JP2002214659A - Camera with shake correcting function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to precisely discriminate the state of a camera, perform optimum shake correction in accordance with the state of the camera, and give comfortable operability. SOLUTION: This camera is provided with a shake detection means for detecting the shake of the camera, a subject recognition means for recognizing a subject to be photographed based on output from an area sensor consisting of a plurality of pixels and receiving a subject image, a line-of-sight detection means for detecting the position of the line of sight of a photographer observing through a finder, a discrimination means (#112) for discriminating the state of the camera based on the shake detection information, subject recognition information and line-of-sight information, and a camera shake correction means (#113) changing camera shake correction control to correct camera shake in accordance with the result by the discrimination means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a camera having a blur correction function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Cameras have become increasingly automated in their functions, and are generally equipped with an auto-focus function for automatically focusing and an auto-exposure function for providing optimal exposure even in various shooting scenes. Photographers are focusing on cameras and determining exposure,
In addition, it is free from difficult operations, and anyone can easily take high-quality photos.

In recent years, a so-called camera shake correction system has been developed which corrects camera shake of a photographer and prevents image deterioration due to camera shake, and can prevent most photographing failures by the photographer. . Many proposals have been made for the camera shake correction system, and details thereof will be omitted. For example, one of the proposals of the applicant is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-213832.

In many photographing scenes, photographers are now able to take good pictures,
You can shoot while tracking a moving subject as well as a still subject (subject tracking), change the subject (panning: composition change), and lay out the subject and background on the screen. The panning operation is frequently performed depending on the framing (composition correction).

[0005] However, the above-described camera shake correction system is effective for vibrations such as camera shakes when the photographer holds the camera quietly and takes a picture. For large-amplitude blurring, the image will exhibit unnatural behavior. In particular, when the panning ends or the direction of the panning is changed, the image shows a behavior of swinging back. This is due to the fact that when detecting camera shake using an angular velocity sensor, etc., the output is subjected to high-pass arithmetic processing to remove bias components and long-period drift components. 8 will be described.

At the start of panning, the waveform of the angular velocity, which is the result of the pulse calculation, changes stepwise as indicated by 401 in FIG. 8, changes back to "0" during panning, and reverses at the end. Changes step by step. The waveform of angular displacement, which is the result of integrating this output, is indicated by 40 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the value fluctuates greatly at the start of panning, and fluctuates in the opposite direction when panning ends. Since the correction optical means is moved based on the angular displacement output to perform the camera shake correction, the fluctuation in the opposite direction causes the image to swing back.

[0007] When such swingback occurs, the photographer makes a movement contrary to the photographer's will, so that the photographer cannot perform accurate and quick framing and misses a photo opportunity. In particular, when a telephoto lens or a lens referred to as a super telephoto lens is mounted, such operation is more likely to occur more frequently, resulting in poor operability.

In order to solve this problem, the applicant of the present invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-213832 changes the gain of the output signal of the shake amount calculating means by the gain changing means when the panning operation is completed, and corrects the correction optical signal after the completion of the panning operation. A technique is disclosed in which a drive signal is generated such that the means does not suddenly move in the opposite direction.

[0009]

However, even in the above proposal, it is determined whether or not panning has been performed.
The angular displacement as a result of integrating the output of the angular velocity sensor is 200 ms
The panning operation is only started when the condition of ec or more and exceeding 0.25 degrees is satisfied, so it is not possible to detect a small panning operation such as composition change or framing However, it cannot be said that detection can be performed with sufficient accuracy, and this still leaves the operability unsatisfactory.

Several other panning detection methods have also been proposed. For example, the applicant of the present application has disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-107621 a method based on the result of detection of the line-of-sight direction by the line-of-sight detection means. The camera shake or the camera shake to be corrected by an intentional operation such as panning of the photographer is estimated by analogy, and the image blur correction characteristic is changed according to the analogy result. Specifically, when the photographer is observing the center of the viewfinder screen, panning and the like are not performed, and it is expected that only camera shake occurs, while the gaze direction of the photographer is longer than a predetermined time If it is out of the central area, it is determined that panning or framing change has been performed. However, here, it is assumed that the main subject is located at the center of the screen, and there is a problem that panning detection does not function sufficiently when there is another main subject.

[0011] Also, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-1801,
Determining at least one of a camera tracking operation, a tilting operation, and a panning operation based on outputs of the image sensor and the angular velocity sensor; and an electronic image stabilization unit and a mechanical image stabilization unit adapted to the determined operation state. Controls the section.

However, in this proposal as well, since it is determined whether or not the angular velocity in the same direction occurs within a predetermined range for a predetermined time or more, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2138 is disclosed.
As in No. 32, it is not possible to detect a small panning motion such as composition change or framing, and the camera status cannot be sufficiently detected based on the photographer's motion. Operability complaints.

(Object of the Invention) A first object of the present invention is to accurately determine the state of a camera, perform optimal blur correction according to the state of the camera, and provide comfortable operability. It is intended to provide a camera with a correction function.

A second object of the present invention is to accurately determine the state of a camera, to perform optimal blur correction control and photographing control according to the state of the camera, and to provide comfortable photographing operability. It is intended to provide a camera with a correction function.

A third object of the present invention is to prevent a swing-back of an image after the completion of a panning operation and perform a proper shake correction regardless of the size of the panning operation. It is intended to provide a camera with a correction function.

