Imaging Device

• US 20080129832A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: MATSUBARA, Hiroki
• Application Number:
  US11/948,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20080129832A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/684 performed by controlling the image sensor readout, e.g. by controlling the integration time

Abstract

An imaging device comprising an image sensor, a shutter release button, and a microcontroller. On detecting that the shutter release button is pressed, the microcontroller calculates camera shake cycle based on both displacement per unit time of an attention area between each taken image and the time when the each image was taken. Based on the calculated camera shake cycle, the microcontroller controls timing of imaging so as to take an image at the time when effect of the camera shake is at a minimum. Thus, the imaging device can reduce the effect on the image caused by the camera shake without a sensor only for detecting the camera shake, as compared to the conventional imaging device.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

an image sensor for receiving and converting light from a subject into electronic signals;

image conversion means for converting the electronic signals converted by the image sensor into images;

operating means having a shutter release button;

control means for controlling each component in the imaging device;

camera shake cycle calculating means for calculating camera shake cycle based on both displacement per unit time of an attention area between each image converted by the image conversion means and the time when the each image was taken; and

imaging timing control means for controlling timing of imaging so as to take an image at the time when effect of the camera shake is at a minimum, based on the camera shake cycle calculated by the camera shake cycle calculating means.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising shutter release button detection means for detecting whether the shutter release button is pressed,

wherein the camera shake cycle calculating means calculates the camera shake cycle when the shutter release button detection means detects that the shutter release button is pressed.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising shutter release button detection means for detecting whether the shutter release button is pressed,

wherein the operating means further has a mode switching button for switching on/off of the image stabilization mode,

the camera shake cycle calculating means calculates the camera shake cycle when the shutter release button detection means detects that the shutter release button is pressed, in a state where the mode switching button is previously set on so as to switch on the image stabilization mode.