JP2006033123A - Image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a smooth motion image having less hand shake even when the hand shake occurs. <P>SOLUTION: An image pickup element 11 is configured so as to vary a frame rate at the time of acquiring an image, and a hand shake sensor 16 is configured to detect a handshake amount by detecting physical vibration. A frame rate in acquiring an image in the image pickup element 11 is set at a higher value than that of a normal frame rate if the hand shake amount detected by the hand shake sensor 16 exceeds a predetermined value, and control is performed so that the image can be acquired at a high-speed frame rate. The device is configured so as to synthesize images composed of a plurality of frames acquired in this way. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera.

  In recent years, an imaging device such as a digital camera can record not only a still image but also a moving image. As a countermeasure against camera shake during moving image shooting, an increasing number of image pickup apparatuses have a camera shake correction function.

  As one example of this type of imaging apparatus, for example, an apparatus that corrects camera shake between frames based on the amount of camera shake that occurs while capturing individual frame images constituting a moving image is known.

  However, even if camera shake that occurs between frames can be eliminated simply by performing such camera shake correction, it is not possible to eliminate camera shake that occurs within a frame. Was to be included.

  In addition, as an imaging device that performs camera shake correction different from the above, for example, by selecting and recording an image with less blur among a plurality of images captured as still images, it is possible to record an image with less noticeable blur. An imaging device is known (Patent Document 1).

  However, when selecting and outputting an image with less blur among a plurality of images, there is a problem that the frame interval constituting the moving image is not a constant interval and smooth connection of images cannot be realized. For this reason, when the recorded moving image is reproduced, the motion of the subject is not smooth, and the moving image is uncomfortable.

JP-A-9-116858

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an imaging apparatus that can acquire a smooth moving image with little blur even when camera shake occurs. It is what.

  An image pickup apparatus according to the present invention includes an image pickup unit capable of changing a frame rate at the time of image acquisition, a shake detection unit that detects a shake amount by detecting physical vibration, and a shake amount from the shake detection unit. Control means for setting the frame rate to a value higher than the normal frame rate when the value exceeds a predetermined value.

  In the imaging apparatus, it is preferable that the normal frame rate is a value of 30 fps or more.

  In addition, the imaging apparatus generates an output image for one frame by synthesizing a plurality of continuous frame images acquired by the imaging unit based on a blur amount detected by the blur detection unit. It is preferable to further comprise a synthesizing means.

  In this case, it is preferable that the combining unit functions when the frame rate is set higher than the normal frame rate by the control unit.

  Furthermore, in that case, it is preferable that the synthesizing unit is configured to output the output image as the image at the normal frame rate by performing the synthesis.

  The imaging apparatus as described above preferably further includes recording means for recording the output image generated by the synthesizing means. Moreover, it is preferable to further comprise display means for displaying the output image generated by the synthesizing means.

  According to the present invention, when the amount of shake from the shake detection means exceeds a predetermined value, the frame rate at the time of image acquisition is set to a value higher than the normal frame rate. Individual images acquired at a high frame rate have less blurring, and a high-quality image with suppressed blurring can be obtained.

  In that case, by setting the normal frame rate to a value of 30 fps or more, it is possible to obtain a moving image that is visually uncomfortable.

  In addition, a high-quality moving image is generated by generating an output image for one frame by synthesizing images of a plurality of continuous frames acquired by the imaging unit based on the amount of blur detected by the blur detection unit. An image is obtained. In particular, when a moving image is reproduced, when the moving image reproduction is paused, or when the moving image is reproduced slowly, a high-quality image can be obtained.

  In addition, when the frame rate is set to a value higher than the normal frame rate, it is possible to reduce the power consumption when the normal frame rate is set by configuring the composition processing so that a high frame rate is achieved. Even when set, an image as bright as that at the normal frame rate can be obtained.

  In addition, by outputting the output image obtained by performing the synthesis process as an image at a normal frame rate, it is possible to obtain a moving image with a substantially constant frame interval, and the connection between the images becomes smooth. The quality of moving images is improved.

  Further, by further providing a recording means for recording the output image generated by the synthesizing process, a high quality moving image can be recorded.

  Furthermore, by further providing display means for displaying an output image generated by the synthesis process, a high-quality moving image can be visually recognized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the imaging apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The imaging device 1 is configured as a digital camera that can capture still images and moving images, for example. The imaging device 1 includes a photographing lens 10, an image sensor 11, an A / D converter 12, an image processing circuit 13, an image memory 14, a timing generator (TG) 15, a camera shake sensor 16, a memory (RAM) 17, a liquid crystal display (LCD). ) 18, an electronic viewfinder (EVF) 19, an operation unit 20, and an arithmetic processing unit (CPU) 30.

