JP2009063896A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging apparatus which suppressing useless power consumption, while making the composition of an observation optical system coincident with the composition of an image obtained by photographing. <P>SOLUTION: A gyro sensor 107 measures the shake amount of an apparatus body. A mechanical correction device 101 moves at least one of an imaging optical system and an image sensor in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis direction. An electronic correction processing section 110 produces a second image signal offsetting the shake amount from a first image signal corresponding to an image signal from the image sensor, by image processing. A display section 112 displays the image based on the second image signal. A microcomputer 109 controls the electronic correction processing section 110 and the mechanical correction device 101, so as to operate at least the electronic correction processing section 110, before photographing and operate at least the mechanical correction device 101, during photographing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus that corrects shake during shooting.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a shake correction device mounted on an image pickup apparatus, an image pickup optical system that detects shake information at the time of shooting (a shake amount and a shake direction of the image pickup apparatus) with an angular velocity sensor and cancels the shake based on the shake information. In some cases, a part of the correction lens or the image pickup device is translated on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the incident light to perform blur correction. In particular, in an image pickup apparatus including a shake correction apparatus that performs shake correction by moving the image sensor, the effect of shake correction cannot be visually recognized in the observation optical system (subject observation system). A proposal has been made to use a shake correction device including a correction lens and to individually control the shake correction device in the imaging optical system and the observation optical system so that the effect of the shake correction can be visually recognized (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

However, in the imaging apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the operation timings of the two shake correction apparatuses are different, so that the composition of the imaging optical system and the observation optical system does not match at the time of photographing, and a photograph of a composition that is not intended by the photographer There was a problem of being photographed. In response to this problem, when the release button of the imaging device is half-pressed, the movement of the shake correction device between the imaging optical system and the observation optical system is started, and the composition of the imaging optical system and the observation optical system is always matched. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).
JP-A-9-329820 JP 2005-318431 A

  However, in the imaging device described in Patent Document 2, both the imaging optical system and the observation optical system shake correction devices operate at the same time, and therefore driving the two shake correction devices increases the power consumption. is there. With regard to this problem, many of the imaging devices currently on the market are driven by small batteries, so efforts to reduce power consumption have always been regarded as important. Therefore, there is a demand for a shake correction apparatus that matches the composition of an image to be obtained with lower power consumption.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides an imaging apparatus capable of suppressing wasteful power consumption while matching the composition of an observation optical system with the composition of an image obtained by photographing. The purpose is to do.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and moves at least one of a shake measurement unit that measures the shake amount of the apparatus main body, an imaging optical system, and an imaging element in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis direction. A first blur correction unit for generating, and a second blur correction unit for generating, by image processing, a second image signal in which the blur amount is canceled from the first image signal corresponding to the image signal from the image sensor. A display unit that displays an image based on the second image signal; and at least the second shake correction unit is operated before shooting, and at least the first shake correction unit is operated during shooting. An image pickup apparatus comprising: a shake correction unit and a control unit that controls the second shake correction unit.

  In the imaging device of the present invention, the imaging device may be a first imaging device, and the imaging device may further include a second imaging device different from the first imaging device, and the control unit may The first blur correction unit is controlled so that only the first image sensor moves.

  In the imaging apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, when the blur amount measured by the blur measurement unit is greater than a preset first value, the control unit causes the first imaging element to The first blur correction unit is controlled to move.

  In the imaging apparatus of the present invention, the control unit may switch the first imaging element when the blur amount measured by the blur measurement unit is larger than a preset second value. The first shake correction unit is controlled to move to a predetermined position.

  In the image pickup apparatus of the present invention, the control unit includes a first period in which the first shake correction unit moves the first image pickup element and the second shake correction unit, except during shooting. The second period for generating the second image signal is matched with the second period.

  In addition, the imaging apparatus of the present invention further includes a mode setting unit that sets a predetermined mode from a plurality of modes corresponding to the speed of movement of the subject, and the control unit is configured to change the mode according to the set mode. Controlling the timing at which the first blur correction unit functions is characterized.

  In addition, the imaging apparatus of the present invention further includes a motion vector detection unit that detects a motion vector of a subject, and the control unit detects the first blur according to the motion vector detected by the motion vector detection unit. It is characterized by controlling the timing at which the correction unit functions.

