JP2006121841A - Drive device and imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drive device capable of achieving a good balance of the driving performance of each actuator, even if one actuator is larger in load than the other actuator, and an imaging device. <P>SOLUTION: An assist 69 consisting of two diodes D5, D6 connected in parallel with polarities opposite to each other is connected to the input terminal of each drive voltage generator 58 with each terminal. Thus, when the potential difference (the potential difference between high potential side electrodes of each capacitor C1) between the input terminals of each drive voltage generator 58 becomes more than the forward direction voltage of the diodes D5, D6, current is made to be supplied from an electric power supply 57 which supplies current to one piezoelectric element, to the other piezoelectric element. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving device that drives a driven member by using an expansion / contraction operation of a piezoelectric element by applying a voltage (supplying power), and an imaging device including the driving device.

  As a technique for eliminating or suppressing blurring of a captured image due to camera shake generated in a digital camera, a technique for driving an imaging optical system according to a detected blur amount and blur direction by an actuator using a piezoelectric element is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1 below).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a correction lens that can change an optical axis, a sensor that detects a blur direction and a blur amount of a subject optical image on an imaging surface based on camera shake, and a plane that is orthogonal to the optical axis. A plurality of actuators that are driven above, and this actuator drives the correction lens based on the blur direction and blur amount of the subject light image detected by the sensor, thereby changing the optical axis of the entire photographic lens and taking an image. There is disclosed a shake correction mechanism configured to keep a projection position of a subject light image projected on an imaging surface constant by canceling a blur of the subject light image on the surface.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a circuit for supplying electric power to an actuator in this type of shake correction mechanism. A schematic configuration of this circuit is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 16, the circuit 100 corresponds to the piezoelectric element 102 of each actuator, and a current limiting circuit 101 that limits the upper limit of the current from the power source Vp to a constant value and supplies it to the capacitor C. The capacitor C is configured to store the current from the current limiting circuit 101, and the bridge circuit 103 is connected to the high potential side electrode of the capacitor C and a plurality of switching elements are bridge-connected to the piezoelectric element 102. ing. The bridge circuit 103 generates an alternating voltage from the voltage between both electrodes of the capacitor C by turning on / off the switching element based on a control signal from the control circuit 104, and applies the alternating voltage to the piezoelectric element 102. It has become.
JP 2003-333414 A

  By the way, when the circuit 100 as described above is provided for each actuator to cause each actuator to drive the correction lens, for example, variations in performance of the actuator due to manufacturing errors of the actuator, or when the actuator is installed. The load applied to one actuator may be larger than the load applied to the other actuator due to an error in the attitude of the actuator.

  When the load on the actuator increases, the current consumption of the piezoelectric element in the actuator increases, so the voltage at the input terminal of the bridge circuit 103 that drives the actuator (the voltage at point X in FIG. 16) decreases. As a result, the difference in drive performance between the two actuators increases, and if the balance of drive performance is lost between the two actuators in this way, sufficient blur correction is performed in one direction, but in the other direction. However, there is a problem that sufficient blur correction is not performed, and for example, a captured image is greatly shaken in the other direction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a drive device and an imaging device that can balance the drive performance of each actuator even when one actuator has a larger load than the other actuator. The purpose is to do.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first and second electromechanical transducers that expand and contract when electric power is supplied, and the first for supplying electric power to the first and second electromechanical transducers. The electric power supplied by the second power supply unit and the first and second power supply units are converted into AC power, respectively, and the AC power is supplied to the electromechanical conversion element. A drive device comprising first and second drive power generation units for driving the elements, respectively, and the current consumption rate when the balance of current consumption by the first and second electromechanical transducers is broken It is characterized by comprising an assist section that allows a current to be replenished to the electromechanical transducer having the higher current.

  According to this invention, when the balance of the power consumption by the first and second electromechanical transducers is lost, the assist unit supplies power to the electromechanical transducer having the higher power consumption rate. As a result, the difference in drive performance between the two electromechanical transducers whose power consumption is temporarily out of balance can be reduced (the balance can be kept substantially).

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the driving device according to the first aspect, wherein the assist unit has a current consumption rate from a power supply unit for supplying a current to the electromechanical conversion element having a lower current consumption rate. It is characterized in that a current is replenished to the electromechanical transducer having a higher value.

  According to the present invention, the assist unit supplies current to the electromechanical transducer having the higher current consumption rate from the power supply unit that supplies power to the electromechanical transducer having the lower current consumption rate. As a result, it is possible to suppress an increase in cost and size of the driving device, as compared to a case where a mechanism for supplying current to the electromechanical conversion element having a higher current consumption rate is additionally provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the drive device according to the second aspect, the assist unit includes first and second diodes connected in parallel with polarities opposite to each other. The first and second driving power generation units are connected between the power input terminals.

  According to the present invention, the assist unit includes two diodes connected in parallel with polarities opposite to each other, and is connected between the power input terminals in the first and second drive power generation units. Since the power supply unit that supplies power to the electromechanical conversion element with the lower current consumption rate, the current is supplied to the electromechanical conversion element with the higher current consumption rate. This can be realized with a simple configuration.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging optical system that forms an optical image of a subject, the imaging element in which an imaging surface is disposed on an imaging surface of the imaging optical system, and an apparatus that is generated in the imaging device 2. The image sensor is driven in first and second directions intersecting each other on the imaging plane by using a shake detection unit that detects a shake and the first and second electromechanical transducers. Based on the driving device according to any one of Items 3 to 3 and the device shake detected by the shake detection unit, the correction of the shake associated with the device shake of the subject light image formed on the imaging surface of the imaging element is performed. An image pickup apparatus including a shake correction control unit to be executed by a drive device.

  According to the present invention, based on the device shake detected by the shake detection unit, the blur correction associated with the device shake of the subject light image formed on the imaging surface of the image sensor is performed on the drive device, An imaging operation by the imaging element is performed. In the image pickup apparatus that performs such blur correction, the effect of the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3 can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent or suppress the drive performance of the electromechanical conversion element having the higher current consumption rate from being lowered, and thus it is possible to drive the driven object appropriately.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a digital camera provided with a drive device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of the digital camera, and FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the configuration of the digital camera.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the digital camera 1 includes a camera body 2, an imaging optical system 3, a shutter button 4, an optical finder 5, a flash 6, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 7, a function switch 8, and a power source. A button 9, a card slot 10, a mode setting switch 11, a shake correction ON / OFF button 12, and a shake detection sensor unit 13 are provided.

  The imaging optical system 3 is disposed on the right side of the front surface of the camera body 2 and captures an optical image of a subject. The imaging optical system 3 includes a zoom lens 3a (see FIG. 4), a focus lens 3b (see FIG. 4), and the like, and changes the focal length and adjusts the focal position.

  The shutter button 4 is a button that is pressed in two stages of a half-pressing operation that pushes it halfway and a full-pressing operation that completely presses it, and mainly performs an exposure operation by an image sensor 15 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) described later. This is for indicating the timing. The digital camera 1 has a still image shooting mode for shooting a still image and a moving image shooting mode for shooting a movie. In the still image shooting mode, exposure control is performed by pressing the shutter button 4 halfway. An image of a subject to be recorded in an image storage unit 44 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later, is generated by setting an imaging standby state in which values (shutter speed and aperture value) are set and performing a full press operation. Thus, an exposure operation (recording exposure operation) by the image sensor 15 is started. In the moving image shooting mode, when the shutter button 4 is fully pressed, the recording exposure operation is started, and when the shutter button 4 is pressed again, the recording exposure operation is stopped.

  The optical viewfinder 5 is disposed on the upper left side of the back surface of the camera body 2 and optically displays a range in which a subject is photographed.

  The flash 6 (built-in flash) is disposed at the upper center of the front surface of the camera body 2 and emits illumination light to the subject by discharging a discharge lamp (not shown) when the amount of light from the subject is insufficient. Is.

  The LCD 7 is disposed at a substantially central part on the back of the camera body 2 and includes a color liquid crystal panel. The LCD 7 displays an image picked up by the image pickup device 15 and reproduces and displays a recorded image. A function or mode setting screen mounted on the digital camera 1 is displayed. Instead of the LCD 7, an organic EL or a plasma display device may be used.

  The function switch 8 is disposed on the right side of the LCD 7, and is a switch for driving the imaging optical system 3 in the wide direction or the tele direction, and switching between the still image shooting mode and the moving image shooting mode in the shooting mode. is there.

  The power button 9 is disposed on the left side of the function switch 8 at the upper back of the camera body 2 and is turned on and off alternately every time it is pressed.

  The card slot 10 is provided on one side surface of the camera body 2, and a memory card M made up of a plurality of semiconductor memory elements is mounted.

