Camera capable of correcting a shake

• US 5,937,214 A
• Filed: 11/26/1997
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Hirota, Toshihiko, Shintani, Dai, Nagata, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W. B.
• Application Number:
  US08/979,696
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 396/52, 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 2217/185 providing indication that the picture may be blurred
• 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 23/687 by shifting the lens or sensor position

Abstract

A camera capable of correcting a shake includes a shake amount detector for detecting a shake amount of an object light image on an exposure plane, a memory for storing data in connection with a shake due to operation of a shutter release member, a calculator for calculating a shake correction control value based on a shake amount detected by the shake amount detector after operation of the shutter release member and the data stored in the memory, and a controller for controlling the optical system in accordance with a calculated shake correction control value to correct the shake.

Claims

1. A camera comprising:

an optical system which focuses a light image of an object on an exposure plane;

a shutter release member which is operated by a camera user to instruct an exposure;

a shake amount detector which detects a shake amount of the light image on the exposure plane;

a memory which stores data in connection with a shake due to a motion of the camera accompanied by operation of the shutter release member by a photographer;

a calculator which calculates a shake correction control value based on a shake amount detected by the shake amount detector after operation of the shutter release member and the data stored in the memory; and

a controller which controls the optical system in accordance with a calculated shake correction control value to correct a shake of the light image on the exposure plane.

2. A camera according to claim 1, wherein the optical system includes:

a first shake correction lens which is movable in a first direction on a reference plane perpendicularly intersecting an optical axis of the optical system; and

a second shake correction lens which is movable in a second direction on the reference plane, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction on the reference plane.

3. A camera according to claim 2, wherein the controller includes:

a first driver which drives the first shake correction lens; and

a second driver which drives the second correction lens.

4. A camera according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes:

a first driver control circuit which controls the first driver; and

a second driver control circuit which controls the second driver.

5. A camera according to claim 1, wherein the calculator calculates:

a first shake correction control value for correcting a shutter operation shake due to operation of the shutter release member; and

a second shake correction control value for correcting a shake other than the shutter operation shake.

6. A camera according to claim 1, further comprising an instruction member which instructs the controller to execute the shake correction and to permit a corrected light image to be recorded.

7. A camera according to claim 1, further comprising a display portion which displays a state of shake.

8. A camera according to claim 1, wherein the data stored in the memory includes a shake amount due to operation of the shutter release member.

9. A camera comprising:

an optical system which focuses a light image of an object on an exposure plane;

a shutter release member which is operated by a camera user to instruct an exposure;

a shake amount detector which detects a shake amount of the light image on the exposure plane at a specified timing;

a data generator which generates data in connection with a shake due to a motion of the camera accompanied by operation of the shutter release member based on a shake amount detected by the shake amount detector after operation of the shutter release member by a photographer;

a memory which stores the data generated by the data generator;

a calculator which calculates a shake correction control value based on a shake amount detected by the shake amount detector after operation of the shutter release member and the data stored in the memory; and

a controller which controls the optical system in accordance with, a calculated shake correction control value to correct a shake of the light image on the exposure plane.

10. A camera according to claim 9, further comprising an instruction member which makes the data generator to generate data in connection with a shake due to operation of the shutter release member.

11. A camera according to claim 9, further comprising an instruction member which instructs the controller to execute the shake correction and to permit a corrected light image to be recorded.

12. A camera according to claim 9, further comprising a display portion which displays a state of shake.

13. A camera according to claim 9, wherein the calculator calculates:

a first shake correction control value for correcting a shutter operation shake due to operation of the shutter release member; and

a second shake correction control value for correcting a shake other than the shutter operation shake.

14. A camera according to claim 9, wherein the data stored in the memory includes a shake amount due to operation of the shutter release member.

15. A method for correcting a shake of a camera, comprising the steps of:

detecting a shake amount of a light image of an object on an exposure plane after operation of a shutter release member;

calculating a non-shutter-release shake amount due to causes other than operation of the shutter release member by subtracting a shutter-release shake amount due to a motion of the camera accompanied by operation of the shutter release member by a photographer from the detected shake amount, the shutter-release shake amount being stored in a memory in advance;

calculating a first shake correction control value based on a calculated non-shutter-release shake amount;

calculating a second shake correction control value based on the shutter-release shake amount stored in the memory;

calculating a net shake correction control value by adding up the first and second shake correction control values; and

controlling an optical system for focussing the light image on the exposure plane in accordance with a calculated net shake correction control value to correct a shake of the light image on the exposure plane.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the shutter-release shake amount is stored in the memory by the steps of:

repeating a specified number of times a sequence of;

detecting a shake amount of a light image of an object on the exposure plane at a specified timing;

calculating a shutter-release shake amount due to operation of the shutter release member by subtracting a specified usual shake amount from a detected shake amount; and

calculating an average of shutter-release shake amounts obtained by the sequence; and

storing a calculated average amount in the memory as a shutter-release shake amount for the camera.