Motion compensation device to compensate for motion of an optical system without using motion sensors

• US 5,978,600 A
• Filed: 09/30/1998
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Hiroshi, Usui, Kazutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey, W. B.
• Application Number:
  US09/163,436
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 396/53, 396/55, 348/208, 359/554
• US Class Current: 396/53
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/646 compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2205/0015 by displacing one or more optical elements normal to the optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2205/0069 using electromagnetic actuators, e.g. voice coils
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 5/00 Adjustment of optical system relative to image or object surface other than for focusing

Abstract

A motion compensation device having a motion compensation lens which moves to compensate for motion caused by, e.g, hand shake, to prevent blur of an image formed on an image forming plane. An actuator drives the motion compensation lens and when the motion compensation lens moves, a drive current flows in a coil of the actuator. A drive current measuring device measures the drive current. An ideal drive current calculating unit calculates an ideal drive current when the motion compensation lens receives no acceleration. The ideal drive current calculating unit includes a virtual actuator. The virtual actuator is a model of an actuator which behaves similarly to the actual actuator. The ideal drive current calculating unit calculates the ideal drive current for the state in which there is no acceleration caused by hand shake. A position instruction value calculating unit finds a value proportional to the hand shake acceleration by comparing the drive current measured by the drive current measuring device with the ideal drive current calculated by the ideal drive current calculating unit. The position instruction value calculating unit calculates a drive amount (target position signal) of the motion compensation lens which is necessary in order to compensate the motion.

Claims

1. A motion compensation device, comprising

a motion compensation optical system to compensate for motion causing image blur;

a drive unit to drive the motion compensation optical system;

a drive signal detection unit to detect a drive signal when the motion compensation optical system receives an acceleration caused by motion; and

a control unit to control the drive unit based on the drive signal.

2. A motion compensation device as recited in of claim 1, wherein

the drive unit generates a drive force by passing an electric current through a magnetic field, and

the drive signal detection unit detects, as the drive signal, the electric current when the motion compensation optical system receives an acceleration caused by motion.

3. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a calculating unit to calculate a target drive position of the motion compensation optical system based on the drive signal and to output a target drive position signal,

wherein the calculating unit controls the drive unit based on the target drive position signal.

4. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 3, wherein the calculating unit comprises:

a first calculating unit to calculate the target drive position of the motion compensation optical system and to output the target drive position signal; and

a second calculating unit to calculate an ideal drive signal of the motion compensation optical system and to output the ideal drive signal,

wherein the first calculating unit calculates the target drive position signal based on the drive signal and the ideal drive signal.

5. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 4, wherein

the first calculating unit calculates the acceleration of the motion compensation optical system based on the drive signal and the ideal drive signal.

6. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 4, wherein

the second calculating unit outputs, as the ideal drive signal, the current when the motion compensation optical system does not receive an acceleration caused by motion, and

the first calculating unit calculates the acceleration of the motion compensation optical system from the difference between the drive signal and the ideal drive signal.

7. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 3, wherein

the calculating unit calculate s the target drive position signal according to movement of the motion compensation optical system in the optical axis direction.

8. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 3, wherein

the calculating unit calculates the target drive position signal according to a distance between a center of rotation of motion and a position of the motion compensation optical system in the optical axis direction.

9. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 8, wherein

the center of rotation of motion is positioned between a centroid of the optical device and an imaging plane.

10. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 3, wherein

the calculating unit calculates the target drive position signal according to the photographic range.

11. A motion compensation device, comprising:

a motion compensation optical system to compensate for motion causing image blur;

a drive unit to drive the motion compensation optical system;

a drive signal detection unit to detect a drive signal when the motion compensation optical system receives acceleration caused by the motion causing image blur;

an ideal drive signal calculating unit to calculate an ideal drive signal when the motion compensation optical system does not receive an acceleration caused by the motion causing image blur;

a position instruction value calculating unit to calculate a position instruction value based on the drive signal and the ideal drive signal;

a control unit to control the drive unit based on the position instruction value; and

a memory unit to store at least one of constants and coefficients to calculate the ideal drive signal,

wherein the ideal drive signal calculating unit calculates the ideal drive signal based on at least one of the constants and coefficients and the position instruction value.

12. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 11, wherein the memory unit stores characteristic angular vibration constants, attenuation constants, and drive performance constants relating to the drive unit.

13. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 11, wherein the motion compensation device further comprises:

a temperature detection unit to detect the temperature,

wherein the memory unit stores temperature compensation coefficients,

the ideal drive signal calculating unit calculates the ideal drive signal, and corrects at least a portion of the constants and the coefficients based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit and the temperature compensation coefficient.

14. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 11, wherein the memory unit stores coefficients relating to frequency characteristics of the ideal drive signal calculating unit.

15. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 11, wherein the memory unit is a rewriteable memory element.

16. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

a filter unit to remove from the drive signal, signals arising when the motion compensation optical system receives gravitational acceleration,

wherein the position instruction value calculating unit calculates the position instruction value based on the output signal of the filter unit and on the ideal drive signal.

17. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 16, wherein

the filter unit is a DC cutoff filter to remove a direct current component, including an Δ

ID converter to A/D convert the output signal of the DC cutoff filter,

wherein the position instruction value calculating unit calculates the position instruction value based on the output signal of the A/D converter and on the ideal drive signal.

18. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

an integrating unit to integrate the drive signal and the ideal drive signal only in a hand shake frequency region, and not to integrate a DC component and a low frequency signal caused by a gravitational acceleration,

wherein the position instruction value calculating unit calculates the position instruction value based on the output signal of the integrating unit.

19. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 11, wherein the position instruction value calculating unit inputs the same value simultaneously to the control unit and to the ideal drive signal calculating unit.

20. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

a position instruction revision unit to revise the position instruction value and to output a revised position instruction value,

wherein the control unit controls driving of the motion compensation optical system by the drive unit in a range narrower than the limits of movement of the motion compensation optical system, based on the revised position instruction value.

21. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 20, wherein the position instruction revision unit inputs the same revised position instruction value simultaneously to the control unit and to the ideal drive signal calculating unit.

22. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

a position detection unit to detect the drive position of the motion compensation optical system and to output a position detection signal; and

a drive position revision unit to revise the position instruction value based on the position detection signal and to output a revised position instruction value,

wherein the control unit controls the drive unit to drive the motion compensation optical system at or near a center of a movable range of the motion compensation optical system based on the revised position instruction value.

23. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 22, wherein the drive position revision simultaneously inputs the same revised position instruction value simultaneously to the control unit and to the ideal drive signal calculating unit.

24. A motion compensation device, comprising:

a motion compensation optical system to compensate for motion causing image blur;

a drive unit to drive the motion compensation optical system;

a drive signal detection unit to detect a drive signal when the motion compensation optical system receives acceleration caused by the motion causing image blur;

an ideal drive signal calculating unit to calculate an ideal drive signal when the motion compensation optical system does not receive an acceleration caused by motion;

a position instruction value calculating unit to calculate a position instruction value based on the drive signal and the ideal drive signal; and

a control unit to control the drive unit based on the position instruction value,

wherein the ideal drive signal calculating unit represents a model of the drive unit described as an at least second order delay system, and the ideal drive signal calculating unit calculates the ideal drive signal based on the position instruction value.

25. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 24, wherein the ideal drive signal calculating unit represents a model of the drive unit using characteristic angular vibration number, attenuation constants, and drive performance coefficients.

26. A motion compensation device as recited claim 24, further comprising:

a filter unit to remove from the drive signal, signals arising when the motion compensation optical system receives a gravitational acceleration,

wherein the position instruction value calculating unit calculates the position instruction value based on the output signal of the filter unit and on the ideal drive signal.

27. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 26, wherein

the filter unit is a DC cutoff filter to remove direct current components, including an A/D converter to A/D convert the output signal of the DC cutoff filter,

and the position instruction value calculating unit calculates the position instruction value based on the output signal of the A/D converter and on the ideal drive signal.

28. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

an integrating unit to integrate the drive signal and the ideal drive signal only in a hand shake frequency region, and not to integrate a DC component and a low frequency signal caused by a gravitational acceleration,

wherein the position instruction value calculating unit calculates the position instruction value based on the output signal of the integrating unit.

29. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 24, wherein

the position instruction value calculating unit inputs the same position instruction value simultaneously to the control unit and to the ideal drive signal calculating unit.

30. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

a position instruction value revision unit to revise the position instruction value and to output a revised position instruction value,

wherein the control unit controls the drive unit to drive the motion compensation optical system in a narrower range than the limits of possible movement of the motion compensation optical system based on the revised position instruction value.

31. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 30, wherein

the position instruction value revision unit simultaneously inputs the same revised position instruction value to the control unit and to the ideal drive signal calculating unit.

32. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 24, further comprising:

a position detection unit to detect a drive position of the motion compensation optical system and to output a position detection signal;

a drive position revising unit to revise the position instruction value based on the position detection signal and to output a revised position instruction value,

wherein the control unit controls the drive unit to drive the motion compensation optical system at or near a center of a possible range of movement of the motion compensation optical system, based on the revised position instruction value.

33. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 32, wherein

the drive position revising unit inputs the same revised position instruction value to the control unit and to the ideal drive signal calculating unit.

34. A motion compensation device, comprising

a motion compensation optical system to compensate for motion causing image blur;

a drive unit to drive the motion compensation optical system;

a drive signal detection unit to detect the drive signal when the motion compensation optical system receives an acceleration caused by motion;

an ideal drive signal calculating unit to calculate an ideal drive signal when the motion compensation optical system has not received an acceleration caused by motion;

a position instruction value calculating unit to calculate a position instruction value based on the drive signal and the ideal drive signal;

a control unit to control the drive unit based on the position instruction value; and

a compensation commencement generating unit to generate a motion compensation commencement signal,

wherein the ideal drive signal calculating unit calculates the ideal drive signal based on the position instruction value, and

the control unit commences drive control of the drive unit based on the position instruction value, after a predetermined time has elapsed from receiving the motion compensation commencement signal.

35. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 34, wherein

the position instruction value calculating unit outputs a position instruction value of zero or a fixed value within a predetermined time from receiving the motion compensation commencement signal.

36. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 34, further comprising:

a position detection unit to detect a drive position of the motion compensation optical system; and

a decision unit to decide whether or not the deviation of the drive position and the position instruction value is smaller than a predetermined value.

37. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 36, wherein

the control unit controls the drive unit based on the position instruction value when the deviation is smaller than the predetermined value, and outputs a zero or a constant position instruction value when the deviation is greater than the predetermined value.

38. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 36, wherein

the predetermined value comprises a first predetermined value which is compared with the deviation during photographic preparation, and a second predetermined value which is compared with the deviation during photography, the photographic preparation operations not having elapsed,

wherein the first predetermined value is smaller than the second predetermined value.

39. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 34, further comprising:

a gain varying unit to vary the gain of the position instruction calculating unit.

40. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 39, wherein the gain varying unit increases the gain of the position instruction value calculating unit from zero or a constant value after receipt of a motion compensation commencement signal.

41. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 39, wherein

the gain varying unit reduces the gain of the position instruction value calculating unit to zero or a constant value when in a state in which motion compensation is impossible.

42. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 41, wherein

the gain varying unit reduces the gain of the position instruction value calculating unit to zero or a constant value when the motion compensation optical system reaches a limit of possible movement.

43. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 41, wherein

the gain varying unit reduces the gain of the position instruction value calculating unit to zero or a constant value when the drive current flowing in the drive unit is greater than a predetermined electric current value, or when the voltage of the power supply providing electric current to the drive unit is smaller than a predetermined voltage value.

44. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 41, wherein

the control unit causes a stoppage of supply of electric current to the drive unit when the current flowing in the drive unit is greater than a predetermined electric current value, or when the voltage of the power supply providing electric current to the drive unit is smaller than a predetermined voltage value.

45. A motion compensation device as recited in claim 34, further comprising:

a display unit to display information relating to the state of the motion compensation operation.