A fourth object of the present invention is to accurately and automatically determine a camera shake, a subject shake, a panning operation, a framing operation, and a subject tracking operation, perform a shake correction control according to a state of a camera, and have a comfortable operability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a camera with a shake correction function capable of giving the image.

[0017]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: a shake detecting means for detecting camera shake; and an area comprising a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image. Based on the output of the sensor, in a camera with a blur correction function having a subject recognition means for recognizing a subject to be shot and a gaze detection means for detecting a gaze position of a photographer observing a viewfinder, the blur detection information With a blur correction function including a determining unit that determines a state of a camera based on the subject recognition information and the line-of-sight information, and a blur correcting unit that changes a blur correction control that corrects a blur according to a result of the determining unit. A camera.

Further, in order to achieve the second object,
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera shake detecting means for detecting camera shake, and a subject recognizing means for recognizing a subject to be photographed based on an output of an area sensor comprising a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image. In a camera with a blur correction function having a line-of-sight detection unit for detecting a line-of-sight position of a photographer observing a viewfinder, a determination unit for determining a state of the camera based on the blur detection information, the object recognition information, and the line-of-sight information And a camera with a shake correction function, comprising: a shake correction means for changing the shake correction control for correcting the shake in accordance with the result of the determination means; and a camera control means for changing the photographing function of the camera.

In order to achieve the first object,
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mechanical sensor for detecting angular acceleration or angular velocity in a yaw direction and a pitch direction with respect to an optical axis direction of a camera, and a first area sensor including a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image. In a camera with a shake correction function having a second area sensor composed of a plurality of pixels that image the eyes of the photographer observing the viewfinder, a determination unit that determines the state of the camera according to the output of each sensor, A camera with a shake correction function comprising: a camera control means for changing shake correction control for correcting shake according to the result of the determination means.

In order to achieve the third object,
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera shake detecting means for detecting camera shake, and a subject recognizing means for recognizing a subject to be photographed based on an output of an area sensor including a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image. In a camera with a blur correction function having a line-of-sight detecting means for detecting a line-of-sight position of a photographer observing a viewfinder, a panning operation and photographing of the photographer are performed based on the shake detection information, the subject recognition information, and the line-of-sight information. Panning discriminating means for discriminating camera shake of a person and discriminating at least the magnitude of the panning operation,
A camera with a camera shake correction function including camera shake correction means for changing camera shake correction control for correcting camera shake according to the result of the panning determination means.

In order to achieve the fourth object,
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shake detecting means for detecting camera shake, and a subject recognizing means for recognizing a subject to be photographed based on an output of an area sensor including a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image. In a camera with a blur correction function having a line-of-sight detecting means for detecting a line-of-sight position of a photographer observing a viewfinder, a panning operation of the photographer and a photographer based on the blur detection information, the subject information, and the line-of-sight information With a shake correcting function having a determining means for determining the camera shake of the photographer, the object tracking operation of the photographer and the shake of the subject to be shot, and a camera shake correcting means for changing the camera shake correction control for correcting the camera shake according to the result of the determining means A camera.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a main part of a single-lens reflex camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a photographing lens (only four lenses are shown for simplicity), a part 1a of the constituent lenses is a focusing lens for adjusting a focal position, and 1b is a shift lens for blur correction. A lens that can be moved in a vertical plane in the drawing so that a known image stabilization can be performed by changing an image forming position within an image forming plane of the lens. . Reference numeral 2 denotes a main mirror, which is obliquely mounted on the photographing optical path according to the state of observation of the subject image by the finder system and the state of photography of the subject image.
Or it is evacuated. Reference numeral 3 denotes a sub-mirror, which reflects a light beam transmitted through the main mirror 2 toward a later-described focus detection device 6 below the camera body. k is a photographing optical axis.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a shutter, and reference numeral 5 denotes an image recording member which is a film or a solid-state image sensor located at the focal plane of the taking lens 1. Reference numeral 6 denotes a focus detection device, which is a field mask 61, a field lens 62, reflection mirrors 63 and 66, a secondary imaging lens 65, an aperture 64, and a focus detection by a well-known phase difference detection method. It is composed of a line sensor 67 and the like. The focus detection device 6 has recently been provided with a plurality of focus detection points, which are regions for focus detection not only in the center of the screen but also in the periphery thereof. Also in the present embodiment, a focus detection device having such a plurality of focus detection points is assumed, but this is a known technique, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a focusing plate arranged on a predetermined image forming plane of the taking lens 1, and 8 denotes a pentaprism. Reference numerals 9 and 10 denote an imaging lens and a photometric sensor for measuring the luminance of the subject in the viewfinder observation surface, respectively. The photometric sensor 10 is configured by a plurality of photodiodes so as to measure a plurality of regions in the screen. . Reference numeral 11 denotes a semi-transmissive mirror provided in the viewfinder optical path, and a part of the viewfinder light is reflected upward in the drawing, and is formed on the focus plate 7 by the imaging lens 12 on the well-known subject recognition area sensor 13. Re-image the image. On the other hand, the transmitted finder light is guided to the eyepiece lens 14 so that the photographer can enlarge the subject image. Further, the eyepiece lens 14 is provided with a light splitter 14a, for example, a dichroic mirror that transmits visible light and reflects infrared light.

Next, the configuration relating to the visual line detection device will be described.