  The mode setting switch 11 is disposed at the upper back of the camera body 2 and is a two-contact slide switch that slides up and down. When the mode setting switch 11 is set to the A position, the digital camera 1 is set to a shooting mode for taking an image subject, and when set to the B position, the shooting mode recorded on the memory card M is set to a playback mode for playing back and displaying on the LCD 7. Is done.

  The camera shake correction ON / OFF button 12 is a button for alternatively selecting a camera shake correction mode in which camera shake correction is performed during shooting and a camera shake correction mode in which camera shake correction is not performed. When the camera shake correction ON / OFF button 12 is set to the camera shake correction mode, as shown in FIG. 3, in the still image shooting mode, an imaging preparation process performed by half-pressing the shutter button 4 (S1: ON) is performed. The blur correction is performed during the period (imaging preparation period) and the recording imaging process period (main imaging period) performed by the full-press operation (S2: ON).

  On the other hand, in the moving image shooting mode, blur correction is started simultaneously with the recording imaging process started by the first full press operation (S2: ON) of the shutter button 4, and the full press operation is performed again. The blur correction stops with the imaging process. Note that “S1” and “S2” in FIG. 4 are switches for detecting half-pressing operation and full-pressing operation of the shutter button 4. In the present embodiment, the shake correction mode is initially set in conjunction with the setting operation for the shooting mode.

  The shake detection sensor unit 13 is for detecting camera shake in order to perform shake correction when the shake correction mode is set. The horizontal direction in FIG. 1 is the X axis, and the direction perpendicular to the X axis. Assuming that the Y axis is assumed, the X sensor 13a detects the camera shake in the X axis direction and the Y sensor 13b detects the camera shake in the Y axis direction. The X sensor 13a and the Y sensor 13b are composed of, for example, gyros using piezoelectric elements, and detect the angular velocity of shaking in each direction.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the digital camera 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same member as FIG. 1, FIG.

  In FIG. 4, an imaging optical system 3 corresponds to the imaging optical system 3 shown in FIG. 1, and includes a zoom lens 3a and a focus lens 3b. The shake detection sensor unit 13 corresponds to the shake detection sensor unit 13 shown in FIG. 1, and includes an X sensor 13a and a Y sensor 13b.

  The lens driving unit 14 includes a motor that drives the zoom lens 3a of the imaging optical system 3 and a motor that drives the focus lens 3b.

  The image pickup device 15 is an image pickup device including, for example, a CCD color area sensor having a plurality of pixels that receive R (red), G (green), and B (blue) light components in the vertical and horizontal directions. The light image of the subject formed above is photoelectrically converted into an image signal of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color components and output.

  The imaging device 15 of the present embodiment is installed on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis L of the imaging optical system 3, and the plane is so as to eliminate or reduce blurring of a captured image caused by camera shake. It is driven in the above two orthogonal directions (corresponding to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in FIG. 1).

  The imaging element driving unit 16 drives the X-axis actuator 22 and the Y-axis actuator 23, which will be described later, which drive the imaging element 15 in the two directions perpendicular to each other on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis L of the imaging optical system 3 as described above. It is included and controlled by the overall control unit 46 (blur correction control unit 50 described later).

  Here, a mechanism for correcting the shake (hereinafter referred to as a shake correction unit) will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the shake correction unit 17. The X axis and Y axis in this figure correspond to the X axis and Y axis shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the camera body unit 2 is shaken by a camera shake or the like of the user and the optical axis L (see FIG. 4) shifts, the shake correction unit 17 This is for correcting the shift of the optical axis L by appropriately moving (swinging) according to the shake.

  The blur correction unit 17 includes an image sensor 15 and a low-pass filter (not shown), an image sensor holder 18 that holds the low-pass filter together with the image sensor 15, a slider 19 that holds the image sensor holder 18, and a rear surface of the image sensor 15. The heat radiating plate 20, the image pickup device substrate 21 disposed on the rear surface of the heat radiating plate 20, the X-axis actuator 22, the Y-axis actuator 23, and the shaking base plate 24 are configured.

  The image sensor substrate 21 is a substantially rectangular substrate (here, a CCD substrate) on which the image sensor 15 is mounted. However, the mounting is performed in a state in which the heat sink 20 is interposed between the image sensor 15 and the image sensor substrate 21. The heat radiating plate 20 is a plate-like body made of a predetermined metal material, and is for releasing heat generated by driving (photoelectric conversion) of the image sensor 15.

  The image sensor holder 18 is a frame having a substantially rectangular cross section and is open at the front and rear. A low pass filter is attached to the front of the frame, and the image sensor 15 is disposed at the rear of the low pass filter. Yes. The image pickup device 15 is fixedly attached to the image pickup device holder 18 with screws (not shown) in a state where the image pickup device 15 is pressed against the image pickup device holder 18 together with the heat sink 20 by the image pickup device substrate 21. ing.

  A Y-axis actuator 23 is provided on one end side (here, the left side) of the image sensor holder 18 in the left-right direction. The image sensor holder 18 is Y with respect to the slider 19 via the Y-axis actuator 23. It is slidably attached in the axial direction (direction shown by arrow C in FIG. 5).

  The slider 19 is a substantially flat frame body in which a rectangular opening 25 larger than the imaging element substrate 21 is formed at a substantially central portion thereof. At a position facing the Y-axis actuator 23 of the slider 19, a V-groove that is slidably fitted to the Y-axis actuator 23 (a shaft portion 26 described later) is formed to enable the above-described sliding movement. Further, a bearing portion 27 is fixed.

  Further, a bearing portion 28 configured similarly to the bearing portion 27 corresponding to the X-axis actuator 22 is fixed to the lower portion of the slider 19. The fitting (friction coupling) of the shaft portion 26 (29) to the bearing portion 27 (28) is performed by a biasing force by a biasing member such as a spring body (not shown), and a pressing plate (X-axis pressing plate, Y-axis). For example, the shaft portion 26 (29) is sandwiched between the presser plate) and the bearing portion 27 (28).

  The shake base plate 24 forms a so-called base in the shake correction unit 17 for holding the slider 19 in a state where the image sensor holder 18 is held, and has an opening 25 of the slider 19 at a substantially central portion thereof. It is a frame in which an opening 30 having the same size is formed. An X-axis actuator 22 is fixed to one end (in this case, the lower side) of the shaking base plate 24 in the vertical direction, and the bearing 28 of the slider 19 is connected to the X-axis actuator 22 (shaft 29). A slider 19 is attached to the shake base plate 24 so as to be slidable in the X-axis direction (the direction indicated by the arrow D in FIG. 5) in a slidably fitted state.

  Further, the shaking base plate 24 has a corner portion of the slider 19 in a state where the corner portion of the imaging device holder 18 is sandwiched between the ball body loosely fitted on the back surface 32 of the corner portion at the corner portion 31 at the upper right. It connects with the corner | angular part 33 in the state biased by biasing members, such as a spring body, so that 33 may be pressed toward the corner | angular part 31. FIG.

  As a result, the slider 19 is shaken together with the image sensor holder 18 in a state in which the slider 19 (image sensor holder 18) can be slid in the X-axis direction and the image sensor holder 18 can be slid in the Y-axis direction. 24, and it is securely held so that they do not come off the shaking base plate 24.

  The X-axis actuator 22 and the Y-axis actuator 23 are impact type linear actuators (piezoelectric actuators) that perform so-called ultrasonic driving. Each of these actuators includes shaft portions 29 and 26, piezoelectric elements 34 and 35, weight portions 36 and 37, and the like. The shaft portions 29 and 26 are rod-shaped drive shafts having predetermined cross-sectional shapes (for example, circular shapes) that are driven to vibrate by the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35, respectively, and are frictionally coupled to the bearing portions 27 and 28. It is.

  The piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 are made of ceramic or the like, and are expanded and contracted according to an applied voltage, and the shaft portions 29 and 26 are vibrated according to the expansion and contraction. In the expansion / contraction by the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35, high-speed expansion and low-speed reduction, low-speed expansion and high-speed reduction, or constant-speed expansion and constant-speed reduction with the same expansion speed and reduction speed are repeated alternately. It is. The piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 are, for example, laminated piezoelectric elements, and are fixed at one end of the shaft portions 29 and 26 with the polarization direction coinciding with the axial direction of the shaft portions 29 and 26.

  Signal lines from a drive circuit unit 54 (see FIG. 6), which will be described later, are connected to the electrode portions of the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35, and the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 are connected in accordance with a drive signal from the drive circuit unit 54. The expansion and contraction is performed by charging or discharging (reverse charging). By repeating the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 in this manner, the bearing portion 28, that is, the slider 19 is relatively forward or reverse relative to the shaft portion 29 (the shaft portion 26 is relative to the bearing portion 27, ie, the slider 19). It will be in a state of moving in the direction or stopping on the spot.

