Dust removal camera

• US 20070171295A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Kawai, Sumio
• Granted Patent: US 7,724,299 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 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation
• 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 dust removal camera which has an image pickup sensor which converts an optical image into an electric signal, a shutter which opens/closes an optical path to the image pickup sensor, an optical plate provided between the image pickup sensor and the shutter, and rectangularly formed, and a piezoelectric body provided to extend along an end portion of a surface of the optical plate, and to vibrate the optical plate.

Claims

1. A dust removal camera comprising:

an image pickup sensor which converts an optical image into an electric signal;

a shutter which opens/closes an optical path to the image pickup sensor;

an optical plate provided between the image pickup sensor and the shutter, and rectangularly formed; and

a piezoelectric body provided to extend along an end portion of a surface of the optical plate, and to vibrate the optical plate.

2. The dust removal camera according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric body is located opposite to the image pickup sensor.

3. The dust removal camera according to claim 1, wherein the optical plate is an infrared cutoff filter.

4. The dust removal camera according to claim 1, wherein the optical plate is a low pass filter.

5. The dust removal camera according to claim 1, which further comprises a filter provided between the optical plate and the image pickup sensor, and wherein a gap between the optical plate and the filter is sealed.

6. The dust removal camera according to claim 1, wherein the optical plate is grounded.

7. The dust removal camera according to claim 6, which further comprises a transparent electrode formed on the optical plate, and wherein the optical plate is grounded through the transparent electrode.

8. The dust removal camera according to claim 1, wherein the optical plate is subjected to an anti-static processing.

9. The dust removal camera according to claim 1, which further comprises another piezoelectric body provided to extend along another end portion of the surface of the optical plate.

10. The dust removal camera according to claim 9, wherein the end portions of the surface of the optical plate along which the piezoelectric bodies respectively extend are parallel to each other.

11. A dust removal camera comprising:

an image pickup optical system which picks up an optical image of an object;

an image pickup sensor which converts the optical image into an electric signal;

a shutter which opens/closes an optical path to the image pickup sensor;

an optical plate provided between the image pickup sensor and the shutter, and rectangularly formed; and

a piezoelectric body provided to extend along an end portion of a surface of the optical plate, and to vibrate the optical plate.

12. The dust removal camera according to claim 11, wherein the piezoelectric body is located opposite to the image pickup sensor.

13. The dust removal camera according to claim 11, wherein the optical plate is an infrared cutoff filter.

14. The dust removal camera according to claim 11, wherein the optical plate is a low pass filter.

15. The dust removal camera according to claim 11, which further comprises a filter provided between the optical plate and the image pickup sensor, and wherein a gap between the optical plate and the filter is sealed.

16. The dust removal camera according to claim 11, wherein the optical plate is grounded.

17. The dust removal camera according to claim 16, which further comprises a transparent electrode formed on the optical plate, and wherein the optical plate is grounded through the transparent electrode.

18. The dust removal camera according to claim 11, wherein the optical plate is subjected to an anti-static processing.

19. The dust removal camera according to claim 11, which further comprises another piezoelectric body provided to extend along another end portion of the surface of the optical plate.

20. The dust removal camera according to claim 19, wherein the end portions of the surface of the optical plate along which the piezoelectric bodies respectively extend are parallel to each other.

21. A dust removal method comprising:

applying a periodic voltage to a piezoelectric body provided to extend along an end portion of a surface of an optical plate which is substantially rectangular, and which is located in front of an image pickup element; and

causing vibration to be created at the surface of the optical plate by applying the periodic voltage of the piezoelectric body.

22. The dust removal method according to claim 21, which further comprises:

applying the periodic voltage to each of the piezoelectric body provided to extend along the end portion of the surface of the optical plate and another piezoelectric body provided to extend along another end portion of the surface of the optical plate; and

causing vibration to be created at a surface of the optical plate by applying the periodic voltage to the piezoelectric bodies.

23. The dust removal method according to claim 22, wherein the end portions of the surface of the optical plate along which the piezoelectric bodies respectively extend are parallel to each other, and a periodic voltage is applied to each of the piezoelectric bodies to vibrate the surface of the optical plate.