Reference numeral 15 denotes an imaging lens. Reference numeral 16 denotes a line-of-sight detection area sensor in which a photoelectric conversion element array such as a CCD is two-dimensionally arranged, and is arranged so as to be conjugate with the vicinity of the pupil of the photographer's eyeball 18 at a predetermined position with respect to the imaging lens 15. Have been. Reference numerals 17 denote infrared light emitting diodes (hereinafter referred to as IREDs) each serving as an illumination light source, and a plurality of infrared light emitting diodes are arranged around the eyepiece lens 14 (not shown). These and the above-mentioned dichroic mirror 14a constitute a visual line detection device.

The method of detecting the line of sight is as follows.
Is illuminated by the IRED 17. Then, the light beam reflected by the eyeball passes through the eyepiece 14 and the dichroic mirror 14a
Is reflected by the imaging lens 15 to form an image on the visual axis detection area sensor (image sensor) 16 by the imaging lens 15 to form an eyeball image illuminated with infrared light. Next, since the relative displacement between the center of the pupil of the eyeball image and the reflected image of the IRED 17 reflected on the corneal surface is in a relationship proportional to the rotation angle of the eyeball, this displacement is detected and the rotation of the eyeball is detected. An angle is obtained, and it is possible to detect where the photographer is looking, that is, a gaze position. For the specific processing for obtaining the line-of-sight position from the output of the line-of-sight detection area sensor, a technique already disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-109029 by the present applicant may be used. Omitted.

Numeral 19 denotes a shake detecting sensor which is a mechanical detecting means such as a vibrating gyroscope arranged to detect angular velocities in a pitch direction and a yaw direction with respect to an optical axis in order to detect a camera shake of a photographer. . In addition, as the shake detection sensor 19, an acceleration detection sensor that detects acceleration may be used.

Reference numeral 31 denotes an aperture provided in the taking lens 1;
Denotes an aperture driving device, 33 denotes a motor for driving a focus lens, and 34 denotes a focus lens driving device including a driving gear and the like. An encoder 35 includes a photocoupler and a pulse plate attached to the focus lens driving device 34. The encoder 35 detects a driving amount of the focus lens driving device 34 and transmits the detected driving amount to the lens control circuit 104. Then, the lens drive motor 33 is driven by a predetermined amount based on the information on the focus lens drive amount from the camera, and the focus lens 1a is moved to the in-focus position.

Reference numeral 36 denotes an object distance detecting means provided for detecting the absolute position of the photographing lens 1 and obtaining the distance from the camera to the object. The object distance detecting means 36 comprises, for example, a code pattern of about 4 bits from the closest position to infinity. The object distance at the in-focus position can be detected using a brush contact (not shown). Reference numeral 37 denotes a focal length detecting unit that detects the focal length of the photographing lens 1, and is capable of detecting focal length information according to the lens to be zoomed using a brush contact (not shown). Reference numeral 38 denotes a shift lens driving device that enables the blur correction lens to move on a vertical plane in the drawing, and performs the blur correction by driving the shift lens driving device. 39 is mechanically fixed so as not to shift the shift lens 1b,
This is a shift lens lock / unlock drive unit that shifts within a predetermined range so as to be in a so-called free state. 4
Reference numeral 0 denotes a mounting contact serving as an electrical interface between a known camera and a lens.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric circuit built in the single-lens reflex camera having the above-mentioned configuration. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

A camera control central processing unit (hereinafter abbreviated as CPU) 101 of a microcomputer built in the camera body has a camera state discrimination circuit 101a and an individual difference correction data at the time of gaze detection and a blur correction at the time. An EEPROM 101b for storing camera control parameters such as shake correction parameters is provided. And
The following various circuits are connected to the CPU 101 in order to control various functions of the camera.

The photometric circuit 102 amplifies the signal from the photometric sensor 10, performs logarithmic compression and A / D conversion on the amplified signal, and provides the CPU 10 with luminance information of each sensor corresponding to a plurality of areas in the screen.
Send to 1. The focus detection circuit 103 AD-converts outputs from a plurality of sets of line sensors 67 so that focus detection based on the phase difference method can be performed at a plurality of positions in the screen.
Send to 101. The lens control circuit 104 disposed on the taking lens 1 is connected to the CPU 10 via the mount contact 40.
Based on the control information from 1, control of the focus lens drive device 33, control of the aperture drive device 31, control of the shift lens drive device 38, and control of the shift lens lock / unlock drive means 39 are performed.

The line-of-sight detection circuit 105 illuminates the eyeball.
The lighting control of the RED 17 and the line-of-sight detection area sensor 16
To capture the eyeball image of the photographer, detect two characteristic points, the center of the pupil and the reflection image of the IRED 17 at the cornea, and calculate the rotation angle of the eyeball as described above. And E
Based on the individual difference correction data stored in the EPROM 101b, the position of the line of sight of the photographer in the viewfinder is detected. This gaze position is also sent to the camera state determination circuit 101a as gaze position information of the photographer.

The switch SW1-1 is turned on at the first stroke of a release button (not shown) to start photometry, AF (auto focus), and a camera shake correction system. The switch SW-2 is turned on by the second stroke of the release button to start the release operation. The state signals of these switches and various switches (not shown) arranged at various parts of the camera are input to the SW signal input circuit 106, and the CPU is connected to a data bus.
It is transmitted to 101.