  A weight portion for efficiently transmitting vibrations generated by the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 to the shaft portions 29 and 26 at the ends of the shaft portions 29 and 26 opposite to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35. 36, 37, that is, weights are fixed.

  Thus, in accordance with the drive of the X-axis actuator 22, the slider 19 and the image sensor holder 18 integrally slide in the left-right direction with respect to the shaking base plate 24, thereby causing the image sensor 15 to move in the X-axis direction (arrow D). Shake in the Y-axis direction (arrow C direction) of the image sensor 15 by the image sensor holder 18 sliding up and down relative to the slider 19 according to the drive of the Y-axis actuator 23. Is corrected.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the timing control circuit 38 is controlled by the overall control unit 46 described later. Based on the reference clock CLK0, the timing control circuit 38 drives the image sensor 15, for example, a timing signal for exposure start / end (integration start / end), a read control signal (horizontal synchronization signal, A clock signal CLK1 such as a vertical synchronization signal and a transfer signal is generated, the clock CLK1 is output to the image sensor 7, and an A / D conversion clock CLK2 is generated based on the reference clock CLK0. Is output to the A / D converter 40.

  The signal processing unit 39 performs predetermined analog signal processing on the image signal (analog signal) output from the image sensor 15, and reduces noise of the image signal (analog signal) output from the image sensor 15. The level of the image signal is adjusted.

  The A / D conversion unit 40 converts each pixel signal (analog signal) of the image data input from the signal processing unit 39 to a predetermined bit, for example, 10-bit digital signal based on the clock CLK2 output from the timing control circuit 38. It converts to a signal.

  The image processing unit 41 performs black level correction for correcting the black level of a pixel signal (hereinafter referred to as pixel data) A / D converted by the A / D conversion unit 40 to a reference black level, R (red), G Processing such as white balance correction for level conversion of pixel data of each color component of (green) and B (blue) and γ correction for correcting γ characteristics of the pixel data is performed.

  The image memory 42 temporarily stores the pixel data output from the image processing unit 41 in the shooting mode, and is also used as a work area for performing predetermined processing on the image data by the overall control unit 46. It is. In the playback mode, the memory temporarily stores the image data read from the image storage unit 44.

  The VRAM 43 is a buffer memory for image data to be reproduced and displayed on the LCD 7, and has a recording capacity for image data corresponding to the number of pixels of the LCD 7.

  The image storage unit 44 includes the memory card M and a hard disk, and stores images generated by the overall control unit 46.

  In the shooting standby state, the digital camera 1 applies predetermined signal processing to each pixel data of an image captured by the imaging device 15 every 1/30 (seconds) by the A / D conversion unit 40 and the image processing unit 41, for example. After being applied, it is recorded in the image memory 42 and the pixel data is transferred to the VRAM 43 via the overall control unit 46. Thereby, the live view image is displayed on the LCD 7 (electronic viewfinder function). The live view image is an image picked up by the image pickup device 15 that is switched and displayed on the LCD 7 at a constant period (for example, 1/30 second) until the image of the subject is recorded. Is displayed on the LCD 7 in substantially real time, and the photographer can check the state of the subject on the LCD 7.

  In the reproduction mode, the image data read from the image storage unit 44 is temporarily stored in the image memory 42, subjected to predetermined signal processing on the image data stored in the image memory 42, and then transferred to the VRAM 43. . As a result, the image recorded in the image storage unit 44 is reproduced and displayed on the LCD 7.

  The input operation unit 45 inputs operation information such as the shutter button 4, the mode setting switch 11, and the shake correction ON / OFF button 12 to the overall control unit 46.

  The overall control unit 46 is composed of a microcomputer, and controls the photographing operation of the digital camera 1 in an integrated manner by relating and controlling the driving of each member in the camera body 2 described above. The overall control unit 46 includes a storage unit including a RAM for work of the CPU 42 and a ROM that stores programs of various functions provided in the digital camera 1.

  The overall control unit 46 also detects shake from the shake detection sensor unit 13 (the X sensor 13a and the Y sensor 13b) in order to correct the shake of the captured image caused by the camera shake that has occurred in the digital camera 1. Based on the signal, the blur direction and the blur amount are calculated, and the calculated image sensor driving unit 16 has a function of controlling the driving of the image sensor 15.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration for realizing the camera shake correction function.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the overall control unit 46 includes a shake amount detection unit 48, a coefficient conversion unit 49, and a shake correction control unit 50 in order to achieve the above function. Unit 46, imaging device 15, X-axis actuator 22 and Y-axis actuator 23, shake detection circuit 47, temperature sensor 51, X-direction position sensor 52 and Y-direction position sensor 53, and drive circuit unit 54. Realized in preparation.

  The image sensor 15, X sensor 13a, and Y sensor 13b correspond to the image sensor 15, X sensor 13a, and Y sensor 13b shown in FIGS. The X-axis actuator 22 and the Y-axis actuator 23 correspond to the X-axis actuator 22 and the Y-axis actuator 23 shown in FIG. 5, and drive voltages (drive power) output from a drive circuit unit 54 described later, respectively. Accordingly, the image sensor 15 is driven in the X direction and the Y direction. The X axis and Y axis shown in FIG. 6 correspond to the X axis and Y axis shown in FIGS.

  The shake detection circuit 47 includes a filter circuit (low-pass filter and high-pass filter) for reducing noise and drift from the angular velocity signals output from the X sensor 13a and the Y sensor 13b, an amplifier circuit for amplifying each angular velocity signal, and the like. It is prepared for.

  The shake amount detection unit 48 takes in the angular velocity signal output from the shake detection circuit 47 at predetermined time intervals, and outputs the shake amount in the X direction and the shake amount in the Y direction of the digital camera 1 to the coefficient conversion unit 49.

  The coefficient conversion unit 49 converts the shake amounts in the X direction and the Y direction output from the shake amount detection unit 48 into the movement amount of the image sensor 15 in each direction, and a signal indicating the movement amount in each direction is converted into the blur. Output to the correction controller 50.

  The temperature sensor 51 is, for example, a thermistor, and detects the environmental temperature and outputs a detection result to the overall control unit 46 (coefficient conversion unit 49 and shake correction control unit 50). The detection result is used to correct a change in characteristics due to temperature. For example, correction for temperature changes of the image sensor 15 and the position sensors 52 and 53 in each direction, and correction of the basic drive frequency and drive voltage of the X-axis actuator 22 and the Y-axis actuator 23 are performed. These are performed by storing in advance a lookup table indicating a correction value for temperature for each characteristic in the storage unit of the overall control unit 46.

  The X direction position sensor 52 detects the position of the image sensor 15 in the X direction, and outputs the detection result to the overall control unit 46 (blur correction control unit 50). The Y direction position sensor 53 detects the position of the image sensor 15 in the Y direction, and outputs the detection result to the overall control unit 46 (blur correction control unit 50).

  The shake correction control unit 50 sets the drive circuit unit 54 based on the detection result from the shake detection sensor unit 13 (X sensor 13a and Y sensor 13b) or the like when setting the shake correction mode in the still image shooting mode and the moving image shooting mode. Control the motion and perform shake correction. That is, in the still image shooting mode, the shake correction control unit 50 performs the shake correction in the shooting preparation period and the main imaging period, and in the moving image shooting mode, performs the blur correction in the main imaging period.

  Note that camera shake, so-called camera shake, is composed of muscle vibration with a small amplitude of about 10 Hz, body shake with a large amplitude of 3 Hz or less, and shake due to operation of the shutter button 4 with a large amplitude of about 5 Hz. It is said that it is a vibration. Therefore, camera shake correction is executed at intervals of 0.0005 seconds (2 kHz), for example.

  The drive circuit unit 54 supplies a drive voltage (drive power) to the X-axis actuator 22 and the Y-axis actuator 23, respectively, and a first drive circuit unit 55 supplies a drive voltage (drive power) to the X-axis actuator 22. And a second drive circuit unit 56 that supplies a drive voltage (drive power) to the Y-axis actuator 22. The drive circuit unit 54 corresponds to a drive signal generation unit in the claims.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the drive circuit unit 54 will be described. Since the first drive circuit unit 55 and the second drive circuit unit 56 have substantially the same configuration, only the configuration of the first drive circuit unit 55 is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first drive circuit unit 55 includes a power supply unit 57 and a drive voltage generation unit 58, and converts the power (voltage) supplied from the power supply unit 57 into the drive voltage. The generator 58 converts the power into AC power (alternating voltage) having a predetermined frequency (for example, 70 kHz) and applies it to the piezoelectric element 34. The operations of the power supply unit 57 and the drive voltage generation unit 58 are controlled by an overall control unit 46 (corresponding to the overall control unit 46 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) as will be described later. Hereinafter, the configuration of the drive voltage generation unit 58 will be described.