  According to the present invention, before shooting, the second blur correction unit, which consumes less power than the first blur correction unit, operates at least, and at the time of shooting, the first blur correction unit operates at least. It is possible to obtain an effect that wasteful power consumption can be suppressed while matching the composition of the optical system and the composition of the image obtained by photographing.

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

(First embodiment)
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a digital still camera 10 according to the present embodiment. A digital still camera 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a photographing lens 100, a mechanical correction device 101, a gyro sensor 107, an image signal processing unit 108, a microcomputer 109, an electronic correction processing unit 110, and a display control unit. 111, a display unit 112, and an exposure instruction unit 113. The mechanical correction device 101 performs a process of correcting the shake generated in the device main body (housing) of the digital still camera 10 by moving the image sensor 102 in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis L. The mechanical correction device 101 includes an image sensor 102, a position detection unit 103, a drive unit 104, a mechanical correction processing unit 105, and a shake control unit 106.

  Hereinafter, the function of each component will be described. The image sensor 102 is attached to the digital still camera 10 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis L, and is arranged so that incident light transmitted through the photographing lens 100 forms an image on the image pickup surface of the image sensor 102. Has been. The image sensor 102 also photoelectrically converts incident light imaged on the imaging surface of the image sensor 102 and outputs the converted image signal to the image signal processing unit 108.

  The image signal processing unit 108 performs predetermined image processing on the image signal output from the image sensor 102 and outputs the image signal to the electronic correction processing unit 110. The electronic correction processing unit 110 performs image processing for correcting the shake generated in the main body of the digital still camera 10 according to the control signal from the microcomputer 109 with respect to the image signal output from the image signal processing unit 108. Then, the image signal after the correction process in which the blur amount is canceled is output to the display control unit 111. Details of the processing for correcting the shake in the electronic correction processing unit 110 will be described later. In general, when the power consumption related to the shake correction of the electronic correction processing unit 110 and the mechanical correction device 101 is compared, the electronic correction processing unit 110 consumes less power than the mechanical correction device 101.

  The display control unit 111 converts the corrected image signal output from the electronic correction processing unit 110 into a signal in a format suitable for image display on the display unit 112 and outputs the signal to the display unit 112. The image display unit 112 displays an image based on the image signal output from the display control unit 111. The exposure instruction unit 113 includes a button operated by the photographer, and is a two-stage push-in type having two states, a state where the exposure instruction unit 113 is half-pressed and a state where the exposure instruction unit 113 is fully pressed. When the exposure instruction unit 113 is half-pressed, a signal corresponding to the half-press is output to the microcomputer 109, and an AF unit (not shown) or an AE unit (not shown) performs a distance measurement operation or a photometry operation. . When the exposure instruction unit 113 is fully pressed, a signal instructing exposure (photographing) is output to the microcomputer 109, and the exposure operation of the image sensor 102 and the operation of the blur control unit 106 are started.

  The position detection unit 103 detects the vertical position and the horizontal position of the image sensor 102 in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis L, and outputs a signal corresponding to each position to the mechanical correction processing unit 105. Further, the gyro sensor 107 detects the shake amount and the shake direction in the pitch direction and the yaw direction of the digital still camera 10 main body, and outputs the shake information to the mechanical correction processing unit 105 as shake information.

  The mechanical correction processing unit 105 performs processing such as AD conversion and amplification on the signals input from the position detection unit 103 and the gyro sensor 107 and outputs the processed signals to the shake control unit 106. The blur control unit 106 calculates the amount of movement of the image sensor 102 based on each signal from the mechanical correction processing unit 105 and the signal from the electronic correction processing unit 110 in accordance with a control signal from the microcomputer 109. To do. The shake control unit 106 outputs a signal corresponding to the calculated movement amount to the drive unit 104, and moves the image sensor 102 by the drive unit 104 so as to cancel out the shake. Further, the shake control unit 106 outputs the shake information input from the mechanical correction processing unit 105 to the microcomputer 109.

  Next, blur correction processing performed by the electronic correction processing unit 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A shows the positional relationship between the imaging surface 2000 of the imaging element 102 and the display range 2100 corresponding to the image displayed on the display unit 112 in a state where the digital still camera 10 is not shaken. ing. FIG. 2B shows a positional relationship between the imaging surface 2000 of the image sensor 102 and the display range 2100 in a state where the digital still camera 10 is shaken in FIG.

