Solid image pickup unit and video camera employing same

• US 5,894,325 A
• Filed: 06/06/1996
• Issued: 04/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yonemoto, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan V.
• Application Number:
  US08/659,311
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 348/302, 348/304, 348/314, 348/296, 348/299, 348/208, 348/294, 348/297, 348/308, 348/311, 348/312
• US Class Current: 348/302
• 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 23/6842 by controlling the scanning position, e.g. windowing
• 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 3/1562 for selective scanning, e.g. windowing, zooming

Abstract

A solid image pickup unit is provided which is capable of preventing the brightness of a reproduced screen from changing (a change in a storage time) due to hand shake correction and which is thus able to obtain a natural photographed image. An X-Y address-type solid image pickup unit having a hand shake correction function includes a reading vertical scanner for reading in sequence pixel information for each scanning line while performing vertical scanning and for determining the position of an image pickup area in the vertical direction within a photoreceiving surface on the basis of hand shake information, an electronic shutter scanner for resetting the pixel transistors in correspondence with the position of the image pickup area in the vertical direction when a predetermined storage time is reached whose upper limit is set to be shorter than the time corresponding one field, and a timing generator for supplying scanning clocks φVCK and φSCK and start pulses φVS and φSS to these scanners and for controlling the generation timing of the start pulses φVS and φSS on the basis of the hand shake information from an acceleration sensor.

Claims

1. A solid state image pickup unit which is of an X-Y address type which has a photoreceiving surface having an area larger than an image pickup area from which a video signal is output, an in which pixel information is read for each scanning line and is reset, said solid image pickup unit comprising:

a first vertical scanning circuit for reading pixel information in sequence while performing vertical scanning, and for defining a position of said image pickup area in a vertical direction within said photoreceiving surface on the basis of hand shake information;

a second vertical scanning circuit for resetting pixels according to a position of said image pickup area in a vertical direction when a predetermined storage time period whose upper limit which is set to be shorter than a time corresponding to one field or one frame is reached; and

a timing generator for supplying timing signals to said first and second vertical scanning circuits.

2. A solid state image pickup unit according to claim 1, wherein said timing generator supplies a different clock pulse and a different start pulse to said first and second vertical scanning circuits, and scanning timing of said first and second vertical scanning circuits.

3. A solid state image pickup unit according to claim 2, wherein said timing generator sets a generation timing of a start pulse with respect to said second vertical scanning circuit on the basis of the hand shake information.

4. A solid state image pickup unit according to claim 3, wherein said timing generator sets a position of said image pickup area in the vertical direction on the basis of the hand shake information up to immediately before the pixel information of the image pickup area is read.

5. A solid state image pickup unit according to claim 4, wherein said timing generator sets a position of said image pickup area in the vertical direction on the basis of the hand shake information up to the generation of a start pulse with respect to said second vertical scanning circuit.

6. A solid image pickup unit which is of an X-Y address type which has a photoreceiving surface having an area larger than an image pickup area from which a video signal is output, and in which pixel information is read for each scanning line and is reset, said solid image pickup unit comprising:

a vertical scanning circuit for reading pixel information in sequence while performing vertical scanning, and for determining a position of said image pickup area in a vertical direction within said photoreceiving surface on the basis of hand shake information;

a timing generator for supplying a clock pulse of a fixed period to said vertical scanning circuit during a scanning of said image pickup area and for supplying a clock pulse of a period shorter than said fixed period over a scanning time period of an area other than said image pickup area during a vertical blanking time period of a video signal and means for resetting pixels depending on a position of said image pick-up area in a vertical direction when a predetermined storage time period is reached.

7. A solid state image pickup unit according to claim 6, wherein said timing generator supplies a clock pulse of a period shorter than said fixed period to said vertical scanning circuit over a time period two times greater than the scanning time period of the area other than said image pickup area during the vertical blanking time period of a video signal.

8. A video camera, comprising:

an X-Y address-type solid state image pickup unit which has a photoreceiving surface of an area larger than an image pickup area for outputting a video signal, and in which pixel information is read for each scanning line and is reset;

an optical system for guiding incident light to the photoreceiving surface of said solid image pickup unit;

hand shake detecting means for detecting a shake of a hand which holds a camera main unit;

a first vertical scanning circuit for reading in sequence pixel information for each scanning line while vertically scanning said solid image pickup units and for determining a position of said image pickup area in the vertical direction within said photoreceiving surface on the basis of the hand shake information supplied from said hand shake detecting means;

a second vertical scanning circuit for resetting pixels according to the position of said image pickup area in the vertical direction when a predetermined storage time period is reached whose upper limit is set to be shorter than a time corresponding to one field or one frame; and

a timing generator for supplying various timing signals to said first and second vertical scanning circuits.

9. A video camera comprising:

an X-Y address-type solid state image pickup unit which has a photoreceiving surface of an area larger than an image pickup area for outputting a video signal, and in which pixel information is read for each scanning line and is reset;

an optical system for guiding incident light to the photoreceiving surface of said solid image pickup unit;

hand shake detecting means for detecting a shake of a hand which holds the camera main unit;

a vertical scanning circuit for reading in sequence pixel information for each scanning line while vertically scanning said solid image pickup unit and for determining a position of said image pickup area in the vertical direction within said photoreceiving surface on the basis of the hand shake information supplied from said hand shake detecting means;

a timing generator for supplying a clock pulse of a fixed period to said vertical scanning circuit during a scanning of said image pickup area and for supplying a clock pulse of a period shorter than said fixed period over the scanning time period of the area other than said image pickup area during the vertical blanking time period of a video signal and means for resetting pixels depending on a position of said image pickup area in a vertical direction when a predetermined storage time period is reached.

10. A method of generating image information comprising the steps of:

providing a photoreceiving surface having an image pickup area which is less than an area of the photoreceiving surface;

generating a first vertical scanning signal to define the image pickup area based on hand shake information;

generating a second vertical scanning signal that selectively resets pixels based on the hand shake information; and

limiting a charge storage time below a predetermined value by applying the second vertical scanning signal.