  The photographic lens 10 is an optical system that forms an image of light from a subject incident along the optical axis L on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 11 and includes an aperture, a focus lens, and the like (not shown). The imaging element 11 is a photoelectric conversion element in which many pixels are two-dimensionally arranged on a light receiving surface perpendicular to the optical axis L. For example, a CMOS sensor or the like capable of high-speed transfer output of charges accumulated in each pixel by an exposure operation. Consists of. An image signal output from the image sensor 11 is output to the A / D converter 12. The A / D converter 12 converts the image signal into, for example, a 12-bit digital signal for each pixel and outputs it to the image processing circuit 13. The image processing circuit 13 performs various image processing such as black level correction, white balance adjustment, and γ correction on the image signal and outputs the processed image signal to the image memory 14. The image memory 14 is a storage means having a storage capacity sufficient to store image signals for a plurality of frames, and is configured by, for example, an SDRAM. In particular, the present embodiment has a storage capacity for storing image signals for at least three frames.

  The timing generator (TG) 15 is a control circuit that instructs the start and end of exposure and charge transfer by sending a timing signal to the image sensor 11. The timing generator 15 is configured to change the timing signal transmission cycle in response to a command from the arithmetic processing unit 30, and changes the frame rate of an image acquired by the image sensor 11 by changing the cycle.

  The camera shake sensor 16 is configured by a gyro sensor or the like, and is configured to always detect physical vibration of the imaging device 1 and detect the amount of shake when the camera shake correction function is set to ON. The shake amount detected here is output to the memory (RAM) 17.

  The memory (RAM) 17 is a temporary storage unit configured by a semiconductor memory or the like, and is used as a temporary working memory when the arithmetic processing unit 30 performs various arithmetic processes and data processes. 16 has a storage area 17a for storing the amount of blur detected by 16.

  The operation unit 20 is an operation input unit for a user to give various settings and instructions to the imaging apparatus 1, and a shutter button 21 for giving a shooting instruction and an image stabilization on / off function for switching an image stabilization function on and off. -It includes an off switch 22 and the like. The operation state of the user with respect to the operation unit 20 is transmitted to the arithmetic processing unit 20, and the arithmetic processing unit 20 performs processing in response to the user operation.

  The memory card 9 is a recording medium that is detachably attached to the imaging apparatus 1 and records a still image and a moving image acquired by a shooting operation.

  A liquid crystal display (LCD) 18 and an electronic viewfinder (EVF) 19 are display means for displaying an image to a user. For example, a moving image acquired by the image sensor 11 is displayed in real time, or a memory card. 9 is configured to perform reproduction display of the image recorded in the recording medium 9.

  The arithmetic processing unit (CPU) 30 performs overall control of each part of the imaging apparatus 1 by executing a predetermined program. For example, in the imaging apparatus 1, when the operation mode for moving image shooting is set and the camera shake correction function is turned on, the arithmetic processing unit 20 includes the shooting control unit 31 and the shake determination as shown in FIG. Functions as the unit 32, the image composition unit 33, the image display unit 34, and the image recording unit 35. However, these functional units are not necessarily realized by software, and may be configured as dedicated hardware.

  In response to the pressing operation of the shutter button 21, the shooting control unit 31 gives a shooting instruction specifying the frame rate to the timing generator 15. The photographing control unit 31 performs exposure control (AE) and white balance control (WB) and adjusts the processing content in the image processing circuit 13.

  The blur determination unit 32 repeatedly acquires the blur amount stored in the predetermined storage area 17a in the memory 17 at predetermined timings, and determines whether or not camera shake has occurred in the imaging device 1. A reference value for comparison with the shake amount acquired from the memory 17 is set in advance in the shake determination unit 32, and when the shake amount exceeds the reference value, it is recognized that camera shake has occurred. When it is recognized that camera shake has occurred, the shake determination unit 32 notifies the imaging control unit 31 and the image composition unit 33 to that effect.

  The shooting control unit 31 instructs the timing generator 15 to perform a shooting operation at the normal frame rate when no camera shake occurs, whereas the camera shake determination unit 32 detects that the camera shake has occurred. In the event of an error, an instruction is given to perform a shooting operation at a frame rate higher than the normal frame rate. In the present embodiment, as an example, a case will be described in which the normal frame rate is set to 90 fps and the high-speed frame rate when camera shake occurs is set to 270 fps, which is three times that.

