Image sensing system and its control method

• US 20050157180A1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Published: 07/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akihisa Horiuchi, Koji Takahashi
• Original Assignee: Akihisa Horiuchi, Koji Takahashi
• Inventors: Takahashi, Koji, Horiuchi, Akihisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,679,645 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.990
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/663 for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/675 comprising setting of focusing regions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/687 by shifting the lens or sensor position
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation

Abstract

In an image sensing system having an image sensing optical system, and an image sensing element for photoelectrically converting incoming light from the image sensing optical system, a predetermined pattern image for adjustment, which is specified in advance, is read by the image sensing element, and the image sensing element is driven to adjust its position on the basis of an output from said image sensing element, thereby adjusting the relative position of the image sensing element with respect to the image sensing optical system prior to an image sensing operation.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. An image sensing system comprising:

an image sensing element for photoelectrically converting incoming light from an image sensing optical system;

a memory for storing information that pertains to a relative position between said image sensing element and the image sensing optical system; and

an adjuster for adjusting a position of said image sensing element,

wherein said adjuster drives based on the information read out from said memory to adjust the relative position of said image sensing element with respect to the image sensing optical system.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said adjuster comprises a driver for changing a tilt of said image sensing element.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein said driver changes a position of said image sensing element.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein said memory stores an adjustment amount of said image sensing element from a predetermined position, and

said adjuster adjusts in accordance with the adjustment amount stored in said memory.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said memory stores the adjustment amount used to correct a tilt of an optical axis of the image sensing optical system with respect to a reference plane.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein said memory stores the adjustment amount used to correct a tilt of said image sensing element with respect to a reference line.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the image sensing optical system comprises:

a field angle adjustment lens; and

a field angle manipulation unit for manipulating a field angle.

18. The system according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined relative state is a state in which an optical axis of the image sensing optical system is normal to a light-receiving surface of said image sensing element.

19. The system according to claim 9, wherein the image sensing optical system is exchangeable.

15. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

20. A method of controlling an image sensing system which comprises an image sensing element for photoelectrically converting incoming light from an image sensing optical system, wherein information that pertains to a relative position of the image sensing element with respect to the image sensing optical system is stored, and a position adjuster is controlled to adjust the relative position of the image sensing element with respect to the image sensing optical system on the basis of the information.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein upon the adjustment, a tilt of the image sensing element is changed.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein upon the adjustment, a position of the image sensing element is changed.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein the image sensing system comprises a memory that stores an adjustment amount of the image sensing element from a predetermined position, and

the adjustment is done based on the adjustment amount read out from the memory.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the memory stores the adjustment amount used to correct a tilt of an optical axis of the image sensing optical system with respect to a reference plane.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the memory stores the adjustment amount used to correct a tilt of the image sensing element with respect to a reference line.

27. The method according to claim 20, wherein the image sensing optical system comprises:

a field angle adjustment lens; and

a field angle manipulation unit for manipulating a field angle.

30. The method according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined relative state is a state in which an optical axis of the image sensing optical system is normal to a light-receiving surface of the image sensing element.

26. (canceled)

28-29. -29. (canceled)

31-44. -44. (canceled)

45. An image sensing optical system which is detachably attached to an image sensing apparatus having an image sensing element, comprising:

a plurality of lenses; and

a memory that stores an adjustment amount used to correct a tilt of an optical axis of said image sensing optical system with respect to a reference plane to have a predetermined relative state.

46. The system according to claim 45, wherein the predetermined relative state is a state in which the optical axis of said image sensing optical system is normal to the reference plane.

48. The system according to claim 45, wherein said plurality of lenses include a field angle adjustment lens, and

said memory stores an adjustment amount for each of a plurality of field angles.

47. (canceled)

49-76. -76. (canceled)

77. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in said medium configured to control an image sensing system which comprises an image sensing element for photoelectrically converting incoming light from an image sensing optical system, said product including:

first computer readable program code configured to control a position adjuster to adjust the relative position of the image sensing element with respect to the image sensing optical system on the basis of information, stored in advance, that pertains to a relative position of the image sensing element with respect to the image sensing optical system.

78. (canceled)