  The drive voltage generator 58 includes a MOS− as an example of a field effect transistor between a connection point a to which a drive voltage + Vc is supplied from a power supply unit 57 (capacitor C1 described later) and a connection point b to the ground. A series circuit of a first switch circuit 59 composed of a switching element SW1, which is an FET, and a diode D1, and a second switch circuit 60 composed of a transistor Q5, a diode D2, and the like, which are MOS-FETs, are connected.

  Between the connection points a and b, a third switch circuit 61 including a switching element SW3, which is a MOS-FET, a diode D3, and the like, and a fourth switch circuit including a transistor Q7, which is a MOS-FET, a diode D4, and the like. 62 is connected in series, and these two series circuits are connected in parallel between the connection points a and b.

  Each switch circuit 59 to 62 is configured to be connected to a general control unit 46 as a control signal supply means for supplying drive control signals Sc 1, Sc 2, Sc 3, Sc 4 via a MOSFET driver 63. The MOSFET driver 63 is a circuit that shifts the level of the signal from the overall control unit 46 to a voltage sufficiently higher than the drive voltage Vc.

  The switching elements SW1 to SW4 are configured by N-channel FETs in this embodiment, and are turned on when the drive control signal is at a high level. The diodes D1 and D3 have anodes connected to the drains of the switching elements SW1 and SW3 and cathodes connected to the sources of the switching elements SW1 and SW3. The diodes D2 and D4 have anodes that are switching elements. The cathodes are connected to the sources of SW1 and SW3, and the cathodes are connected to the drains of switching elements SW1 and SW3.

  The piezoelectric element 34 is connected between the connection point C of the first switch circuit 59 and the second switch circuit 60 and the connection point d of the third switch circuit 61 and the fourth switch circuit 62 to form a bridge circuit 64. ing.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the first drive circuit unit 55. The drive pulses (drive control signals Sc1, Sc2, Sc3, Sc4) applied to the switch circuits 59 to 62 from the overall control unit 46 are illustrated. And the waveform of the drive voltage Vs applied to the piezoelectric element 34. The drive voltage Vs shown in FIG. 8 is a rectangular wave.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the overall control unit 46 first switches the drive control signals Sc1 and Sc4 from low (“L”) to high (“H”) at the same time, after a time t1 from the switching timing. Switch Sc2 and Sc3 from high to low. Further, when the drive control signals Sc2 and Sc3 are simultaneously switched from low to high, the overall control unit 46 simultaneously switches the drive control signals Sc1 and Sc4 from high to low after time t2 from the switching timing.

  As described above, when a high level signal is input to the first and fourth switch circuits 59 and 62 as the drive control signals Sc1 and Sc4 sent from the overall control unit 46, the drive control signal sent from the overall control unit 46. Low level signals are input to the second and third switch circuits 60 and 61 as Sc2 and Sc3.

  On the other hand, when a low level signal is input to the first and fourth switch circuits 59 and 62 as the drive control signals Sc1 and Sc4, the high level signal is input to the second and third switch circuits 60 and 61 as the drive control signals Sc2 and Sc3. Is input. As a result, the first and fourth switch circuits 59 and 62 and the second and third switch circuits 60 and 61 are alternately turned on and off in a predetermined cycle.

That is, assuming that the power supply Vp and the voltage of the resistor R1 of the power supply unit 57, which will be described later, are expressed as voltages Vp and V _R1 , respectively, the saturation voltage of the transistor Q3 may be considered to be substantially zero. 59 and 62 is at the oN piezoelectric element 34 is charged to + (Vp-V _R1), the second, when the third switch circuit 60 and 61 is on the piezoelectric element 34 - is charged to (Vp-V _R1) Will be. As a result, apparently, a voltage 2 × (Vp−V _R1 ) twice the supply voltage (Vp−V _R1 ) from the power supply unit 57 is applied to the piezoelectric element 34. As a result, the drive voltage Vs of the piezoelectric element 34 is equivalently 2 (Vp−V _R1 ), so that a large amount of displacement can be obtained even when the drive voltage (Vp−V _R1 ) is a relatively low voltage. As a result, the moving speed of the slider 19 (see FIG. 5) can be increased, and the X-axis actuator 22 can be operated with high efficiency.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the drive control signals Sc2 and Sc3 are switched from high to low at a predetermined time (time t1) from the switching timing of the drive control signals Sc1 and Sc4 from low to high. The switch circuit 59 and the switch circuit 60 are switched so that the drive control signals Sc1 and Sc4 are switched from high to low at a predetermined time (time t2) from the switching timing of the drive control signals Sc2 and Sc3 from low to high. However, the switch circuit 61 and the switch circuit 62 are not turned on at the same time.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the through current flowing through the first switch circuit 59 and the second switch circuit 60 and the through current flowing through the third switch circuit 61 and the fourth switch circuit 62.

  Returning to FIG. 7, the power supply unit 57 includes a power source Vp and a supply current stabilization circuit unit 65 for stabilizing the current supplied to the piezoelectric element 34. The supply current stabilization circuit unit 65 includes the capacitor C1. And a current limiting circuit section 66.

The capacitor C1 has a function of supplying a drive voltage Vc for driving the piezoelectric element 34. That is, the capacitor C <b> 1 is supplied with a current via the current limiting circuit unit 66, thereby generating a voltage V _C corresponding to the charged charge between the bipolar plates. Since the capacitor C1 and the drive voltage generator 58 are connected at the connection point C, any one of the combination of the first switch circuit 59 and the fourth switch circuit 62 and the combination of the second switch circuit 60 and the third switch circuit 61 is used. When either one of the combinations is turned on, the voltage V _{C of the} capacitor C 1 is applied to the piezoelectric element 34, thereby supplying driving power (driving voltage) to the piezoelectric element 34. The connection relationship between the capacitor C1 and other circuit elements will be described together with the current limiting circuit unit 66 below.

  The current limiting circuit section 66 prevents an overcurrent from being supplied to the piezoelectric element 34 when the current consumption per unit time of the piezoelectric element 34 (hereinafter referred to as current consumption rate) increases. In addition, in order to control the maximum current from the power supply Vp, this circuit limits the current supplied to the capacitor C1 with a certain upper limit value, and includes transistors Q1 to Q3, resistors R1 to R4, and a switch unit 67. .

  The power source Vp and the resistor R1 are connected in series, and the low potential side terminal of the resistor R1 and the emitter terminal of the transistor Q3 are connected. A connection point between the power source Vp and the resistor R1 is referred to as a point A, and a connection point between the low potential side terminal of the resistor R1 and the emitter terminal of the transistor Q3 is referred to as a point B.

  The collector terminal of the transistor Q3 and one electrode of the capacitor C1 are connected, and the other electrode of the capacitor C1 is connected to the ground. A connection point between the collector terminal of the transistor Q3 and one electrode of the capacitor C1 is referred to as a point C.

  The low potential side terminal of the resistor R1 and the emitter terminal of the transistor Q1 are connected, and the high potential side terminal of the resistor R1 and the emitter terminal of the transistor Q2 are connected. The collector terminal of the transistor Q1 is connected to one terminal of a series circuit of the resistors R2 and R3. This connection point is called a point D, and a connection point between the resistors R2 and R3 is called a point E.

  The collector terminal of the transistor Q2 is connected to one terminal of the resistor R4, and the base terminal of the transistor Q3 is connected to this connection point F. Further, the other terminal (terminal opposite to the connection point D) of the series circuit of the resistor R2 and the resistor R3 is connected to the other terminal of the resistor R4, and the switch unit 67 is connected to the connection point G. ing. The base terminal of the transistor Q1 is connected to the low potential side terminal (terminal on the connection point E side) of the resistor R2, and the base terminal of the transistor Q2 is connected to the high potential side terminal (terminal on the connection point D side) of the resistor R2. ing.

  The switch unit 67 turns on and off the operation of the current limiting circuit unit 66 based on a control signal from the overall control unit 46, and includes resistors R5 and R6 and a transistor Q4.

  The collector terminal of the transistor Q4 is connected to the connection point G, the base terminal is connected to the overall control unit 46 via the resistor R5, and the emitter terminal is connected to the ground. Between the base terminal and the emitter terminal of the transistor Q4, A resistor R6 is connected.