  As described above, since the timing generator 15 changes the timing signal cycle in accordance with a command from the imaging control unit 31, the imaging device 11 performs an imaging operation at a normal frame rate of 90 fps when camera shake does not occur. When camera shake occurs, a shooting operation is performed at a high frame rate of 270 fps.

  The image compositing unit 33 is configured to acquire the amount of blur stored in the memory 17 and perform a compositing process based on the amount of blur. The image processing unit 33 performs different composition processing when the imaging device 11 performs a shooting operation at a normal frame rate and when the imaging device 11 performs a shooting operation at a high frame rate.

  For example, when the imaging device 11 performs a shooting operation at a normal frame rate, the image composition unit 33 acquires the previous image in order to eliminate blurring between frame images constituting the moving image. A process of aligning the current image with respect to the previous image is performed based on the amount of blur that has occurred between the time point and the time point when the current image is acquired. Then, an image whose position is adjusted based on the amount of blur is output. Or you may make it output, without performing a special process.

  On the other hand, when the shake determination unit 32 detects the occurrence of camera shake and the imaging device 11 performs a shooting operation at a high frame rate, the image composition unit 33 acquires images of a plurality of consecutive frames acquired at a high frame rate. Is read out from the image memory 14, and a plurality of images are combined to generate and output an image for one frame. When a plurality of images are combined into one, each image is aligned based on the amount of blur at the time of acquisition of each image in order to eliminate the blur in that frame.

  In the present embodiment, when camera shake occurs, the image composition unit 33 is configured to obtain a continuous three-frame image obtained at a high frame rate from the image memory 14 and perform composition processing. As a result, a 1-frame image is generated from the 3-frame image, and the image output from the image synthesis unit 33 is always an image with a normal frame rate (90 fps) regardless of whether or not camera shake occurs. Become.

  In addition, when the imaging device 11 performs a shooting operation at a high frame rate, the image composition unit 33 also eliminates the blur between the frame images constituting the moving image as in the normal frame rate. Based on the amount of blur that occurred between the time when the output image is acquired and the time when the current output image is acquired, the process is performed to align the current output image with the previous output image. The

  Then, the image output from the image composition unit 33 is given to the image display unit 34 or the image recording unit 35. When an image is displayed on the LCD 18 or EVF 19, an image at a normal frame rate is given from the image composition unit 33 to the image display unit 34. Further, when recording an image on the memory card 9, an image at a normal frame rate is given from the image composition unit 33 to the image recording unit 35.

  The image display unit 34 converts the image input from the image composition unit 33 into an image size suitable for the LCD 18 or EVF 19, and outputs the image to the LCD 18 or EVF 19 as a moving image that is sequentially updated at 90 fps. For example, when the display pixel array of the LCD 18 or the EVF 19 is 640 × 480 in the horizontal direction, an image having a pixel number of 640 × 480 is generated in the image display unit 34.

  When an image that is sequentially updated at 90 fps is input from the image composition unit 33, the image recording unit 35 performs a necessary compression process to generate a moving image file such as motion JPEG, and records and saves it in the memory card 9.

  As described above, in the imaging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the blur amount of the imaging apparatus 1 is detected by the camera shake sensor 16, and when the blur amount is large, the subject is photographed at a frame rate that is higher than the normal frame rate. A plurality of frames of images obtained in the above are combined to output an image for one frame.

  FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing a conceptual operation of the imaging apparatus 1. When the shake determination unit 32 performs the shake determination at the times T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 for each fixed period T, the shake amount 100 detected by the shake sensor 16 changes as shown in FIG. Assuming that the amount of shake 100 exceeds the predetermined reference value V at times T1 and T2, the shake determination unit 32 determines that camera shake has occurred at times T1 and T2.

  Therefore, the frame rate set in the image sensor 11 is 90 fps, which is the normal frame rate until time T1, and the time zone between times T1-T2 and T2-T3 is 270 fps, which is the high-speed frame rate. After time T3, the normal frame rate is restored to 90 fps.

  In this case, the exposure operation by the image sensor 11 is performed during the period indicated by the shaded area in FIG. Until time T1, exposure for one frame is performed during a fixed period T, and the exposure period is D1. However, at times T1 to T2 when switching to the high-speed frame rate is performed, exposure for three frames is performed during a certain period T, and each exposure period is D2. This exposure period D2 is about one third of the exposure period D1 at the normal frame rate. Similarly, at time T2 to T3, exposure for three frames is performed during a fixed period T, and each exposure period is D2. Then, after time T3, the normal state is returned in which exposure for one frame is performed during a fixed period T, and the exposure period becomes D1.

