Dust removal camera

• US 7,724,299 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Kawai, Sumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, NELSON D
• Application Number:
  US11/731,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20070171295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 348/373, 348/374, 348/351, 348/335, 348/340, 348/208.11, 348/205, 348/375, 348/376
• 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 for converting an optical image into an electric signal;

a shutter for opening/closing an optical path to the image pickup sensor;

a substantially rectangular-shaped optical plate provided between the image pickup sensor and the shutter and configured to enable an image forming light ray to pass through a given portion of the optical plate; and

piezoelectric bodies provided on a portion of a surface of the optical plate that is outside of said given portion, said piezoelectric bodies facing toward said pickup sensor and being configured to generate oscillating waves in said given portion due to vibration of the of said piezoelectric bodies.

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

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

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

5. The dust removal camera according to claim 1, which further comprises a transparent electrode formed on the optical plate, and wherein the optical plate is electrically grounded through the transparent electrode.

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

7. The dust removal camera according to claim 1, wherein the end portions of the surface of the optical plate along which the piezoelectric bodies respectively extend are parallel to each other.