  In the current limiting circuit unit 66 having such a configuration, the transistors Q1 and Q2 are analog elements having the same configuration. In the present embodiment, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. A pair transistor is configured. The transistors Q1 and Q2 do not have to be a pair transistor, but by using the transistors Q1 and Q2 as a pair transistor, it is guaranteed that the transistors Q1 and Q2 are manufactured from the same silicon, and thus have substantially the same characteristics. The transistors Q3 and Q4 function as switching elements (digital elements).

Hereinafter, the operation of the current limiting circuit unit 66 will be described. Note that the voltage at the connection point B is V _B , and the current flowing through the resistor R1 is the current I _R1 .

  When the X-axis actuator 22 is operated, when a high signal is output from the overall control unit 46 to the base terminal of the switch unit 67, the switch unit 67 is turned on, current flows through the transistors Q1 and Q2, and the transistor Q3 The base terminal becomes low, the transistor Q3 is turned on, and current is supplied from the power source Vp to the capacitor C1. As described above, the current limiting circuit unit 66 also has a function as a switch for electrically connecting the power source Vp and the capacitor C1.

  Since the resistance values r2 to r4 of the resistors R2 to R4 are set to a very large resistance value compared to the resistance value r1 of the resistor R1, most of the current supplied from the power supply Vp is the resistance R1 and the transistor A small amount of current flows to the capacitor C1 through Q3, and then flows to the emitter terminals of the transistors Q1 and Q2.

  When a current flows through the emitter terminal of the transistor Q1, a current flows out from the collector terminal and flows through the resistor R2 and the resistor R3. On the other hand, when a current flows through the emitter terminal of the transistor Q2, a current flows out from its collector terminal, most of which flows through the resistor R4, and a very small amount of current flows through the base terminal of the transistor Q3.

  The current flowing through the resistor R2 and the resistor R3 and the current flowing through the resistor R4 are merged at the connection point G, and the merged current flows to the ground through the collector terminal and the emitter terminal of the transistor Q4.

In addition to the function as the switch, the current limiting circuit unit 66 has a function of limiting the upper limit of the current supplied to the capacitor C1 to a predetermined value I _LM (mA). The piezoelectric element 34 operates as a capacitor that repeatedly charges and discharges with the alternating voltage. However, when a voltage is applied, each piezoelectric substrate polarizes and expands and contracts to generate heat and increase its temperature. The electric capacity and thus the current consumption increase. When the supply current to the piezoelectric element 34 is increased in accordance with the increase in the consumption current of the piezoelectric element 34, the amount of heat generated by the piezoelectric element 34 further increases, and the temperature of the piezoelectric element 34 rises. As described above, the increase in the consumption current of the piezoelectric element 34 and the increase in the temperature of the piezoelectric element 34 have a causal relationship with each other, so that the temperature of the piezoelectric element 34 becomes extremely high. There is a risk of inviting. The current limiting circuit section 66 limits the upper limit of the current supplied to the capacitor C1 (supply current to the piezoelectric element 34) to a predetermined value I _LM (mA) in order to prevent such a problem.

Hereinafter, the current limiting operation of the current limiting circuit unit 66 will be described. First, the resistance values r1 to r4 of the resistors R1 to R4 are set based on the maximum value (that is, the current upper limit value) I _{LM of the} current supplied to the capacitor C1 to be set.

Assume that current is flowing into the capacitor C1 by the current value I _LM , and from this state, for example, a case where the current consumption of the piezoelectric element 34 increases due to the temperature rise of the piezoelectric element 34 is assumed.

At this time, the voltage Vc between the two electrodes of the capacitor C1 decreases due to the increase in the consumption current of the piezoelectric element 34, the current flowing into the capacitor C1 increases by ΔI, and along with the increase of the current, between the emitter and collector terminals of the transistor Q1 The current flowing through the current also increases. On the other hand, the voltage V _{G at} the connection point G is a voltage determined by the voltage between the emitter and collector terminals of the transistor Q4 and is constant, so that the resistance R2 increases as the current flowing between the emitter and collector terminals of the transistor Q1 increases. The voltage at the connection point B rises because the voltage between both terminals of the series circuit of the resistor R3 increases.

As a result, the voltage V _R1 of the resistor R1 decreases, the current I _R1 flowing through the resistor R1, and the current supplied from the power source Vp to the capacitor C1 decreases, and the current flows into the capacitor C1 by the current value I _LM. Return to state.

Thus, even if the current flowing into the capacitor C1 increases by ΔI, the current limiting circuit section 66 operates so as to quickly decrease the current value and return to the state where the current I _LM flows into the capacitor C1. The upper limit of the current supplied to the capacitor C1 is limited to a predetermined value I _LM (mA).

When the current I _R1 flowing through the resistor R1 is equal to or less than the predetermined value I _LM (I _R1 ≦ I _LM (mA)), the consumption current of the piezoelectric element 34 is not so large, and the voltage Vc between both electrodes of the capacitor C1 is compared. As a result, the voltage V _R1 across the resistor _R1 is relatively small.

At this time, since the current I _R1 flowing through the resistor R1 is relatively small, the current flowing into the transistor Q1 is also small. However, since a minute current flows into the base terminal of the transistor Q3, the transistor Q3 is in an on state, and the capacitor Current is supplied to C1 within a range not exceeding the predetermined value _ILM .

  The current limiting circuit unit 66 of the present embodiment having such a configuration has the following effects as compared with the conventional one.

In the current limiting circuit 66 of the present embodiment, the base-emitter voltage of the transistors Q1, Q2 is V _BE , the current flowing through the resistors R2, R3 is I _R2 , I _R3 , and the potentials V _B , when the V _G,
V _B = V _G + I _R3 × r3 + V _BE (1)
_{Vp = V G + I R3 ×} r3 + I R2 × r2 + V BE ··· (2)
The relationship holds. From these formulas (1) and (2),
Vp−V _B = I _R2 × r2 (3)
Is obtained.

According to this, since the voltage (Vp−V _B ) is the voltage V _R1 of the resistor R1, it can be seen that the voltage V _R1 of the resistor _R1 matches the voltage V _{R2 of the} resistor R2. That is, the resistance current flowing in _R1 I R1 (= I _LM) is a current I _R2 which current I _R3 flowing through the resistor R3 is deemed to approximate the current I _R2 flowing through the resistor R2 flows through the resistor R2 determines And the resistance values r1 and r2 of the resistors R1 and R2 are set. Thus, in determining the current I _R1 flowing through the resistor R1, the temperature characteristics (base-emitter voltage V _BE ) of the transistors Q1 and Q2 are not involved.

That is, in the current limiting circuit 66 of this embodiment, even if the base-emitter voltage V _BE of the transistors Q1 and Q2 changes due to the environmental temperature, the drive voltage generator 58, the heat generation of the piezoelectric element 34, etc., the resistance R1 The current I _R1 flowing through is not affected. Thereby, stabilization of the current limiting value I _LM by the current limiting circuit unit 66 can be realized.

  FIG. 9A shows a current limiting circuit disclosed in Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-333414 as a conventional technique to be compared with the present embodiment. When this current limiting circuit is employed, FIG. FIG. 9B is a graph showing the relationship between the environmental temperature and the current consumption in the current limiting circuit unit 66 according to the present embodiment. In addition, the dotted line of each figure has shown the said relationship when the current limiting circuit or the current limiting circuit part 66 is not provided.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 9A, until the environmental temperature reaches a predetermined temperature T1, the consumption current of the piezoelectric element does not reach the limit current value by the current limiting circuit. As current rises, current consumption rises at a constant rate.

When the environmental temperature becomes equal to or higher than a certain temperature T1 (for example, 25 ° C.), the current supplied to the capacitor C is limited by the current limiting circuit. At that time, in the conventional device, the base-emitter voltage V _{BE of the} transistor changes due to the change of the environmental temperature, and the limit current value by the current limit circuit is predetermined by the influence of the change of the voltage V _BE. For example, the current consumption of the piezoelectric element also decreases in proportion to the increase in the environmental temperature.

As described above, the current consumption of the piezoelectric element is affected by the temperature characteristics of the transistors provided in the current limiting circuit, that is, the characteristics in which the base-emitter voltage V _BE decreases as the temperature of the transistors increases. As the temperature increases, the amount of current supplied to the piezoelectric element decreases, so that the driving performance (driving amount per unit time) by the X-axis actuator 22 decreases in proportion to the temperature increase.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9B, until the environmental temperature reaches the temperature T1, it is the same as the conventional case, but even if the environmental temperature becomes equal to or higher than the temperature T1, Since the current upper limit value I _LM by the current limiting circuit unit 66 is not affected by the temperature characteristics of the transistors Q1 and Q2 as described above, the current supplied to the capacitor C1 is always a substantially constant value by the current limiting circuit unit 66. Will be limited. As a result, the current consumption of the X-axis actuator 22 is limited by the constant value.

