Image capturing apparatus

• US 20060087562A1
• Filed: 03/15/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Photo Imaging Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakanishi, Hideaki, Teramoto, Tougo, Kojima, Kazuhiko, Hasegawa, Hiroaki, Morinaga, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 7,450,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.120
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/682 Vibration or motion blur correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/687 by shifting the lens or sensor position
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming

Abstract

The image capturing apparatus extracts and records an effective image Ap from a captured image Ao obtained by imaging of incident light from a subject on an image capturing element by an optical system composed of optical members. When an angle of view of an image that is to be recorded is large, the image capturing apparatus adjusts an angle of view of the effective image Ap by an optical zoom unit and records the effective image Ap while correcting camera shake by a mechanical camera-shake correction unit. Only when a magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image Ao is maximal, the image capturing apparatus further adjusts the angle of view of the effective image Ap by an electronic zoom unit and records the effective image Ap while correcting camera shake by an electronic camera-shake correction unit.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus with an optical system composed of optical members for forming an image of a subject, the image capturing apparatus comprising:

an optical zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view by movement of at least one optical member of the optical system;

an image capturing element for carrying out photoelectric exchange for the image of the subject formed by the optical system and thereby obtaining a captured image;

a recording unit for extracting an effective image from the captured image and recording the effective image;

an electronic zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view of the effective image by changing an area in which the effective image is extracted from the captured image;

a shake detection unit for detecting an amount of shake of the image capturing apparatus;

a mechanical camera-shake correction unit for moving at least one of the optical members of the optical system and the image capturing element on basis of the amount of shake detected by the shake detection unit and thereby correcting camera shake;

an electronic camera-shake correction unit for shifting a position where the effective image is extracted from the captured image and thereby correcting camera shake; and

a control unit for controlling the image capturing apparatus;

wherein the control unit adjusts the angle of view by optical zooming and records the effective image while carrying out camera-shake correction with use of the mechanical camera-shake correction unit until a magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image is maximized, and

the control unit adjusts the angle of view by electronic zooming and records the effective image while carrying out camera-shake correction with use of the electronic camera-shake correction unit after until the magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image is maximized.

2. An image capturing apparatus with an optical system composed of optical members for forming an image of a subject, the image capturing apparatus comprising:

an optical zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view by movement of at least one optical member of the optical system;

an image capturing element for carrying out photoelectric exchange for the image of the subject formed by the optical system and thereby obtaining a captured image;

a recording unit for extracting an effective image from the captured image and recording the effective image;

an electronic zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view of the effective image by changing an area in which the effective image is extracted from the captured image;

a shake detection unit for detecting an amount of shake of the image capturing apparatus;

a mechanical camera-shake correction unit for moving at least one of the optical members of the optical system and the image capturing element on basis of the amount of shake detected by the shake detection unit and thereby correcting camera shake;

an electronic camera-shake correction unit for shifting a position where the effective image is extracted from the captured image and thereby correcting camera shake; and

a control unit for controlling the image capturing apparatus,

wherein the control unit corrects camera shake by the mechanical camera-shake correction unit and records the effective image when a ratio in size of the effective image to the captured image is larger than a given value, and

the control unit corrects camera shake by the electronic camera-shake correction unit and records the effective image when the ratio in size of the effective image to the captured image is not larger than the given value.

3. An image capturing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the angle of view of the effective image is adjusted by the optical zoom unit and the effective image is recorded while camera shake is corrected by the mechanical camera-shake correction unit when the angle of view of the image that is to be recorded is large, and

the angle of view of the effective image is further adjusted by the electronic zoom unit and the effective image is recorded only when a magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image is maximal.

4. An image capturing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the angle of view of the effective image is adjusted by the electronic zoom unit and the effective image is recorded when the angle of view of the image that is to be recorded is large, and

the angle of view of the effective image is further adjusted by the optical zoom unit and the effective image is recorded while camera shake is corrected by the electronic camera-shake correction unit only when the area in which the effective image is extracted by the electronic zoom unit is minimal.

5. An image capturing apparatus with an optical system composed of optical members for forming an image of a subject, the image capturing apparatus comprising:

an optical zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view by movement of at least one optical member of the optical system;

an image capturing element for carrying out photoelectric exchange for the image of the subject formed by the optical system and thereby obtaining a captured image;

a recording unit for extracting an effective image from the captured image and recording the effective image;

an electronic zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view of the effective image by changing an area in which the effective image is extracted from the captured image;

a shake detection unit for detecting an amount of shake of the image capturing apparatus;

a mechanical camera-shake correction unit for moving at least one of the optical members of the optical system and the image capturing element on basis of the amount of shake detected by the shake detection unit and thereby correcting camera shake;

an electronic camera-shake correction unit for shifting a position where the effective image is extracted from the captured image and thereby correcting camera shake; and

