US 2008/0259200 A1 · IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS

Abstract

The present invention further improves foreign substance removal performance when removing foreign substances such as dust that adhere to the surface of an optical element disposed in front of an image sensor. The image capturing apparatus includes an image sensor that performs photo-electric conversion of an optical image of an object formed by a photographing optical system, an optical element disposed between the photographing optical system and the image sensor, a shutter disposed between the photographing optical system and the optical element and having shutter curtains capable of traveling between an open state and a closed state, a first vibration device that causes the optical element to vibrate, a second vibration device that causes the shutter curtains to vibrate, and a control device that controls operations of the first vibration device and second vibration device.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

a photographing optical system;
an image sensor operable to capture an image of an object formed by the photographing optical system;
an optical element disposed between said photographing optical system and said image sensor;
a shutter disposed between said photographing optical system and said optical element and which has one or more shutter curtains that are capable of traveling between an open state and a closed state;
a first vibration unit operable to cause said optical element to vibrate;
a second vibration unit operable to cause said one or more shutter curtains to vibrate;
and
a controller configured to control the timing of the operation of said first vibration unit and said second vibration unit.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Image capturing apparatus

Life of this patent

Image capturing apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11