  As a result, the drive performance of the X-axis actuator 22 can be stabilized, and the temperature rise of the piezoelectric element 34 is suppressed, so that the destruction of the X-axis actuator 22 due to the temperature rise can be prevented or suppressed. it can.

Conventionally, the voltage loss due to the current limiting circuit (the difference between the voltage supplied from the power source and the voltage actually applied to the piezoelectric element) is mainly caused by the resistor R1 described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-333414. However, this is approximately equal to the base-emitter voltage V _BE (0.6 to 0.7 V) of the transistor, which is relatively large.

On the other hand, in the current limiting circuit unit 66 of the present embodiment, the voltage loss mainly occurs in the resistor R1, but as described above, the voltage V _R1 of the resistor _R1 matches the voltage V _{R2 of the} resistor R2. By appropriately setting the resistance values r1 and r2 of the resistors R1 and R2, the voltage V _{R1 of the} resistor R1 can be reduced (for example, set to 0.1 V). Thus, by reducing the voltage V _R1 of the resistor R1, the voltage loss due to the current limiting circuit unit 66 can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. As a result, it is possible to employ a power supply Vp having a lower power supply voltage than in the past.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the above configuration, an assist unit 69 described below is provided between the input terminals of the drive circuit unit 54 that drives each piezoelectric element 34.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the drive circuit unit 54 (the first drive circuit unit 55 and the second drive circuit unit 56). In FIG. 10, the upper stage shows the piezoelectric element 34 of the X-axis actuator 22. The first drive circuit unit 55 that drives, and the lower stage are the second drive circuit unit 56 that drives the piezoelectric element 35 of the Y-axis actuator 23.

  The assist unit 69 is a circuit composed of two diodes D5 and D6 connected in parallel with opposite polarities. Each terminal of the assist unit 69 is connected to an input terminal of each drive voltage generation unit 58. Yes. Thus, when the potential difference between the input terminals of each drive voltage generation unit 58 (potential difference between the high-potential-side electrodes of each capacitor C1) becomes equal to or higher than the forward voltage of the diodes D5 and D6, one piezoelectric element A current is supplied to the other piezoelectric element from a power supply unit 57 that supplies current to the other piezoelectric element.

  The reason why such an assist portion 69 is provided will be described.

  In the case where a plurality of actuators 22 and 23 are provided as in the present embodiment, one actuator may become the other due to variations in performance of the actuators due to manufacturing errors of the actuators 22 and 23, errors in the attitude of the actuators 22 and 23, and the like. The load may be larger than that of the actuator. When the load is large in this way, the piezoelectric element that drives the object to be driven with the larger load consumes more current than the other piezoelectric element (the load is close to the design value).

In FIG. 11, when the voltage at the input terminal of each drive voltage generator 58 corresponding to the X-axis actuator 22 is V _MA and the voltage at the input terminal of each drive voltage generator 58 corresponding to the Y-axis actuator 23 is _VMB. , the voltage V _MA at the input terminals of the driving voltage generating unit 58 is a graph showing changes over time in V _MB, (a), the in the case the temperature of the piezoelectric element 34 is 25 ° C. voltage V _MA, V _MB properties, (b), the voltage V _MA, V _MB of characteristics when the temperature of the piezoelectric element 34 is 40 ° C. in the case without the assist unit 69, (c), in the case of providing the assist unit 69 It is a graph which shows the characteristic of said voltage _VMA , _VMB when the temperature of the piezoelectric element 34 is 40 _degreeC .

As shown in FIG. 11A, when the temperature of the piezoelectric element 34 is relatively low, the consumption current of the piezoelectric element 34 is substantially the same, so the voltage Vc between both electrodes of the capacitor C1 is also substantially the same. Therefore, the voltage V _MA at the input terminals of the driving voltage generating unit 58, V _MB is close to each other, and the change in the voltage thereof by time has elapsed or little or very little.

  However, as shown in FIG. 11B, for example, when the temperature of the piezoelectric element 35 of the Y-axis actuator 23 becomes relatively high due to individual variations of actuators including the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element is Since the current consumption is larger than that of the piezoelectric element 34, the voltage Vc between both electrodes of the capacitor C1 that supplies current to the piezoelectric element 35 is reduced.

Therefore, the voltage V _{MA at} the input terminal of each drive voltage generator 58 that applies an alternating voltage to the piezoelectric element 34 is substantially constant over time, whereas each voltage applying an alternating voltage to the piezoelectric element 35 is constant. voltage V _MB input terminal of the driving voltage generating unit 58 decreases at a relatively large rate with time. As a result, the drive performance of the piezoelectric element 35 is lower than that of the piezoelectric element 34 of the X-axis actuator 22.

  If the balance of current consumption between the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 is lost in this way, a difference in driving performance occurs between the actuators 22 and 23, and heat generation of the piezoelectric element 35 and further increase in current consumption occur. When the difference in driving performance increases, a state occurs in which sufficient blur correction is performed in one direction but sufficient blur correction is not performed in the other direction. As a result, the obtained image is greatly shaken in the other direction, so that the live view image displayed on the LCD 7 during the imaging preparation period becomes very difficult to see, or the captured image for recording is displayed. It becomes unnatural.

  In this embodiment, even if the current consumption of the piezoelectric element 34 whose load is close to the design value is slightly reduced, the current consumption of both the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 is balanced, and the difference in drive performance between the actuators 22 and 23 is obtained. By reducing or eliminating the image, it is preferable to perform substantially uniform blur correction in each direction as a live view image to be displayed on the LCD 7 or an image for recording, as compared with the case described above. Therefore, the assist part 69 as described above is provided.

That is, for example, in the case of FIG. 11C, the voltage V _{MB at} the input terminal of each drive voltage generation unit 58 that applies an alternating voltage to the piezoelectric element 35 is generated as each drive voltage that applies the alternating voltage to the piezoelectric element 34. A part of power is supplied (supplemented) to the piezoelectric element 35 from the power supply part 57 that supplies power to the piezoelectric element 34 when the voltage V _MA of the input terminal of the part 58 is lower than the forward voltage of the diode D5. )

Thus, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), the voltage V _{MA 'is} the input terminal of the driving voltage generating unit 58 corresponding to the piezoelectric element 34 of the X-axis actuator 22, the case of FIG. 11 (b) (voltage V _MA Although slightly lower than the), Y-axis voltage V _MB input terminal of the driving voltage generating unit 58 corresponding to the piezoelectric element 35 of the actuator 23 _'in the case shown in FIG. 11 (b) by the supply (voltage V _MB ) Is suppressed, and the voltage difference between the input terminals in both drive voltage generators 58 is smaller than in FIG. 11B.

  Thus, even if the current consumption of one actuator increases, the difference in drive performance between the actuators 22 and 23 can be reduced while maintaining the required drive performance. As a result, it is possible to eliminate or suppress problems that occur in the image obtained as described above.

  In addition, even if the current consumption of one actuator increases, a configuration in which the difference between the drive performances of the actuators 22 and 23 is reduced while maintaining the required drive performance, and the polarities of the two diodes D5 and D6 are reversed. The circuit can be realized with a simple configuration in which the circuit is connected in parallel and connected to the input terminal of each drive voltage generator 58.

  Depending on how much potential difference between the input terminals of both drive voltage generators 58 occurs, the types of diodes D5 and D6 are selected depending on whether or not current is to be supplied to the piezoelectric element 34 whose current consumption has increased. It is good to choose. For example, even when the potential difference between the input terminals of both drive voltage generators 58 is relatively small, in order to supply current to the high-temperature piezoelectric element 34, a Schottky barrier type with a relatively small forward voltage is used. A diode may be employed.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the shake correction processing in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the power button 9 is turned on (step # 1), the overall control unit 46 determines whether or not the shooting mode is selected (step # 2). If the playback mode is selected (NO in step # 2), the overall control unit 46 performs playback display processing of the recorded image stored in the image storage unit 44 (step # 3), and the shooting mode. Is selected (YES in step # 2), it is further determined whether the still image shooting mode or the moving image shooting mode is set (step # 4).

  As a result, when the still image shooting mode is set (YES in step # 4), overall control unit 46 waits until the shutter button 4 is half-pressed (NO in step # 5). When the shutter button 4 is half-pressed (YES in step # 5), the blur correction process is started (step # 6).

  Then, the overall control unit 46 determines whether or not the shutter button 4 has been fully pressed (step # 7), and repeatedly executes the processes of steps # 5 and # 6 until the full press operation is performed. When the full-pressing operation is performed (YES in step # 7), the image pickup device 15 is caused to perform an imaging operation while performing the blur correction process (step # 8). When the imaging operation by the imaging device 15 is completed, the overall control unit 46 stops the shake correction process (step # 9).

