Imaging device capable of tracking an object
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An imaging device comprising:
- an imaging unit including an imaging element for electronically imaging an object and optical means for forming an image of the object on an imaging plane of the imaging element;
displacement-calculating means for calculating the displacement between the object and the imaging unit, on the basis of relationships among images of the object which are sequentially formed on the imaging unit; and
displacement means for displacing the imaging unit, said displacement means including;
first displacement-correcting means for mechanically correcting a positional displacement among the images of the object which are formed on the imaging element, by moving the imaging element and the optical means together in one direction in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical means, whereby those movements of the object which would vary optical position relationships among the images of the object formed on the imaging element are corrected in accordance with the displacement calculated by the displacement-calculating means; and
second-displacement-correcting means for correcting those movements of the imaging unit which would vary the optical position relationships among the images of the object formed on the imaging element, in accordance with the displacement calculated by the displacement-calculating means;
wherein said second displacement-correcting means mechanically displaces at least one of the imaging element and the optical means of the imaging unit, such that the imaging element and the optical means are displaced relative to each other in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical means;
wherein said optical means includes an imaging optical lens, and wherein said second displacement-correcting means includes a displacing mechanism section, located inside the imaging unit, for varying the optical position relationships which the imaging optical lens and the imaging plane of the imaging element have with reference to the object; and
wherein said displacement means further includes phase-compensating means for driving the displacing mechanism section by high-speed phase compensation.
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Abstract
An imaging device having a signal-processing section, an imaging section, and X- and Y-direction angle wire drivers. The imaging section sequentially form images of an object. The signal-processing section obtains X- and Y-direction displacements of the imaging section with respect to an object, from the positional relationship between the images formed by the imaging section. The angle wire drivers drive X- and Y-direction angle wires in accordance with the X- and Y-direction displacements obtained by the signal-processing section, thus moving the imaging section such that the imaging section tracks the object.
155 Citations
45 Claims
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1. An imaging device comprising:
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an imaging unit including an imaging element for electronically imaging an object and optical means for forming an image of the object on an imaging plane of the imaging element; displacement-calculating means for calculating the displacement between the object and the imaging unit, on the basis of relationships among images of the object which are sequentially formed on the imaging unit; and displacement means for displacing the imaging unit, said displacement means including; first displacement-correcting means for mechanically correcting a positional displacement among the images of the object which are formed on the imaging element, by moving the imaging element and the optical means together in one direction in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical means, whereby those movements of the object which would vary optical position relationships among the images of the object formed on the imaging element are corrected in accordance with the displacement calculated by the displacement-calculating means; and second-displacement-correcting means for correcting those movements of the imaging unit which would vary the optical position relationships among the images of the object formed on the imaging element, in accordance with the displacement calculated by the displacement-calculating means; wherein said second displacement-correcting means mechanically displaces at least one of the imaging element and the optical means of the imaging unit, such that the imaging element and the optical means are displaced relative to each other in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical means; wherein said optical means includes an imaging optical lens, and wherein said second displacement-correcting means includes a displacing mechanism section, located inside the imaging unit, for varying the optical position relationships which the imaging optical lens and the imaging plane of the imaging element have with reference to the object; and wherein said displacement means further includes phase-compensating means for driving the displacing mechanism section by high-speed phase compensation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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3. An imaging device comprising:
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an imaging unit including an imaging element for electronically imaging an object and optical means for forming an image of the object on an imaging plane of the imaging element; displacement-calculating means for calculating the displacement between the object and the imaging unit, on the basis of relationships among images of the object which are sequentially formed on the imaging unit; and displacement means for displacing the imaging unit, said displacement means including; first displacement-correcting means for mechanically correcting a positional displacement among the images of the object which are formed on the imaging element, by moving the imaging element and the optical means together in one direction in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical means, whereby those movements of the object which would vary optical position relationships among the images of the object formed on the imaging element are corrected in accordance with the displacement calculated by the displacement-calculating means; and second-displacement-correcting means for correcting those movements of the imaging unit which would vary the optical position relationships among the images of the object formed on the imaging element, in accordance with the displacement calculated by the displacement-calculating means; wherein said displacement-calculating means detects how an image of the object is displaced from the imaging unit at a plurality of positions within the imaging plane, and said imaging device further comprising; magnification-changing means for changing a magnification of an object image signal supplied from the imaging unit, and display signal-generating means for generating a display signal on the basis of the object image signal whose magnification is changed by the magnification-changing means. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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27. An electronic endoscope apparatus comprising:
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an insertion section which is inserted into a body cavity, said insertion section having a distal end in which an imaging unit is incorporated, said imaging unit including an imaging element for electronically imaging an object and optical means for forming an image of the object on an imaging plane of the imaging element; an operation section for operating the distal end of the insertion section to obtain a desired image of the object; and a signal processing section for processing an object image signal which is output from the imaging unit incorporated in the distal end of the insertion section; said operation section including displacement-calculating means for calculating the displacement between the object and the imaging unit, on the basis of relationships among images of the object which are sequentially formed on the imaging unit; said operation section including; first displacement-correcting means for mechanically correcting a positional displacement among the images of the object which are formed on the imaging element, by moving the imaging element and the optical means together in one direction in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the optical means, whereby those movements of the object which would vary optical position relationships among the images of the object formed on the imaging element are corrected in accordance with the displacement calculated by the displacement-calculating means, and second displacement-correcting means for correcting those movements of the imaging unit which would vary the optical position relationships among the images of the object formed on the imaging element, in accordance with the displacement calculated by the displacement-calculating means, an angle wire connected to the distal end of the insertion section, and a driving section for driving the angle wire, and said first displacement-correcting means displaces the imaging unit by operating the driving section. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification