Unintentional Hand Movement Canceling Device and Imaging Apparatus

• US 20090251547A1
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xacti Corporation (Office Support KK)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatanaka, Haruo
• Granted Patent: US 7,633,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.300
• 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 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6815 by distinguishing pan or tilt from motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/683 performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory

Abstract

Provided is an unintentional hand movement canceling device, comprising: swing detecting means detecting a swing of an image; and a correction quantity generating means generating a correction quantity to calculate a correction position based on a swing quantity detected by the swing detection means, a damping coefficient of a swing quantity for controlling a characteristic of a non-corrected residue percent at a swing frequency and a damping center for controlling a centering velocity at which a correction position is caused to move to an initial position before correction, the correction quantity having a variable characteristic of a non-corrected residue percent at a frequency of the swing and a variable centering velocity at which a correction position is caused to move to an initial position before correction, wherein the correction quantity generating means includes means updating the damping center based on a preset damping coefficient of the damping center.

Claims

1. An unintentional hand movement canceling device, comprising:

swing detecting means detecting a swing of an image;

state discriminating means discriminating a swing state due to an intentional camera motion by a cameraman or a camerawomen from an unintentional hand movement state;

a first correction quantity generating means, when it is determined by the state discriminating mean that a current state is an unintentional hand movement state, generating a correction quantity to calculate a correction position based on a swing quantity detected by the swing detection means, a damping coefficient of a swing quantity for controlling a characteristic of a non-corrected residue percent at a swing frequency and a damping center for controlling a centering velocity at which a correction position is caused to move to an initial position before correction, the correction quantity having a variable characteristic of a non-corrected residue percent at a swing frequency and a variable centering velocity at which a correction position is caused to move to an initial position before correction,

a second correction quantity generating means, when it is determined that a current state is an intentional camera motion by a cameraman or a camerawomen, adopting a correction quantity of the immediately proceeding frame as a correction quantity for calculating a correction position; and

means, when it is detected by the state discriminating means that an intentional camera motion by a cameraman or a camerawomen has changed to an unintentional hand movement state, setting a damping center to a correction position corresponding to the correction quantity at that time,

wherein the first correction quantity generating means includes means to update the damping center based on a preset damping coefficient of the damping center.

2. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

swing detecting means detecting a swing of an image;

state discriminating means discriminating a swing state due to an intentional camera motion by a cameraman or a camerawomen from an unintentional hand movement state;

a first correction quantity generating means, when it is determined by the state discriminating mean that a current state is an unintentional hand movement state, generating a correction quantity to calculate a correction position based on a swing quantity detected by the swing detection means, a damping coefficient of a swing quantity for controlling a characteristic of a non-corrected residue percent at a swing frequency and a damping center for controlling a centering velocity at which a correction position is caused to move to an initial position before correction, the correction quantity having a variable characteristic of a non-corrected residue percent at a swing frequency and a variable centering velocity at which a correction position is caused to move to an initial position before correction,

a second correction quantity generating means, when it is determined that a current state is an intentional camera motion by a cameraman or a camerawomen, adopting a correction quantity of the immediately proceeding frame as a correction quantity for calculating a correction position; and

means, when it is detected by the state discriminating means that an intentional camera motion by a cameraman or a camerawomen has changed to an unintentional hand movement state, setting a damping center to a correction position corresponding to the correction quantity at that time,

wherein the first correction quantity generating means includes means to update the damping center based on a preset damping coefficient of the damping center.