Camera shake correcting device

• US 5,210,559 A
• Filed: 03/17/1992
• Issued: 05/11/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohki, Mitsuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Gellner, Michael L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOH, JAE
• Application Number:
  US07/852,714
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 354/430, 354/70, 354/202, 358/222
• US Class Current: 396/55
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/005 Blur detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/238 using non-full search, e.g. three-step search
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/527 Global motion vector estimation
• 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 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51

Abstract

During a signal inputting period while a dynamic image signal of a present field is input, a movement vector detecting circuit 20 calculates a first movement vector V1 of a present field image with respect to a previous field image with a first accuracy. During a vertical blanking period after the signal inputting period, a second movement vector detecting circuit 30 calculates a second movement V2 according to the first movement vector V1 with a second accuracy higher than the first accuracy. A vector adder 34 composes the movement vectors V1 and V2 to obtain a final movement vector Vf. A second control circuit 71 outputs a reading address corresponding to the final movement vector Vf to a field memory 41, and the field memory 41 outputs an image signal corrected in camera shake. Accordingly, a camera shake correction accuracy is greatly improved without almost increasing a scale of a camera shake correcting circuit constructed as a one-chip circuit.

Claims

1. A camera shake correcting device comprising:

a memory for storing a representative image data representing an arbitrary n-th field, where n represents a positive integer;

a first movement vector detecting circuit for searching a corresponding image data corresponding to said representative image data with a first search point density in an (n+i)-th field, where i represents a positive integer, during a signal inputting period as a dynamic image data of said (n+i)-th field and for outputting a displacement of said corresponding image data with respect to said representative image data as a first movement vector;

a field memory for storing said dynamic image data of said (n+i)-th field during said signal inputting period; and

a second movement vector detecting circuit for searching said corresponding image data with a second search point density higher than said first search point density in the vicinity of an end of said first movement vector during a vertical blanking period just after said signal inputting period and for outputting a displacement of said corresponding image data with respect to said representative image data as a final movement vector;

wherein said dynamic image data of said (n+i)-th field stored in said field memory is read by using a reading address shifted according to said final movement vector.

2. The camera shake correcting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second movement vector detecting circuits are replaced by a single movement vector detecting circuit adapted to be controlled in a time sharing fashion such that said first movement vector is output during said signal inputting period and said final movement vector is output during said vertical blanking period.

3. The camera shake correcting device as defined in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said first movement vector to be output during said signal inputting period are provided.

4. The camera shake correcting device as defined in claim 2, wherein a plurality of said first movement vector to be output during said signal inputting period are provided.

5. The camera shake correcting device as defined in claim 1 further comprising a low pass filter for preliminarily smoothing both said representative image data and said corresponding image data for outputting said first movement vector.

6. The camera shake correcting device as defined in claim 2 further comprising a low pass filter for preliminarily smoothing both said representative image data and said corresponding image data for outputting said first movement vector.

7. The camera shake correcting device as defined in claim 3 further comprising a low pass filter for preliminarily smoothing both said representative image data and said corresponding image data for outputting said first movement vector.

8. The camera shake correcting device as defined in claim 4 further comprising a low pass filter for preliminarily smoothing both said representative image data and said corresponding image data for outputting said first movement vector.