  The electronic correction processing unit 110 reads only a signal corresponding to a partial area inside the imaging surface of the imaging element 102 from the input image signal. A range corresponding to the read signal is a display range displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 112. When the digital still camera 10 is not shaken, the signal reading range (display range) is the central region of the imaging surface of the imaging element 102. In addition, when blurring occurs in the digital still camera 10, the signal reading range moves so as to cancel the blurring that occurs on the imaging surface of the imaging element 102. The amount by which the signal reading range is moved in order to cancel out this blur is the blur correction amount.

  The microcomputer 109 calculates a shake correction amount based on the shake information detected by the gyro sensor 107 and outputs a control signal corresponding to the shake correction amount to the electronic correction processing unit 110. The electronic correction processing unit 110 moves the signal reading range based on a control signal from the microcomputer 109. In the following description, the shake correction processing in the electronic correction processing unit 110 is referred to as electronic correction processing, and the shake correction processing in the mechanical correction device 101 is referred to as mechanical correction processing.

  Next, the operation at the time of shooting of the digital still camera 10 will be described. First, an operation procedure of the digital still camera 10 will be described with reference to FIG. When the power of the digital still camera 10 is turned on, the digital still camera 10 is activated, and the image sensor 102, the image signal processing unit 108, the electronic correction processing unit 110, and the like start operating. The display unit 112 displays the image that has been subjected to the electronic correction process (step S11).

  Subsequently, the microcomputer 109 confirms whether or not an exposure instruction has been input to the exposure instruction unit 113 (step S12). If it is confirmed that the exposure instruction is not input, the microcomputer 109 repeats the confirmation until the exposure instruction is input. If it is confirmed that the exposure instruction has been input, the microcomputer 109 stops the electronic correction processing in the electronic correction processing unit 110 (step S13).

  Further, the microcomputer 109 controls the shake control unit so as to move the image sensor 102 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the optical axis L in accordance with the shake correction amount used in the electronic correction processing so far. A control signal is output to 106. The shake correction amount used in the electronic correction processing is output from the electronic correction processing unit 110 to the shake control unit 106. The shake control unit 106 controls the drive unit 104 in accordance with a control signal from the microcomputer 109, and moves the image sensor 102 in the vertical and horizontal directions perpendicular to the optical axis L by an amount corresponding to the shake correction amount (step). S14). That is, the image sensor 102 moves so that the display range of the image displayed on the display unit 112 until just before the exposure is positioned at the center of the imaging surface of the image sensor 102. Hereinafter, the time from when the electronic correction process is stopped in step S13 to when the exposure operation is started (time for moving the image sensor 102 by the amount corresponding to the shake correction amount) is denoted by Δt.

  When the movement of the image sensor 102 is completed, the microcomputer 109 outputs a control signal to the blur control unit 106 to operate the mechanical correction process (step S15). Immediately after the mechanical correction process is started, the image sensor 102 starts an exposure operation (step S16). The mechanical correction process continues during the exposure period. When the exposure period has elapsed, the image sensor 102 ends the exposure operation (step S17). Subsequently, the microcomputer 109 stops the mechanical correction process in the mechanical correction device 101 (step S18). Thereafter, the digital still camera 10 returns to the operation state after the power is turned on.

  Next, changes in the state (ON / OFF) of each function of the digital still camera 10 will be described with reference to FIG. When the power of the digital still camera 10 is turned on and the digital still camera 10 is activated, an electronic correction process is started. The mechanical correction process remains stopped. When an exposure instruction is input to the exposure instruction unit 113, the electronic correction process is stopped. After Δt after the electronic correction process is stopped, the image sensor 102 moves by an amount corresponding to the shake correction amount in the electronic correction process. At the same time, mechanical correction processing and exposure operation are started. When the exposure period ends, the mechanical correction process is stopped and the electronic correction process is resumed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the electronic correction process operates before an exposure instruction (shooting instruction) is input (before shooting), and when an exposure instruction is input (during shooting). Since the mechanical correction process operates, the composition of the observation optical system can be matched with the composition of the image obtained by photographing. In particular, when the electronic correction process is switched to the mechanical correction process, the switching is performed by starting the mechanical correction process after moving the image sensor 102 by the amount corresponding to the shake correction amount in the electronic correction process. The influence of time lag can be suppressed, and the shake can be surely offset. In addition, wasteful power consumption can be suppressed by using electronic correction processing and mechanical correction processing, both of which consume less power than mechanical correction processing, in combination.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 shows a configuration of the digital still camera 20 according to the present embodiment. In each constituent element used in FIG. 5, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements as those in FIG.

