IMAGING APPARATUS AND A CONTROL METHOD OF THE IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20100208080A1
• Filed: 07/23/2008
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsutani, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,264,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/188
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light indicating depth of field G03B13/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/56 Accessories carrying-cases A45C11/38
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 43/00 Testing correct operation of photographic apparatus or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes an image pickup device, a device that obtains an image from the image pickup device, a sensor that detects a roll angle of the sensor, wherein the sensor detects a reference roll angle of the sensor when the imaging apparatus is disposed at a predetermined roll angle, a device that calculates a reference roll angle of the image pickup device by using a reference image from the image pickup device when the imaging apparatus is disposed at the predetermined roll angle and a device that corrects a roll angle of the sensor by calculating a relative roll angle from the reference roll angle of the image pickup device and the reference roll angle of the sensor.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

an image pickup device;

a device that obtains an image from the image pickup device;

a sensor that detects a roll angle of the sensor, wherein the sensor detects a reference roll angle of the sensor when the imaging apparatus is disposed at a predetermined roll angle;

a device that calculates a reference roll angle of the image pickup device by using a reference image from the image pickup device when the imaging apparatus is disposed at the predetermined roll angle; and

a device that corrects a roll angle of the sensor by calculating a relative roll angle from the reference roll angle of the image pickup device and the reference roll angle of the sensor.

2. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the device calculates the reference roll angle of the image pickup device by using the reference image that is obtained by photographing a chart having feature points, when the imaging apparatus is disposed in a horizontal position.

3. An imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device that stores information of the relative roll angle or information of variables for deriving the relative roll angle.

4. An imaging apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising

a comparison device that compares the information stored in the storage device with information of a detected roll angle of the sensor.

5. An imaging apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the relative roll angle is respectively calculated when the imaging apparatus is disposed at predetermined roll angles, and the storage device stores information of the calculated relative roll angles.

6. An imaging apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the relative roll angle is respectively calculated when the imaging apparatus is disposed at predetermined roll angles, and the storage device stores information of the calculated relative roll angles.

7. An imaging apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the device corrects the roll angle of the sensor by using the information of the relative roll angles stored in the storage device according to an orientation of the imaging apparatus.

8. A method of obtaining a roll angle of an imaging apparatus, comprising:

obtaining an image from an image pickup device;

detecting a roll angle of a sensor incorporated in the imaging apparatus, further detecting a reference roll angle of the sensor when the imaging apparatus is disposed at a predetermined roll angle;

calculating a reference roll angle of the image pickup device by using a reference image from the image pickup device when the imaging apparatus is disposed at the predetermined roll angle; and

correcting a roll angle of the sensor by calculating a relative roll angle from the reference roll angle of the image pickup device and the reference roll angle of the sensor.

10. A method of obtaining a roll angle of an imaging apparatus according to claim 8 or claim 9, comprising:

storing in a storage device information of the relative roll angle or information of variables for deriving the relative roll angle.

11. A method of obtaining a roll angle of an imaging apparatus according to claim 10, comprising:

comparing the information stored in the storage device with information of a detected roll angle of the sensor.

13. A method of obtaining a roll angle of an imaging apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the relative roll angle is respectively calculated when the imaging apparatus is disposed at predetermined roll angles, and the storage device stores information of the calculated relative roll angles.

14. A method of obtaining a roll angle of an imaging apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the roll angle of the sensor is corrected by using the information of the relative roll angles stored in the storage device according to an orientation of the imaging apparatus.

9. A method of obtaining a roll angle of an imaging apparatus, comprising:

calculating a roll angle of an image pickup device by using an image from the image pickup device;

detecting a roll angle of a sensor incorporated in the imaging apparatus;

calculating a relative roll angle from the roll angle of the image pickup device and the roll angle of the sensor; and

correcting a roll angle of the sensor by using the relative roll angle.

12. A method of obtaining a roll angle of an imaging apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the relative roll angle is respectively calculated when the imaging apparatus is disposed at predetermined roll angles, and the storage device stores information of the calculated relative roll angles.