JP2010114641A - Digital camera - Google Patents

Abstract

A digital camera capable of suppressing a photographer from feeling uncomfortable with a sound generated when a vibrating member vibrates an optical member is provided.
Prior to execution of cleaning, it is determined whether or not generation of high-frequency sound during cleaning is allowed. When it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound at the time of cleaning is permitted, the diaphragms 261 and 262 are vibrated under vibration conditions that allow the foreign matter to be effectively removed. . Further, when it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound during cleaning is not permitted, the vibration plates 261 and 262 are vibrated under vibration conditions that suppress the generation of high-frequency sound due to the removal of foreign matter. Configured to do.
[Selection] Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a digital camera that removes foreign matter attached to an optical member by vibrating the optical member.

  There is known a digital camera that removes a foreign substance attached to an optical member by vibrating the optical member. In this digital camera, the optical member is vibrated so as to resonate in order to enhance the effect of removing foreign matter (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-204379 A

  However, in the conventional digital camera, since the vibration is also transmitted to the member supporting the optical member, it may be harsh.

(1) A digital camera according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an image pickup device that picks up a subject image, an optical member disposed on a front surface of the image pickup device on the subject side, a vibration member that vibrates the optical member, and a vibration member. When the judgment means judges whether or not the generation of sound generated when the optical member is vibrated is allowed and the judgment means judges that the generation of sound is allowed, the vibration member is driven under the first condition. If the determination means determines that the optical member is vibrated and the generation of sound is not allowed, the sound volume is reduced under the second condition as compared with the case where the vibration member is driven under the first condition. And a vibration member drive control unit that vibrates the optical member by driving the vibration member.
(2) According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital camera comprising: an image sensor that captures a subject image; an optical member disposed on a front surface of the image sensor on the subject side; a vibration member that vibrates the optical member; When the judgment means judges whether or not the generation of sound generated when the optical member is vibrated is allowed and the judgment means judges that the generation of sound is allowed, the optical member is driven by driving the vibration member. And a vibration member drive control unit that does not drive the vibration member when the determination unit determines that the generation of sound is not permitted.
(3) The invention of claim 3 is the digital camera according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination means is set so that the vibration member automatically vibrates the optical member at least under a predetermined condition. In the case where the vibrating member vibrates the optical member, it is determined whether or not the generation of the sound generated when the vibrating member vibrates the optical member is permitted.
(4) The invention of claim 4 is the digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a person detecting means for detecting a person existing in the vicinity of the digital camera, wherein the judging means is a digital camera. When it is detected by the human detection means that no person is present in the vicinity of the camera, it is determined that sound is allowed to be generated, and when it is detected by the human detection means that a person is present in the vicinity of the digital camera, It is determined that the generation of sound is not allowed.
(5) The invention of claim 5 is the digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a volume measuring means for measuring at least the volume of the ambient sound around the digital camera, and the judging means If the volume of the environmental sound measured by the volume measuring means exceeds the predetermined volume, it is determined that the sound is allowed to be generated, and the volume of the environmental sound measured by the volume measuring means is less than the predetermined volume. For example, it is determined that generation of sound is not allowed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the photographer from feeling uncomfortable with the sound generated when the vibration member vibrates the optical member.

--- First embodiment ---
A first embodiment of a digital camera according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a camera body 100 and a photographing lens 300 that are digital cameras according to the present invention when viewed obliquely from the rear, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the camera body 100 and the photographing lens 300 with the back cover 110 removed. It is a perspective view of the external appearance when these are seen from diagonally back. FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually showing a cross section of the camera body 100 and the photographing lens 200. For convenience of explanation, in the following explanation, the front-rear direction and the up-down direction are defined as shown in each drawing. Further, the left and right direction is defined so as to coincide with the left and right direction when the camera body 100 is viewed from the front.

  The camera body 100 is a so-called single-lens reflex digital camera to which the taking lens 300 is detachably attached. A release button 2 is provided on the upper right side of the camera body 100. An eyepiece 62 for observing the optical viewfinder is attached to the rear surface (back surface) of the camera body 100. A cover 110 on the back side of the camera body 100 (rear cover) 110 includes infrared light emitted from a window 110 for observing a display device 71 described later and an eye sensor 90 described later, or reflected light of the infrared light. Are provided with windows 112a and 112b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the camera body 100 is provided with a mirror box 20 that forms a photographing optical path behind the lens mount 11, a shutter 1 behind the lens box 11, and an imaging unit 200 behind the shutter 1. A finder optical system 60 is disposed above the mirror box 20. Reference numeral 40 denotes a main board on which a control circuit 41 for controlling each part of the camera body 100 is mounted. On the rear surface of the main board 40, a display device 71 for displaying various information at the time of photographing, a through image, and the like is disposed. The display device 71 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display device (LCD). Note that a through image (also referred to as a through image or a live view image) is repeatedly captured by an image sensor 250 described later as a pre-stage of shooting (main shooting) for acquiring an image for recording on a storage medium. It is a pre-photographed image acquired. The shutter 1 has a front curtain light shielding blade group and a rear curtain light shielding blade group that open and shield the photographing aperture.