The LCD driving circuit 107 has a known configuration for driving the LCD 50 for display.
In accordance with the signal from 101, the monitor LCD 51 displays the aperture value, the shutter time, the set shooting mode, and the like. The shutter control circuit 108 controls a shutter magnet Mg-1 for running the front curtain and a shutter magnet Mg-2 for running the rear curtain by energization, and exposes the photosensitive member to a predetermined amount of light. The motor control circuit 109 controls a motor M1 for winding and rewinding the film and a motor M2 for charging the main mirror 2 and the shutter 4. The shutter control circuit 108 and the motor control circuit 109 perform a series of camera release sequences.

Here, in order to make the explanation easy to understand, C
Camera state determination circuit 10 configured inside PU 101
The description will focus on the circuit connected to 1a.

First, as described above, the line-of-sight position information of the photographer who looks through the finder is input from the line-of-sight detection circuit 105. Next, the shake detection sensor 19 outputs vibration in the yaw direction in the pitch direction of the camera, and the shake detection circuit 111 removes the bias component and the long-cycle drift component through a high-pass filter to extract the angular velocity due to camera shake. Is sent to the camera state determination circuit 101a as camera shake information. Then, the camera state discrimination circuit 101a performs camera state discrimination such as camera shake, panning operation, framing operation, and subject tracking operation in accordance with an algorithm described later along with other information. And C
The PU 101 changes the camera shake correction control, such as changing the camera shake correction operation based on the result.

Next, from the signals of the subject distance detecting means 36 and the focal length detecting means 37 provided in the photographing lens 1, the subject position information and the focal length information of the photographing lens are sent to the camera state determining circuit 101a by the lens position detecting circuit 112. Is to be entered.

The subject recognition area sensor 13 is a color area sensor provided with the number of pixels (about several hundred thousand pixels) necessary for mainly detecting information on the subject.
And a C-MOS sensor, and is controlled by a sensor control circuit 113 by a known driving method. The subject image output to the sensor control circuit 113 is
4 for A / D conversion, and the camera state determination circuit 10
Reference numeral 1a stores the image data in a memory unit (not shown) as needed, and supplies necessary image data to the subject recognition circuit 115 and the subject image motion vector detection circuit 116 according to a predetermined algorithm.

The subject recognition circuit 115 outputs image data corresponding to a photographing screen, and the subject image motion vector detection circuit 116 outputs image data having a predetermined time difference from the image processing circuit 114. Then, for example, if the subject has a face, the subject recognition circuit 115 detects the size and number of the face, and based on this, the approximate size of the subject,
That is, an area that can be estimated as the main subject area is set in the screen, and the camera state determination circuit 101a is used as the subject recognition information.
Output to The subject image motion vector detection circuit 11
6 compares the image data of the current field with the image data of the previous field stored in the memory unit for each of a plurality of areas in order to detect a motion vector in the screen, and determines the direction and amount of motion between the fields. Ask for. In this method, a two-dimensional correlation operation is performed from image data having a time difference, and a motion vector is detected from a shift amount in pixel units at which the correlation value becomes maximum. As a result, motion vectors in a plurality of areas in the screen are obtained and output to the camera state determination circuit 101a.

As described above, the line-of-sight detection circuit 105, the blur detection circuit 111, the lens position detection circuit 112, the object recognition circuit 115, and the motion vector detection circuit 116
01 to the camera state discrimination circuit 101a in the CPU 101 to provide the photographer's gaze position information, camera shake information, subject recognition information (movement vector information of the subject image, subject area information), and lens focal length information. Next, the operation of the single-lens reflex camera configured as described above will be described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing up to the photographing operation of the camera according to the first embodiment.

First, in step # 101, when a mode dial (not shown) is removed from the LOCK position and set to one of the photographing modes, power is supplied to the camera, and the camera is ready for photographing. Then, in the next step # 102, it is detected whether or not the switch SW-1 which is turned on in the first stroke of the release button (not shown) is turned on.
If so, the detection in step # 102 is repeated.

In step # 103, the line-of-sight position of the photographer looking through the finder is detected from the line-of-sight detection circuit 105. The use of the line-of-sight position here is used to select any one of a plurality of focus detection points provided in the finder visual field, and any one of the focus detection points is selected. Then, in the next step # 104, the output of the focus detection line sensor 66 is taken in, and the defocus amount of the selected focus detection point is calculated. In the following step # 105, the CPU 101 sends a signal to the lens control circuit 104 to drive the focus lens by a predetermined amount according to the defocus amount, and adjusts the focus of the lens. Next, the process proceeds to step # 106, where the CPU 101
02 performs photometry. The photometric circuit 102 performs a photometric operation for detecting the luminance of the entire photometric area and for weighting the photometric area including the focused focus detection point as a center.
Input to U101.

In the next step # 107, the camera shake is detected by the camera operator by the camera shake detection sensor 19, and is taken into the camera state determination circuit 101a as the angular velocity caused by the camera via the camera shake detection circuit 111. Next, at step # 108, the lens position detection circuit 1
12, the focal length information and the subject distance information are taken in as lens position information, and in the following step # 109, the subject images are sequentially taken in by the area sensor 13 at a predetermined frame rate. Then, in step # 110, the subject recognition circuit 115 performs recognition processing on the captured subject image, and captures the subject area in the screen into the camera state determination circuit 101a. In the next step # 111, the subject motion vector detection circuit 116 detects a motion vector of the subject image from the subject image of the frame captured in the above step # 110 and the subject image of the next frame, and the camera state determination circuit 101a Take in. The motion vector detected here is detected in at least a plurality of areas including the subject area recognized in step # 110.

