Camera apparatus

• US 5,294,991 A
• Filed: 08/30/1991
• Issued: 03/15/1994
• 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): Mancuso, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colaianni, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US07/753,449
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 358/222, 358/227, 358/105, 358/210, 359/555, 359/556, 359/557, 359/554
• US Class Current: 348/208.5
• 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, imaging means for converting an optical image produced by the focusing means into electrical or physicochemical information and issuing or recording the information as an image, means for detecting fluctuations of the apparatus to issue a fluctuation detecting signal, means responsive to the fluctuation detecting signal for issuing an image fluctuation control signal, and means 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:

imaging means for converting an optical image formed thereon into electric or physiochemical information and issuing or recording said information as an image;

focusing means for optically focusing a light beam from and object to form the optical image on said imaging means;

a zoom detector for determining a focal length of the focusing means;

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

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

image fluctuation control means responsive to said image fluctuation control signal for mechanically moving one of said focusing means and said imaging means relative to the other so as to move the optical image formed on said imaging means by substantially f×

tanθ

to thereby suppress a fluctuation of the image due to the fluctuation of said apparatus, where θ

is an angle of fluctuation of said camera apparatus and f is the focal length of said focusing means determined by said zoom detector.

2. A camera apparatus comprising:

a solid-stage image pickup device for converting an optical image formed thereon into electric information and issuing or recording said information as an image;

focusing means for optically focusing a light beam from an object to form the optical image on said solid-stage image pickup device;

a zoom detector for determining a focal length of the focusing means;

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

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

imaging fluctuation control means responsive to said image fluctuation control signal for mechanically moving said solid-state image pickup device in a horizontal or vertical direction so as to move the optical image formed on said solid-state image pickup device by substantially f×

tanθ

to thereby suppress a fluctuation of the image due to the fluctuation of said apparatus, where θ

is an angle of fluctuation of said camera apparatus and f is the focal length of said focusing means determined by said zoom detector.

3. A camera apparatus comprising:

imaging means for converting an optical image formed thereon into electric or physicochemical information and issuing or recording said information as an image;

focusing means for optically focusing a light beam from an object to form the optical image on said imaging means, said focusing means including a means movable for moving said light beam so as to move the optical image formed on said imaging means in a horizontal or vertical direction;

a zoom detector for determining a focal length of the focusing means;

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

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

image fluctuation control means responsive to said image fluctuation control signal for mechanically moving said movable means of said focusing means so as to move the optical image formed on said imaging means by substantially f×

tanθ

to thereby suppress a fluctuation of the image due to the fluctuation of said apparatus, where θ

is an angle of fluctuation of said camera apparatus and f is the focal length of said focusing means determined by said zoom detector.

4. A camera apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said imaging means comprises a solid-state image pickup device on which the optical image is formed by said focusing means for converting the optical image formed thereon into electric information and issuing or recording the electric information as an image.