Camera apparatus

• US 5,062,696 A
• Filed: 02/17/1989
• Issued: 11/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Igarashi, Yoshiaki, Mitani, Hiroshi, Oshima, Mitsuaki, Izaki, Masataka, Kajino, Jirou
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan, James
• Application Number:
  US07/312,057
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 350/500, 350/244, 358/222, 358/78, 358/148, 358/154, 358/158, 358/109, 354/430
• US Class Current: 359/554
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/005 Blur detection
• 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 23/6815 by distinguishing pan or tilt from motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6842 by controlling the scanning position, e.g. windowing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/687 by shifting the lens or sensor position
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/443 by reading pixels from selected 2D regions of the array, e.g. for windowing or digital zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/626 Reduction of noise due to residual charges remaining after image readout, e.g. to remove ghost images or afterimages

Abstract

A camera apparatus comprising focusing means for optically focusing a beam of light from an object, an imaging element for converting an optical image produced by the focusing means into electrical or physiocochemical information and issuing or recording the information as an image, detectors for detecting fluctuations of the apparatus to issue a fluctuation detecting signal, controllers responsive to the fluctuation detecting signal for issuing an image fluctuation control signal, and suppressors responsive to the image fluctuation control signal for suppressing fluctuations of the image due to the fluctuations of the apparatus.

Claims

1. A camera apparatus comprising:

focusing means for optically focusing a light beam from an object;

imaging means for converting an optical image produced by the focusing means into electric or physiochemical information and issuing or recording the information as an image;

means for detecting a fluctuation of the camera apparatus and issuing a fluctuation detecting signal;

means responsive to the fluctuation detecting signal for issuing an image fluctuation control signal;

means responsive to the image fluctuation control signal for suppressing a fluctuation of the image due to the fluctuation of the apparatus;

said imaging means comprising means for photoelectrically converting the optical image produced by said focusing means into image information, electric readout means for reading out the image information, and means for issuing an image-dependent electric signal, said electric readout means being controllable by said image fluctuation control signal issuing means dependent on information from said detecting means.

2. The camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electric readout means is controllable by said image fluctuation control signal issuing means dependent on zoom ration of said focusing means.

3. The camera apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electric readout means is controllable by said image fluctuation control signal issuing means dependent on an angle of the fluctuation of the apparatus so that the image on an optical focusing surface in said imaging means will be equivalently moved substantially f×

tan θ

when the apparatus fluctuates, where θ

is the angle of the fluctuation of the apparatus detected by said detecting means and f is a focal length of said focusing means.

4. A camera apparatus comprising:

focusing means optically focusing a light beam from an object;

imaging means for converting an optical image produced by the focusing means into electric or physiochemical information and issuing or recording the information as an image;

means for detecting a fluctuation of the camera apparatus and issuing a fluctuation detecting signal;

means responsive to the fluctuation detecting signal for issuing an image fluctuation control signal;

means responsive to the image fluctuation control signal for suppressing a fluctuation of the image due to the fluctuation of the apparatus;

said imaging means having an electron image pickup tube having an electron beam controllable in horizontal and vertical deflections by said image fluctuation control signal issuing means for varying a scanning range of said electron beam dependent on the fluctuation detecting signal from said detecting means; and

said image fluctuation control signal issuing means has a horizontal scanning speed increasing means for increasing the horizontal scanning speed by controlling the horizontal deflection of said electron beam during a vertical blanking period, and a vertical scanning amplitude increasing means for increasing a vertical scanning amplitude by controlling the vertical deflection of said electron beam; and

wherein said imaging means comprises means for photoelectrically converting the optical image produced by said focusing means into image information, and electric readout means for reading out the image information, said electric readout means being controllable by said image fluctuation control signal issuing means dependent on an angle of the fluctuation of the apparatus so that the image on an optical focusing surface in said imaging means will be equivalently moved substantially f×

tan θ

when the apparatus fluctuates, where θ

is the angle of the fluctuation of the apparatus detected by said detecting means and f is a focal length of said focusing means.