This completes the input of information for performing the shake correction control. That is, the input information is based on the photographer's line-of-sight position information on the screen, subject recognition information (movement vector information of the subject image, subject area information) based on the subject confirmation information, camera shake information by the shake sensor, and lens position information. is there.

Next, in step # 112, the camera state determination circuit 101a determines the camera state such as camera shake, panning operation, framing operation, and subject tracking operation based on the input information by an algorithm described later. For the algorithm of this state determination,
Details will be described later. Next, proceeding to step # 113, the CPU 101 sets a shake correction control method so as to change the shake correction control based on the result of the camera state determination in step # 112. For example, the blur correction operation is stopped to lock the shift lens 1b, the normal blur correction characteristic is stopped, and the pole height at the time of integration for converting angular velocity to angular displacement is changed, or the converted angular displacement is changed. , A predetermined gain characteristic is given to change the blur correction characteristic.

Then, in the next step # 114,
The driving amount of the shift lens 1b is calculated from the blur correction amount (angular displacement) to be finally corrected and sent to the lens control circuit 104 as shift lens control information. Subsequent step # 115
In the case where the camera shake correction operation is performed, the lens control circuit 104 controls the shift lens lock / unlock drive means 39, and if the shift lens 1b is in a fixed state, the shift lens 1b is released to a free state. 38
To perform camera shake correction. When the camera shake correction operation is stopped, the shift lens lock / unlock drive means 3 is used if the shift lens 1b is being driven for camera shake correction.
9 fixes the shift lens 1b.

Next, in step # 116, the switch SW2 which is turned on by the second stroke of the release button is turned on.
Is detected, and if it is OFF, step # 10
7 and the above operation is repeated. On the other hand, if it is ON, the process proceeds to step # 117, where a camera release sequence is executed.

Specifically, first, the motor control circuit 109
Energizes the motor M2 to raise the main mirror 2, and the lens control circuit 103 drives the aperture driving device 31 to narrow the aperture to a predetermined aperture. Next, the shutter is driven by the shutter control circuit 108 at a predetermined shutter time, and the exposure to the image recording member is completed. Thereafter, the motor M2 is again energized to perform mirror down and shutter charging, and is also energized to the motor M1 to feed a frame of the film, thereby completing a series of release sequences. Needless to say, the camera shake correction control and the operation are continuously performed during the release sequence.

Next, the determination of the camera state in the above-described step # 112 and the setting of the shake correction control in the next step # 113 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

As described above, the state of the camera is determined, and based on the determination, when all the information input for performing the shake correction control is completed, in step # 201, the area of the area determined to be the object area by the object recognition is determined. The motion vector is calculated based on the focal length information of the lens and the sampling rate.
Convert to angular velocity in yaw direction. In the next step # 202, it is determined whether or not the angular velocities detected by the shake detecting sensor 19 are substantially equal to the angular velocities detected by the aforementioned motion vector detection. If they are almost equal, it is determined that the camera shake is caused by the operation of the photographer, and the process proceeds to step # 203. On the other hand, if they are not equal, it is determined that there is little blur caused by the operation of the photographer and the change in the motion of the subject is large, or the camera shake and the change in the motion of the subject are in opposite directions, and the process proceeds to step # 214.

When proceeding to step # 203, it is determined whether or not the angular velocity detected by the shake detecting sensor 19 is larger than a predetermined value a. If it is larger, the process proceeds to step # 204, and if smaller, the process proceeds to step # 205. Steps # 204, # 20
In 5, the gaze position information of the photographer in the screen and the subject area information as the subject recognition information are used for the determination.

Here, the classification method based on this determination will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 (a) shows a case where the line of sight is near the subject region, and FIG. 5 (b) shows a case where the line of sight is outside the subject region. FIG. 5C shows a case where the line-of-sight position is near the screen frame.

Assuming that the angular velocity detected by the shake detecting sensor 19 is greater than the predetermined value a, the process proceeds from step # 203 to step #
In step 204, it is determined whether or not the line of sight of the photographer is outside the subject area (see FIG. 5B). If the subject is looking outside the subject area, the camera shake is large and the subject is not seen. Thus, it is determined that the photographer is performing a panning operation (step # 206). Then, the process proceeds to step # 207 to change the shake correction control from the normal shake correction so that the panning operation can be performed smoothly. As a changing method, it is generally effective to stop the camera shake correction operation. The camera shake correction operation is stopped, and at the same time, the shift lens lock / unlock drive unit 39 is driven to fix the shift lens 1b.

As another method, the integration of a low-frequency, large-amplitude shake signal by panning is increased by increasing the height of the pole in integration for converting the angular velocity to angular displacement by stopping the normal shake correction characteristic. It can be reduced so as not to hinder the panning operation. As another method, a predetermined gain characteristic is given to the angular displacement converted from the angular velocity to change the blur correction characteristic. For example, when panning is detected, the panning operation can be performed smoothly by multiplying the angular displacement by a gain characteristic that changes from 0 to 1 with time.

In step # 204, if the photographer's line of sight does not look outside the subject area, that is, if he is looking at the subject area (see FIG. 5A), the camera shake is large and the subject is Since the user is gazing, it is determined that the photographer has caused a normal camera shake while increasing the size (step # 208).

