JP2006217204A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-sized imaging apparatus that causes no interference between vertical and horizontal directions at correction in the case of achieving a camera-shake corrective function and causes no degradation to a utilizing efficiency of a pixel sensor. <P>SOLUTION: An imaging element 102 includes: photoelectric conversion elements 201 two-dimensionally arranged; and transfer paths 202 for transferring electric charges converted by the photoelectric conversion elements in the vertical and horizontal directions. Motion detection sections 105, 106 detect a motion of the apparatus in the vertical and horizontal directions by using timing pulses at an interval shorter than an exposure time generated by a time management circuit 107. A drive circuit 103 transfers previous electric charges read on the vertical transfer path 202 by a prescribed distance in response to the detected motion. Then new electric charges converted by the photoelectric conversion elements 201 are read at the interval of the timing pulses and added to the previous electric charges transferred on the transfer path. A drive mechanism section 109 moves a position of a photographing lens 101 or the imaging element 102 by a prescribed distance in the horizontal direction with respect to the motion in the horizontal direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus having a camera shake correction function in an imaging apparatus such as a video camera or a digital still camera.

  In image pickup apparatuses such as conventional video cameras and digital still cameras, various types of camera shake correction functions have been proposed and put into practical use. The correction method is classified into an optical correction method and an electronic correction method. The optical correction method detects how much the camera has moved due to camera shake using an acceleration sensor such as a gyroscope, and moves the optical system correction lens in the vertical and horizontal directions within the plane perpendicular to the optical axis by the detected amount of camera shake. Let And it correct | amends so that the shift | offset | difference of the image formation position on image pick-up elements (solid-state image sensors, such as CCD and MOS) may be canceled (for example, refer patent document 1). There is also a method (image sensor shift method) in which the image sensor is moved in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis instead of moving the optical system lens.

  On the other hand, the electronic correction method compares two image signals taken by the image sensor that are temporally changed, detects the blur amount from the positional deviation of the subject, and reads the read position in the image sensor by the detected blur amount. By shifting (image cutout position), correction is performed so that the subject remains at the same position in the readout screen (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  There has also been proposed a method in which the optical correction method and the electronic correction method are combined, the amount of camera shake is obtained from a change in the image signal, and the optical lens is mechanically moved in accordance with this.

JP 10-39357 A JP-A-2-231873

  The above optical correction method requires an actuator for driving the correction lens in the biaxial direction, and becomes a large and expensive due to its complicated structure. In addition, complicated control is required to realize smooth movement of the lens in two directions. That is, if the correction in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are performed simultaneously, mutual interference occurs in the actuator, and it is difficult to control them completely independently. The same can be said for the image sensor shift method.

  On the other hand, the electronic correction method described in Patent Document 2 and the like is advantageous for downsizing and power saving of the apparatus because an actuator is unnecessary. However, since the effective pixel region is reduced and adjusted within the range of the pixel sensor of the image sensor, there is a demerit that the entire light receiving area occupied by the pixel sensor cannot be used as an effective image output range. That is, even if an image sensor with a high pixel count is used, the benefits cannot be obtained. As the amount of correction at the time of camera shake correction is increased, the use efficiency of the pixel sensor is reduced, and the effective size of the screen is reduced.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a compact imaging device that solves the above-described problems and does not interfere with vertical and horizontal directions during correction and does not reduce the use efficiency of a pixel sensor when realizing a camera shake correction function. It is in.

  The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus using two-dimensionally arranged photoelectric conversion elements and an image pickup element having vertical and horizontal transfer paths for transferring charges converted by the photoelectric conversion elements, and an interval shorter than an exposure time. A time management circuit that generates timing pulses at a time, a motion detection unit that detects vertical and horizontal movements of the device at timing pulse intervals, and a photographing lens that forms a subject image on a light receiving surface of an image sensor. A drive mechanism that mechanically moves the position, a drive circuit that reads out the charge from the photoelectric conversion element to the transfer path and generates a drive signal for transferring the charge on the transfer path, a time management circuit, and a motion detector And a control circuit for controlling the drive mechanism and the drive circuit based on the output signal. Depending on the magnitude of the vertical and horizontal movement detected at the timing pulse interval, the previous charge read on the transfer path via the drive circuit is transferred for a predetermined distance for one movement. Then, a new charge is read from the photoelectric conversion element and added thereto. For the other movement, the movement in the two directions is corrected by moving the position of the photographic lens by a predetermined distance via the drive mechanism.

  Alternatively, in the image pickup apparatus of the present invention, the drive mechanism unit mechanically moves the position of the image sensor, and the position of the image sensor is moved by a predetermined distance via the drive mechanism unit with respect to the other movement. To correct.

  Alternatively, the imaging apparatus of the present invention includes a storage unit that temporarily stores the charge signal read from the image sensor, and adjusts and corrects the signal readout timing from the storage unit for the other movement.

  Alternatively, the image pickup apparatus of the present invention includes a filter processing circuit that performs processing of a predetermined filter characteristic on the charge signal read from the image pickup device. For the other movement, the movement detected through the filter processing circuit is Fourier-transformed. Correction is performed by filtering the inverse characteristic of the frequency characteristic obtained by the conversion.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small imaging device without reducing the effective screen size when realizing the camera shake correction function.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an image pickup apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing an internal configuration of the image pickup element in this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method for driving the image pickup element.

  In FIG. 1, a subject image incident from a photographic lens 101 is formed on an image sensor 102 formed of a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD, and converted into a charge signal. The drive circuit 103 generates a drive signal for transferring the charge signal accumulated in the image sensor 102. The charge signal read from the image sensor 102 is subjected to predetermined signal processing by the signal processing circuit 104 and becomes a video signal. The motion detection units 105 and 106 detect the motion of the imaging apparatus due to camera shake or the like in the form of angular velocity or acceleration, and use, for example, a vibration gyro sensor. The motion detector 105 detects the vertical direction and 106 detects the horizontal direction. The time management circuit 107 measures the exposure time and generates a timing signal. The drive mechanism unit 109 is a mechanism (horizontal direction in the figure) that moves the position of the correction lens in accordance with a camera movement signal with respect to the photographing lens 101. The control circuit 108 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, receives a motion signal from the motion detection units 105 and 106 and a timing signal from the time management circuit 107, and outputs a control signal for correcting in the vertical direction to the drive circuit 103. A control signal for performing horizontal correction is sent to the drive mechanism unit 109.

  FIG. 2 shows an internal configuration of the image sensor 102, in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (photodiodes, hereinafter also referred to as “pixels”) 201 are arranged in a matrix of J rows × K columns. Then, K vertical transfer paths 202 that transfer column-unit charge signals read from each pixel 201 in the vertical direction, and horizontal transfer that transfers the charge signals transferred in the vertical transfer paths 202 in the horizontal direction. A path 203 is provided. The number of stages L of the vertical transfer path 202 is larger than the number of pixels J in the vertical direction, and the figure shows a case where three stages are provided between adjacent pixels (that is, L≈3J). The number M of stages of the horizontal transfer path 203 indicates a case where two stages are provided between adjacent pixels (that is, M≈2K). The number of stages between pixels is not limited to this, and may be set as appropriate.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a driving method of the image sensor. FIG. 3A shows the case of the normal readout mode (without camera shake correction), and FIG. 3B shows the case of the camera shake correction mode according to the present invention. Here, for the sake of simplicity, a still image shooting example using an image sensor that outputs progressively driven monochrome signals will be described.

  In the normal readout mode (a), the charges accumulated in each pixel 201 during the appropriate exposure time T (for example, one field) are transferred in the vertical direction by the P → V transfer pulse 301 generated by the drive circuit 103. Read and transfer to path 202.

  Next, the V transfer pulse 302 transfers the charges on the vertical transfer path 202 toward the horizontal transfer path 203 (forward direction) until reaching the horizontal transfer path 203 for each horizontal line. In the case of FIG. 2, since the pixel interval in the vertical direction is three stages, the vertical transfer path 202 is advanced three stages in the forward direction in order to transfer the charge for each line. That is, the V transfer pulse 302a required for one line transfer is three continuous pulses.

  Next, a signal processing circuit which transfers the charge for one line transferred on the horizontal transfer path 203 in the horizontal direction by the H transfer pulse 303 and connects to the end of the horizontal transfer path 203 (for example, 203a). Sweep to 104. The H transfer pulse 303 a required to transfer all charges for the number K of pixels for one horizontal line is a continuous pulse of M stages in the horizontal direction transfer path 203.

  When the horizontal transfer for one line is completed, the vertical transfer of the next line is performed by the next V transfer pulse 302b. Then, the horizontal transfer of the next line is performed by the next H transfer pulse 303b.