  An interchangeable lens (photographing lens) 300 is attached to the lens mount 11, and the subject luminous flux that has passed through the photographing lens 300 enters the mirror box 20 through the opening of the lens mount 11. That is, the mirror box 20 forms a space that guides the light flux from the photographing lens 300 to the imaging unit 200. A mirror unit 30 is disposed in the mirror box 20.

  The mirror unit 30 includes a main mirror unit 31 composed of a main mirror (half mirror) and a supporting member thereof, and a sub mirror unit 32 composed of a sub mirror and a supporting member thereof. One end of the main mirror unit 31 is supported at the rear of the mirror box so as to be rotatable about the camera lateral (left-right) axis X, and the sub-mirror unit 32 is rotated about the camera lateral axis with respect to the main mirror unit 31. Is supported rotatably. As shown in FIG. 3, the mirror unit 30 can be rotated between an observation position (mirror down position) inserted into the imaging optical path and an imaging position (mirror up position) (not shown) retracted from the imaging optical path. Is done.

  The imaging unit 200 is integrally provided with an imaging element 250 and an optical filter (low-pass filter) disposed in front of the imaging element 250. The imaging unit 200 will be described in detail later. In the space below the mirror box 20, a focus detection unit 51 and a lens driving mechanism 52 are arranged. The finder optical system 60 above the mirror box 20 is provided with a photometric unit 80. The focus detection unit 51 includes a known phase difference detection AF sensor, and is used at the time of focus detection for detecting a focus adjustment state by the photographing lens 300. The lens driving mechanism 52 adjusts the focus of the photographing lens 300 by driving the focus lens 300a in the optical axis direction based on a control signal from a lens drive control unit 163 (FIG. 4) described later.

  The photometric unit 80 is provided behind the pentaprism 61 of the finder optical system 60 and includes an element that receives and photoelectrically converts subject light incident on the finder optical system 60. The photoelectric conversion output is used for photometry. The The eye sensor 90 includes an infrared light emitting unit 90a and an infrared light receiving unit 90b, and is attached to the rear surface of the main board 40 (FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3, when the photographer looks into the finder optical system 60 (optical finder) through the eyepiece 62, when the face is brought close to the camera body 100, the infrared light emitted from the light emitting unit 90a is displayed in the window portion. Illuminates the face of the photographer outside the camera body 100 via 112a. The infrared light reflected from the photographer's face enters the light receiving unit 90b through the window 112b. The eye sensor 90 is a sensor also provided in a conventional digital camera. In the conventional digital camera, when it is detected that infrared light is incident on the light receiving unit 90 b, the finder optical system 60 is controlled via the eyepiece 62 by controlling each unit to stop the display of the display device 71. This prevents a problem that the photographer feels dazzling when looking into the display device 71. In the present embodiment, in addition to the display control of the display device 71 described above, when the control circuit 41 detects that infrared light is incident on the light receiving unit 90b, the photographer's head is moved to the camera body. It is determined that the back surface of the camera 100 has been approached, and processing described later is performed.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the camera body 100. The control circuit 41 is configured by a microcomputer, a memory, and the like. The control circuit 41 inputs a signal output from each unit described later, performs a predetermined calculation, and outputs a control signal based on the calculation result to each unit. The control circuit 41 and each part described later are connected to each other.

  The image sensor 250 captures an image of subject light that has passed through the photographing lens 300 and outputs an image signal to the image processing unit 123. The image processing unit 123 is configured by an A / D conversion circuit, an ASIC, and the like. The image processing unit 123 converts an analog imaging signal into a digital signal and performs image processing such as white balance processing on the digitally converted image data. The image processing unit 123 performs a compression process for compressing the image data after image processing in a predetermined format, a decompression process for decompressing the compressed image data, and the like.

  The release switch 141 outputs a release operation signal to the control circuit 41 in conjunction with the release button 2. The release operation signal includes a half-press operation signal corresponding to a half-press operation of the release button and a full-press operation signal corresponding to a full-press operation pressed deeper than the half-press operation. The operation switch 143 is a switch group that outputs an operation signal to the control circuit 41 when each operation button (not shown) provided in the camera body 100 is operated. The focus detection unit 51, the photometry unit 80, and the eye sensor 90 described above are connected to the control circuit 41. The memory 42 is a memory including a ROM for storing a control program, various set values set in advance, and a RAM for a work area. The memory 42 also stores a setting state of various setting modes such as a shooting mode, the number of shootings after cleaning, which will be described later, and the like.