a control unit for controlling the image capturing apparatus,

wherein the control unit records the effective image while correcting camera shake by the mechanical camera-shake correction unit when an angle of view of an image to be recorded is larger than a first upper limit angle of view such that a ratio in size of the effective image to the captured image becomes a given first ratio when the angle of view is adjusted by the electronic zoom unit with a minimized magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image,

the control unit records the effective image while correcting camera shake by the electronic camera-shake correction unit when an angle of view of an image to be recorded is not larger than the first upper limit angle of view,

the control unit adjusts the angle of view of the effective image by the electronic zoom unit and records the effective image when an angle of view of an image to be recorded is larger than a second upper limit angle of view such that the ratio in size of the effective image to the captured image becomes a given second ratio when the angle of view is adjusted by the electronic zoom unit with the minimized magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image,

the control unit fixes the ratio in size of the effective image to the captured image at the second ratio by the electronic zoom unit, adjusts the angle of view of the effective image by the optical zoom unit, and records the effective image when an angle of view of an image to be recorded is not larger than the second upper limit angle of view and larger than a lower limit angle of view such that the ratio in size of the effective image to the captured image becomes the second ratio when the angle of view is adjusted by the electronic zoom unit with the maximized magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image, and

the control unit fixes the magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image at a maximal value, adjusts the angle of view of the effective image by the electronic zoom unit, and records the effective image when an angle of view of an image to be recorded is not larger than the lower limit angle of view.

6. An image capturing apparatus with an optical system composed of optical members for forming an image of a subject, the image capturing apparatus comprising:

an optical zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view by movement of at least one optical member of the optical system;

an image capturing element for carrying out photoelectric exchange for the image of the subject formed by the optical system and thereby obtaining a captured image;

a recording unit for extracting an effective image from the captured image and recording the effective image;

an electronic zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view of the effective image by changing an area in which the effective image is extracted from the captured image;

a shake detection unit for detecting an amount of shake of the image capturing apparatus;

a mechanical camera-shake correction unit for moving at least one of the optical members of the optical system and the image capturing element on basis of the amount of shake detected by the shake detection unit and thereby correcting camera shake;

an electronic camera-shake correction unit for shifting a position where the effective image is extracted from the captured image and thereby correcting camera shake; and

a control unit for controlling the image capturing apparatus,

wherein the control unit adjusts the angle of view of the effective image by the electronic zoom unit and records the effective image while correcting camera shake by the mechanical camera-shake correction unit when an angle of view of an image to be recorded is larger than a first upper limit angle of view such that a ratio in size of the effective image to the captured image becomes a given first ratio when the angle of view is adjusted by the electronic zoom unit with a minimized magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image,

the control unit adjusts the ratio of the effective image to the captured image by the electronic zoom unit so that the ratio changes continuously from the first ratio to a second ratio, adjusts the angle of view by the optical zoom unit, and records the effective image while correcting camera shake by the electronic camera-shake correction unit when an angle of view of an image to be recorded is not larger than the first upper limit angle of view and larger than a lower limit angle of view such that the ratio in size of the effective image to the captured image becomes the given second ratio when the angle of view is adjusted by the electronic zoom unit with a maximized magnification of the optical zoom unit for the captured image, and

the control unit fixes the magnification of the optical zoom unit at the maximal value, adjusts the angle of view of the effective image by the electronic zoom unit, and records the effective image while correcting camera shake by the electronic camera-shake correction unit when an angle of view of an image to be recorded is not larger than the lower limit angle of view.

7. An image capturing apparatus with an optical system composed of optical members for forming an image of a subject, the image capturing apparatus comprising:

an optical zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view by movement of at least one optical member of the optical system;

an image capturing element for carrying out photoelectric exchange for the image of the subject formed by the optical system and thereby obtaining a captured image;

a recording unit for extracting an effective image from the captured image and recording the effective image;

an electronic zoom unit capable of changing an angle of view of the effective image by changing an area in which the effective image is extracted from the captured image;

a shake detection unit for detecting an amount of shake of the image capturing apparatus;

a mechanical camera-shake correction unit for moving at least one of the optical members of the optical system and the image capturing element on basis of the amount of shake detected by the shake detection unit and thereby correcting camera shake;

an electronic camera-shake correction unit for shifting a position where the effective image is extracted from the captured image and thereby correcting camera shake; and

a control unit for controlling the image capturing apparatus,

wherein the control unit carries out adjustment of angle of view with use of the electronic zoom unit in ranges on wide-end side and on telephoto-end side and carries out adjustment of angle of view with use of the optical zoom unit in a middle range when the angle of view is adjusted, and

the control unit carries out camera-shake correction with use of the mechanical camera-shake correction unit in an electronic zoom range on the wide-end side in which electronic camera-shake correction cannot be carried out, when camera shake is corrected.