  On the other hand, when the moving image shooting mode is set (NO in step # 4), the overall control unit 46 determines whether or not the shutter button 4 is fully pressed (step # 11). If no push operation has been performed, the process waits until the full push operation is performed (NO in step # 10). If the full push operation is performed (YES in step # 10), the full push operation is performed again. The camera shake correction process is performed until the image sensor 15 is touched, and the image pickup device 15 is caused to perform an image pickup operation at a predetermined cycle, and an image obtained by the image pickup operation is stored in the image storage unit 44 (step # 11).

  When the shutter button 4 is fully pressed again (YES in step # 12), the overall control unit 46 terminates the image capturing operation and the image recording operation by the image sensor 15, and stops the shake correction process (step S12). # 13).

  If the power button 9 is not turned off after the processing of steps # 2, # 9, and # 13 (NO in step # 14), the overall control unit 46 returns to step # 2 and executes the processing. If power button 9 is turned off (YES in step # 14), the series of processes is terminated.

  In addition to the above-described embodiment or in place of the above-described embodiment, the present invention can also employ modified embodiments described in the following forms [1] to [3].

  [1] In the above-described embodiment, the X-axis and Y-axis actuators 22 and 23 are driven with a constant drive performance regardless of the operation state of the digital camera 1 (imaging preparation state or main exposure state). The digital camera 1 is required to have low power and quietness as well as shake correction accuracy.

  Here, the image to be generated in the shooting preparation period from when the shutter button 4 is half-pressed to when the shutter button 4 is fully pressed is such that the photographer can confirm the angle of view of the captured image on the LCD 7. It doesn't require much resolution. Further, since the human eye has the property of automatically correcting low-frequency shake, it is sufficient to correct relatively high-frequency shake (for example, 10 Hz component) in the moving image mode. On the other hand, the image stored in the image storage unit 44 is required to have image quality.

  From the above, during the main exposure operation, priority should be given to reliably performing blur correction so that the captured image does not blur as much as possible, while in the shooting preparation period in the still image mode and in the video mode Since high-accuracy shake correction is not required, it is considered that low power and quietness should be prioritized over shake correction accuracy.

  Therefore, a small current mode in which the X-axis and Y-axis actuators 22 and 23 are driven with a relatively small current and a large current mode in which the X-axis and Y-axis actuators 22 and 23 are driven with a current larger than the small current mode are provided. In order to perform shake correction, the highest shake correction capability is demonstrated in the large current mode, and shake correction is executed.In the shooting preparation period in the still image mode and in the video mode, low power and quietness are given priority in order to prioritize low power. It is further preferable that the shake correction is executed in the current mode in a state in which the shake correction capability is suppressed as compared with the large current mode.

  FIG. 13 shows an example of a circuit diagram of the drive circuit unit 54 ′ having the small current mode and the large current mode as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the drive circuit unit 54 ′ of the present embodiment also includes first drive circuit units 55 and 56 ′ corresponding to the actuators 22 and 23. The drive circuit unit 55 is for supplying drive power (drive voltage) to the X-axis actuator 22, and the drive circuit unit 56 ′ is for supplying drive power (drive voltage) to the Y-axis actuator 23. It is. The overall control unit 46 corresponds to the overall control unit 46 shown in FIG. The assist unit 69 corresponds to the assist unit 69 shown in FIG.

  The drive circuit unit 55 that supplies power to the X-axis actuator 22 has substantially the same configuration as the drive circuit unit 55 of the first embodiment (the drive circuit unit 55 shown in FIG. 7). The drive circuit unit 56 ′ for supplying electric power includes a resistor R5 in addition to the circuit elements constituting the drive circuit unit 55 of the first embodiment (FIG. 7).

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the structure of the 2nd drive circuit part which supplies electric power to the Y-axis actuator 22 differs from 1st Embodiment, in order to distinguish these, 2nd of this embodiment. The drive circuit unit is represented by adding “′ (dash)” to the reference numeral “56” of the second drive circuit unit in the first embodiment. The circuit elements corresponding to those of the first embodiment (FIG. 7) are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The resistor R5 is connected between a connection point G between the resistors R3 and R4 and an emitter terminal of a transistor Q4 (same as the transistor Q4 of the first drive circuit unit 55) as a switching element. Further, in the present embodiment, the drive circuit portions 55 and 56 ′ are connected to each other at the connection points G by conducting wires.

  As a result, the drive circuit units 55 and 56 'operate as in the following (1) to (4) in accordance with the on / off operation of each transistor Q4.

  (1) When the transistors Q4 of the first and second drive circuit units 55 and 56 ′ are both turned off by the overall control unit 46, current limiting circuits in the first and second drive circuit units 55 and 56 ′ The parts 66 and 66 ′ do not operate. Therefore, no current is supplied to the capacitors C1 of the first and second drive circuit portions 55 and 56 ', and thus to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35.

  (2) When the transistor Q4 of the first drive circuit unit 55 is turned on and the transistor Q4 of the second drive circuit unit 56 ′ is turned off by the overall control unit 46, the current limiting circuit unit 66 of the first drive circuit unit 55 is The current limiting circuit unit 66 ′ of the second drive circuit unit 56 ′ operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment, while the connection point G between the resistor R3 and the resistor R4 is the resistance in the first drive circuit unit 55. Since it has the same potential (substantially 0 V) as the connection point G between R3 and the resistor R4, it operates similarly to the current limiting circuit unit 66 of the first drive circuit unit 55 (with the same current limiting value).

  (3) When the transistor Q4 of the first drive circuit unit 55 is turned off and the transistor Q4 of the second drive circuit unit 56 ′ is turned on by the overall control unit 46, the current limiting circuit unit 66 of the second drive circuit unit 56 ′. The potential at the connection point G between the resistor R3 and the resistor R4 in FIG. 3 is increased by the voltage of the resistor R5 as compared with the case (2).

  Therefore, the voltage at each connection point G in each drive circuit section 55, 56 'is higher than in the case (2). As a result, the potential of the low potential side terminal (connection point B) of the resistor R1 in the second drive circuit unit 56 'is higher than that in the case (2). As a result, the upper limit value of the current by the current limiting circuit section 66 ′ of the second drive circuit section 56 ′ becomes smaller than in the case (2).

  In addition, since the connection points G in the drive circuit units 55 and 56 ′ have the same potential, the low-potential side terminal of the resistor R1 in the first drive circuit unit 55 (as in the case of the second drive circuit unit 56 ′) The potential at the connection point B) is higher than in the case (2), and the upper limit value of the current by the current limiting circuit unit 66 of the first drive circuit unit 55 is the current limit of the second drive circuit unit 56 ′. It becomes small like the circuit part 66.

  (4) When both the transistors Q4 of the first and second drive circuit units 55 and 56 'are turned on by the overall control unit 46, the current limiting circuit unit 66 of the first drive circuit unit 55 is the first implementation. The second current limiting circuit unit 56 ′ operates at the same potential as the connection point G between the resistor R3 and the resistor R4 of the drive circuit unit 55 (see FIG. Therefore, it operates similarly to the current limiting circuit unit 66 of the first drive circuit unit 55 (with the same current limiting value).

  To summarize the above (1) to (4), no current is supplied to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 when the transistors Q4 of the drive circuit sections 55 and 56 'are both turned off. Regardless of the operation of the transistor Q4 of the second drive circuit unit 56 ′, when the transistor Q4 of the first drive circuit unit 55 is on, only the transistor Q4 of the second drive circuit unit 56 ′ is on. In comparison, the upper limit value of the current by each of the current limiting circuit portions 66 and 66 ′ is increased.

  As described above, in the drive circuit unit 54 ′ of the present embodiment, the upper limit of the current supplied to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 can be changed by changing the combination of the on / off states of the transistors Q4 in the drive circuit units 55 and 56 ′. Since two types of values can be set, the resistance value of resistor R5 is appropriately set to determine these two types of current upper limit values, and among these upper limit values, the larger upper limit value corresponds to the large current mode. Then, by making the smaller upper limit value correspond to the small current mode, the X-axis and Y-axis actuators 22 and 23 suitable for the operation state of the digital camera 1 can be driven.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the relationship between the ON / OFF duty (Duty) of the alternating voltage applied to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 and the driving speed by the actuator in the large current mode and the small current mode.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when the large current mode and the small current mode are compared, the large current mode has a larger upper limit value of the current supplied to the piezoelectric element 34 than the small current mode, and the voltage Vc between both electrodes of the capacitor C1 is large. The alternating voltage applied to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 also increases. As a result, even if the duty of the drive signal is the same, the drive speed of the actuators 22 and 23 is greater in the large current mode than in the small current mode.