  Thereafter, this is repeated, and when the charges of the pixels on the entire screen are transferred (L-stage transfer in the vertical direction), the transfer of all charges in one field is completed. With the above operation, the charge stored in each pixel 201 within the appropriate exposure time can be read out from the image sensor 102.

  Next, in the camera shake correction mode (b), the position of the charge on the transfer path is adjusted according to the size of the camera shake. Here, a case where camera shake repeatedly occurs in the vertical direction of the image sensor within the appropriate exposure time T will be described as an example.

The time management circuit 107 generates a timing pulse 304 (T ₀ , T ₁ ,..., T _N ) every T / N time obtained by dividing the appropriate exposure time T (for example, one field time) into N, and the control circuit 108. Output to.

The vertical direction motion detection unit 105 detects motion due to camera shake within each T / N time for each timing pulse 304, and sends a motion detection signal 305 to the control circuit 108. In the figure, the motion detection signal 305 represents the acceleration in the upward direction on the screen as positive and the acceleration in the downward direction as negative. That is, the period from the timing T ₀ to T ₁ shows the case where the acceleration in the upward direction is received, and the period from the T ₁ to T ₂ receives the acceleration in the downward direction.

  The control circuit 108 receives the timing pulse 304 and the motion detection signal 305 and controls the drive circuit 103 to generate a P → V transfer pulse 306 and a V transfer pulse 307.

The P → V transfer pulse 306 (V ₀ , V ₁ ,..., V _N ) at the time of camera shake correction transfers the charge accumulated in the pixel 201 to the vertical transfer path 202 at the interval T / N of the timing pulse 304. Forward. At this time, the charge before the vertical transfer for each field is completed in the transfer path 202 remains, and the new charge accumulated in the pixel 201 is read and added to the remaining charge.

  In addition, the V transfer pulse 307 at the time of camera shake correction causes the charge on the vertical transfer path 202 to be transferred upward (forward) or downward on the screen according to the motion detection signal 305 generated at the interval T / N of the timing pulse 304. Transfer in the reverse direction for correction. In FIG. 3, F indicates forward transfer, R indicates reverse transfer, and parentheses indicate the number of transfer stages, which correspond to the direction and magnitude of the motion detection signal 305. That is, the charge is transferred in the reverse direction for the upward motion signal, and the charge is transferred in the forward direction for the downward motion. The number of transfer stages is the number of stages corresponding to the amount of movement of the imaging position in the image sensor due to camera shake.

The order of correction transfer and addition of charge is, for example, as a correction for movement within the period from timing T ₀ to T ₁ , after transferring the charge A ₁ stage in the reverse direction, and then the new charge of the pixel 201 at the timing of V ₁ Is added to the vertical transfer path 202. Similarly, as the moved partial correction in the period from T ₁ of the T _2, the charge transfers A _2-stage forward, adding new charges of the pixel 201 to the vertical direction transfer path 202 at the timing of V _2.

  When the correction transfer and addition are performed N times in this way, the appropriate exposure time T is reached and the charge addition for one field period is completed. Thereafter, the charge accumulated in the vertical transfer path 202 is read and transferred. The V transfer pulse 307 and the H transfer pulse 308 used at that time are the same as the V transfer pulse 302 and the H transfer pulse 303 in the normal read mode (a), and the description of the operation is omitted.

  With the above operation, even if the position of the imaged pixel 201 moves in the vertical direction due to camera shake, the charge accumulated during that period is added to the charge at the position to be originally added on the vertical transfer path 202. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate vertical blur.

  Next, camera shake correction in the horizontal direction will be described. The control circuit 108 receives a horizontal motion signal from the horizontal direction motion detection unit 106 every T / N time, and sends a control signal to the drive mechanism unit 109 so as to cancel the horizontal camera shake during that period. The drive mechanism 109 moves the correction lens in the photographic lens 101 by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction to move the horizontal imaging position in the image sensor. As a result, since the position of the pixel on which the subject is supposed to form an image does not change, the camera shake in the horizontal direction can be eliminated.

  The above-described camera shake elimination effect in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction depends on the division number N of the exposure time T, and the influence of camera shake can be reduced to approximately 1 / N.

  In this embodiment, camera shake correction in the vertical direction is electronically performed in the image sensor 102. Therefore, a mechanical correction mechanism in the vertical direction is unnecessary, and the image pickup apparatus can be downsized. That is, since the correction for the photographic lens is only in one direction in the horizontal direction, the correction mechanism is simplified. In addition, since the correction method is a separate system that is independent in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, there is no risk of the vertical and horizontal operations interfering with each other in the correction mechanism, and faithful control is possible.