Here, conventionally, since the angular velocity of the shake sensor is large, if the panning detection is made sensitive, it is determined that the panning is panning, and the camera shake correction is not performed. Thus, it can be determined that the camera shake is large. Then, the process proceeds to step # 209, in which the shake correction control is performed with the normal camera shake correction characteristics. In this case, the cutoff frequency of the camera shake frequency band is set higher depending on the position of the shift lens 1b, and the large camera shake amplitude and Even so, the shift lens 1b is prevented from hitting the mechanical end.

Next, in step # 203, if the angular velocity detected by the shake detection sensor 19 is smaller than the predetermined value a, the process proceeds to step # 205.
It is determined whether it is near the screen frame as in (c),
When looking near the screen frame, it is determined that the photographer is performing a framing operation because the camera shake is not large and the user is looking at the screen frame without looking at the subject (step # 210). This state can be said to be a state in which a minute panning operation is being performed. Then, step # 211
Then, the shake correction control is changed from the normal shake correction so that the framing operation can be performed smoothly. As a changing method in this case, it is easy and effective to stop the camera shake correction operation because the magnitude of the camera shake is small, and to stop the operated camera shake correction operation, and at the same time, shift the lens lock / unlock operation. The shift lens 1b is fixed by driving the lock driving means 39.

Here, in the prior art, panning is not determined because the angular velocity of the shake sensor is not large, and normal camera shake correction is performed uniformly. Thus, framing (fine panning) is performed based on line-of-sight position information. Can be determined. Therefore, when a telephoto lens, especially a lens called super telephoto, is attached, the framing operation is performed so that the subject does not frequently go out of the frame. However, even if the camera shake correction is operated, the unnatural movement by the shift lens 1b is performed. Operability can be improved.

If the user does not look in the vicinity of the screen frame in step # 205, the camera shake is not large and it cannot be said that he is looking at the subject, but he is looking in the vicinity of the center of the screen. It is determined that neither framing nor panning causes normal camera shake (step # 212). Then, the process proceeds to step # 213, in which the shake correction control is performed with the normal shake correction characteristics.

Returning to step # 202, the angular velocity detected by the shake sensor is compared with the angular velocity detected by the motion vector detection as described above. There are three assumptions as to whether the motion change of the subject is larger than the camera shake caused by the camera motion, or conversely, the motion blur caused by the photographer's operation is larger than the motion change of the subject, and both are in opposite directions. It is determined that the state is one of
Proceed to 4. Then, in step # 214, it is determined whether or not the angular velocity detected by the shake detection sensor 19 is larger than a predetermined value b. If it is larger, the process proceeds to step # 215, and if smaller, the process proceeds to step # 216. Note that the threshold value, which is a predetermined value of the angular velocity, has a relationship of a> b.

Also in step # 215, the subject's gaze position information on the screen and the subject area information based on the subject recognition information are used for the determination. Here, it is determined whether or not the gaze position of the photographer is near the subject area (see FIG. 5A). If the subject area is viewed, the camera shake is somewhat large and the subject is gazing at the subject. Then, among the above three states, it can be assumed that the blur caused by the operation of the photographer is larger than the change in the movement of the subject,
Operate so that the photographer always follows the moving subject in the viewfinder (for example, panning)
It is determined that the subject tracking operation is being performed (step #)
217). Then, in the next step # 218, a composition locking operation is performed in which the position of the moving subject is set at a substantially constant position in the screen in order to stabilize the tracking operation of the subject. Specifically, since the subject area is known, the shift lens 1b is set so that this area can be imaged at a substantially constant position.
Drive. In addition, the shift lens 1b may be driven in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the subject by the same shake correction control as normal shake correction. This makes it possible to stably capture the subject and also prevent deterioration due to camera shake.

In step # 215, if the line of sight is not in the vicinity of the subject and the subject is not looking at the subject area, it is not a state in which the photographer is consciously moving the camera, such as panning, framing, or subject tracking operation. Then, it is determined that the subject is being shaken due to the camera shake and the moving subject (step # 219). Then, the process proceeds to step # 220, in which the camera shake correction control is performed with normal camera shake correction characteristics so that the camera shake correction is given priority.

If the angular velocity detected by the shake detection sensor 19 is smaller than the predetermined value b, the process proceeds from step # 214 to step # 216, where it is determined whether the angular velocity detected by the shake detection sensor 19 is smaller than the predetermined value c. Camera shake is almost non-existent and subject shake is occurring (the cause of the generated angular velocity is subject shake)
Is determined (step # 221). The threshold value, which is a predetermined value of the angular velocity, has a relationship of b> c. Then, the process proceeds to step # 222, where it is considered that it is not necessary to perform the camera shake correction, and the camera shake correction operation by the shift lens 1b is prohibited for energy saving. Alternatively, since the motion vector of the subject area is known, the shift lens 1 is moved in the opposite direction to the motion vector.
b may be moved to reduce subject blur.
However, the movement of each part of the subject is slightly different from each other, and the actual situation is that effective blurring of the subject cannot always be corrected.

If it is determined in step # 216 that the angular velocity detected by the shake detecting sensor 19 is not smaller than the predetermined value c (if it is larger), the process proceeds to step # 219, and the camera shake and the subject are moving as described above. It is determined that the subject is blurred due to, and the process proceeds to step # 220.
The threshold values a, b, and c, which are the predetermined values of the angular velocities, are EEPR
An appropriate value that is stored in advance in the OM 101b and is appropriate for the type and focal length of the mounted photographing lens is called into the CPU 101 prior to the operation.