  The diaphragm control device 151 is a device that drives diaphragms 261 and 262 described later based on a signal output from the control circuit 41. The display control unit 161 is a control unit that performs display control of the display device 71 based on a signal output from the control circuit 41. Based on the signal output from the control circuit 41, the lens drive control unit 163 controls the lens drive mechanism 52 so as to perform a focusing operation and a focal length changing operation. The sequence motor drive unit 164 drives the sequence motor 164 a based on the signal output from the control circuit 41. The sequence motor 164a is a motor for performing the rotation of the mirror unit 30, the charging operation of the shutter 1, and the like.

  The storage medium mounting unit 165 detachably holds a storage medium (not shown), reads and erases data recorded on the mounted storage medium, and writes data to the storage medium. Image data after image processing is recorded on the storage medium. In addition, since the magnet for starting the operation | movement of the shutter 1 is not directly related to this invention, description is abbreviate | omitted.

-Imaging unit 200-
5 is a perspective view of the imaging unit 200, FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the imaging unit 200, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the imaging unit 200 viewed from the left side, and FIG. It is sectional drawing when seeing from the lower part. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the imaging unit 200 includes a holder 201, an imaging substrate 251, an imaging element 250, a mask 202, a low-pass filter 211, a fixing member 203, a seal member 204, and a low-pass filter 212. And a low-pass filter pressing spring 205 and a fixing member pressing spring 206. The holder 201 is a member to which the imaging element 250, the imaging substrate 251, the fixing member 203, and the like are attached. The imaging substrate 251 is a substrate to which the imaging element 250 is connected, and is connected to the image processing unit 123 described above.

  The image sensor 250 is a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD. The image sensor 250 is bonded and fixed to the convex portion of the holder 201 indicated by reference numeral 201a in FIG. 6 while being electrically connected to the image pickup substrate 251. The mask 202 is a frame-like member made of an elastic body such as rubber, and is disposed in front of the image sensor 250. The mask 202 blocks object light from entering the area other than the imaging area of the image sensor 250, prevents foreign objects from entering a space between the low-pass filter 211 and the image sensor 250, which will be described later, and low-passes the image sensor 250. The position of the filter 211 is determined.

  The low-pass filter 211 is an optical member for preventing moire and the like. The low-pass filter 211 is positioned and fixed with respect to the image sensor 250 by being pressed against the mask 202 by a biasing force of a fixing member pressing spring 206 via a fixing member 203 described later. An infrared cut filter that cuts infrared light may be provided on the front or rear surface of the low-pass filter 211.

  The fixing member 203 is a member to which a low-pass filter 212, a seal member 204, and a low-pass filter holding spring 205, which will be described later, are attached and that presses the low-pass filter 211 and the mask 202 toward the holder 201. The seal member 204 is a member that is sandwiched between the fixing member 203 and the low-pass filter 212 and prevents foreign matter from entering the space behind the low-pass filter 212. The low-pass filter 212 is an optical member for preventing moire and the like, similar to the low-pass filter 211 described above. Diaphragms 261 and 262 described later are bonded and fixed near the left and right ends of the front surface of the low-pass filter 212.

  The low-pass filter holding spring 205 is a substantially rectangular frame-shaped member for urging and fixing the low-pass filter 212 toward the fixing member 203 and extends inward in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. It has an existing arm 205a. When the low-pass filter holding spring 205 is fixed to the fixing member 203 with a screw 291 or the like, the arm portion 205 a comes into contact with the front surface of the low-pass filter 212 and bends. The low-pass filter holding spring 205 urges the low-pass filter 212 toward the fixed member 203 by the urging force generated by the bending of the arm portion 205a. The arm portion 205 a abuts the front surface of the low-pass filter 212 on the outer side in the left-right direction with respect to the diaphragms 261 and 262 to urge the low-pass filter 212. Thereby, the low-pass filter holding spring 205 does not inhibit the vibration of the low-pass filter 212 by the diaphragms 261 and 262. The low-pass filter holding spring 205 is positioned by fitting the boss 203b of the fixing member 203 into the hole 205b provided in the low-pass filter holding spring 205 (FIG. 5). Also. The position of the low-pass filter 212 in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the fixed member 203 is determined by the boss 203 a of the fixed member 203.

  The fixing member pressing spring 206 is a spring member for fixing the fixing member 203 to the holder 201. When the fixing member pressing spring 206 is attached to the holder 201 with a screw 292, the fixing member pressing spring 206 is fixed while urging the fixing member 203 to which the low-pass filter 212, the seal member 204, and the low-pass filter pressing spring 205 are attached toward the holder 201. The member 203 is fixed to the holder 201 (FIG. 5).