  Further, in this method, since signals from all the pixels 201 in the image sensor 102 can be used as video signals, the effective pixel area is reduced (screen size is reduced) by adding a camera shake correction function. Absent. Even if the correction amount is increased, the effective pixel area does not change.

  In this embodiment, an electronic method using charge transfer in the image sensor is used for vertical correction, and a mechanical method for moving the photographic lens is used for horizontal correction. A mechanical method can be adopted for correcting the direction, and an electronic method can be adopted for correcting the horizontal direction, and the effect is the same.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the camera shake correction process is performed by equally dividing the appropriate exposure time T by 1 / N by the time management circuit 107 has been described. However, the correction process is performed by dividing the appropriate exposure time T at unequal intervals. Even if it has the same effect. The same applies to the following embodiments.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, the drive mechanism unit 109 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is configured to move the position of the image sensor 102 in the horizontal direction in order to perform horizontal correction. That is, when the imaging position on the image sensor 102 is shaken in the horizontal direction due to camera shake, the image sensor 102 itself is displaced in the horizontal direction parallel to the light receiving surface by that distance. The correction in the vertical direction is performed by an electronic method using charge transfer in the image sensor described in the first embodiment.

  The basic operation of correction is the same as that in the first embodiment. The control circuit 108 receives a horizontal motion signal from the horizontal direction motion detection unit 106 every T / N time, and sends a control signal to the drive mechanism unit 109 so as to cancel the horizontal camera shake during that period. The drive mechanism unit 109 displaces the image sensor 102 by a distance corresponding to camera shake in the horizontal direction to move the imaging position in the image sensor. As a result, since the position of the pixel on which the subject is supposed to form an image does not change, it is possible to eliminate horizontal camera shake.

  Also in the present embodiment, since the camera shake correction in the vertical direction is electronically performed in the image sensor 102, a mechanical correction mechanism in the vertical direction is unnecessary, and the image pickup apparatus can be downsized. In addition, since the correction method is independent between the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, there is no possibility that the operations in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction interfere with each other in the correction mechanism, and faithful control is possible.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the image pickup element is driven instead of driving the photographing lens, the mechanism is further simplified and the apparatus can be further downsized. Further, since it is not necessary to incorporate the drive mechanism unit 109 into the photographing lens 101, a conventional lens can be used as it is, and the lens can be replaced freely. Further, the addition of the camera shake correction function does not reduce the effective pixel area (the screen size is reduced), and the effective pixel area does not change even if the correction amount is increased.

  Also in the present embodiment, as a modification thereof, an electronic method using charge transfer for horizontal correction and a mechanical method for mechanically driving an image sensor for vertical correction can be adopted.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, the horizontal correction in the first and second embodiments is performed electronically using the control circuit 108 and the storage unit 110. The storage unit 110 temporarily stores the video signal being processed by the signal processing circuit 104, and the control circuit 108 controls writing and reading to the storage unit. The correction in the vertical direction is performed by an electronic method using charge transfer in the image sensor as in the first embodiment.

  The control circuit 108 receives the horizontal direction motion detection signal from the horizontal direction motion detection unit 106 every T / N time, integrates this signal N times, and calculates the horizontal direction motion amount within T time. The signal processing circuit 104 temporarily stores, for example, a signal for one horizontal line read from the image sensor 102 in the storage unit 110. When a signal is read from the storage unit 110, the read timing is adjusted according to the amount of motion within the calculated T time. In other words, when a blur occurs in the horizontal direction in the screen, the read start address of the storage unit 110 is advanced or returned. This is done for each horizontal line. With this operation, a camera shake correction function in the horizontal direction is realized.

  In this embodiment, since camera shake is corrected electronically in both the vertical and horizontal directions, a mechanical correction mechanism is not required, and the image pickup apparatus can be further downsized. In addition, since the correction method is a separate system in which the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are independent, there is no possibility that the operations in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction interfere with each other during correction, and faithful control is possible. Further, the effective pixel area is not reduced (screen size is reduced) by adding the camera shake correction function.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the horizontal correction is performed electronically by providing the filter processing circuit 111. The filter processing circuit 111 performs a filtering process on the video signal from the signal processing circuit 104 in accordance with a horizontal motion signal to correct horizontal blur. The correction in the vertical direction is performed by an electronic method using charge transfer in the image sensor as in the first embodiment.