  Hereinafter, each configuration and operation of the digital still camera 20 will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment. The difference between the digital still camera 20 and the first embodiment is that a movable mirror 200, a half mirror 201, an image sensor 202, an optical viewfinder 203, and a determination unit 204 are newly provided. The movable mirror 200 is attached to the main body of the digital still camera 20, and reflects incident light transmitted through the photographing lens 100 to the half mirror 201 side except during the exposure operation of the image sensor 102 (during photographing). In addition, the movable mirror 200 is retracted to a position 200 a in FIG. 5 that is off the optical axis L of the incident light during the exposure operation of the image sensor 102.

  The half mirror 201 is attached to the main body of the digital still camera 20, transmits a part of incident light reflected by the movable mirror 200, and reflects a part of the remaining incident light to the optical viewfinder 203 side. The image sensor 202 is arranged so that incident light that has passed through the half mirror 201 forms an image on the imaging surface of the image sensor 202. Further, the image sensor 202 photoelectrically converts incident light imaged on the imaging surface of the image sensor 202 and outputs the converted image signal to the image signal processing unit 108. The image signal processing unit 108 processes the image signal output from the image sensor 102 during the exposure operation of the image sensor 102, and processes the image signal output from the image sensor 202 except during the exposure operation of the image sensor 102. Thereby, in the digital still camera 20 according to the present embodiment, the composition before photographing can be confirmed by both the optical viewfinder 203 and the display unit 112 except during the exposure operation of the image sensor 102.

  The determination unit 204 determines the magnitude relationship between the value of the output signal of the gyro sensor 107 and a predetermined value (hereinafter referred to as a shake amount A corresponding to the predetermined value). When the output signal of the gyro sensor 107 exceeds a predetermined value, the determination unit 204 outputs a signal to the shake control unit 106, temporarily stops driving of the driving unit 104, and then the driving unit 104 causes the image sensor 102 to Perform centering operation. The centering operation of the image sensor 102 refers to the center position of a range (blur correction range) in which the image sensor 102 can be corrected from the current position, that is, the initial position before the image sensor 102 starts moving for the first time after power-on. Is to move to.

  When a large shake occurs when the image sensor 102 is moved from the center of the shake correction range by the mechanical correction process, even if the image sensor 102 is moved from that state, the image sensor 102 cannot be moved sufficiently, and the shake is caused. There is a possibility that it cannot be offset. Therefore, in this embodiment, in such a case, the image pickup device 102 is once centered in the center of the shake correction range to secure a movable range of the image pickup device 102, and then the shake correction is performed again. .

  Further, the shake control unit 106 can selectively control the low speed driving and the high speed driving. The low speed driving is to move the imaging element 102 by the mechanical correction processing so that the cycle of generating the image signal by the electronic correction processing of the electronic correction processing unit 110 is matched. The high speed driving means that only the image sensor 102 is moved at a higher speed than in the low speed driving.

  Next, the operation at the time of shooting of the digital still camera 20 will be described. First, the operation procedure of the digital still camera 20 will be described with reference to FIG. When the power of the digital still camera 20 is turned on, the digital still camera 20 is activated, and the image sensor 102, the image signal processing unit 108, the electronic correction processing unit 110, and the like start operating. The display unit 112 displays the image that has been subjected to the electronic correction process (step S21). At this time, the image signal output from the image sensor 202 is processed by the image signal processing unit 108 and the electronic correction processing unit 110.

  Subsequently, the microcomputer 109 confirms whether or not the exposure instruction unit 113 is half-pressed (step S22). If it is confirmed that the half-press is not performed, the microcomputer 109 repeats the confirmation until the exposure instruction unit 113 is half-pressed. If it is confirmed that half-pressing has been performed, the microcomputer 109 outputs a control signal to the shake control unit 106 to start low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process (step S23). At this time, based on the shake information detected by the gyro sensor 107, the image sensor 102 moves so that the display range of the image displayed on the display unit 112 is positioned at the center of the imaging surface of the image sensor 102.

