Image pickup apparatus

• US 7,483,075 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Motoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Daniels; Anthony J
• Application Number:
  US10/867,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20040263669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 348/374
• US Class Current: 348/374
• 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

In order to effectively and rapidly prevent, by use of a dustproof unit inside an image pickup unit, dust that has an adverse effect on the pickup of input images from sticking to optical members and to improve assembly for a simpler configuration, in an image pickup apparatus, a dustproof unit comprises a dustproof filter capable of vibrating in front of the image pickup device to prevent the dust from sticking to the image pickup device, an electrostrictive element for vibrating the dustproof filter, a flexible printed board on which there is mounted at least a drive circuit to drive and vibrate the electrostrictive element, and a support table provided with the flexible printed board, the electrostrictive element and the dustproof filter, and this dustproof unit is mounted in an image pickup unit in consideration of the assembly.

Claims

1. A dustproof unit for an image pickup device, the dustproof unit being disposed in front of the image pickup device to prevent dust from sticking to the image pickup device, the dustproof unit comprising:

a light transmitting member capable of vibrating in front of the image pickup device;

an electrostrictive element which vibrates the light transmitting member;

a flexible printed board on which there is mounted at least part of a drive circuit to drive and vibrate the electrostrictive element;

a support table which supports the flexible printed board, the electrostrictive element and the light transmitting member; and

a kinetic energy absorbing member which prevents the flexible printed board from being damaged by vibration of the light transmitting member.

2. The dustproof unit according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate fixed to the support table and supporting the image pickup device.

3. The dustproof unit according to claim 1, wherein said at least part of the drive circuit includes a drive transformer.

4. The dustproof unit according to claim 1, wherein the light transmitting member is made of a round glass plate.

5. The dustproof unit according to claim 1, wherein the kinetic energy absorbing member is provided between the flexible printed board and the support table.

6. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an image pickup device which obtains an image signal corresponding to an irradiated light;

a light transmitting member which is disposed in front of the image pickup device and which vibrates in front of the image pickup device to prevent dust from sticking to the image pickup device;

an electrostrictive element which vibrates the light transmitting member;

a flexible printed board on which there is mounted at least part of a drive circuit to drive and vibrate the electrostrictive element;

a support table provided with the flexible printed board, the electrostrictive element and the light transmitting member; and

a kinetic energy absorbing member which prevents the flexible printed board from being damaged by vibration of the light transmitting member.

7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a substrate fixed to the support table and supporting the image pickup device.

8. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the part of the drive circuit includes a drive transformer.

9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the light transmitting member is made of round plate glass.

10. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a shutter unit which shuts out a photography light, and wherein the light transmitting member and the image pickup device are sequentially disposed in a rear portion of the shutter unit.

11. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising fitting means for fitting the shutter unit and the light transmitting member to each other, and wherein the shutter unit covers a front surface and a periphery of the light transmitting member when photography is not performed.

12. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a peripheral surface of the light transmitting member is fitted into a concavity provided in the shutter unit.

13. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the kinetic energy absorbing member is provided between the flexible printed board and the support table.

14. An image pickup apparatus comprising an image pickup unit in which unit there are sequentially disposed:

a front plate unit to which a photography optical system is attachable;

a mirror unit fixed to the front plate unit;

a shutter unit fixed to the mirror unit;

a dustproof unit disposed in a rear portion of the shutter unit and fixed to the front plate unit;

an image pickup device provided in a predetermined opening of the dustproof unit;

an image pickup device support plate which supports the image pickup device;

a flexible printed board which is fixed to at least the front plate unit; and

wherein the dustproof unit has a dustproof filter and an electrostrictive element which vibrates the dustproof filter, and at least part of a drive circuit is mounted on the flexible printed board to electrically drive the electrostrictive element to vibrate the dustproof filter to prevent sticking of dust to the image pickup device; and

wherein the image pickup apparatus further comprises a kinetic energy absorbing member which prevents the flexible printed board from being damaged by vibration of the dustproof filter.

15. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the image pickup apparatus is a single lens reflex camera.