  The signal processing circuit 104 generates a video signal (luminance signal and color signal) from a signal in which vertical blurring output from the image sensor 102 is corrected. The filter processing circuit 111 performs filter processing having a frequency characteristic H (f) on the video signal from the signal processing circuit 104 according to the horizontal motion information output from the control circuit 108. The principle will be described below.

It is assumed that the horizontal direction motion detection unit 106 detects N amount of camera shake motion Δ _k (k = 1 to N) in the horizontal direction at a T / N time interval obtained by dividing one exposure time T into N. The image photographed at this time is regarded as a superposition of images shifted by Δ _k (k = 1 to N) in the horizontal direction. In this way, superimposing a large number of images whose positions are shifted is equivalent to performing a predetermined low-pass filter process on the original image. This low-pass filter characteristic L (f) can be obtained from the motion detection result. Then, the camera shake can be corrected by subjecting the image signal subjected to the camera shake to the filtering process of the inverse characteristic H (f) of the low-pass filter characteristic L (f).

An image signal g (x) _obtained by giving a motion amount Δk to the image signal p (x)
g (x) = Σp (x + Δ _k ) (1)
It becomes. However, x is a horizontal position and takes the sum total from k = 1 to N. The horizontal spatial frequency characteristic of this image is obtained by Fourier transforming the equation (1),
G (f) = P (f ) Σexp (-2πjΔ k · f) ···· (2)
It becomes. G (f) and P (f) are Fourier transforms of g (x) and p (x), respectively. Also,
L (f) = Σexp (-2πjΔ k · f) ···· (3)
Is a term corresponding to the low-pass filter characteristic caused by camera shake. In order to eliminate the influence of L (f), its reverse characteristic is
H (f) ∝ {L (f)} ⁻¹ (4)
The camera shake can be corrected by applying a filter process having a frequency characteristic.

  Also in this embodiment, since the camera shake is corrected electronically in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, a mechanical correction mechanism becomes unnecessary, and the image pickup apparatus can be further downsized. In addition, since the correction method is a separate system in which the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are independent, there is no possibility that the operations in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction interfere with each other during correction, and faithful control is possible. Further, the effective pixel area is not reduced (screen size is reduced) by adding the camera shake correction function.

  In this embodiment, the case where the filter process is performed for the correction in the horizontal direction has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to the correction in the vertical direction. Furthermore, it is possible to correct camera shake by performing two-dimensional filtering in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

  In each of the embodiments described above, for the sake of simplicity, an example using an image sensor that outputs progressively driven black and white signals has been described. However, the present invention is for interlaced image sensors or color signal output in which color filters are arranged. The same effect is obtained for the image sensor. Furthermore, the present invention is effective not only for still image monitoring and moving image shooting, but also for still image shooting that requires long exposure.

  As another embodiment of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention, an imaging apparatus for color video signals will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of the color signal imaging device 102 in this embodiment. A color filter is arranged on the light receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion device (pixel) 201, and these are distinguished by A, B, C, and D. To express. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining charge transfer of the color signal imaging device. The configuration and operation of this embodiment are based on the first embodiment (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3). Hereinafter, an example in which interlace processing of the pixel mixing method is performed will be described.

First, the operation during normal reading will be described. In FIG. 7, the charge stored in the pixel 201 for the appropriate exposure time is transferred to the vertical transfer path 202. Step S401 of FIG. 8 shows the first charge transfer, and transfers the electric charge of the pixel C at the position of Y ₁ in the vertical transfer path 202. Next, step S402 indicates the time when the stage is advanced two steps in the vertical direction. Step S403 shows the second charge transfer, and transfers the charges of the pixels A to position _{Y 3.} Thereby, pixel mixing of the pixels C and A is performed. Further, in the next field, first transfer the charges of the pixels A to Y ₃ in the vertical transfer channel 202, transfer which advances two stages, the charge of the pixel C when the electric charge of the pixel A came to Y ₁ to Y ₁ To do. Thereby, pixel mixing is performed. Interlace is realized by changing the pixel to be transferred first for each field.

  The charges on the vertical transfer path 202 are transferred to the horizontal transfer path 203 line by line, and are performed by the V transfer pulse 302 shown in FIG. In this embodiment, in order to transfer charges for each line, the vertical transfer path 202 is advanced by four stages. Further, the transfer in the horizontal transfer path 203 is performed by the H transfer pulse 303 in FIG. When transfer of the charges of all lines is completed, reading for one field is completed.