  Subsequently, the determination unit 204 determines whether the value of the output signal of the gyro sensor 107 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value corresponding to the blur amount A, that is, whether the blur amount of the main body of the digital still camera 20 is equal to or smaller than the blur amount A. Is determined (step S24). If it is determined that the shake amount of the digital still camera 20 body exceeds the shake amount A, the determination unit 204 outputs a signal to the shake control unit 106 to stop the low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process (step S25). Subsequently, the blur control unit 106 performs a centering operation on the image sensor 102 (step S26), and starts low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process again (step S27).

  If it is determined in step S24 that the blur amount of the main body of the digital still camera 20 is equal to or less than the blur amount A, or if the process of step S27 is performed, the determination unit 204 outputs a signal to the microcomputer 109. Based on this signal, the microcomputer 109 checks whether or not the exposure instruction unit 113 is fully pressed and an exposure instruction is input (step S28). If the microcomputer 109 confirms that no exposure instruction has been input, the process returns to step S22. If it is confirmed that an exposure instruction has been input, the microcomputer 109 outputs a control signal to the electronic correction processing unit 110 to stop the electronic correction processing (step S29).

  Subsequently, the microcomputer 109 outputs a control signal to the blur control unit 106, and switches the mechanical correction processing from low speed driving to high speed driving (step S30). Immediately after the drive of the mechanical correction process is switched, the image sensor 102 starts an exposure operation (step S31). The mechanical correction process continues during the exposure period. When the exposure period has elapsed, the image sensor 102 ends the exposure operation (step S32). Subsequently, the microcomputer 109 stops the mechanical correction process in the mechanical correction device 101 (step S33). Thereafter, the digital still camera 20 returns to the operation state after the power is turned on.

  Next, changes in the state (ON / OFF) of each function of the digital still camera 20 will be described with reference to FIG. When the power of the digital still camera 20 is turned on and the digital still camera 20 is activated, an electronic correction process is started. The mechanical correction process remains stopped. When the exposure instruction unit 113 is half-pressed, low-speed driving of mechanical correction processing is started. When a shake exceeding a predetermined amount occurs during the low speed driving of the mechanical correction process, the low speed driving of the mechanical correction process is stopped, the image sensor 102 is centered, and the low speed driving of the mechanical correction process is resumed. . When the exposure instruction unit 113 is fully pressed, the electronic correction process is stopped and high-speed driving of the mechanical correction process is started. When the exposure period ends, the mechanical correction process is stopped and the electronic correction process is resumed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, before the exposure instruction (shooting instruction) is input (before shooting), the low-speed driving of the electronic correction process and the mechanical correction process operates, and the exposure instruction is input. Since the high-speed driving of the mechanical correction process operates at the time of photographing (at the time of photographing), the composition of the observation optical system and the composition of the image obtained by photographing can be matched. In addition, wasteful power consumption can be suppressed by using electronic correction processing and mechanical correction processing, both of which consume less power than mechanical correction processing, in combination. In particular, the low-speed driving of the electronic correction process and the mechanical correction process operates before the exposure instruction is input. However, the maximum power consumption is higher than the conventional method in which the two mechanical correction processes operate simultaneously. Can be suppressed.

  In addition, since the low-speed driving of the electronic correction processing and the mechanical correction processing are simultaneously driven before shooting and the high-speed driving of the mechanical correction processing is driven at the time of shooting, Δt (electronic type) generated in the first embodiment is used. The exposure operation can be performed immediately after the exposure instruction is input without generating a time from when the correction processing is stopped until the exposure operation is started. That is, in this embodiment, the time lag relating to shooting can be shortened by Δt compared to the first embodiment.

  Further, when the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 main body exceeds a predetermined blur amount A, the image sensor 102 is once centered in the center of the blur correction range, so that the blur correction in the mechanical correction process during the exposure operation is performed. Therefore, the movement range of the image sensor 102 can be ensured, so that the shake correction can be sufficiently performed.

