IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20150256756A1
• Filed: 11/19/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: SAKURAI, Mikio
• Granted Patent: US 9,998,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/689 Motion occurring during a rolling shutter mode

Abstract

Provided is an imaging apparatus which corrects uneven exposure caused when a sensor-shift image stabilization and an electronic front curtain reset are used concurrently. The imaging apparatus includes: a camera shake detector configured to detect a camera shake; an imaging device configured to capture a subject image; an image stabilizer configured to move the imaging device in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis; an electronic front curtain configured to reset electric charges accumulated in the imaging device; a mechanical shutter configured to switch between blocking and passing of a subject image to be collected onto the imaging device; and an image stabilization controller configured to produce an image stabilization signal from the camera shake detected by the camera shake detector and configured to control the image stabilizer. The image stabilization controller controls the imaging device to move to a specified position and then controls the electronic front curtain to operate in response to the shooting instruction.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a camera shake detector configured to detect a camera shake;

an imaging device configured to capture a subject image;

an image stabilizer configured to move the imaging device in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis;

an electronic front curtain configured to reset electric charges accumulated in the imaging device;

a mechanical shutter configured to switch between blocking and passing of a subject image to be collected onto the imaging device; and

an image stabilization controller configured to produce an image stabilization signal from the camera shake detected by the camera shake detector and configured to control the image stabilizer,

wherein the image stabilization controller controls the imaging device to move to a specified position and then controls the electronic front curtain to operate in response to the shooting instruction.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image stabilization controller controls the imaging device to move to a specified position along a scanning direction of the electronic front curtain in response to the shooting instruction.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image stabilization controller controls a rotation direction of the imaging device to move to a specified position in response to the shooting instruction.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specified position is an initial position of the imaging device.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specified position is a position in which vertical unevenness of exposure of the imaging device is within 0.6 EV from an initial position of the imaging device.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image stabilization controller controls the imaging device to move to the specified position when the imaging device is not within a specified position range and the imaging device not to move when the imaging device is within the specified position range in response to the shooting instruction.