Camera capable of detecting camera shake and compensating image blur due to camera shake

• US 5,794,081 A
• Filed: 02/28/1997
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Satoh, Tatsuya, Matsuzawa, Yoshinori, Itoh, Junichi, Tanbara, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIZMAR, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/808,226
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 396/301, 396/302, 396/303, 396/221, 396/52, 396/53, 396/54, 396/55
• US Class Current: 396/55
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/005 Blur detection
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/007 Details of energy supply or management

Abstract

A camera with shake compensation which detects camera shake and cancels image blur on a film exposing aperture due to the shake. The camera is capable of conserving battery power by automatically entering a power saving stand-by mode in which some of the functional blocks of the camera are powered down. The camera includes a selectable shake compensation mode, camera shake detecting circuits, and a control circuit that does not allow the shake detecting circuits from entering stand-by mode whenever the shake compensation mode is active. As a result, the camera is ready to perform shake compensation immediately upon exiting stand-by mode.

Claims

1. A camera capable of shake compensation, comprising:

a shake detecting block;

a mode switch for setting the camera to shake compensation mode;

a compensation member for deflecting light passing through an optical system of the camera in response to an output of the shake detecting block when the camera is in the shake compensation mode;

a timer;

mode transition means for changing an operating mode of the camera, in response to an output of the timer, from a fully operating mode to a power saving mode in which a minimum number of functional blocks of the camera are enabled; and

mode transition prohibiting means for prohibiting the shake detecting block from becoming disabled while the camera is set to the shake compensation mode.

2. A camera capable of compensating for camera shake on the basis of an output of a shake detecting means including shake sensors provided in the camera body for sensing camera blur and high-pass filter circuits respectively connected to the shake sensors for eliminating low frequency signal components of output signals from the shake sensors, the camera comprising:

a power supply for supplying power to the shake detecting means;

a timer for counting a first predetermined time period corresponding to a settling time of the output of the shake detecting means after power has been applied to the shake detecting means;

a mode setting means for setting the camera to shake compensation mode;

a shake compensation member for optically compensating image blur when the camera is in the shake compensation mode;

an initializing means for initializing the timer to count a second predetermined time period while the camera is set to the shake compensation mode; and

a mode transition means for changing an operating mode of the camera from a fully operating mode to a power saving mode in which a minimum number of functional blocks of the camera are enabled including the power supply means and said shake detecting means if no camera operation is applied within the second time period.

3. The camera according to claim 2, further comprising:

a first controller for controlling at least the shake detecting means; and

a second controller for controlling all camera functions except for any functions controlled by the first controller,

wherein the second controller halts while the camera is in the power saving mode.

4. A camera capable of compensating for camera shake on the basis of detected camera shake information, comprising:

a first controller for controlling at least a shake detecting means including shake sensors provided in the camera body for sensing camera blur and high-pass filter circuits respectively connected to the shake sensors for eliminating low frequency signal components of output signals from the shake sensors;

a second controller for controlling all camera functions other than the shake detecting means;

a timer for counting a predetermined time period representing a settling time of an output signal of the shake detecting means;

a mode transition means for changing an operating mode of the camera to a power saving mode in which a minimum number of functional blocks of the camera are enabled; and

a mode setting means for setting the camera to a shake compensation mode,

wherein the mode transition means enables the first controller and disables the second controller if no operation has been applied to the camera within the predetermined time period and if the camera is set to the shake compensation mode.

5. A camera which enters a power saving state unless a camera operation is applied within a predetermined time period, and which is capable of optically compensating for camera shake, the camera comprising:

a mode select switch for selecting at least a shake compensation mode;

a shake detecting circuit for detecting camera shake, the shake detecting circuit including shake sensors provided in the camera body for sensing camera blur and high-pass filter circuits respectively connected to the shake sensors for eliminating low frequency signal components of output signals from the shake sensors; and

a controller which maintains the application of power to the shake detecting means while the camera is in the power saving state and the shake compensation mode has been selected.

6. A camera capable of optically compensating for camera shake, comprising:

a selecting means for selecting a shake compensation mode;

a shake detecting means for detecting camera shake, the shake detecting means including shake sensors provided in the camera body for sensing camera blur and high-pass filter circuits respectively connected to the shake sensors for eliminating low frequency signal components of output signals from the shake sensors;

a first controller for controlling at least the shake detecting means;

a second controller for controlling camera functional blocks other than the shake detecting means; and

a power saving means for setting the camera functional blocks controlled by the second controller to a power saving mode, wherein the power saving means is initialized during a camera operation and sets the functional blocks controlled by the second controller to the power saving mode after counting a predetermined time period after completion of the camera operation.

7. A camera capable of compensating for camera shake, comprising:

a mode setting means for setting the camera to a shake compensation mode;

a shake detecting means for detecting camera shake and for outputting shake information while the camera is set to the shake compensation mode, the shake detecting means including shake sensors provided in the camera body for sensing camera blur and high-pass filter circuits respectively connected to the shake sensors for eliminating low frequency signal components of output signals from the shake sensors;

a shake compensation member deflecting light passing through an optical system of the camera in response to output signals from the high-pass filter circuits when the camera is in the shake compensation mode; and

a power saving mode transition means for changing an operating mode of the camera from a fully operating mode to a power saving mode in which a minimum number of functional blocks of the camera are enabled including the power supply and said shake detecting means.

8. The camera according to claim 7, further comprising:

a first controller for controlling camera functional blocks including at least the shake detecting means; and

a second controller for controlling camera functional blocks except for the functional blocks controlled by the first controller, and for setting the camera to a power save mode when no operation is applied to the camera within a predetermined time period.

9. A camera capable of compensating image blur on an exposure aperture on the basis of shake information from a shake detecting means, the camera comprising:

a first microcomputer for controlling an operating sequence of the camera other than a shake compensation operation;

a second microcomputer which operates according to commands from the first microcomputer to perform;

a stand-by operation during which the first microcomputer is disabled and the second microcomputer and the shake detecting means are enabled, thereby allowing the camera to operate in a power saving state,

a centering operation for setting a shake compensation member to an initial position,

a shake compensation operation which compensates image blur due to camera shake by driving the shake compensation member to deflect light passing through an optical system of the camera; and

a mode setting means for setting the camera to a shake compensation mode.

10. The camera according to claim 9, wherein the first microcomputer prohibits the second microcomputer from performing the stand-by operation.

11. The camera according to claim 9, wherein the first microcomputer sets the camera to a stand-by mode if no operation is applied to the camera within a predetermined time period, and sets the camera from the stand-by mode to a fully operating mode while commanding the second microcomputer to perform the centering operation if any operation is applied to the camera in the stand-by mode.