  In general, the speed of performing the correction processing is faster than the electronic correction processing in the mechanical correction processing, so if the electronic correction processing and the mechanical correction processing are driven simultaneously without considering that, Even during a period in which the mechanical correction process is substantially irrelevant to the correction operation (a period from halfway pressing of the exposure instruction unit 113 to the exposure operation), the mechanical correction process performs the correction operation at high speed, Since it is moved, power is wasted. However, in this embodiment, since the movement of the image sensor 102 is controlled by switching between low speed driving and high speed driving before and after the exposure operation, the image sensor 102 is not moved unnecessarily, and low power consumption Can be achieved.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the digital still camera according to this embodiment is the same as that of the digital still camera 20 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the determination unit 204 determines the magnitude relationship between the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 and the blur amount A based on the output signal of the gyro sensor 107, and the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 and the blur amount A magnitude relationship with a shake amount B smaller than A is determined. When the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 exceeds the blur amount A, the low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process is stopped and the image sensor 102 is centered as in the second embodiment. When the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 is equal to or less than the blur amount B, the mechanical correction process is performed when the exposure instruction unit 113 is fully pressed, and the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 is the blur amount B. In the case of exceeding the above, the mechanical correction process operates when the exposure instruction unit 113 is half-pressed.

  Hereinafter, the operation procedure of the digital still camera 20 will be described with reference to FIG. Below, it demonstrates centering on the difference with 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment. When the power of the digital still camera 20 is turned on, the digital still camera 20 is activated, and the image sensor 102, the image signal processing unit 108, the electronic correction processing unit 110, and the like start operating. The display unit 112 displays the image that has been subjected to the electronic correction process (step S41).

  Subsequently, the microcomputer 109 checks whether or not the exposure instruction unit 113 is half-pressed as in the second embodiment (step S42). If it is confirmed that the exposure instruction unit 113 is half-pressed, the microcomputer 109 outputs a control signal to the determination unit 204. Based on this control signal, the determination unit 204 determines whether the value of the output signal of the gyro sensor 107 exceeds a predetermined value corresponding to the shake amount B, that is, the shake amount of the main body of the digital still camera 20 exceeds the shake amount B. Is determined (step S43).

  If the determination unit 204 determines that the amount of shake of the main body of the digital still camera 20 has exceeded the amount of shake B, the microcomputer 109 determines whether the low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process is operating (step S44). . If it is determined that the low-speed drive of the mechanical correction process is not operating, the microcomputer 109 outputs a control signal to the shake control unit 106 to start the low-speed drive of the mechanical correction process (step S45). Thereafter, the photographing operation is performed by the same control as in the second embodiment (steps S48 to S51, S55 to S60).

  In step S43, if the determination unit 204 determines that the amount of blur of the digital still camera 20 body is equal to or less than the amount of blur B, the microcomputer 109 determines whether the low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process is operating. Is determined (step S46). If it is determined that the low-speed drive of the mechanical correction process is operating, the microcomputer 109 outputs a control signal to the shake control unit 106 to stop the low-speed drive of the mechanical correction process (step S47).

  Thereafter, the photographing operation is performed by the same control as in the first embodiment (steps S52 to S60). That is, when the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 exceeds the blur amount B, control is performed with a small time lag during the shooting operation, and when the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 is equal to or less than the blur amount B. Shooting with low power control during shooting operation.

  Next, changes in the state (ON / OFF) of each function of the digital still camera 20 will be described with reference to FIG. In the period P1 in the figure, the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 is less than or equal to the blur amount B, and in the period P2, the blur amount of the digital still camera 20 exceeds the blur amount B at least temporarily. When the power of the digital still camera 20 is turned on and the digital still camera 20 is activated, an electronic correction process is started. The mechanical correction process remains stopped.

  In the period P1, when the exposure instruction unit 113 is fully pressed and an exposure instruction is input, the electronic correction process is stopped. After Δt after the electronic correction process is stopped, the image sensor 102 moves by an amount corresponding to the shake correction amount in the electronic correction process. At the same time, mechanical correction processing and exposure operation are started. When the exposure period ends, the mechanical correction process is stopped and the electronic correction process is resumed.

  In the period P2, when the exposure instruction unit 113 is half-pressed, the low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process is started. If a shake exceeding the blur amount B occurs during the low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process, the low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process is stopped, the centering of the image sensor 102 is performed, and the low-speed driving of the mechanical correction process is performed. Is resumed. When the exposure instruction unit 113 is fully pressed, the electronic correction process is stopped and high-speed driving of the mechanical correction process is started. When the exposure period ends, the mechanical correction process is stopped and the electronic correction process is resumed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, at least an electronic correction process operates before an exposure instruction (shooting instruction) is input (before shooting), and when an exposure instruction is input (during shooting). Since the high-speed driving of the mechanical correction process operates, the composition of the observation optical system and the composition of the image obtained by photographing can be matched. In addition, wasteful power consumption can be suppressed by using electronic correction processing and mechanical correction processing, both of which consume less power than mechanical correction processing, in combination. In particular, in order to switch between control with less time lag and control with less power consumption according to the amount of blurring of the digital still camera 20, the time lag is shorter than in the first embodiment, and more than in the second embodiment. Low power consumption can be achieved.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 shows a configuration of the digital still camera 30 according to the present embodiment. In the constituent elements used in FIG. 10, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements as those in FIGS. 1 and 5, and the description thereof is omitted.