  When the fixing member pressing spring 206 is attached to the holder 201 by the screw 292, the fixing member 203 biased by the fixing member pressing spring 206 presses the low-pass filter 211 and the mask 202 toward the holder 201 as described above. And fix. In this manner, the imaging substrate 251, the imaging element 250, the mask 202, the low-pass filter 211, the fixing member 203, the seal member 204, and the low-pass filter 212 are fixed to the holder 201. The holder 201 to which these members are attached, that is, the imaging unit 200 is attached to the camera body 100 and fixed.

  With the above-described configuration, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the front surface of the image sensor 250 to the rear surface of the low-pass filter 211 and the front surface of the low-pass filter 211 to the rear surface of the low-pass filter 212 are sealed. A space is formed. Therefore, no foreign matter enters the space from the outside. However, since the front surface of the low-pass filter 212 is exposed in the space in the camera body 100, foreign matter may adhere. Therefore, in the digital camera according to the present embodiment, the low-pass filter 212 is vibrated by vibrating the diaphragms 261 and 262 so that the foreign matter attached to the front surface of the low-pass filter 212 is removed.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the low-pass filter 212 and the diaphragms 261 and 262. The diaphragms 261 and 262 are piezoelectric elements and extend along the side (short side) extending in the vertical direction of the low-pass filter 212 in the vicinity of the left and right ends of the front surface of the low-pass filter 212. The diaphragms 261 and 262 are bonded and fixed to the front surface of the low-pass filter 212 as described above. The diaphragms 261 and 262 are electrically connected to the diaphragm control device 151 by flexible flexible printed circuit boards (hereinafter referred to as FPC) 263 and 264, respectively. The diaphragms 261 and 262 vibrate when driven by a drive signal having a predetermined frequency output from the diaphragm controller 151. When this vibration is transmitted to the low-pass filter 212, the low-pass filter 212 itself vibrates and removes foreign matter adhering to the front surface.

  However, if the diaphragms 261 and 262 are vibrated to remove foreign matter, the vibration of the low-pass filter 212 is transmitted to the low-pass filter holding spring 205, so that the low-pass filter holding spring 205 vibrates and generates high-frequency sound. Therefore, the photographer may feel annoying the high frequency sound. For example, when an automatic cleaning mode is set in which foreign matter is automatically wiped off according to the number of times of photographing, when the foreign matter is automatically wiped off (cleaning), the camera body 100 unexpectedly generates a high-frequency sound. Therefore, the photographer may mistakenly think that the camera body 100 has failed.

  Therefore, in the digital camera according to the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the generation of the high-frequency sound associated with the foreign object wipe-out is allowed prior to the execution of the foreign object wipe-out. If it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound due to the foreign matter wipe-out is allowed, the diaphragms 261 and 262 are vibrated under vibration conditions that allow the foreign matter to be effectively removed, and the foreign matter is removed. In addition, when it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign matter removal is not allowed, the diaphragms 261 and 262 are vibrated under vibration conditions that suppress the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign matter removal. I made a payment.

  Specifically, when the above-described automatic cleaning mode is set, reflected light of infrared light is detected by the eye sensor 90 after photographing when photographing is performed a predetermined number of times or more after the previous foreign matter removal. If not, the control circuit 41 determines that the photographer's head has not approached the back surface of the camera body 100 and that high-frequency sound that accompanies the removal of foreign matter is allowed. In this case, the control circuit 41 drives the diaphragms 261 and 262 under a driving condition that can vibrate the low-pass filter 212 so that the foreign matter attached to the front surface of the low-pass filter 212 can be effectively removed. A control signal is output to the diaphragm control device 151. The diaphragm control device 151 drives the diaphragms 261 and 262 under predetermined driving conditions (for example, frequency, driving voltage, driving duration, etc.) that are effective for removing foreign matter.

  In addition, when the automatic cleaning mode is set as described above, when reflected light of infrared light is detected by the eye sensor 90 after photographing when photographing is performed a predetermined number of times or more after the previous foreign object removal. The control circuit 41 determines that the photographer's head is approaching the back surface of the camera body 100 and the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign matter removal is not allowed. In this case, the control circuit 41 outputs a control signal to the diaphragm control device 151 so as to drive the diaphragms 261 and 262 under a driving condition that can suppress the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign object removal. Diaphragm control device 151 drives diaphragms 261 and 262 under driving conditions (for example, frequency, driving voltage, driving duration, etc.) that can suppress the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign object removal. When the photographer manually operates to wipe off foreign matter, the above-described determination is not performed, and the control circuit 41 can effectively remove foreign matter attached to the front surface of the low-pass filter 212. A control signal is output to the diaphragm controller 151 so as to drive the diaphragms 261 and 262 under a driving condition that allows the low-pass filter 212 to vibrate.

