JP2882427B2 - Imaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a video camera and a TV.
The present invention relates to an imaging device such as a camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Video cameras are becoming smaller and lighter due to the practical use of solid-state imaging devices, and are rapidly becoming popular due to their high magnification and multifunctionality. In recent years, exposure control and focus control have been automated, and photographing failures due to these controls are small.
However, a video camera is usually used in a hand-held posture, and the possibility of camera shake increases with the reduction in weight and size. It is not an exaggeration to say that the screen always shakes in the case of a hand-held device, and the deterioration in image quality due to such screen shake and the discomfort such as video sickness have become problems.

As means for suppressing or eliminating such screen shake, US Pat. No. 2,959,088 and No. 2,829.
As described in US Pat. No. 557, a self-supporting correction optical system based on inertial force is arranged, and a camera shake is corrected so that image blur is corrected by inertial action. A configuration using an optical eccentric device is known. These are basically for decentering the optical axis of the photographing optical system in a direction to cancel the shake of the photographing apparatus main body.
The variable apex angle prism has, for example, a configuration in which two transparent plates separated in the optical axis direction are closed with bellows, and a liquid having a predetermined refractive index is filled therein. The photographic optical axis is decentered by tilting with respect to a plane perpendicular to the (optical axis at the neutral position).

Further, as a configuration for correcting blurring by image signal processing, an image pickup device having an image pickup area larger than a normal display area is used, and image pickup is performed in accordance with camera shake detected by image signal processing from the output of the image pickup device. A blur correction device or an image stabilizing device that selects an image area for video output from among the outputs of the elements has been proposed and put into practical use.

[0005]

In the latter case of blur correction by image signal processing, an image pickup device having a number of horizontal and vertical pixels exceeding the normal number of horizontal and vertical pixels is used, or an image sensor having a normal number of horizontal and vertical pixels is used. In the case of an image sensor, image signal processing for enlarging the output is required. In any case, image information that is not normally used for blur correction is secured, and the area other than the range necessary for blur correction is discarded. Of course, a larger circuit than usual must be prepared for an image processing circuit for processing a large amount of image information. In other words, there are excessive image information and excessive image signal processing circuits, and these are used only at the time of blur correction.

In a conventional example using an optical axis decentering means such as a variable apex angle prism, when the blur correction is not performed, the variable apex angle prism becomes a neutral optical system and merely causes a light quantity loss. Instead, they are playing, so to speak.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a photographing apparatus that makes effective use of elements and information that have not been used when blur correction is not performed.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photographing apparatus comprising: a shake detecting means for detecting a shake of the apparatus;
The motion of the image due to the blur is compensated based on the output of the output means.
Correction blur correction means and the position of the subject image in the screen
Object position detecting means for detecting
Anti-shake mode for controlling the shake correction means based on output
And a subject detected by the subject position detecting means.
According to the distance information between the position information and the screen center position,
By controlling the shake correcting means, the position of the subject image is
Tracking mode, which is controlled to keep the
Operable control means .

[0009]

[0010]

According to the above-mentioned means, the object tracking function can be realized by using elements and circuits which are not used when the blur correction is not performed. Since the elements and circuits used elsewhere are diverted, new functions can be incorporated at low cost.

[0011]

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

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a photographing apparatus using a variable apex angle prism as a shake correction apparatus. Reference numeral 10 denotes a variable apex angle prism (VAP), 12 denotes an actuator (for example, a coil that generates an electromagnetic driving force) that changes the apex angle of the variable apex angle prism 10, and 14 denotes a drive circuit of the actuator 12. Reference numeral 16 denotes an apex angle sensor that measures the apex angle of the variable apex angle prism 10, and 18 denotes an apex angle detection circuit that outputs a signal indicating the apex angle of the variable apex angle prism 10 from the output of the apex angle sensor 16.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a photographing optical system, and reference numeral 21 denotes an image pickup device. Reference numeral 22 denotes a shake sensor which includes an angular velocity sensor and an angular acceleration sensor and detects camera shake in the horizontal and vertical directions. The blur sensor 22 is fixed to a lens barrel of the photographing optical system 20. Reference numeral 24 denotes a camera shake detection circuit for detecting the amount of camera shake from the output of the shake sensor 22, and 26 performs a known camera signal processing such as gamma correction on the photoelectric conversion signal from the image sensor 21 and outputs a standard format video signal. A camera / process circuit 28 is an output terminal for a video signal of a captured image.