  [2] In the modification [1], the form in which the magnitude of the current supplied to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 is switched in two stages has been described. However, the following is further provided for the drive circuit unit 54 in the modification [1]. With this configuration, the number of current switching stages can be increased.

  As shown in FIG. 13, for example, by providing a resistor R6 having a resistance value r6 different from the resistance value r5 of the resistor R5 and a switch portion 70 having a configuration substantially similar to the switch portion 67, the piezoelectric element 34 is provided. The current value of the supplied current can be switched in three stages.

  That is, in the present embodiment, in the current limiting circuit 66 ′, the resistor R6 is connected in parallel with the resistor R5 between the connection point G and the ground, and the low potential side terminal of the resistor R6 and the switch unit are connected. The collector terminal of a transistor Q5 as a switching element in 70 is connected, and its emitter terminal is connected to the ground. The base terminal of the switching element SW is connected to the overall control unit 46 through a resistance element, and the transistor Q5 is controlled to be turned on / off by the overall control unit 46.

  Thus, in this current limiting circuit 66 ′, by turning off the transistor Q4 and turning on the transistor Q5, the voltage at the connection point G is different from the voltage when the transistor Q4 is on and the transistor Q5 is off. Become. Therefore, the voltage at the connection point B in the current limiting circuits 66 and 66 'is also different from the voltage when the transistor Q4 is on and the transistor Q5 is off. Therefore, the upper limit value of the current by the current limiting circuits 66 and 66 ′ is also different from the upper limit value of the current when the transistor Q4 is on and the transistor Q5 is off. As a result, the upper limit value is supplied to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35. The current value (limit current value) of the current can be set in three stages.

  Furthermore, when increasing the number of steps of switching the supply current to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35, in the current limiting circuit 66 ′, between the connection point G and the ground, in parallel with the resistor R5 and the resistor R6, A parallel circuit composed of one resistor or a plurality of resistors having different resistance values is connected, and a transistor as a switching element is provided corresponding to each resistor, and a low potential side terminal of each resistor and a transistor corresponding to the resistor are connected. The collector terminal is connected, the emitter terminal is connected to the ground, the base terminal of each transistor SW is connected to the overall control unit 46, and the on / off state of each transistor is controlled by the overall control unit 46. .

  [3] When the consumption currents of the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 are unbalanced, the drive voltage generation unit 58 that has a reduced input terminal voltage has a configuration in which the current is increased in the assist unit 69 as described above. Not limited to this, the drive circuit unit 54 may be configured as shown in FIG. 15, and the circuit may be controlled as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the connection between the two connection points G by the conducting wire is released from the circuit shown in FIG. 13 (except for the resistor R6 and the transistor Q5). In the current limiting circuit portion 66, a resistor R7 is connected in parallel with the transistor Q4 between the connection point G and the ground, and the low potential side terminal of the resistor R7 has a configuration substantially similar to that of the switch portion 67. The switch part 71 which has is connected. The transistor Q6 as a switching element in the switch unit 71 has a collector terminal connected to the resistor R7, an emitter terminal connected to the ground, and a base terminal connected to the overall control unit 46 via the resistor element. On / off control is performed by the unit 46.

  In such a current limiting circuit unit 66, when the transistor Q4 is turned on and the transistor Q6 is turned off (hereinafter referred to as pattern 1), the current upper limit value by the current limiting circuit unit 66 is the same as that in the first embodiment. It becomes. On the other hand, when the transistor Q4 is turned off and the transistor Q6 is turned on (referred to as pattern 2), the voltage at the connection point G, and hence the voltage at the connection point B, is equal to the voltage of the resistor R7. Therefore, the current upper limit value by the current limiting circuit unit 66 is smaller than that of the pattern 1.

  On the other hand, in the current limiting circuit section 66 ', a switch section 72 having a configuration substantially similar to that of the switch section 67 is connected between the connection point G and the ground in parallel with the transistor Q4. The transistor Q7 serving as a switching element in the switch unit 72 has a collector terminal connected to the connection point G, an emitter terminal connected to the ground, and a base terminal connected to the overall control unit 46 via a resistor element. On / off control is performed by the unit 46.

  When the transistor Q4 is turned on and the transistor Q6 is turned off, the state is substantially the same as the pattern 2. On the other hand, when the transistor Q4 is turned off and the transistor Q6 is turned on, the state is substantially the same as the pattern 1. It becomes the state of.

  As described above, each of the current limiting circuit portions 66 and 66 ′ has a large current mode in which a relatively large current is supplied to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35, and a small current in which a relatively small current is supplied to the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35. The current mode is individually (independently).

  Therefore, the overall control unit 46 detects the difference between the drive target amount of the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 and the actual drive amount at a constant period, and the current consumption of each piezoelectric element 34 and 35 based on the detected difference. When the current consumption of the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 is substantially equal, the small current mode is set as a normal driving mode, and the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 are driven in this mode.

  On the other hand, when the difference between the drive target amount and the actual drive amount becomes relatively large, that is, the current consumption of the piezoelectric elements 34 and 35 becomes unbalanced, and the voltage at the input terminal of one drive voltage generation unit 58 decreases. In such a case, the current limiting circuit unit corresponding to the drive voltage generation unit 58 is switched to the large current mode so that a large current is supplied to the drive voltage generation unit 58.

  Also by this, it is possible to prevent or suppress the occurrence of image defects due to the imbalance between the drive performances of the actuators 22 and 23.

It is a front view which shows the structure of a digital camera. It is a rear view which shows the structure of a digital camera. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the imaging process and camera shake correction process in still image shooting mode and moving image shooting mode. It is a figure which shows the electrical structure of a digital camera. It is the perspective view which showed the structure of the blurring correction unit roughly. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure which implement | achieves a camera shake correction function. It is a figure which shows the structure of a 1st drive circuit part. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of a 1st drive circuit part. (A) is the graph which shows the relationship between the temperature of a use environment, and its consumption current at the time of employ | adopting the conventional current limiting circuit, (b) is the temperature of the piezoelectric element in 1st Embodiment of this invention, and its It is a graph which shows the relationship with consumption current. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a drive circuit part. Voltage V _MA at the input terminals of the drive voltage generating unit is a graph showing the change over time in the V _MB. It is a flowchart which shows a blurring correction process. An example of the circuit diagram of a drive circuit part provided with a small current mode and a large current mode is shown. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the ON / OFF duty of the alternating voltage applied to a piezoelectric element, and the drive speed by an actuator in a large current mode and a small current mode. It is a figure which shows the modification of the structure which increases an electric current to the drive voltage production | generation part in which the voltage of an input terminal fell, when the consumption current of a piezoelectric element becomes unbalanced. It is explanatory drawing of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

12 Shake correction ON / OFF button 13 Shake detection sensor unit 15 Image sensor 16 Image sensor drive unit 17 Shake correction unit 22 X-axis actuator 23 Y-axis actuators 34 and 35 Piezoelectric element 50 Shake correction control unit 54 Drive circuit unit 55 First drive Circuit unit 56, 56 'Second drive circuit unit 57 Power supply unit 58 Drive voltage generation unit 66, 66' Current limit circuit unit 69 Assist unit

Claims (4)

First and second electromechanical transducers that expand and contract when supplied with power;
First and second power supply units for supplying power to the first and second electromechanical transducers;
The first and second powers supplied from the first and second power supply units are each converted into AC power, and the AC power is supplied to the electromechanical conversion element to drive the electromechanical conversion element. A drive device including two drive power generation units,
When the balance of current consumption by the first and second electromechanical transducers is lost, an assist unit is provided so that current is supplied to the electromechanical transducer having a higher current consumption rate. A drive device.   The assist unit is configured to supply current to an electromechanical transducer having a higher current consumption rate from a power supply unit for supplying current to the electromechanical transducer having a lower current consumption rate. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the drive device is provided.   The assist unit includes first and second diodes connected in parallel with opposite polarities, and is connected between the power input terminals of the first and second drive power generation units. The drive device according to claim 2, wherein the drive device is provided. An imaging optical system that forms an optical image of the subject;
The imaging element having an imaging surface disposed on an imaging surface of the imaging optical system;
A shake detection unit for detecting a shake of the device generated in the imaging device;
The drive according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first and second electromechanical transducers are used to drive the imaging device in first and second directions intersecting each other on the imaging plane. Equipment,
And a shake correction control unit that causes the drive device to correct the shake associated with the device shake of the subject light image formed on the imaging surface of the imaging device based on the device shake detected by the shake detection unit. Imaging device.

Images