As described above, the state of the camera is discriminated on the basis of the gaze position information of the photographer on the screen, the object recognition information (movement vector information of the object image, the object area information), and the camera shake information by the shake sensor. Then, a series of shake correction control setting operations such as changing the camera shake correction control according to the result are completed.

More specifically, a comparison is made as to whether or not the angular velocity (camera shake information) obtained by the shake detection sensor is substantially equal to the angular velocity of the motion vector obtained from the lens position information and the object recognition information. It is determined that there is a motion (YES in # 202). On the other hand, if they are not substantially equal, the change in the motion of the subject is larger than the camera shake caused by the operation of the photographer, or conversely, the operation of the photographer is larger than the change in the motion of the subject Is determined to be large, or both are in opposite directions (NO in # 202).

In the former case (YES in # 202)
Determines whether the angular velocity obtained by the shake detection sensor is greater than a predetermined value a. If it is, then it is determined whether or not the gaze position information and the subject area information indicate a panning operation (# 203 → # 204). → # 206), it is determined whether the camera shake is large (# 203 → # 204 → # 20).
8) Perform optimal blur correction control according to each determination result (# 207, # 209). If the value is smaller than the predetermined value a, it is determined whether the framing operation is performed using the line-of-sight position information and the subject area information (# 203 → # 205 →
# 210) or normal camera shake (# 203 → # 20)
5 → # 212), and optimal blur correction control is performed according to the respective determination results (# 211 and # 213).

In the latter case (NO in # 202),
Next, the angular velocity obtained by the shake detection sensor is a predetermined value b.
It is determined whether or not (a <b) is greater than
Next, based on the line-of-sight position information and the subject area information, the subject is being tracked in which the blur caused by the operation of the photographer is larger than the change in the movement of the subject (# 214 → # 215 → # 217), or both are in opposite directions. (Camera shake + subject shake) (# 2
14 → # 215 → # 219), and performs optimal shake correction control according to each determination result (# 218, # 218).
# 220). If it is smaller than the predetermined value b, it is determined whether or not the angular velocity obtained by the blur detection sensor is larger than a predetermined value c (c <b). If smaller, it is determined that the subject is blurred (# 214 → # 216 →). # 221) If it is large, it is determined that both are in opposite directions (camera shake + subject shake) (# 214 → # 216 → # 219), and optimal shake correction control is performed according to the respective determination results (# 214). 22
2, # 220).

Accordingly, the subject shake, panning operation, framing operation, and subject tracking operation can be automatically and accurately determined, and the photographer can comfortably perform the photographing operation even during the camera shake correction operation.

In particular, conventionally, it has been difficult to detect
It can detect framing operation (small panning operation), prevent the image from swinging back after operation, and shoot with good operability even when performing framing operation by attaching a telephoto or super telephoto lens. Can be provided.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a photographing operation of a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the camera is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, the result of the camera state determination is used not only for changing the shake correction control but also for changing the photographing function of the camera. Here, steps # 301 to # 301 in FIG.
Steps up to # 315 are the same as steps # 101 to # 115 in FIG. 3, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In step # 315, when the shift lens driving device 38 is controlled to perform camera shake correction, step #
The flow advances to step 316 to automatically change and set the shooting control mode of the camera which has been set up to that time, based on the result of the camera state determination performed in step # 312.

FIG. 7 shows, as specific contents, the state determined in step # 312 and the shooting control of the camera corresponding thereto. The contents of the shake correction control shown in the first embodiment are also described.

If it is determined in step # 312 that the subject is blurred, the shutter speed is shifted to a higher speed. In the second embodiment, since the motion vector of the subject area is known, the shutter speed is changed to such a degree that deterioration due to subject blurring is suppressed depending on the speed. In the first embodiment, the subject blur correction is performed. However, as an effect of increasing the shutter speed, it is more effective to increase the shutter speed as in the second embodiment.

Similarly, when it is determined that camera shake and subject shake are mixed, the shutter speed is shifted to a higher speed side, or in such a case, the photographing intention is not clearly understood. Since there is both camera shake and subject shake, the CPU 101 displays a warning display on the LCD 50.
May be set to be performed.

If it is determined in step # 312 that the subject is being tracked, the subject to be photographed is clearly a moving subject, and the AF mode is automatically changed to a known moving subject predictive servo AF mode. This is to control the lens so that the focus detection point changes in accordance with the movement of the subject, and the movement is predicted so that the screen at the time of shooting is always in focus.

If framing (fine panning) or panning is determined in step # 312, the photographing control is changed because the photographer is consciously operating the operation and is in the operation of the photographing preparation stage. We don't do that. Also, when it is determined that the camera is shaken, the photographing control is not changed since the photographing state is very normal.

As described above, when the photographing control is changed as necessary in accordance with the state of the camera determined in step # 312, the process proceeds to step # 317, and the contents based on the changed photographing control are displayed. It is displayed on the LCD 50. Then, in the next step # 318, the state of the switch SW-2, which is turned on by the first stroke of the release button, is detected and turned on.
If YES, the process proceeds to step # 319, and if OFF, the process returns to step # 307 to perform the same processing as in the first embodiment.

According to the second embodiment described above, the state of the camera, which is mainly caused by the photographing operation of the photographer, is determined, and the control of the camera shake correction for correcting the camera shake is performed according to the result.
It can be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment,
Since the photographing control is changed based on the determined camera state, not only can the photographer perform a comfortable photographing operation even during the camera shake correction operation, but also the photographer can take a photo opportunity or screen shot. Focus on composition,
A camera capable of better photography can be provided.

