying the small area as described above may be displayed in a switchable manner with a white screen displaying the foreign object 101 itself. Further, the grid-like lines are not necessarily displayed, and only the cursor 121 or the gray small area 122 may be displayed.

  When the user designates the position of the foreign object while looking at the white screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 as described above, the control unit 10 determines the position and vibration shape of the foreign object 101 based on the position information of the designated foreign object 101. Select the vibration mode that matches the peak. 5 (b) to 5 (d), the peak portions of the vibration modes A to C shown in FIG. That is, FIG. 5B shows a peak portion of the vibration mode A, FIG. 5C shows a peak portion of the vibration mode B, and FIG. With respect to the position of the foreign substance 101 shown in FIG. 5A designated by the user, the vibration modes in which the foreign substance 101 exists in the peak portion of the vibration shape are the vibration mode B and the vibration mode C. For this reason, the control part 10 memorize | stores the vibration mode B and the vibration mode C in DRAM15 as a vibration mode which changes a vibration condition.

  Next, the procedure of the foreign substance removal process in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the number of times of driving in the vibration mode in which the position of the foreign matter matches the peak portion of the vibration shape is changed. In FIG. 7, NA0, NB0, and NC0 are reference drive times, and a predetermined number is set as an initial value. NA, NB, and NC are the actual driving times. If the number of driving times NA, NB, and NC is not changed, NA = NA0, NB = NB0, and NC = NC0. This foreign matter removal processing routine is executed by activating a foreign matter removal processing program stored in the ROM 14.

  First, the control unit 10 resets the drive times NA, NB, and NC stored in the EEPROM 13 to initial values (step S101). Subsequently, it is determined whether image data of a white screen is stored in the EEPROM 13 (step S102). If the determination in step S102 is NO, the process proceeds to step S113. If YES, the image data on the white screen is analyzed to determine whether there is a foreign object (step S103). If the determination in step S103 is NO, the process proceeds to step S112. If YES, the image data of the white screen is displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12 (step S104). When the position of the foreign object is designated by the user, the position information of the small area is acquired (step S105).

  Next, the control unit 10 selects a vibration mode in which the position of the foreign object specified by the user matches the vibration-shaped peak (step S106). In the example of FIG. 5 described above, since the vibration mode B and the vibration mode C are selected, the number of times of driving is changed in the vibration modes B and C here.

  Next, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the selected vibration mode is A (step S107). If the determination in step S107 is NO, the process proceeds to step S109, and if YES, the number of times of driving NA = NA0 + 1 is set (step S108). Subsequently, it is determined whether the selected mode is vibration mode B (step S109). If the determination in step S109 is NO, the process proceeds to step S111. If YES, the number of times of driving NB = NB0 + 1 is set (step S110). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the selected mode is the vibration mode C (step S111). If the determination in step S111 is NO, the process proceeds to step S113. If YES, the number of times of driving NC = NC0 + 1 is set (step S112).

  If the determinations in steps S107, S109, and S111 are all NO, the drive counts NA, NB, and NC remain the reference drive counts NA0, NB0, and NC0. That is, even if a foreign object exists, if there is no vibration mode in which the position of the foreign object matches the peak portion of the vibration shape, each vibration mode is executed by the reference driving times NA0, NB0, and NC0. Will be. Even when the determination in step S103 is NO, each vibration mode is executed based on the reference driving times NA0, NB0, and NC0.

  In the example of the present embodiment, since vibration mode B and vibration mode C are selected, the number of times that vibration mode A is driven is the initial value NA0, but the number of times that vibration mode B and vibration mode C are driven is greater than the initial value. The number of times that is one more is set. That is, the control unit 10 changes the number of times of driving NB and NC among the times of driving NA, NB, and NC stored in the EEPROM 13.

  Next, the control unit 10 deletes the image data of the white screen stored in the EEPROM 13 (Step S113). Then, the piezoelectric element driving circuit 9 is controlled to execute each vibration mode based on the number of driving times NA, NB, and NC stored in the EEPROM 13 (step S114).