  Hereinafter, each configuration and operation of the digital still camera 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first to third embodiments. The difference between the present embodiment and the first to third embodiments is that the determination unit 204 is eliminated and a mode setting unit 300 is newly provided. The mode setting unit 300 can set a plurality of shooting modes (landscape shooting mode, night view shooting mode, animal shooting mode, etc.) that optimally set shooting parameters according to shooting conditions and the expected state of the subject. The photographing mode can be selected by the photographer operating the mode setting unit 300. When the shooting mode is selected by the photographer, the mode setting unit 300 outputs a signal corresponding to the selected shooting mode to the microcomputer 109.

  Next, an operation procedure of the digital still camera 30 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the control with a small time lag at the time of shooting and the control with a low power consumption are switched according to the comparison result of the blur amount and the blur amount B of the digital still camera 20 (step S43). Is performed according to the shooting mode selected by the mode setting unit 300. More specifically, the microcomputer 109 confirms whether or not the shooting mode (sport mode or the like) in which the subject is expected to move fast is set by the mode setting unit 300 (step S70). When a shooting mode in which the subject is expected to move quickly is set, the microcomputer 109 selects a control with a small time lag at the time of shooting (steps S44 to S45, S48 to S51, S55 to S60), and When the shooting mode in which the subject is expected to move quickly is not set, control with less power consumption during shooting (steps S46 to S47, S52 to S60) is selected.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, at least an electronic correction process operates before an exposure instruction (shooting instruction) is input (before shooting), and when an exposure instruction is input (during shooting). Since the high-speed driving of the mechanical correction process operates, the composition of the observation optical system and the composition of the image obtained by photographing can be matched. In addition, wasteful power consumption can be suppressed by using electronic correction processing and mechanical correction processing, both of which consume less power than mechanical correction processing, in combination. In particular, according to the shooting mode of the digital still camera 30, the control with less time lag and the control with less power consumption are switched at the time of shooting, so that an optimum shooting operation according to the shooting situation can be performed with low power consumption.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 shows the configuration of the digital still camera 40 according to the present embodiment. In the constituent elements used in FIG. 12, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements as those in FIG. 1, FIG. 5, and FIG.

  Hereinafter, each configuration and operation of the digital still camera 40 will be described with a focus on differences from the first to fourth embodiments. The difference between the present embodiment and the first to fourth embodiments is that a motion vector detection unit 400 is newly provided. The motion vector detection unit 400 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13A shows an image based on the image signal of the previous frame one frame before the current time, and FIG. 13B shows an image based on the image signal of the current frame. In order to show that the subject 1300 is moving between frames, the subject 1300 in the previous frame is indicated by a broken line in FIG.

  The motion vector detection unit 400 compares the image signal of the previous frame processed by the image signal processing unit 108 with the image signal of the current frame and the motion of the subject between the previous frame and the current frame based on the comparison result. And the motion vector amount is output to the determination unit 204. The determination unit 204 determines the magnitude relationship between the motion vector amount indicated by the signal output from the motion vector detection unit 400 and a predetermined value (hereinafter referred to as motion vector amount C).

  Next, an operation procedure of the digital still camera 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 14 with a focus on differences from FIG. 8 and FIG. In FIG. 8, the control with a small time lag at the time of shooting and the control with a low power consumption are switched according to the comparison result of the blur amount and the blur amount B of the digital still camera 20 (step S43). In FIG. 11, the two controls are switched according to the shooting mode set by the photographer (step S70).