(Correspondence between the Invention and the Embodiment) In each of the above embodiments, the shake detecting sensor 19 and the shake detecting circuit 11
1 corresponds to a shake detecting means of the present invention,
15 and the subject motion vector detecting circuit 116 correspond to the subject recognizing means of the present invention, the IRED 17, the line-of-sight detecting area sensor 16 and the visual line detecting circuit 105 correspond to the visual line detecting means of the present invention, and the camera state discriminating circuit 101a corresponds to the present invention. The CPU 1 corresponds to a determination unit or a panning determination unit of the present invention.
01 corresponds to the camera shake correction means or the camera control means of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of each of the above embodiments, but may be any configuration that can achieve the functions described in the claims or the functions of the embodiments. Needless to say, it may be.

Although the present invention has been described with respect to an example in which the present invention is applied to a single-lens reflex camera, the present invention can also be applied to various types of imaging devices such as a video camera and an electronic still camera.

[0089]

As described above, according to the first or fourth aspect of the present invention, the state of the camera can be determined with high accuracy, the optimum blur correction according to the state of the camera can be performed, and the comfortable operation can be performed. It is possible to provide a camera with a shake correction function capable of giving a characteristic.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the state of the camera is determined with high accuracy, optimal blur correction control and photographing control according to the state of the camera are performed, and comfortable photographing operability is provided. It is possible to provide a camera with a shake correction function capable of performing the above.

According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to prevent the image from swinging back after the completion of the panning operation regardless of the size of the panning operation.
An object of the present invention is to provide a camera with a shake correction function capable of performing appropriate shake correction.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a camera shake, a subject shake, a panning operation, a framing operation, and a subject tracking operation are automatically and accurately determined, and a shake correction control according to a camera state is performed. It is possible to provide a camera with a shake correction function that can provide comfortable operability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a main part of a single-lens reflex camera according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a shooting operation of the camera of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control example of setting of camera state determination and shake correction control of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing classification of line-of-sight position information used to determine the state of the camera in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a shooting operation of a camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the camera shown in FIG. 6, the corresponding shake correction control, and the contents of camera shooting control.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an output of a shake detecting unit in a general panning operation.

[Description of Signs] 16 Eye-gaze detection area sensor 17 IRED 19 Shake detection sensor 105 Eye-gaze detection circuit 101 CPU 101a Camera state determination circuit 111 Shake detection circuit 115 Object recognition circuit 116 Object motion vector detection circuit

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A camera shake detecting means for detecting camera shake,
A blur having subject recognizing means for recognizing a subject to be photographed based on an output of an area sensor composed of a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image, and visual line detecting means for detecting a visual line position of a photographer observing a viewfinder. In a camera with a correction function, a determination unit that determines a state of the camera based on the blur detection information, the subject recognition information, and the line-of-sight information, and a shake correction control that corrects a shake based on a result of the determination unit is changed. A camera with a shake correction function, comprising: a shake correction unit. 2. A camera shake detecting means for detecting camera shake,
A blur having subject recognizing means for recognizing a subject to be photographed based on an output of an area sensor composed of a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image, and visual line detecting means for detecting a visual line position of a photographer observing a viewfinder. In a camera with a correction function, a determination unit that determines a state of the camera based on the blur detection information, the subject recognition information, and the line-of-sight information, and a shake correction control that corrects a shake based on a result of the determination unit is changed. A camera with a shake correction function, comprising: a camera shake correction means; and a camera control means for changing a photographing function of the camera. 3. The camera with a shake correction function according to claim 1, wherein the subject recognition unit detects at least a main subject area in the screen and a motion vector of the main subject. 4. A mechanical sensor for detecting angular acceleration or angular velocity in the yaw direction and the pitch direction with respect to the optical axis of the camera, a first area sensor including a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image, and observing a finder. A camera with a blur correction function having a second area sensor composed of a plurality of pixels for imaging the eyes of the photographer performing the determination, wherein a determination unit that determines a state of the camera according to an output of each sensor; A camera control means for changing a shake correction control for correcting a shake according to a result. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for detecting at least a main subject area and a motion vector of the main subject based on an output of the first area sensor. camera. 6. A camera shake detecting means for detecting camera shake,
A camera having a subject recognizing means for recognizing a subject to be photographed based on an output of an area sensor including a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image, and a visual axis detecting means for detecting a visual line position of a photographer observing a viewfinder; In a camera with a correction function, a panning determining unit that determines a panning operation of a photographer and a camera shake of the photographer based on the blur detection information, the subject recognition information, and the line of sight information, and at least determines the magnitude of the panning operation. And a camera shake correction unit that changes camera shake correction control that corrects camera shake in accordance with the result of the panning determination unit. 7. A shake detecting means for detecting camera shake,
A camera having a subject recognizing means for recognizing a subject to be photographed based on an output of an area sensor including a plurality of pixels for receiving a subject image, and a visual axis detecting means for detecting a visual line position of a photographer observing a viewfinder; In the camera with the correction function, discrimination for determining a panning operation of a photographer, a camera shake of the photographer, a tracking operation of the subject of the photographer, and a shake of the photographed object based on the shake detection information, the object information, and the line-of-sight information. A camera with a shake correction function, characterized in that the camera has a shake correction means for changing the shake correction control for correcting the shake in accordance with the result of the determination means.