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the vibration mode in which the position of the foreign matter designated by the user matches the peak portion of the vibration shape is selected and the optical member 5 is vibrated according to the selected vibration mode, the optical member 5 The part to which the foreign matter is attached is surely vibrated by the peak portion having the vibration shape. Therefore, the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the optical member 5 can be efficiently removed.
(2) Since the image indicating the foreign matter adhered to the surface of the optical member 5 is displayed as the position designation screen, the user can visually confirm the position of the foreign matter.
(3) Since the image data of the white screen is displayed as the position designation screen, the foreign matter is projected black with the white screen as the background. Therefore, the user can easily find the foreign matter displayed on the screen. In addition, by specifying the position of the foreign object and displaying the small area where the foreign object exists on the position designation screen, the user can easily find the position of the foreign object displayed on the screen, and the position can be quickly found. Can be specified.
(4) By displaying small areas in different colors according to the specified foreign object, the user can visually and easily determine the size of the foreign object. Thereby, for example, when it is necessary to shoot quickly, it is possible to capture an image in which a large foreign object is not conspicuous without missing a photo opportunity by designating only a large foreign object.
(5) Since the driving condition of the selected vibration mode is changed, for example, when the number of times of driving by the resonance frequency of the vibration mode is increased, the position where the foreign material is attached to the optical member 5 is usually set. Can be vibrated more. Therefore, the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the optical member 5 can be removed more efficiently. In this case, when the small area is displayed in a different color according to the specified foreign object, the driving condition of the vibration mode selected according to the color may be changed. That is, control is performed so that values such as the number of times of driving and the driving voltage as driving conditions differ according to the color of the small area.
(6) When the image data of the white screen is analyzed and no foreign matter is present, each vibration mode is executed by the reference driving times NA0, NB0, and NC0, so fine dust that is not recognized as foreign matter is also removed. be able to. Similarly, even when a foreign object is present, if there is no vibration mode in which the position of the foreign object matches the peak portion of the vibration shape, each vibration mode is executed according to the reference driving times NA0, NB0, and NC0. Therefore, it is possible to expect the effect of removing foreign matter by the normal number of times of driving.
(7) When the reference number of driving times NA0, NB0, and NC0 is set to zero, only the vibration mode in which the position of the foreign matter matches the peak portion of the vibration shape is executed. Time can be shortened.
(Deformation)