--- Flow chart ---
The operation of the camera body 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of a program when shooting is performed with the camera body 100 described above. When a power switch (not shown) of the camera body 100 is turned on, a program for performing this process is activated and executed by the control circuit 41. In step S1, the setting states of the various modes stored in the memory 42 are read, and it is determined whether or not an automatic cleaning mode for automatically removing foreign matter according to the number of photographing is set.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step S1, the process proceeds to step S3, and it is determined whether or not the number N of shootings after the previous foreign object removal (cleaning) is equal to or greater than a predetermined number n1. If an affirmative determination is made in step S3, the process proceeds to step S5, and it is determined whether or not reflected light of infrared light is detected by the eye sensor 90. If a negative determination is made in step S5, that is, if it is determined that the reflected light of the infrared light is not detected by the eye sensor 90, the process proceeds to step S7, and the diaphragm is driven under a driving condition that can effectively remove foreign matter. A control signal is output to the diaphragm control device 151 so as to drive 261,262. Further, if the determination in step S5 is affirmative, that is, if it is determined that the reflected light of the infrared light is detected by the eye sensor 90, the process proceeds to step S23, and driving conditions that can suppress the generation of high-frequency sound during cleaning are performed. A control signal is output to the diaphragm control device 151 so as to drive the diaphragms 261 and 262.

  When step S7 or step S23 is executed, the process proceeds to step S9, the number N of times of photographing after cleaning is reset to 0, and the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the process waits until a half-press operation signal output from the release switch 141 is received. If the determination in step S11 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S13, where known photometry calculation and distance measurement calculation are performed, and known control such as focus adjustment of the photographing lens 300 is performed. Since the control content in step S13 is publicly known, detailed description is omitted. If step S13 is performed, it will progress to step S15 and will wait until the full press operation signal output from the release switch 141 is received.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step S15, the process proceeds to step S17, and the aperture of the taking lens 300 is reduced to the control aperture value based on the result of the photometric calculation performed in step S13, and only the shutter speed calculated in step S13 is obtained. A known imaging sequence is executed to control each unit so that the image sensor 250 is exposed and a subject image is captured. Then, a known reset operation for resetting each part of the digital camera to a state before the start of photographing is performed. Since the details of the control in step S17 are known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  When step S17 is executed, the process proceeds to step S19, where 1 is added to the number N of times of photographing after cleaning, and the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, it is determined whether or not a power switch (not shown) of the camera body 100 is turned off. To do. If a negative determination is made in step S21, the process returns to step S1. If a positive determination is made in step S21, the program is terminated.

  If a negative determination is made in step S1 or a negative determination is made in step S3, the process proceeds to step S11.

The digital camera according to the present embodiment has the following effects.
(1) Prior to execution of cleaning, it is determined whether or not high-frequency sound is allowed to be generated during cleaning. When it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound at the time of cleaning is permitted, the diaphragms 261 and 262 are vibrated under vibration conditions that allow the foreign matter to be effectively removed. . Further, when it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound during cleaning is not permitted, the vibration plates 261 and 262 are vibrated under vibration conditions that suppress the generation of high-frequency sound due to the removal of foreign matter. Configured to do. Therefore, effective cleaning that does not suppress the generation of high-frequency sound is performed only when it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound is permitted, and when it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound is not permitted, cleaning is performed. The high frequency sound is suppressed even if it is, so that the photographer can be prevented from feeling uncomfortable with the high frequency sound.

(2) The configuration is such that whether or not the generation of high-frequency sound during cleaning is allowed is determined by whether or not the reflected light of infrared light is detected by the eye sensor 90. Accordingly, it can be easily detected by the eye sensor 90 whether or not the photographer has his / her head close to the digital camera. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine whether or not high-frequency sound is allowed during cleaning. In addition, since the above determination is made using the detection result of the eye sensor 90 provided in the conventional digital camera, an increase in cost such as providing a new sensor can be suppressed.

(3) Even when it is determined that the generation of high frequency sound is not allowed, since the cleaning is performed while suppressing the generation of high frequency sound, the image quality of the image obtained by imaging is low pass filter 212. It can suppress that it falls by the foreign material adhering to the front side surface.

--- Second Embodiment ---
A second embodiment of a digital camera according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different points will be mainly described. Points that are not particularly described are the same as those in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign material removal is not allowed mainly when it is determined whether or not the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign material removal is allowed prior to the execution of foreign material removal. Is determined to be different from the first embodiment in that the foreign matter is not removed.