  In general, if the exposure period for capturing an image of one frame is set long when the blur is large, the movement of the subject due to the blur is accumulated, and the image quality of the image obtained by the exposure deteriorates. .

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, when the blurring is large, the individual exposure time is shortened by applying the high-speed frame rate, so that the blurring amount accumulated in one frame image is reduced. .

  Further, in the present embodiment, by synthesizing three frames of images acquired by applying a high-speed frame rate to form an image of one frame, the overall exposure time is almost the same as the normal frame rate. Exposure time, and the brightness of the image can be set to the same level as that obtained at the normal frame rate.

  Further, at the time of image composition, since it is configured to adjust and synthesize the composition position of each image based on the blur amount at the time when each image of three frames is acquired, The generated blur can be eliminated by alignment. Therefore, the composite image does not become a blurred image, and the influence of camera shake occurring in the frame is favorably eliminated.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the concept of the synthesis process at the high frame rate. For example, it is assumed that the image pickup device 11 is switched to a high-speed frame rate, and three frames of images G1, G2, and G3 are continuously acquired during a certain period T. In this case, the image composition unit 33 adjusts the image G2 to XY in order to align the image G2 with the image G1 based on the amount of blur between the time when the image G1 is acquired and the time when the image G2 is acquired. Translate in a plane based on the amount of shake. Then, the position of the image G2 is determined in a state where the subject shown in the image G1 matches the subject shown in the image G2. Further, the image composition unit 33 converts the image G3 to the image G2 (or image G1) based on the amount of blur between the time when the image G2 (or image G1) is acquired and the time when the image G3 is acquired. In order to align, the image G3 is translated in the XY plane based on the blur amount. Then, the position of the image G3 is determined in a state where the subject shown in the image G2 (or the image G1) matches the subject shown in the image G3.

  When the synthesis position of each image G1, G2, G3 is determined, the image synthesis unit 33 performs pixel data addition processing between corresponding pixels of each image G1, G2, G3, and generates an image for one frame. . By performing such composition processing, a composite image G4 for one frame is generated from three frames of images.

  Since the synthesized image G4 shown in FIG. 3 is an image synthesized by relatively moving the images G1, G2, and G3 based on the amount of blurring, all of the three frames in the peripheral portion R2 of the image are displayed. The part where the image does not overlap occurs. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the image composition unit 33 performs composition processing of the three frames of the images G1, G2, and G3 to generate an output image, the peripheral portion R2 where the images do not overlap (the hatched region of the image G4 in FIG. 3) ) To reduce the angle of view of the output image for display or recording. As a result, an output image G5 having a smaller angle of view than that of the photographed image is obtained, and the image quality deterioration in a portion where the images do not overlap is inconspicuous.

  When each of the three frames of images G1, G2, and G3 to be combined is configured with, for example, a number of pixels of 640 × 480, the image G5 output from the image combining unit 33 has a number of pixels of about 560 × 420. Displayed or recorded as an image with a small angle of view.

  The image G5 generated as described above is one frame image constituting the moving image to be displayed or recorded.

  Next, an operation in the case of performing moving image shooting while performing camera shake correction by the imaging device 1 will be described. 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing a processing sequence at the time of moving image shooting when the camera shake correction function is turned on in the imaging apparatus 1, and the processing sequence executed mainly by the arithmetic processing unit (CPU) 20 is shown in FIG. Show.

  For example, when the imaging apparatus 1 is in the moving image shooting mode, when the user presses the shutter button 21, moving image shooting is started. When the moving image shooting starts, the camera shake sensor 16 starts to detect the amount of shake. At the start of moving image shooting, the frame rate of the image sensor 11 is set to the normal frame rate by default.

  In addition, as an initial setting, when the image angle for image display or recording is set to be small and image synthesis processing is performed, setting is performed so that the angle of view adjustment processing is performed accordingly (step S09).

  Then, the blur determination unit 32 reads the blur amount from the memory 17 (step S10), and determines whether or not the read blur amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (reference value V) (step S11). Here, if the amount of blur is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S12, and if it is less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S14.