Without being limited to the embodiment described above, the present invention can be variously modified and changed as described below, and these are also within the scope of the present invention.
(1) In this embodiment, a white screen showing the position and small area of a foreign object is displayed on the monitor screen 120. However, the user can specify the position of the foreign object without referring to the monitor screen 120. For example (for example, when the position of a foreign object can be specified on a print output or a personal computer screen), a white screen or a plain screen on which no foreign object is displayed may be displayed. Also in this case, the user can designate the position of the foreign object by the input method shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b).
(2) In the present embodiment, an example in which the selector dial 27 for inputting the selection direction in the up / down / left / right directions is used as the operation input means for specifying the position of the foreign object has been described. A selector dial may be used. In addition, a touch panel (contact type sensor) is arranged on the surface of the liquid crystal monitor 12, and the user designates the position of the foreign object by bringing the finger or pen type member into contact with the white screen displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12. It may be.
(3) After the foreign matter removal processing is completed, the position information of the small region where the foreign matter is present is stored in the EEPROM 13 or the like, and if the same region is designated continuously or in the next foreign matter removal processing, the drive condition It may be controlled so that the number of times of driving and the driving voltage become larger. According to this, vibration can be given more intensively to foreign matters that are not removed in the same region. In this case, an upper limit is set for values such as the number of times of driving and driving voltage, and if there is foreign matter that cannot be removed in the same region even if the upper limit value is exceeded, the optical member 5 is cleaned with a blower or the like for the user. Alternatively, a message prompting cleaning at the service center may be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor 12.
(4) The driving condition may be changed depending on where the specified foreign substance exists on the screen. For example, on the screen in the horizontal position, it is thought that the floor and ground are often shown in the lower half and the main subject is often shown in the upper half. The value such as is made larger than the lower half. By performing such control, foreign substances present at conspicuous positions can be more efficiently removed. Further, in a model equipped with an attitude sensor, the above control may be switched depending on whether the camera is in a horizontal position or a vertical position.
(5) In a model having a function of enlarging and displaying a specific area on the screen, an area where a foreign object exists may be enlarged and displayed. In this case, the user can designate a small area where a foreign object exists by pressing an OK button 28b of the selector dial 27 shown in FIG. According to this, the user can determine whether or not to remove the foreign matter while looking at the size and shape of the foreign matter.
(6) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the number of times of driving in the vibration mode in which the position of the foreign substance coincides with the peak portion of the vibration shape is increased by one time than the reference number of times of driving is not limited to this example. It may be changed to a larger number of times. Further, the number of times of increase may be different depending on the vibration mode.
(7) In the above embodiment, when the image data of the white screen is analyzed and no foreign matter is present, each vibration mode is executed according to the standard number of driving times. After deleting the image data on the screen, the process may be terminated without executing each vibration mode.
(8) In the above embodiment, the example in which the foreign matter removal process is executed by starting the foreign matter removal process program stored in the ROM 14 has been described. However, a part of the foreign matter removal process program executed by the control unit 10 or A storage medium in which programs corresponding to all of them are recorded may be prepared, and the recording medium may be loaded into the camera 1 as needed to read the program recorded therein.
Moreover, although the said embodiment and modification can be used in combination suitably, since the structure of each embodiment is clear by illustration and description, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited by the embodiment described above.

  5: optical member, 6: vibration unit, 9: piezoelectric element drive circuit, 10: control unit, 12: liquid crystal monitor, 13: EEPROM, 14: ROM, 15: DRAM, 27: selector dial, 61, 62: piezoelectric element

Claims (7)

An image sensor that photoelectrically converts a subject image on a photoelectric conversion surface;
An optical member provided on the photoelectric conversion surface side of the imaging element;
A vibrating element that vibrates the optical member;
Display means;
Display control means for displaying a position designation screen for designating a position on the optical member on the display means;
An operation input means for receiving an operation input by a user;
And the target position acquisition means for acquiring a target position designated by the user through the operation input means to said position designation screen displayed on the display means,
A vibration element driving means you drive the vibrating element so that the optical member is vibrated different in respective vibration modes of the vibrating shape,
With selecting the vibration mode and the crest matches vibration shape as to target position acquired by the target position acquisition means, the vibrating element driving means so that the optical member plurality of said each vibration mode vibrates comprising a vibration control means for controlling for, the,
The vibration control unit changes the vibration condition of the vibration mode in which the target position acquired by the target position acquisition unit and the peak portion of the vibration shape match, and the target position does not match the peak portion of the vibration shape. Do not change the vibration conditions of the vibration mode,
Imaging device according to feature a. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,
The vibration control means does not change any vibration condition of the vibration mode when there is no vibration condition of the vibration mode in which the target position acquired by the target position acquisition means and the peak portion of the vibration shape coincide with each other.
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The display control means includes
Displaying an image showing the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the optical member as a position designation screen of the display means;
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 ,
The display control means includes
Displaying an image based on image data of a white screen imaged by the imaging element as a position designation screen of the display means;
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 or 4 ,
A foreign matter specifying means for specifying the position of the foreign matter attached to the optical member;
The display control means includes
Displaying a small area in which the foreign matter specified by the foreign matter specifying means exists on the position specifying screen of the display means;
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5 ,
The display control means includes
Displaying the small area in a different color according to the identified foreign matter,
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The vibration control means includes
Changing at least one of the driving time, the number of times of driving, and the driving voltage according to the resonance frequency of the vibration mode as the driving condition of the selected vibration mode;
An imaging apparatus characterized by the above.

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