  In other words, in the second embodiment, when the automatic cleaning mode is set, the infrared sensor reflected light is captured by the eye sensor 90 after photographing when photographing is performed a predetermined number of times or more after the previous foreign matter removal. Is detected, the control circuit 41 determines that the photographer's head is approaching the back surface of the camera body 100 and that high-frequency sound due to foreign object removal is not allowed. In this case, the control circuit 41 does not output a control signal for instructing to drive the different diaphragms 261 and 262 to the diaphragm controller 151. Accordingly, in this case, since no cleaning is performed, no high frequency sound is generated during cleaning.

--- Flow chart ---
The operation of the camera body 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the processing contents of a program when shooting is performed with the camera body 100 according to the second embodiment. When a power switch (not shown) of the camera body 100 is turned on, a program for performing this process is activated and executed by the control circuit 41. Steps S1 to S3 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step S3, the process proceeds to step S25, and it is determined whether or not the reflected light of the infrared light is detected by the eye sensor 90. If a negative determination is made in step S25, that is, if it is determined that no reflected infrared light is detected by the eye sensor 90, the process proceeds to step S7. Since the operations after step S7 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, description thereof will be omitted. If step S25 is positively determined, that is, if it is determined that the reflected light of the infrared light is detected by the eye sensor 90, the process proceeds to step S11 without performing cleaning.

The digital camera according to the second embodiment has the following functions and effects in addition to the functions and effects of the first embodiment.
(1) When it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound is not allowed, since the cleaning is not performed, it is possible to prevent the photographer from feeling uncomfortable with the high-frequency sound accompanying cleaning.

--- Third embodiment ---
A third embodiment of a digital camera according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the same components as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different points will be mainly described. Points that are not particularly described are the same as those in the first and second embodiments. In the present embodiment, the first and the second are mainly configured to determine whether or not the generation of high-frequency sound during cleaning is permitted based on the volume of sound around the camera body 100. This is different from the second embodiment.

  FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the appearance when the camera body 100 and the photographing lens 300 according to the third embodiment are viewed obliquely from the rear. The camera body 100 is provided with a microphone 95 for collecting sounds around the camera body 100 at the time of moving image shooting, for example, on the back side of the camera body 100. In the camera body 100 of the present embodiment, the eye sensor 90 and the windows 112a and 112b are not provided, but the eye sensor 90 and the windows 112a and 112b may be provided.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the camera body 100. The audio signal control unit 166 is output from the microphone 95 based on the control signal from the control circuit 41, for example, converting an analog audio signal output from the microphone 95 into a predetermined audio file format such as MP3. Control analog audio signals. Further, the audio signal control unit 166 detects the volume and frequency distribution state of the sound (environmental sound) around the camera body 100 based on the analog audio signal output from the microphone 95.

  In the digital camera according to the present embodiment, when it is determined whether or not the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign object removal is permitted, the determination is made based on the volume of the environmental sound collected by the microphone 95. Specifically, the control circuit 41 acquires information on the volume of environmental sound and the distribution state of frequencies output from the audio signal control unit 166. Then, the volume threshold information stored in the memory 42 is read. For example, as shown in FIG. 14A, the volume threshold information is expressed as a volume threshold curve corresponding to the frequency (hereinafter referred to as a threshold curve). In the present embodiment, by using a so-called masking effect that the high frequency sound accompanying the removal of foreign matter becomes difficult for the photographer to hear if the environmental sound is loud, the sense of discomfort of the photographer due to the high frequency sound is suppressed. Note that the shape of the threshold curve shown in FIG. 14A is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the shape of the threshold curve. For example, in the threshold curve shown in FIG. 14A, the threshold value in the high frequency band close to the frequency of the high-frequency sound caused by the foreign object removal is low, and the threshold value in the low frequency band away from the frequency of the high-frequency sound associated with the foreign substance removal is high. .

  Therefore, the control circuit 41 compares the threshold curve read from the memory 42 as shown in FIG. 14A with the volume and frequency distribution information of the environmental sound output from the audio signal control unit 166. . As shown in FIG. 14B, if the curve indicating the volume and frequency distribution of the environmental sound (hereinafter referred to as the environmental sound curve) does not exceed the threshold curve, the masking effect by the environmental sound is insufficient. The control circuit 41 determines that there is a certain amount of high-frequency sound due to foreign object removal. Further, as shown in FIG. 14C, if at least a part of the environmental sound curve exceeds the threshold curve, it is determined that the masking effect by the environmental sound is sufficient, and the control circuit 41 removes the foreign matter. It is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound due to dropping is allowed. In the present embodiment, the cleaning is not performed when it is determined that the generation of the high frequency sound due to the foreign matter wipe-out is not allowed. However, as in the case of the first embodiment. Alternatively, the cleaning may be performed by driving the diaphragms 261 and 262 under a driving condition that can suppress the generation of high-frequency sound.

