Image pick-up apparatus having vibration correcting circuitry

• US 5,666,158 A
• Filed: 06/05/1995
• Issued: 09/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Koji, Sekine, Masayoshi, Kawamata, Naoki, Kondo, Toshiaki, Tokumitsu, Jun, Harigaya, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHALWALA, BIPIN H
• Application Number:
  US08/462,539
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207, 348/208, 348/213, 348/224, 348/369
• US Class Current: 348/209.99
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7864 T.V. type tracking systems
• 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 23/686 with a variable apex prism

Abstract

An image pick-up apparatus includes a detection circuit for detecting vibration of the apparatus body, a correction system for correcting the vibration by shifting an image, and a control circuit for controlling driving of the correction system in accordance with an output of the detection circuit. A closed loop frequency characteristic is constituted as a notch filter, and a blocking frequency of the notch filter is made variable on the basis of changes in the detected vibration frequency.

Claims

1. An image sensing apparatus comprising:

(A) detection means for detecting movement of an image;

(B) correction means for correcting the movement of the image; and

(C) control means having a filter having a predetermined filter characteristic, for controlling said correction means by generating a control signal in response to detection of movement by said detection means and according to said predetermined filter characteristic, said predetermined filter characteristic being predetermined according to (i) a relationship between frequencies filtered by said filter and (ii) a transfer function determined by a closed feedback loop formed by said detection means, said correction means, and said control means.

2. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means has a band-pass filter in a control loop for controlling said correction means in accordance with the output of said detection means.

3. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said correction means comprises shift means for shifting an image optically.

4. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blocking frequency of said filter is set to be approximately within a range from 0.2 Hz to 10 Hz.

5. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the passing frequency of said band-pass filter is set to be approximately within a range from 0.2 Hz to 10 Hz.

6. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pick-up apparatus comprises a video camera.

7. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said correction means comprises a variable apex angle prism.

8. An image pick-up apparatus comprising a closed loop control system including:

(A) detection means for detecting movement of said image pick-up apparatus;

(B) correction means for correcting the movement by shifting an image; and

(C) control means having a filter, for controlling said correction means by generating a control signal in response to detection of movement by said detection means and based on the frequency characteristic set by said filter so that a correction amount of said correction means is automatically varied according to a dominant frequency component of the movement detected by said detection means and according to a relationship between the dominant frequency and a transfer function determined by a closed feedback loop formed by said detection means, said correction means, and said control means.

9. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said control means controls said correction means in accordance with the output of said detection means to suppress the movement so that a suppression ratio is set to be a maximum for the movement due to trembling of hand.

10. An image pick-up apparatus comprising:

(A) detection means for detecting movement of an image;

(B) correction means for correcting the movement of the image; and

(C) control means having filter means, for controlling said correction means by generating a control signal so as to vary a blocking frequency of said filter means by computing information of variations in a dominant frequency component of the movement detected by said detection means and transfer functions of a closed feedback loop formed by said detection means, said correction means, and said control means.

11. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said filter means comprises of a plurality of filters having different blocking frequencies.

12. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a mode selector for switching said plurality of filters in accordance with a pick-up mode.

13. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising switching means for automatically switching said plurality of filters in accordance with a pick-up mode.

14. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said switching means selects a blocking frequency of said filter means by judging a pick-up situation from a frequency spectrum of an image.

15. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising filter control means for adaptively switching the blocking frequency of said filter means in accordance with a pick-up situation.

16. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the blocking frequency of said filter means is set to be a frequency of a camera deflection.

17. An image pick-up apparatus comprising:

(A) detection means for detecting movement of a camera;

(B) correction means for correcting the movement by shifting an image; and

(C) control means having a band-pass filter, for controlling said correction means by generating a control signal so as to vary a pass frequency of said band-pass filter according to both (i) variations of a dominant frequency component of the movement detected by said detection means and (ii) transfer functions of a closed feedback loop formed by said detection means, said correction means, and said control means.

18. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising filter control means for adaptively switching the blocking frequency of said band-pass filter in accordance with a pick-up situation.

19. An image pick-up apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the blocking frequency of said band-pass filter is set to be the frequency of a camera deflection.