PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS

• US 20090245770A1
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Uenaka, Yukio
• Granted Patent: US 7,903,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• 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

Abstract

A photographic apparatus comprises a movable platform and a controller. The movable platform has an imager, and is movable and rotatable in an xy plane. The controller performs a movement control of the movable platform for an inclination correction based on an inclination angle of the photographic apparatus formed by rotation of the photographic apparatus around the optical axis, as measured with respect to a level plane, for a first stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by yaw, and for a second stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by pitch. The controller performs a determination of whether the inclination correction is to be performed, on the basis of a first hand-shake quantity caused by yaw for the first stabilization, a second hand-shake quantity caused by pitch for the second stabilization, and the inclination angle.

Claims

1. A photographic apparatus comprising:

a movable platform which has an imager that captures an optical image through a taking lens, and is movable and rotatable in an xy plane perpendicular to an optical axis of said taking lens; and

a controller that performs a movement control of said movable platform for an inclination correction based on an inclination angle of said photographic apparatus formed by rotation of said photographic apparatus around said optical axis, as measured with respect to a level plane perpendicular to the direction of gravitational force, for a first stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by yaw around the y direction, and for a second stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by pitch around the x direction, said x direction being perpendicular to said optical axis, and said y direction being perpendicular to said x direction and said optical axis;

said controller performing a determination of whether said inclination correction is to be performed, on the basis of a first hand-shake quantity caused by yaw that is calculated for said first stabilization, a second hand-shake quantity caused by pitch that is calculated for said second stabilization, and said inclination angle.

2. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller performs said determination on the basis of a first relationship between a first movable range and a first movement quantity and a second relationship between a second movable range and a second movement quantity;

said first movable range is the remaining movable range of said movable platform in said x direction after the translational movement of said movable platform for said first stabilization;

said first movement quantity is the movement quantity of said movable platform in said x direction corresponding to the rotational movement of said movable platform for said inclination correction;

said second movable range is the remaining movable range of said movable platform in said y direction after the translational movement of said movable platform for said second stabilization; and

said second movement quantity is the movement quantity of said movable platform in said y direction corresponding to the rotational movement of said movable platform for said inclination correction.

3. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an acceleration sensor that detects a first gravitational component and a second gravitational component, said first gravitational component being the component of gravitational acceleration in said x direction, and said second gravitational component being the component of gravitational acceleration in said y direction;

wherein said controller calculates said inclination angle, on the basis of a magnitude relation between the absolute value of said first gravitational component and the absolute value of said second gravitational component, and performs a movement control of said movable platform for said inclination correction based on said inclination angle.

4. The photographic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controller calculates said inclination angle by performing an arcsine transformation on the smaller of the absolute value of said first gravitational component and the absolute value of said second gravitational component.

5. The photographic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said x direction is perpendicular to the direction of gravitational force and said y direction is parallel to the direction of gravitational force when said photographic apparatus is held horizontally and either an upper surface or a lower surface of said photographic apparatus faces upward;

and

said x direction is parallel to the direction of gravitational force and said y direction is perpendicular to the direction of gravitational force when said photographic apparatus is held vertically and one of either side surfaces of said photographic apparatus faces upward.

6. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller performs said movement control of said movable platform for at least one of said first and second stabilizations with said inclination correction being prohibited, when said inclination angle is greater than a variable that changes in accordance with at least one of the first and second hand-shake quantities.

7. A photographic apparatus comprising:

a movable platform which has an imager that captures an optical image through a taking lens, and is movable and rotatable in an xy plane perpendicular to an optical axis of said taking lens; and

a controller that performs a movement control of said movable platform for a first stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by yaw around the y direction, for a second stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by pitch around the x direction, and for a third stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by roll around the z direction, said x direction being perpendicular to said optical axis, said y direction being perpendicular to said x direction and said optical axis, said z direction being parallel to said optical axis;

said controller performing a determination of whether said third stabilization is to be performed, on the basis of a first hand-shake quantity caused by yaw that is calculated for said first stabilization, a second hand-shake quantity caused by pitch that is calculated for said second stabilization, and a third hand-shake quantity caused by roll that is calculated for said third stabilization.