Imaging apparatus with means for detecting and preventing hand shake

• US 5,307,113 A
• Filed: 09/03/1992
• Issued: 04/26/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Egawa, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W. B.
• Application Number:
  US07/939,412
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 354/430, 354/266, 354/237, 354/238.1, 354/239, 354/195.1, 354/195.12, 354/400, 354/401, 354/402, 354/403, 354/408, 354/409, 354/267.1, 358/105, 358/222, 359/554
• US Class Current: 396/54
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2207/005 involving control of motion blur
• 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 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/682 Vibration or motion blur correction

Abstract

The present patent application discloses an imaging apparatus having actuating means for starting picking-up of an image, image blur detecting means for detecting the blurring state of the image resulting from the operation of the actuating means, and setting means responsive to the output of the image blur detecting means for setting a time which lasts until an image recording starts.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

(A) actuating means for starting picking-up of an image;

(B) image blur detecting means responsive to the operation of said actuating means for detecting the blurring state of the image; and

(C) setting means responsive to the output of said image blur detecting means for setting a time which lasts until the start of an image recording.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising speed detecting means for detecting the speed of movement of said actuating means, and wherein said setting means includes means responsive to the output of said speed detecting means for changing the time to be set.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image blur detecting means includes variation degree detecting means for detecting the degree of variation of the image between when in a first position of said actuating means and when in a second position thereof.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said variation degree detecting means includes computer means for computing the sum of the brightness differences each for a picture element between the image in the first position of said actuating means and the image in the second position of said actuating means to obtain said degree of variation.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said setting means includes means for increasing the time to be set as the speed detected by said speed detecting means increases.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means includes means for increasing the time to be set as the degree of image blur detected by said image blur detecting means increases.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising speed detecting means for detecting the speed of movement of said actuating means, wherein said setting means includes means for increasing the time to be set as the speed detected by said speed detecting means increases.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising alarm signal output means responsive to an output state of said image blur detecting means for producing an alarm signal.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image blur detecting means includes variation degree detecting means for detecting the degree of variation of the image between first and second times.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means includes means for changing the time to be set in response to light from an object to be photographed.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said setting means includes means for shortening the time to be set in response to increase of the intensity of light from the object.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said setting means includes means for changing the time to be set in response to the object distance.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said setting means includes means for increasing the time to be set in response to increase of the object distance.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image blur detecting means includes means for changing the detecting area in response to change of the object distance.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said image blur detecting means includes means for narrowing the detecting area of the image in response to increase of the object distance.

16. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said setting means includes means for shortening the time to be set in response to increase of the intensity of light from the object.

17. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said setting means includes means for increasing the time to be set in response to increase of the object distance.

18. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said variation degree detecting means includes computer means for computing the sum of the brightness differences each for a picture element between the image at said first time and the image at said second time to obtain said degree of variation.

19. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

(A) distance measuring means for measuring an object distance and providing object distance output; and

(B) hand-shake preventing means for preventing hand-shake influenced photography, said hand shake preventing means changing its operational manner in response to said output of said distance measuring means, said hand-shake preventing means including timer means for changing a time until a start of photographing in response to an output of said distance measuring means.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said hand-shake preventing means includes means for increasing a degree of operation thereof in response to increasing of said object distance.

21. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

(A) distance measuring means for measuring an object distance and providing object distance output; and

(B) hand-shake detecting means for detecting a hand-shake influenced state of a picture image, said detecting means changing a zone of the picture image to be detected in response to said output of said distance measuring means.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21 wherein said hand-shake detecting means includes means for narrowing the zone of the picture image to be detected in response to increase of the object distance.

23. An apparatus for image recording or a camera comprising:

(A) image recording means for recording an image;

(B) blur detecting means for detecting a blur state;

(C) delay means for delaying a time when said image recording means starts recording the image in response to said blur detecting means;

(D) operation means for actuating said image recording means and said blur detecting means; and

(E) speed detecting means for detecting an operation speed of said operation means, and wherein said delay means includes means for changing the delay time in response to said speed detecting means.

24. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 23, wherein said delay means includes means for increasing the delay as the operation speed detected by said speed detecting means increases.

25. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 23, wherein said blur detecting means includes variation degree detecting means for detecting a degree of variation of the image between when in a first state of said operation means and when in a second state thereof.

26. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 25, wherein said variation degree detecting means includes computer means for computing a sum of the brightness differences for an image picture element between the image in the first state of said operation means and the image in the second state of said operation means to obtain said degree of variation.

27. An apparatus for image recording or a camera comprising:

(A) image recording means for recording an image;

(B) blur detecting means for detecting a blur stage; and

(C) delay means for delaying a time when said image recording means starts recording the image in response to said blur detecting means, said blur detecting means including variation degree detecting means for detecting a degree of variation of the image between a first time and a second time.

28. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 27 further comprising operation means for actuating said image recording means and said blur detecting means.

29. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 28, wherein said operation means is arranged to actuate both said image recording means and said blur detecting means in a predetermined operation state of said operation means.

30. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 29, wherein said blur detecting means includes means for performing the blur detecting operation a predetermined time after said operation means is operated in said predetermined operation state.

31. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 29, wherein said blur detecting means includes variation degree detecting means for detecting a degree of variation of the image between a time when said operation means is operated in the predetermined operation state and a time thereafter.

32. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 27, wherein said blur detecting means includes means for performing the blur detecting operation for a predetermined time.

33. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 27, wherein said delay means includes means for increasing the delay time as a degree of blur detected by said blur detecting means increases.

34. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 27, further comprising alarm signal output means producing an alarm signal, in response to said blur detecting means.

35. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 34, wherein said alarm signal output means includes means for producing said alarm signal in response to said blur detecting means detecting the blur state to be more than a predetermined value.

36. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 27, wherein said delay means includes means for changing the delay time in response to light from an object.

37. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 36, wherein said delay means includes means for shortening the delay in response to an increase of the intensity of light from the object.

38. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 27, wherein said delay means includes means for changing the delay time in response to an object distance.

39. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 38, wherein said delay means includes means for increasing the delay time in response to an increase of the object distance.

40. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 27, wherein said blur detecting means includes means for changing a detecting area of the image in response to a change of an object distance.

41. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 40, wherein said blur detecting means includes means for narrowing the detecting area in response to an increase of the object distance.

42. An apparatus or camera according to claim 27, wherein said variation degree detecting means includes computer means for computing the sum of the brightness differences for an image picture element between the image at said first time and the image at said second time to obtain said degree of variation.

43. An apparatus for image recording or a camera, comprising:

(A) distance measuring means for measuring an object distance;

(B) blur preventing means for preventing a blur image from being recorded, said blur preventing means changing in its operation manner in response to said distance measuring means, said blur preventing means including means for increasing a degree of operation of said blur preventing means in response to an increase of the object distance; and

(C) light detecting means for detecting light from the object, and wherein said blur preventing means includes means for decreasing a degree of operation of said blur preventing means in response to an increase in the intensity of the light form the object.

44. A blur detecting apparatus or a camera, comprising:

(A) distance measuring means for measuring an object distance; and

(B) blur detecting means for detecting a blur state of an image, said blur detecting means changing a range of the image to be detected in response to said distance measuring means.

45. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 44, wherein said blur detecting means includes means for narrowing the range of the image to be detected in response to an increase of the object distance.

46. An apparatus for image recording or a camera comprising:

(A) image recording means for recording an image;

(B) operation means for actuating said image recording means;

(C) speed detecting means for detecting an operation speed of said operation means; and

(D) blur preventing for preventing a blur image from being recorded, said blur preventing means changing a degree of operation of said blur preventing means in response to said speed detecting means.

47. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 46, wherein blur preventing means includes means for increasing a degree of operation of said blur preventing means as the speed detected by said speed detecting means increases.

48. An apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said blur preventing means includes timer means for changing a time until a start of recording the image in response to said speed detecting means.

49. An apparatus or a camera according to claim 48, wherein said timer means includes means for increasing the time until the start of recording the image as the speed detected by said speed detecting means increases.