  In contrast, in FIG. 14, the determination is performed based on the motion vector amount detected by the motion vector detection unit 400. More specifically, the determination unit 204 determines whether or not the motion vector amount detected by the motion vector detection unit 400 exceeds the motion vector amount C (step S80). When the motion vector amount detected by the motion vector detection unit 400 exceeds the motion vector amount C, the microcomputer 109 selects control with a small time lag at the time of shooting, and is detected by the motion vector detection unit 400. If the amount of motion vector is equal to or less than the amount of motion vector C, the microcomputer 109 selects control with less power consumption during shooting.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, at least an electronic correction process operates before an exposure instruction (shooting instruction) is input (before shooting), and when an exposure instruction is input (during shooting). Since the high-speed driving of the mechanical correction processing operates, the composition of the observation optical system and the composition of the image obtained by photographing can be matched. Further, by using both the electronic correction process and the mechanical correction process, which consume less power than the mechanical correction process, it is possible to suppress wasteful power consumption. In particular, it can switch between control with less time lag and control with less power consumption according to the amount of motion vector, so it can perform optimal shooting operation according to the shooting situation with low power consumption without making the photographer aware of it. Can do.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes design changes and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention. . For example, regarding the mechanical correction process, the mechanical correction process for moving the image sensor 102 has been described in each of the above-described embodiments. However, the image sensor 102 is fixed and one lens group that forms an image on the imaging surface of the image sensor 102 is described. Mechanical correction processing may be performed to move the unit (for example, the photographing lens 100) in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the optical axis L.

  Further, in the mechanical correction process of the mechanical correction device 101 and the electronic correction process of the electronic correction processing unit 110, the description has been given using the output of the gyro sensor 107 as blur information used for blur correction of the digital still camera. However, the same effect can be obtained by correcting the blur using the output of the motion vector detection unit 400.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital still camera by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a reference figure for demonstrating the electronic correction | amendment process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of operation | movement of the digital still camera by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation state of each function of the digital still camera by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital still camera by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of operation | movement of the digital still camera by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation state of each function of the digital still camera by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of operation | movement of the digital still camera by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the operation state of each function of the digital still camera by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital still camera by the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the operation | movement of the digital still camera by the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the digital still camera by the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a reference diagram for demonstrating the motion vector detection part in the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the operation | movement of the digital still camera by the 5th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,20,30,40 ... Digital still camera, 100 ... Shooting lens, 101 ... Mechanical correction | amendment apparatus (1st blur correction part), 102, 202 ... Image sensor, 103 ... Position detection unit 104 ... Drive unit 105 ... Mechanical correction processing unit 106 ... Blur control unit 107 ... Gyro sensor (blur measurement unit) 108 ... Image signal processing unit 109 ... Microcomputer (control unit), 110 ... Electronic correction processing unit (second blur correction unit), 111 ... Display control unit, 112 ... Display unit, 113 ... Exposure Instruction unit, 200 ... movable mirror, 201 ... half mirror, 203 ... optical finder, 204 ... determination unit, 300 ... mode setting unit, 400 ... motion vector detection unit

Claims (7)

A shake measurement unit that measures the amount of shake of the device body;
A first blur correction unit that moves at least one of the imaging optical system and the imaging element in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis direction;
A second blur correction unit that generates, from the first image signal corresponding to the image signal from the image sensor, a second image signal in which the blur amount is canceled by image processing;
A display unit for displaying an image based on the second image signal;
A control unit that controls the first blur correction unit and the second blur correction unit to operate at least the second blur correction unit before photographing and to operate at least the first blur correction unit during photographing. An imaging apparatus comprising: The image sensor as a first image sensor,
A second image sensor different from the first image sensor;
2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the first shake correction unit so that only the first imaging element moves except during shooting.   The control unit is configured to move the first shake so that the first image sensor moves when the shake amount measured by the shake measurement unit is larger than a preset first value. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the correction unit is controlled.   The control unit is configured to move the first image sensor to a predetermined position when the amount of blur measured by the blur measurement unit is larger than a preset second value. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein one blur correction unit is controlled.   The control unit generates a second period in which the first blur correction unit moves the first image sensor and the second blur correction unit generates the second image signal, except during shooting. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the second period coincides with the imaging period. A mode setting unit for setting a predetermined mode from a plurality of modes according to the speed of movement of the subject;
The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit controls a timing at which the first shake correction unit functions according to a set mode. A motion vector detection unit for detecting a motion vector of the subject;
6. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a timing at which the first shake correction unit functions according to the motion vector detected by the motion vector detection unit. The imaging device described in 1.

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