SHAKE CORRECTION CONTROL CIRCUIT AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE SAME

• US 20090160952A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Semiconductor Company Limited (ON Semiconductor Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakakuki, Toshio, Watanabe, Tomofumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,098,286 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.400
• 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 23/683 performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6842 by controlling the scanning position, e.g. windowing

Abstract

An optical shake correction unit corrects an optical axis in response to an output signal of an vibration detecting element. An electronic shake correction unit adaptively varies an effective region in image signals of an image pickup region formed by image pickup devices. A control unit performs control such that either the optical shake correction unit or the electronic shake correction unit is enabled by switching between a first image pickup mode and a second image pickup mode.

Claims

1. A shake correction control circuit, comprising:

an optical shake correction unit which corrects an optical axis in response to an output signal of an vibration detecting element;

an electronic shake correction unit which adaptively varies an effective region in image signals of an image pickup region formed by image pickup devices; and

a control unit which switches modes between a first image pickup mode and a second image pickup mode,

wherein said control unit performs control such that either said optical shake correction unit or said electronic shake correction unit is enabled by switching between the first image pickup mode and the second image pickup mode.

2. A shake correction control circuit according to claim 1, wherein said electronic shake correction unit varies adaptively the effective region in response to the output signal of the vibration detecting element.

3. A shake correction control circuit according to claim 2, wherein said optical shake correction unit generates a vibration-component signal indicating an amount of movement of an image pickup apparatus, in response to the output signal of the vibration detecting element, and

wherein said electronic shake correction unit varies the effective region based on the vibration-component signal received from said optical shake correction unit.

4. A shake correction control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first image pickup mode is moving image pickup mode, and the second image pickup mode is still image pickup mode, and

wherein when the mode is switched to the first image pickup mode from the second image pickup mode, said control unit moves the effective region to a center.

5. A shake correction control circuit according to claim 2, wherein the first image pickup mode is moving image pickup mode, and the second image pickup mode is still image pickup mode, and

wherein when the mode is switched to the first image pickup mode from the second image pickup mode, said control unit moves the effective region to a center.

6. A shake correction control circuit according to claim 3, wherein the first image pickup mode is moving image pickup mode, and the second image pickup mode is still image pickup mode, and

wherein when the mode is switched to the first image pickup mode from the second image pickup mode, said control unit moves the effective region to a center.

7. A shake correction control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the first image pickup mode is a moving image pickup mode, and the second image pickup mode is a still image pickup mode, and

wherein said control unit enables the electronic shake correction unit when the mode is the moving image pickup mode;

and said control unit enables the optical shake correction unit when the mode is the still image pickup mode.

8. A shake correction control circuit according to claim 7, wherein the moving image pickup mode is a mode where moving images are picked up to display a preview prior to the pickup of a still image.

9. A image pickup apparatus including a shake correction control circuit according to claim 1.