Reference numeral 30 denotes an object detection sensor for detecting an object which the photographer is looking at, that is, an object to be tracked;
Reference numeral 2 denotes a subject coordinate detection circuit that calculates a subject coordinate position from the output of the sensor 30. With the sensor 30 and the subject coordinate detection circuit 32, the coordinate position of the subject viewed by the photographer can be known. Such a device is, for example,
And Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2415111. A corneal reflection method and an EOG method are known academically as methods for determining the direction of the line of sight from the movement of the eyeball.

Reference numeral 34 denotes an anti-vibration switch for setting an anti-vibration mode; 36, a tracking switch for setting a tracking mode; and 38, a control circuit for controlling the whole. The control circuit 38 operates in the anti-shake mode when the anti-shake switch 34 is on, and operates in the tracking mode when the anti-shake switch 34 is off and the tracking switch 36 is on.

First, the operation in the image stabilization mode will be briefly described. The camera shake detection circuit 24 outputs a signal indicating the amount of camera shake in the horizontal and vertical directions to the control circuit 38 from the output of the shake sensor 22. The apex angle detection circuit 18 outputs a signal indicating the current apex angle of the variable apex angle prism 10 to the control circuit 38 from the output of the apex angle sensor 16. Control circuit 38
Calculates the difference between the circuits 18 and 24 and supplies the difference to the actuator drive circuit 14 as a shake correction signal. The drive circuit 14 causes the actuator 12 to change the apex angle of the variable apex angle prism 10. By this feedback control, the variable apex angle prism 10 decenters the photographing optical axis by an amount corresponding to camera shake,
Correct camera shake. As a result, an image signal without blur is output from the image sensor 21, processed by the camera / process circuit 26, and output from the output terminal 28.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart mainly showing the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in the tracking mode. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram when the tracking mode is not operating (OFF) (A) and when the tracking mode is operating (ON) (B). In FIG. 3, reference numeral 40 denotes a subject, 42 denotes a display screen of a monitor device connected to the output terminal 28 and displaying an image of an output video signal of the camera / process circuit 26. The center coordinates of the monitor screen 42 are set to (Xo,
Yo).

Referring to FIG. First, the loop variable n is initialized (S1), and the anti-vibration switch 34 and the tracking switch 3 are set.
6 is checked (S2, 4), and when the anti-vibration switch 34 is on, the apparatus operates in the above-described anti-vibration mode (S3), and when both the anti-vibration switch 34 and the tracking switch 36 are off (S2).
2, 4), the anti-shake mode and the tracking mode are both turned off, and the process proceeds to a main routine (not shown) (S5). If the anti-shake switch 34 is off and the tracking switch 36 is on (S4), It operates in the following tracking mode. That is, the object coordinates (X, Y) detected by the object sensor 30 and the object position detection circuit 32 are read (S
6), the distance (ΔX, Δ) from the center coordinates (Xo, Yo)
Y) is calculated (S7). Constant k for distance (ΔX, ΔY)
To obtain drive currents Ix and Iy for the actuator 12 (S8). In accordance with the control signal from the control circuit 38, the drive circuit 14 drives the actuator 12 with the drive currents Ix and Iy.
Drive. The loop variable n is incremented, and the process returns to S2 (S9).

By driving the variable apex angle prism 10 in the tracking mode as described above, when the tracking mode is not operated, for example, as shown in FIG. However, when the tracking mode is operated, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), it is located at the center of the monitor screen 42. When blur correction is not performed, a new function can be added using the idle variable apex prism 10 that is idle.