  In step S12, since the shake determination unit 32 recognizes that camera shake has occurred, a high-speed frame rate (270 fps) is set as the frame rate of the image sensor 11. As a result, the image sensor 11 starts photographing processing (exposure processing / image signal output processing) at a high frame rate, and images acquired at the high frame rate are sequentially stored in the image memory 14. Then, the image composition unit 33 reads out continuous images for three frames from the image memory 14 (step S13), and proceeds to the image composition process (step S16).

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds to step S14, camera shake does not occur, so the normal frame rate (90 fps) is set as the frame rate of the image sensor 11. As a result, the image sensor 11 starts photographing processing (exposure processing / image signal output processing) at the normal frame rate, and images acquired at the normal frame rate are sequentially stored in the image memory 14. Then, the image composition unit 33 reads an image for one frame from the image memory 14 (step S15), and proceeds to an image composition process (step S16).

  Details of the image composition processing in step S16 are shown in the flowchart of FIG. When proceeding to the image composition process (step S16), the image composition unit 33 performs a process adapted to the current frame rate setting of the image sensor 11 (step S20). That is, when the imaging device 11 is performing a shooting operation at a high frame rate, the process proceeds to step S21, and when the imaging operation is performed at a normal frame rate, the process proceeds to step S23.

  In the case of the high-speed frame rate, the image composition unit 33 aligns the three frames of images acquired in step S13 based on the amount of blur, performs an addition process for each pixel, and displays a composite image of one frame (FIG. 3). An image G4) is generated (step S21). Then, the process proceeds to step S22, and a process of aligning the image generated by the synthesis process with respect to the previous image based on the blur amount is executed.

  That is, in the combining process in step S21, an image for one frame constituting a moving image is generated, which is an image that eliminates the influence of camera shake that occurs when images for three frames are acquired. On the other hand, in the synthesizing process in step S22, a positioning process is performed to eliminate the influence of blurring that occurs with the frame image before the moving image.

  On the other hand, in the case of the normal frame rate, the image acquired in step S15 is used as an image for one frame constituting the moving image as it is. And the process which aligns the image based on the amount of blurring with respect to the last image is performed (step S23). The process of step S23 is the same as the process of step S22 in the case of the high-speed frame rate, and is alignment for eliminating the influence of the blurring that has occurred with the previous frame image constituting the moving image.

  Then, the process proceeds to step S24, and an angle-of-view adjustment process is performed in order to prevent image quality deterioration due to occurrence of a portion where the images do not overlap (a hatched area in the image G4 in FIG. 3) due to the alignment. Here, a process for generating an image with a preset angle of view is performed in step S09, the peripheral portion of the synthesized image G4 (see FIG. 3) by the synthesis process is deleted, and an output image G5 with a smaller angle of view is generated. Is done.

  Next, returning to the flowchart of FIG. 4, the process proceeds to step S17. Then, an image for one frame constituting the moving image is given from the image composition unit 33 to the image display unit 34 and displayed on the LCD 18 or the EVF 19. An image for one frame from the image composition unit 33 is given to the image recording unit 35, and a moving image file recorded in the memory card 9 is updated.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the photographing process is to be ended (step S18). For example, when the shutter button 21 is not pressed again and is not yet ended, the processes after step S10 are repeated. On the contrary, when the pressed state of the shutter button 21 is released, the photographing process is ended.

  As described above, the imaging device 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the imaging element 11 can change the frame rate at the time of image acquisition, and the amount of blur detected by the camera shake sensor 16 exceeds a predetermined value. In addition, the frame rate of the image sensor 11 is changed to a frame rate higher than the normal frame rate. For this reason, even when camera shake occurs, each image acquired at a high frame rate has less blur, and the influence of camera shake can be suppressed.

  In addition, the imaging device 1 synthesizes a plurality of continuous frames of images acquired by the imaging device 11 based on the amount of blur detected by the camera shake sensor 16 when the high-speed frame rate is set, and outputs an output image for one frame. Configured to generate. As a result, a plurality of images with little blur are combined with each other without making the blur noticeable, so that a high-quality image can be obtained. Then, by using the synthesized image as one frame image constituting the moving image, a good moving image with less noticeable blur can be obtained. Also, the brightness of the frame image is as bright as the other frame images.

  Then, by outputting the image generated by performing the above composition as an image at a normal frame rate, the frame interval constituting the moving image can be set to a substantially constant interval. An image can be generated.

  Therefore, according to the imaging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, not only camera shake occurring between frames of a moving image but also image quality deterioration caused by camera shake occurring in the frame can be prevented, and when a moving image is visually recognized. Improve the image quality. In particular, not only the image quality of the entire moving image but also the image quality as a still image when the moving image is paused, the image quality during slow playback, and the like are improved.

