Image pick-up apparatus and image restoration method

• US 20060017817A1
• Filed: 07/18/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Okubo, Mitsumasa
• Application Number:
  US11/183,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20060017817A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.990
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6842 by controlling the scanning position, e.g. windowing

Abstract

An image pick-up apparatus includes an optical system which forms a subject image. An image pick-up unit obtains image data from the subject image. A monitor displays the image data. A vibration detecting unit detects a vibration at a still image pick-up time. A first vibration correction restores the image data deteriorated by the vibration based on the vibration detecting signal of the time series at the still image pick-up time. A second vibration correction restores the image data deteriorated by the vibration at a through image display time. A vibration correcting controller sets the second vibration correction to be operative in conjunction with the first vibration correction, when the first vibration correction is set to be operative, and sets the second vibration correction to be inoperative in conjunction with the first vibration correction, when the first vibration correction is set to be inoperative.

Claims

1. An image pick-up apparatus comprising:

an optical system which forms a subject image;

an image pick-up unit which obtains image data from the subject image formed by the optical system;

a monitor which displays the image data obtained from the image pick-up unit;

a sequence controller which controls through image display in which the image data is displayed in the monitor while updating the image data obtained by continuously operating the image pick-up unit, and still image pick-up in which the image data obtained by operating the image pick-up unit only once is recorded in an applied recording medium;

a vibration detecting unit which detects a vibration of the image pick-up apparatus;

a vibration detecting signal storage unit which stores a vibration detecting signal of a time series output from the vibration detecting unit during an exposure of the image pick-up unit at the time of still image pick-up; and

a vibration correcting controller which controls a first vibration correction which restores the image data deteriorated by the vibration based on the vibration detecting signal of the time series stored in the vibration detecting signal storage unit at the time of the still image pick-up and a second vibration correction which corrects the image data influenced by the vibration at the time of the through image display and which is different from the first vibration correction, and which sets the second vibration correction to be operative in conjunction with the first vibration correction, when the first vibration correction is set to be operative and which sets the second vibration correction to be inoperative in conjunction with the first vibration correction, when the first vibration correction is set to be inoperative.

2. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second vibration correction shifts relative positions of a plurality of image data obtained in the time series from the image pick-up unit when the image data are displayed in the monitor, thereby restoring the image data.

3. An image pick-up apparatus comprising:

an optical system which forms a subject image;

an image pick-up unit which obtains image data from the subject image formed by the optical system;

a monitor which displays the image data obtained from the image pick-up unit;

a sequence controller constituted to switch;

a still image pick-up mode to display a through image in the monitor while updating the image data obtained by continuously operating the image pick-up unit in a usual state and to perform still image pick-up in which the image data obtained by operating the image pick-up unit only once is recorded in an applied recording medium, when a trigger signal for the image pick-up is input; and

a moving image pick-up mode to display the through image in the monitor while updating the image data obtained by continuously operating the image pick-up unit in the usual state and to perform moving image pick-up in which the image data obtained by continuously operating the image pick-up unit is recorded in the applied recording medium, when the trigger signal for the image pick-up is input;

a vibration detecting unit which detects a vibration of the image pick-up apparatus;

a vibration detecting signal storage unit which stores a vibration detecting signal of a time series, output from the vibration detecting unit, during an exposure of the image pick-up unit in the still image pick-up mode; and

a vibration correcting controller which operates a first vibration correction which restores deterioration by the vibration of the image data based on the vibration detecting signal of the time series stored in the vibration detecting signal storage unit in a case of where the still image pick-up is performed, and which operates a second vibration correction which is different from the first vibration correction in at least one of a case where the still image pick-up mode is set and the through image is displayed and a case where the moving image mode is set.

4. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second vibration correction shifts relative positions of a plurality of image data obtained in the time series from the image pick-up unit thereby correcting the image data.

5. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the vibration correcting controller increases an amount of the shift to be taken at maximum in a case where the moving image pick-up mode is set as compared with that in a case where the still image pick-up mode is set and the through image is displayed.

6. An image pick-up apparatus comprising:

an optical system which forms a subject image;

an image pick-up unit which obtains image data from the subject image formed by the optical system;

a monitor which displays the image data obtained from the image pick-up unit;

a sequence controller constituted to switch a still image pick-up mode to pick up a still image and a moving image pick-up mode to pick up a moving image;

a vibration detecting unit which detects a vibration of the image pick-up apparatus;

a vibration detecting signal storage unit which stores a vibration detecting signal of a time series, output from the vibration detecting unit, during an exposure of the image pick-up unit in the still image pick-up mode; and

a vibration correcting controller which operates a first vibration correction which restores deterioration by the vibration of the image data based on the vibration detecting signal of the time series stored in the vibration detecting signal storage unit in a case of where the still image pick-up is performed, and which operates a second vibration correction which is different from the first vibration correction in at least one of a case where the still image pick-up mode is set and the through image is displayed and a case where the moving image mode is set.

7. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second vibration correction shifts relative positions of a plurality of image data obtained in the time series from the image pick-up unit, thereby correcting the image data.

8. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a setting unit which sets the vibration correcting to be either operative or inoperative in the still image pick-up mode and the moving image pick-up mode,

wherein assuming that an image pick-up range at a time when the vibration correcting is operated in the still image pick-up mode is A, an image pick-up range at a time when the vibration correcting is set to be inoperative is B, and a relation between sizes of the image pick-up ranges is set to B>

A, and assuming that an image pick-up range at a time when the vibration correcting is set to be operative in the moving image pick-up mode is C, an image pick-up range at a time when the vibration correcting is set to be inoperative is D, and a relation between sizes of the image pick-up ranges is set to D>

C, A/B is larger than C/D.

9. An image restoration method comprising:

detecting a vibration to store a vibration detecting signal of a time series at an exposure time in a still image pick-up mode;

allowing a first vibration correction to restore deterioration of image data by the vibration based on the vibration detecting signal at an still image pick-up operation time;

allowing a second vibration correction which is different from the first vibration correction at a through image display operation time;

setting an operation of the second vibration correction in conjunction with the first vibration correction at a through image display time, when the first vibration correction is set to be operative; and

setting a non-operation of the second vibration correction in conjunction with the first vibration correction at the through image display time, when the first vibration correction is set to be inoperative.