Next, a description will be given of an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a photographing apparatus which performs blur correction by image signal processing. In the blur correction by image signal processing, conceptually, as shown in FIG.
The output image area 46 is appropriately moved in a direction to eliminate camera shake, and image information in the output image area 46 is cut out to form an output video signal. For example, the output image area 46 shown by the solid line is moved to the area shown by the broken line according to the amount and direction of camera shake.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the embodiment. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. 5
0 is shown as a captured image information area 44 in FIG.
An image sensor having more horizontal and vertical pixels than usual,
52, an A / D converter for digitizing the output of the image sensor 50; 54, an image memory for storing the output image data of the A / D converter 52; 56, a D for converting the image data read from the image memory 54 to analog; An / A converter 58, a camera process circuit similar to the camera process circuit 26, a video signal output terminal 60 for a captured image, and a control circuit 62 for controlling the whole.

The output of the image sensor 50 is digitized by an A / D converter 52 and stored in an image memory 54.
At the time of camera shake correction, that is, during image stabilization, the control circuit 62 controls the storage area 46 from which image data is read out on the image memory 54 in accordance with the camera shake amount and direction detected by the camera shake detection circuit 18. The image data read from the area 46 selected according to the camera shake amount and the direction is D
The signal is converted into an analog signal by the / A converter 56. The camera / process circuit 58 performs well-known signal processing, and outputs the signal to the output terminal 60 as a video signal.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart mainly showing the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in the tracking mode. First, the loop variable n is initialized (S11), and the anti-vibration switch 34 and the tracking switch 36 are checked (S12, 14).
Is operated in the above-described image stabilization mode (S1).
3) If both the anti-vibration switch 34 and the tracking switch 36 are off (S12, 14), both the anti-vibration mode and the tracking mode are turned off, and the process proceeds to a main routine (not shown) (S15). When the switch 34 is off and the tracking switch 36 is on (S14), the system operates in the following tracking mode. That is, the object coordinates (X,
Y) is read (S16), and the distance (ΔX, ΔY) from the center coordinates (Xo, Yo) is calculated (S7).

The control circuit 62 moves the read range in the horizontal and vertical directions by an amount corresponding to the distance (ΔX, ΔY) on the image memory 54, and reads image data to be output (S8). That is, as in the case of the blur correction, the output image area 46 is moved by an amount corresponding to the distance (ΔX, ΔY) in the image information area 44 shown in FIG. 6, and the image data in the moved area 46 is read out. It is supplied to the A converter 56. The image signal analogized by the D / A converter 56 is processed by the camera / process circuit 58 and output from the output terminal 60 as a video signal.

The loop variable n is incremented, and S1
It returns to 2 (S19).

[0026]

As can be easily understood from the above description, according to the present invention, a circuit and an optical element used for blur correction can be utilized when blur correction is not performed, and a subject tracking function can be added. . New functions can be incorporated at low cost by using unused elements and circuits.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart in a tracking mode of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an effect of the tracking mode in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration block diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart in a tracking mode of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a principle diagram of image stabilization in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Variable apex angle prism (VAP) 12: Actuator 14: Actuator drive circuit 16: Apex angle sensor 18: Apex angle detection circuit 20: Photographing optical system 21: Image sensor 22: Shake sensor 24: Camera shake detection circuit 26: Camera・ Process circuit 28: output terminal 3
0: subject sensor 32: subject coordinate detection circuit 34:
Anti-vibration switch 36: Tracking switch 40: Subject 4
2: Monitor display screen 44: Captured image information area 4
6: Output image area 50: Image sensor 52: A / D converter 54: Image memory 56: D / A converter 58: Camera / process circuit 60: Output terminal 62: Control circuit

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] (1)A shake detecting means for detecting shake of the device; An image based on the blur based on the output of the blur detection means
Shake correction means for correcting the movement of Subject position detection that detects the position of the subject image in the screen
Delivery means, Based on the output of the shake detecting means.
The anti-shake mode to be controlled and the subject position detection means
Between the subject position information detected and the screen center position
The blur correction means is controlled in accordance with the separation information to control
Tracking mode to control the position to be held at the center of the screen
And control means capable of selectively setting Features
Photographing device.