Patent ID: 8237328

Claim:
A foreign substance removing apparatus that removes a foreign substance adhering on an optical member, comprising: a piezoelectric element arranged at one end of the optical member; a transformer which generates a voltage to drive the piezoelectric element, the transformer including a primary-side wound wire and a secondary-side wound wire, the secondary-side wound wire being connected to the piezoelectric element; a first driving signal generation circuit which generates a first driving signal with a first frequency; a first driving circuit which is connected to one end of the primary-side wound wire in the transformer, and drives one end of the primary-side wound wire in the transformer under the control of the first driving signal generated by the first driving signal generation circuit; a second driving signal generation circuit which generates a second driving signal with a second frequency; and a second driving circuit which is connected to the other end of the primary-side wound wire in the transformer, and drives the other end of the primary-side wound wire in the transformer under the control of the second driving signal generated by the second driving signal generation circuit; wherein the first frequency of the first driving signal and the second frequency of the second driving signal are different from each other.