Camera

Abstract

To provide a camera that can perform a removal operation for particles adherent to a surface upon which light is incident, of a pickup device and a transmitting member disposed on an optical path of the pickup device in such a condition that the particles are properly removed. According to the present invention, a camera comprises a driving mechanism section to drop and remove particles on a cleaning target that is a surface of an image pickup device and/or a surface of a low-pass filter provided closer to a side of a subject in an optical path than the image pickup device, the subject light passing through the low-pass filter, which is provided with: a tilt sensor to detect an orientation of the camera; and a control section to judge whether a removal operation for the particles by the driving mechanism section should be carried out or not in accordance with the detected value from the tilt sensor.

1 . A camera having a cleaning section to drop and remove particles on a cleaning target that is a surface of an image pickup device and/or a surface of a transmitting member provided closer to a side of a subject in an optical path than the image pickup device, the subject light passing through the transmitting member, comprising:
 a detecting section to detect an orientation of the camera; and   a judgment section to judge whether a removal operation for the particles by the cleaning section should be realized or not in accordance with a detected value from the detecting section.   
   
   
       2 . The camera according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the judgment section judges that the removal operation for the particles by the cleaning section should not be realized when the cleaning target is oriented vertically upwards.   
   
   
       3 . The camera according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an ejecting section to eject the particles dropped by the cleaning section and/or an particle holding section to collect and hold the particles, and   the judgment section judges that the removal operation for the particles by the cleaning section should not be realized when the ejecting section and/or the particle holding section are/is not situated in a direction in which the particles are dropped by the cleaning section.   
   
   
       4 . The camera according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a mirror section upon which light from the subject is incident and which reflects the light to the cleaning target and   a rotary mechanism section to rotate the mirror section, and   when the judgment section judges that the removal operation for the particles should be realized, the judgment section causes the rotary mechanism section to rotate the mirror section and is adapted to ensure a path through which the particles between the cleaning target and the ejecting section are dropped.   
   
   
       5 . The camera according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the cleaning target is disposed to be oriented vertically upwards when the camera is in a normal position.   
   
   
       6 . The camera according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the cleaning section is provided with a vibrating member to vibrate the cleaning target.   
   
   
       7 . The camera according to  claim 6 , comprising:
 a control section to control the vibrating member to generate a standing wave selected from among a plurality of standing waves in the cleaning target in a selected sequence.   
   
   
       8 . The camera according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the control section controls the vibrating member to generate a first standing wave in the cleaning target, and then to generate a second standing wave in which a portion corresponding to a node appearing in the first standing wave is vibrated.   
   
   
       9 . The camera according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the control section controls the vibrating member to sequentially generate standing waves in decreasing order of amplitude in a portion in which particles of the cleaning target are present.   
   
   
       10 . The camera according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the control section can select at least one of:   a first control to control the vibrating member to generate a first standing wave in the cleaning target, and thereafter to generate a second standing wave by which a portion corresponding to a node appearing in the first standing wave is vibrated;   a second control to control the vibrating member to sequentially generate standing waves in decreasing order of amplitude in a portion in which particles of the cleaning target are present.   
   
   
       11 . The camera according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the vibrating member is at least one pair of vibrating members arranged across a cleaning target area of the cleaning target, and   the control section performs the control for the vibrating members if the detecting section detects an orientation in which the pair of vibrating members take their respective upper and lower positions in a vertical direction.   
   
   
       12 . The camera according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the vibrating member is at least one pair of vibrating members arranged across a cleaning target area of the cleaning target, and   the control section performs the control for the vibrating members if the detecting section detects an orientation in which the pair of vibrating members take their respective left and right positions in a vertical direction.   
   
   
       13 . The camera according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 two pairs of vibrating members are provided as the vibrating member, and   if the detecting section detects an orientation having a relation in which one pair of vibrating members serve as their respective upper and lower parts in a vertical direction and the other pair of vibrating members serve as their respective left and right parts in a vertical direction,   the control section can select either the one pair of vibrating members or the other pair of vibrating members.   
   
   
       14 . The camera according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 the control section selects any of the first control and the second control in accordance with the detection result in the detecting section.