  Next, the operation at the time of camera shake correction will be described. Here, the control circuit 108 in FIG. 1 controls the drive circuit 103 to transfer the charge on the vertical transfer path 202 in the forward direction or the reverse direction in accordance with the detected vertical movement. At this time, the V transfer pulse 307 of FIG. 3 is generated in units of the minimum number of moving stages depending on the repetition cycle in the vertical direction of the color filter in consideration of the interlace relationship and the combination of pixel mixture. In the case of the present embodiment, if the minimum number of moving stages is two or four, the interlace relationship and the pixel mixture combination can be normally executed. Thereafter, a new charge is added to the transfer-corrected charge, and the operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

  According to the present embodiment, the effect described in the first embodiment can be realized also in the image pickup apparatus for color video signals.

Further, another embodiment of the imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described. The basic configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3). However, when the amount of movement in the vertical direction reaches the predetermined value (threshold value X ₀ ), the timing signal is corrected. It is intended to be performed at any time regardless of. The control circuit 108 detects the motion amount is compared with the threshold value X _0, when the motion amount has reached the threshold value X _0, and controls to emit a correction signal extraordinary to the drive circuit 103. This threshold X ₀ may be set based on compensable transfer stages of the vertical transfer path 202. Note for comparison between the motion amount and the threshold value X _0, may be provided separately comparator.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a driving method of the image sensor in the present embodiment, which is a partial modification of FIG. In this figure, it is assumed that the level of the motion detection signal 505 exceeds a threshold value X ₀ between timing signals T ₃ and T ₄ , for example. At that time, the drive circuit 103 generates a temporary transfer pulse V _x as the P → V transfer pulse 506 and generates a temporary transfer pulse R (A _x ) as the V transfer pulse 507. Number A _x is, for example, correctable number of transfer stages corresponding to the threshold value X _0. As a result, even if the movement exceeds the threshold value X ₀ generated in the timing interval can be performed at any time correction processing.

  Immediately after the temporary transfer pulse is generated and the temporary correction is performed as described above, if the timing signal generated by the time management circuit 107 is reset or preset to a certain value, the correction processing is performed in time. Has the effect of equalization.

  According to this embodiment, even when an excessive camera shake occurs within the time obtained by dividing the exposure time T by 1 / N, a good image can be obtained by faithfully correcting the camera shake. This can be applied to each embodiment including the first embodiment.

  The arrangement of the pixel array and the transfer path in the image sensor described in each of the above embodiments is an example, and the present invention can be applied to an image pickup apparatus using an image sensor having another array configuration. In each embodiment, it goes without saying that the vertical and horizontal correction methods can be interchanged, and an imaging apparatus having a configuration in which the embodiments are appropriately combined is also possible.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an imaging apparatus according to the present invention. The figure which shows the internal structure of the image pick-up element in a present Example. 4A and 4B illustrate a method for driving an image sensor in the present embodiment. The block diagram which shows the other Example of the imaging device by this invention. The block diagram which shows the other Example of the imaging device by this invention. The block diagram which shows the other Example of the imaging device by this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a color signal imaging element in the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating charge transfer in FIG. 7. 4A and 4B illustrate another driving method of the image sensor in the present embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Shooting lens, 102 ... Imaging device, 103 ... Drive circuit, 104 ... Signal processing circuit, 105 ... Vertical direction motion detection part, 106 ... Horizontal direction motion detection part, 107 ... Time management circuit, 108 ... Control circuit (microcomputer) DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 109 ... Drive mechanism part 110 ... Memory | storage part 111 ... Filter processing circuit 201 ... Photoelectric conversion element (photodiode), 202 ... Vertical transfer path, 203 ... Horizontal transfer path, 304,504 ... Timing pulse, 305 , 505 ... Motion detection signal, 306, 506 ... P → V transfer pulse, 307, 507 ... V transfer pulse, 308, 508 ... H transfer pulse.

