Image pickup apparatus with vibration compensation

• US 5,905,848 A
• Filed: 03/13/1996
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Tsunefumi, Yano, Kotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US08/614,555
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/117, 386/120, 386/107, 386/118, 386/38, 358/906, 358/909.1, 348/207, 348/208
• US Class Current: 386/225
• 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

An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup element, a memory for storing a digital signal obtained by converting image information output from the image pickup element by an A/D converter, a displacement detection unit for detecting the position displacement of a camera, and a control unit for controlling the write timing of an image in the memory by predicting a release time at which the position displacement detected by the displacement detection unit falls within a predetermined allowable range.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

image pickup means for converting an optical image picked up into an electrical signal;

image information storage means for storing image information obtained by said image pickup means;

detection means for detecting an amplitude of vibration of the image pickup means;

prediction means for predicting when the amplitude of vibration of the image pickup means falls within a predetermined allowable range, on the basis of a detection result of said detection means; and

control means for controlling a start of image pickup operation of said image pickup means on the basis of a prediction result of said prediction means.

2. An image pickup apparatus comprising open/close control means for controlling an open/close state of a shutter on the basis of the prediction result of said prediction means in place of said control means of claim 1.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a release switch for outputting a release signal, and integration means for integrating the vibration during an interval from an ON time of said release switch until the start of image pickup operation, and wherein a warning signal is generated when an integrated value of said integration means is larger than a predetermined value.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a release switch for outputting a release signal, and wherein a warning signal is generated when a time duration from an ON time of said release switch until the start of image pickup operation is longer than a predetermined time duration.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection means comprises angular velocity detection means for detecting the amplitude of vibration as a change in angular velocity.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said prediction means comprises displacement state calculation means for calculating the vibration of the amplitude of vibration on the basis of the detection result of said detection means, amplitude storage means for storing the amplitude of vibration for a predetermined time period, start time prediction means for predicting the start of an image pickup operation on the basis of the amplitude of vibration, and image pickup signal generation means for generating the image pickup signal on the basis of a prediction result of said start time prediction means.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection means comprises temporary storage means for temporarily storing the image information, feature point extraction means for extracting a peak position as a feature point by differentiating the image information, matching point extraction means for extracting a matching point at the feature point on the basis of a storage result in said temporary storage means and image information picked up by the image pickup means, and motion vector detection means for detecting a motion vector on the basis of an extraction result of said matching point extraction means and the image information picked up by the image pickup means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said prediction means comprises motion vector storage means for storing the motion vector, start time reduction means for predicting the start of an image pickup operation on the basis of the motion vector, and image pickup signal generation means for generating the image pickup signal on the basis of a prediction result of said start time prediction means.

9. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image information stored in said information storage means is still image information.

10. A recording apparatus comprising:

an image memory;

recording means for writing image information in said image memory;

movement detection means for detecting a vibration; and

control means for predicting a timing when the movement becomes less than a predetermined amount on the basis of an output from said movement detection means, and operating said recording means at the predicted timing.

11. A recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image information written into said recording means is still image information.

12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said movement detection means comprises angular velocity detection means for detecting the change in position as a change in angular velocity.

13. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said movement detection means comprises temporary storage means for temporarily storing the image information, feature point extraction means for extracting a peak position as a feature point by differentiating the image information, matching point extraction means for extracting a matching point at the feature point on the basis of a storage result in said temporary storage means and image information picked up by the image pickup means, and motion vector detection means for detecting a motion vector on the basis of an extraction result of said matching point extraction means and the image information picked up by the image pickup means.

14. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

image pickup means for converting an optical image picked up into an electrical signal;

image information storage means for storing image information obtained by said image pickup means;

detection means for detecting an amplitude of vibration of the image pickup means;

prediction means for predicting when the amplitude of vibration of the image pickup means falls within a predetermined allowable range, on the basis of a detection result of said detection means; and

control means for controlling image pickup operation of said image pickup means on the basis of a prediction result of said prediction means.