  Further, according to the imaging apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, moving image shooting is not always performed at a high frame rate, and shooting is performed at a normal frame rate when there is no camera shake, so when there is no camera shake. Power consumption is reduced. Therefore, the imaging device 1 of the present embodiment exhibits the effect of improving the image quality of moving images and suppressing the increase in power consumption.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described one, and various modifications can be applied.

  For example, in the imaging apparatus 1 described above, a case where 90 fps is set as the normal frame rate and 270 fps is set as the high-speed frame rate is illustrated. However, in general, when the frame rate is 30 fps or higher, a visually uncomfortable image can be obtained as a moving image. Therefore, an arbitrary value of 30 fps or more may be adopted as the normal frame rate of the image sensor 11. The high-speed frame rate may be any value as long as it is higher than the normal frame rate set as an arbitrary value of 30 fps or higher.

  In particular, in the above embodiment, the case where the high-speed frame rate is set to three times the normal frame rate is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. The high-speed frame rate may be set to twice the normal frame rate, or may be set to a value that is four times or more.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the image pickup device 11, the A / D converter 12 and the timing generator 15 are configured as separate bodies is illustrated. However, when the image pickup device 11 is formed as a CMOS sensor, these are described. You may make it form integrally.

  Further, when the photographing lens 10 is a zoom lens that changes the focal length (photographing magnification), a predetermined value (reference value V) for performing blurring determination according to the focal length (photographing magnification) of the photographing lens 10. It is preferable that the configuration is changed. By doing so, it is possible to always perform an appropriate blur determination according to the shooting conditions.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the angle of view of the image to be recorded or displayed is reduced by deleting the peripheral portion R2 of the composite image is not limited thereto. For example, the composite image is not limited thereto. The processing may be performed such that the peripheral portion R2 is painted black.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the image memory 14 and the memory 17 are formed as separate configurations has been illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and these may be configured as a single memory.

  Although not particularly mentioned in the above embodiment, the rate of increase of the frame rate may be changed according to the amount of blur detected by the camera shake sensor 16. That is, as the amount of blur increases, the frame rate of the image sensor 11 is set to a faster value. In this case, since the number of frames acquired during the fixed period T shown in FIG. 2 increases, the number of images to be combined in the combining process when camera shake occurs also increases. When such a configuration is adopted, it becomes possible to acquire a moving image in which such camera shake is not always noticeable regardless of any camera shake.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, it illustrated that the operation | movement mentioned above was performed in video recording mode. However, even in the still image shooting mode, it is necessary for the user to display a real-time image of the subject (so-called live view image) on the LCD 18 or the EVF 19 in order to perform framing in the shooting standby state or grasp the shutter chance. is there. Therefore, even in the still image shooting mode, when displaying a real-time image of a subject on the LCD 18 or the EVF 19, a moving image display with less blur may be performed by performing the above-described operation.

It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of an imaging device. It is a timing chart which shows the conceptual operation | movement of an imaging device. It is a figure which shows the concept of the synthesizing process at the time of a high-speed frame rate. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of video recording. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of an image composition process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imaging device 11 Imaging element (imaging means)
16 Camera shake sensor (camera shake detection means)
30 arithmetic processing unit 31 imaging control unit (control means)
32 blur determination unit 33 image composition unit (composition means)
34 Image display section (display means)
35 Image recording unit (recording means)

Claims (7)

Imaging means capable of changing the frame rate at the time of image acquisition;
A shake detection means for detecting the amount of shake by detecting physical vibration;
Control means for setting the frame rate to a value higher than the normal frame rate when the amount of shake from the shake detection means exceeds a predetermined value;
An imaging apparatus comprising: The imaging device according to claim 1,
The normal frame rate has a value of 30 fps or more. The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2,
The image processing apparatus further includes combining means for generating an output image for one frame by combining the images of a plurality of continuous frames acquired by the imaging means based on the amount of shake detected by the shake detecting means. An imaging apparatus characterized by the above. The imaging device according to claim 3.
The synthesizing unit functions when the control unit sets the frame rate to a value higher than the normal frame rate. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4,
The synthesizing unit outputs the output image as the image at the normal frame rate by performing the synthesis. The imaging device according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
An imaging apparatus further comprising recording means for recording the output image generated by the synthesizing means. The imaging device according to any one of claims 3 to 6,
An imaging apparatus further comprising display means for displaying the output image generated by the synthesizing means.

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