Camera and image pickup device unit

• US 20030218685A1
• Filed: 11/20/2002
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawai, Sumio
• Granted Patent: US 7,339,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/340
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/52 Elements optimising image sensor operation, e.g. for electromagnetic interference [EMI] protection or temperature control by heat transfer or cooling elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/811 by dust removal, e.g. from surfaces of the image sensor or processing of the image signal output by the electronic image sensor

Abstract

A camera comprises: an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof; a photographing lens which inputs a subject image onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device; an image signal processing circuit which converts an image signal obtained from the image pick-up device, corresponding to an image formed onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device, into a signal suitable to recording; a dust-proofing member with a circular or polygonal plate-shape as a whole comprising a transparent portion at an area having at least a predetermined extensity in a radial direction from the center thereof, the transparent portion opposed to the front of the optical device at a predetermined interval, wherein an interval of an equivalent optical path length of 5 mm or more between a surface of the dust-proofing member on the photographing lens and the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device; and a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member, and sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.

Claims

1. A camera comprising:

an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof;

a photographing lens which inputs a subject image onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device;

an image signal processing circuit which converts an image signal obtained from the image pick-up device, corresponding to an image formed onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device, into a signal suitable to recording;

a dust-proofing member with a circular or polygonal plate-shape as a whole comprising a transparent portion at an area having at least a predetermined extensity in a radial direction from the center thereof, the transparent portion opposed to the front of the optical device at a predetermined interval, wherein an interval of an equivalent optical path length of 5 mm or more between a surface of this member on the photographing lens and the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device; and

a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member, the sealing structure portion sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.

2. The camera according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vibration generating member arranged at the peripheral portion of the dust-proofing member so as to vibrate the dust-proofing member.

3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the dust-proofing member is an optical low-pass filter.

4. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the dust-proofing member is an infrared cut-off filter.

5. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the dust-proofing member is a protecting glass of the image pick-up device.

6. The camera according to claim 1, wherein an optical low-pass filter is arranged between the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.

7. The camera according to claim 1, wherein an infrared-cut-off filter is arranged between the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member.

8. A camera comprising:

an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof;

an optical member opposed to the front of the image pick-up device at a predetermined interval; and

a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member, the sealing structure portion sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member,

wherein the dimension of an interval between the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device and the reversed surface of the surface opposed to the image pick-up device is set such that when positioning an object having a diameter of {fraction (1/10)} or less of an exit pupil of a photographing lens on the one surface of the optical member, the density of a shade formed onto the photoelectrically converting surface is approximately 5% or less of the density of the shade formed by the object when placing the one surface of the optical member at a position of an equivalent optical path length of 1 mm in the air from the photoelectrically converting surface.

9. The camera according to claim 8, wherein the dimension of the interval has the equivalent optical path length of 5 mm or more in the air.

10. The camera according to claim 8, further comprising:

a vibration generating member arranged at the peripheral portion of the optical member so as to vibrate the optical member.

11. An image pick-device unit comprising:

an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof;

an optical member opposed to the front of the image pick-up device at a predetermined interval; and

a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member, and sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member,

wherein a condition for preventing the formation of an original shade of an object onto one surface of the optical member on the reversed side of the surface opposed to the image pick-up device is set to establish a relationship of an equivalent optical path length L in the air between the object and the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device, that is,

L>

A×

d/D

 

where a diameter of an exit pupil of a photographing lens is designated by φ

D, a diameter of the object is φ

d, and an equivalent optical path length in the air from the position of the exit pupil to the photographing converting surface of the image pick-up device is designated by A.

12. The image pick-up device unit according to claim 11, further comprising:

a vibration generating member arranged at the peripheral portion of the optical member so as to vibrate the optical member.

13. An image pick-up device unit comprising:

an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof;

an optical member opposed to the front of the image pick-up device at a predetermined interval; and

a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member, the sealing structure portion sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member,

wherein an interval between the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device and one surface of the optical member on the reversed side of the surface opposed to the image pick-up device is set to have the dimension of an interval for preventing the formation onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device, of an original shade of an object on the one surface of the optical member on the reversed side of the surface opposed to the image pick-up device.

14. An image pick-up device unit according to claim 13, further comprising:

a vibration generating member arranged at the peripheral portion of the optical member so as to vibrate the optical member.

15. A camera comprising:

a photographing lens;

an image pick-up device which obtains an image signal corresponding to beams irradiated onto a photoelectrically converting surface thereof;

an optical member opposed to the front of the image pick-up device at a predetermined interval; and

a sealing structure portion arranged at a portion formed by opposing the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member, the sealing structure portion sealing a space portion that is substantially sealed at peripheral portions of the image pick-up device and the dust-proofing member,

wherein an interval between the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device and the surface of the optical member on the side of the photographing lens is set to have the dimension of an interval for preventing the formation onto the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device, of an original shade of an object onto the surface of the optical member on the side of the photographing lens.

16. The camera according to claim 15, wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on the size of an exit pupil of the photographing lens.

17. The camera according to claim 15, wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on a focusing distance of the photographing lens.

18. The camera according to claim 15, wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on the distance from the position of the exit pupil of the photographing lens to the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device.

19. The camera according to claim 15, wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on the size of an exit pupil of the photographing lens, a focusing distance of the photographing lens, and a distance from the position of an exit pupil of the photographing lens to the photoelectrically converting surface of the image pick-up device.

20. The camera according to claim 15, wherein the dimension of the interval is determined based on a pixel interval of the image pick-up device.

21. The camera according to claim 15, wherein the photographing lens is detachable to a camera main body.

22. The camera according to claim 15, further comprising:

a vibration generating member arranged at the peripheral portion of the optical member so as to vibrate the optical member.

23. The camera according to claim 22, wherein the vibration generating member is an electromechanical transducer.

24. The camera according to claim 23, wherein the electromechanical transducer is a piezoelectric element.

25. The camera according to claim 24, wherein the piezoelectric element is made of piezoelectric ceramics.