Claims (6)

In an image pickup apparatus using two-dimensionally arranged photoelectric conversion elements and an image pickup element having vertical and horizontal transfer paths for transferring charges converted by the photoelectric conversion elements,
A time management circuit for generating timing pulses at intervals shorter than the exposure time;
A motion detector that detects vertical and horizontal motions of the device at the timing pulse interval;
A drive mechanism that mechanically moves the position of a photographic lens that forms a subject image on the light receiving surface of the image sensor;
A drive circuit for reading out charges from the photoelectric conversion element to the transfer path and generating a drive signal for transferring charges on the transfer path;
A control circuit for controlling the drive mechanism unit and the drive circuit based on the time management circuit and an output signal from the motion detection unit;
Depending on the magnitude of the movement in the two directions, vertical and horizontal, detected at the timing pulse interval, for one movement, the previous charge read onto the transfer path via the drive circuit is a predetermined distance. Transfer and add a new charge to the photoelectric conversion element, and move the photographing lens in the two directions by moving the position of the photographic lens by a predetermined distance via the drive mechanism for the other movement. An imaging device characterized by correcting the above. In an image pickup apparatus using two-dimensionally arranged photoelectric conversion elements and an image pickup element having vertical and horizontal transfer paths for transferring charges converted by the photoelectric conversion elements,
A time management circuit for generating timing pulses at intervals shorter than the exposure time;
A motion detector that detects vertical and horizontal motions of the device at the timing pulse interval;
A drive mechanism that mechanically moves the position of the image sensor;
A drive circuit for reading out charges from the photoelectric conversion element to the transfer path and generating a drive signal for transferring charges on the transfer path;
A control circuit for controlling the drive mechanism unit and the drive circuit based on the time management circuit and an output signal from the motion detection unit;
Depending on the magnitude of the movement in the two directions, vertical and horizontal, detected at the timing pulse interval, for one movement, the previous charge read onto the transfer path via the drive circuit is a predetermined distance. Transfer and add a new charge to the photoelectric conversion element, and move the position of the image sensor by a predetermined distance via the drive mechanism for the other movement. An imaging device characterized by correcting the above. In an image pickup apparatus using two-dimensionally arranged photoelectric conversion elements and an image pickup element having vertical and horizontal transfer paths for transferring charges converted by the photoelectric conversion elements,
A time management circuit for generating timing pulses at intervals shorter than the exposure time;
A motion detector that detects vertical and horizontal motions of the device at the timing pulse interval;
A drive circuit for reading out charges from the photoelectric conversion element to the transfer path and generating a drive signal for transferring charges on the transfer path;
A storage unit for temporarily storing a charge signal read from the image sensor;
A control circuit for controlling the drive circuit and the storage unit based on the time management circuit and an output signal from the motion detection unit;
Depending on the magnitude of the movement in the two directions, vertical and horizontal, detected at the timing pulse interval, for one movement, the previous charge read onto the transfer path via the drive circuit is a predetermined distance. And transferring the new charge from the photoelectric conversion element and adding it thereto, and adjusting the signal reading timing from the storage unit for the other movement to correct the movement in the two directions. An imaging device. In an image pickup apparatus using two-dimensionally arranged photoelectric conversion elements and an image pickup element having vertical and horizontal transfer paths for transferring charges converted by the photoelectric conversion elements,
A time management circuit for generating timing pulses at intervals shorter than the exposure time;
A motion detector that detects vertical and horizontal motions of the device at the timing pulse interval;
A drive circuit for reading out charges from the photoelectric conversion element to the transfer path and generating a drive signal for transferring charges on the transfer path;
A filter processing circuit for processing a predetermined filter characteristic on the charge signal read from the image sensor;
A control circuit for controlling the drive circuit and the filter processing circuit based on the time management circuit and an output signal from the motion detector;
Depending on the magnitude of the movement in the two directions, vertical and horizontal, detected at the timing pulse interval, for one movement, the previous charge read onto the transfer path via the drive circuit is a predetermined distance. A new charge is read out from the photoelectric conversion element and added to this, and the other motion is subjected to Fourier transform on the detected motion via the filter processing circuit. An image pickup apparatus that corrects movements in the two directions by performing processing. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The image pickup device is a color signal image pickup device in which a color filter is arranged on a light receiving surface of each photoelectric conversion device,
The image pickup apparatus, wherein the drive circuit transfers charges with a repetition cycle in the transfer path direction of the color filter of the image sensor as a minimum unit of transfer distance. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When the amount of motion detected by the motion detection unit reaches a threshold value, the control circuit writes the previous charge read onto the transfer path via the drive circuit, as needed, regardless of the timing pulse. An imaging apparatus that controls to transfer a distance corresponding to a threshold value.

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