--- Flow chart ---
The operation of the camera body 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the processing contents of a program when shooting is performed with the camera body 100 according to the third embodiment. When a power switch (not shown) of the camera body 100 is turned on, a program for performing this process is activated and executed by the control circuit 41. Steps S1 to S3 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step S3, the process proceeds to step S35, and it is determined whether at least a part of the environmental sound curve based on the information output from the audio signal control unit 166 exceeds the threshold curve read from the memory. If a positive determination is made in step S35, that is, if it is determined that the masking effect by the environmental sound is sufficient, the process proceeds to step S7. Since the operations after step S7 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, description thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, if the determination in step S35 is affirmative, that is, if it is determined that the masking effect by the environmental sound is not sufficient, the process proceeds to step S11 without performing cleaning.

The digital camera according to the third embodiment has the following operational effects in addition to the operational effects of the first and second embodiments.
(1) Whether or not high-frequency sound is allowed during cleaning is determined based on the volume of environmental sound collected by the microphone 95. Thereby, it can be easily determined whether or not the masking effect by the environmental sound is sufficient, and therefore it can be easily determined whether or not the generation of high-frequency sound at the time of cleaning is allowed. In addition, since the above-described determination is performed using the microphone 95 provided also in the conventional digital camera, an increase in cost such as provision of a new sensor can be suppressed.

(2) Since the configuration is made so as to determine whether or not the masking effect by the environmental sound is sufficient by comparing the volume of the environmental sound with a threshold curve that is a threshold value of the volume that differs for each frequency. It is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the occurrence of noise is allowed according to the type (frequency distribution) of the environmental sound.

---- Modified example ---
(1) In the first embodiment described above, it is configured to determine whether or not the photographer is present in the vicinity of the camera body 100 using the detection result of the eye sensor 90, but the present invention. Is not limited to this. For example, instead of the eye sensor 90, the photographer is present in the vicinity of the camera body 100 using the detection result of the grip sensor that is provided in the grip part of the camera and detects that the photographer has gripped the grip part. It may be configured to determine whether or not. That is, for example, while a photographer detects that the photographer has gripped the grip portion, the photographer is present in the vicinity of the camera body 100, and generation of high-frequency sound during cleaning is not permitted. You may make it judge. Conversely, for example, while the photographer detects that the photographer is not grasping the grip portion, the photographer is not present in the vicinity of the camera body 100, and therefore high-frequency sound during cleaning is allowed. You may make it judge that it is done. In addition to the eye sensor 90 and the grip sensor, various sensors for detecting whether or not a person is present in the vicinity of the camera body 100 are used instead of the eye sensor 90 or the grip sensor or together with the eye sensor 90 or the grip sensor. be able to.

(2) In the third embodiment described above, it is configured to determine whether or not the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign object removal is permitted by comparing the environmental sound curve and the threshold curve. The invention is not limited to this. For example, it is configured to determine whether the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign object removal is permissible by simply comparing the volume of the environmental sound with a predetermined volume threshold regardless of the frequency. May be. Also, for example, is it possible to generate high-frequency sound due to foreign object removal by comparing the volume only in the highest frequency range of the environmental sound frequency distribution with a predetermined volume threshold? It may be configured to determine whether or not.

(3) In the above description, it is configured to determine whether or not the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign material removal is allowed based on either the detection result of the eye sensor 90 or the volume of the environmental sound. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured to determine whether or not the generation of high-frequency sound due to foreign object removal is allowed based on both the detection result of the eye sensor 90 and the volume of the environmental sound. In this case, for example, if it is determined from the detection result of the eye sensor 90 that there is no person around the camera body 100, or if it is determined that at least a part of the environmental sound curve exceeds the threshold curve, the foreign object removal You may make it judge that generation | occurrence | production of the high frequency sound accompanying dropping was permitted. Further, for example, if it is determined from the detection result of the eye sensor 90 that there is no person around the camera body 100 and it is determined that at least a part of the environmental sound curve exceeds the threshold curve, the foreign matter is wiped out. You may make it judge that generation | occurrence | production of the high frequency sound was accept | permitted.

(4) In the above description, when the photographer operates to perform manual cleaning, it is configured not to determine whether or not high-frequency sound is allowed during cleaning. The present invention is not limited to this. For example, even when the photographer operates to perform manual cleaning, it may be configured to determine whether or not high-frequency sound is allowed during cleaning. When it is determined that the generation of high-frequency sound during cleaning is not permitted, cleaning is performed by vibrating the vibration plates 261 and 262 under vibration conditions that suppress the generation of high-frequency sound during cleaning. May be.
(5) You may combine each embodiment and modification which were mentioned above, respectively.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and an imaging device that captures a subject image, an optical member disposed on the front surface of the imaging device on the subject side, and vibration that vibrates the optical member. A member, a determination unit that determines whether or not the generation of sound generated when the vibration member vibrates the optical member, and a determination unit that determines that generation of sound is permitted; When the vibration member is driven under the conditions to vibrate the optical member and the determination means determines that sound is not allowed to be generated, the sound volume is smaller than when the vibration member is driven under the first condition. And a vibration member drive control unit that vibrates the optical member by driving the vibration member under the second condition.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and an imaging element that captures a subject image, an optical member disposed on the front side of the imaging element on the subject side, and vibration that vibrates the optical member. A member, a judgment means for judging whether or not the sound generated when the vibration member vibrates the optical member, and a judgment means for judging whether or not the sound generation is allowed Including a digital camera having various structures, comprising: a vibration member drive control unit that does not drive the vibration member when the determination unit determines that generation of sound is not permitted by vibrating the optical member by driving. It is a waste.

It is a perspective view of the appearance when the camera body 100 and the photographing lens 300 of the first embodiment are viewed obliquely from the rear. It is a perspective view of the appearance when the camera body 100 and the taking lens 300 with the back cover 110 removed are viewed obliquely from the rear. It is a figure which shows notionally the cross section of the camera body 100 and imaging lens 200 of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram explaining the structure of the camera body 100 of 1st Embodiment. 2 is a perspective view of an imaging unit 200. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the imaging unit 200. FIG. It is sectional drawing when the imaging unit 200 is seen from the left side. It is sectional drawing when the imaging unit 200 is seen from the downward direction. 3 is a perspective view showing a low-pass filter 212 and diaphragms 261 and 262. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing content of the program at the time of imaging | photography with the camera body 100 of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the processing content of the program at the time of imaging | photography with the camera body 100 of 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the external appearance when the camera body 100 and the taking lens 300 of 3rd Embodiment are seen from diagonally back. It is a block diagram explaining the structure of the camera body 100 of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the relationship between a threshold curve and an environmental sound curve. It is a flowchart which shows the processing content of the program at the time of imaging | photography with the camera body 100 of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shutter 41 Control circuit 42 Memory 71 Display apparatus 90 Eye sensor 95 Microphone 100 Camera body 151 Diaphragm control apparatus 166 Audio | voice signal control part 200 Imaging unit 211,212 Low pass filter 250 Imaging element 261,262 Diaphragm 300 Shooting lens

Claims (5)

An image sensor for capturing a subject image;
An optical member disposed on the front surface of the image sensor on the subject side;
A vibrating member that vibrates the optical member;
Determination means for determining whether or not the generation of sound generated when the vibration member vibrates the optical member;
When the determination means determines that the sound is allowed to be generated, the optical member is vibrated by driving the vibration member under a first condition, and if the sound is not allowed to be generated, the determination means When judged, the vibration member drive that vibrates the optical member by driving the vibration member under a second condition where the volume of the sound is smaller than when the vibration member is driven under a first condition. And a control means. An image sensor for capturing a subject image;
An optical member disposed on the front surface of the image sensor on the subject side;
A vibrating member that vibrates the optical member;
Determination means for determining whether or not the generation of sound generated when the vibration member vibrates the optical member;
When it is determined by the determination means that the generation of the sound is permitted, the optical member is vibrated by driving the vibration member, and when the determination unit determines that the generation of the sound is not permitted, A digital camera comprising: a vibration member drive control unit that does not drive the vibration member. The digital camera according to claim 1 or 2,
The determination means is configured to detect sound generated when the vibration member vibrates the optical member when the vibration member is set to automatically vibrate the optical member under a predetermined condition. A digital camera characterized by determining whether or not generation is allowed. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A human detection means for detecting a person in the vicinity of the digital camera;
The determination means determines that the generation of the sound is permitted when the person detection means detects that no person is present in the vicinity of the digital camera, and that the person is present in the vicinity of the digital camera. A digital camera characterized in that when it is detected by a human detection means, it is determined that the generation of the sound is not allowed. The digital camera according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A volume measuring means for measuring at least the volume of the environmental sound around the digital camera;
The determination means determines that the generation of the sound is permitted if the volume of the environmental sound measured by the volume measurement means exceeds a predetermined volume, and the environmental sound measured by the volume measurement means is determined. A digital camera that determines that the generation of the sound is not allowed if the volume is below a predetermined volume.

Images