Image stabilizing device operable responsively to a state of optical apparatus using the same

• US 6,191,813 B1
• Filed: 09/22/1997
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujisaki, Tatsuo, Shiomi, Yasuhiko, Nakazawa, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/934,871
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5225, H04/N.5232, H04/N.5228, 348/208, 348/345, 348/348, 348/352, 359/554, 359/555, 359/556, 359/557, 396/7, 396/13, 396/52, 396/55, 396/54
• US Class Current: 348/208.8
• 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: 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 23/686 with a variable apex prism

Abstract

An image stabilizing device removably mountable on a camera or other optical apparatus includes an image stabilizer for accomplishing image stabilization of the camera, a detector for detecting the operative state of the camera, and a controller responsive to the detector to control the operation of said image stabilizer. The detector detects the presence or absence of an information signal and the controller acts diversely dependent on the detections.

Claims

1. An apparatus used for an image shake prevention device, comprising:

determination portion which determines an output of an image shake detection device which detects an image shake; and

restriction portion which restricts an image shake prevention operation of said image shake prevention device in accordance with a determination of said determination portion, wherein

said restriction portion restricts the image shake prevention operation of said image shake prevention device when said image shake prevention device is performing the image shake prevention operation in accordance with the output of said image shake detection device and said determination portion judges that the output of said image shake detection device is smaller than a predetermined level.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said restriction portion includes means for stopping the image shake prevention operation.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising release means for releasing the restriction by said restriction portion when said determination portion determines a state in which the output is larger than a predetermined value.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising release means for releasing the restriction by said restriction portion when said determination portion determines a state in which the output is larger than a predetermined value and continues for a predetermined time period.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said restriction portion includes means for regulating the image shake prevention operation corresponding to the output of the image shake detection device of the image shake prevention device.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image shake prevention device includes an image shake correction device for correcting the image shake.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image shake prevention device includes means for optically preventing the image shake.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image shake detection device includes means for detecting a fluctuation of an equipment to which the image shake prevention device performs the image shake prevention.

9. An apparatus used for image shake correction apparatus which includes an image shake detection device which detects an image shake and an image shake correction device which operates in accordance with an output of said image shake detection device, said image shake detection device being initiated to drive prior to an initiation of said image shake correction appararus, said apparatus comprising:

determination portion which determines that an output of said image shake detection device is larger than a predetermined value; and

a control portion which determines whether said image shake correction apparatus should be activated in accordance with the judgment of said determination means portion under the state that said image shake detection device is being activated but said image shake correction device has not yet been activated in accordance with an output of said image shake detection device.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control portion includes means for starting an image shake prevention operation corresponding to the output of the image shake detection device of the image shake correction apparatus.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image shake correction apparatus includes means for optically preventing the image shake.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a restriction means for regulating the image shake correction apparatus operation corresponding to the output of the image shake detection device of the image shake prevention device.

13. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image shake correction apparatus includes the image shake correction device for correcting the image shake.

14. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined value is larger than an output at a minimum image shake which said image shake detection device could detect.

15. An image shake prevention apparatus comprising:

an image shake prevention device for preventing an image shake;

determination portion which determines an output of an image shake detection device which detects an image shake; and

restriction portion which restricts an image shake prevention operation of said image shake prevention device in accordance with a determination of said determination portion, wherein

said restriction portion restricts the image shake prevention operation of said image shake prevention device when said image shake prevention device is performing the image shake prevention operation in accordance with the output of said image shake detection device and said determination portion judges that the output of said image shake detection device is smaller than a predetermined level.

16. An optical equipment to which an image shake prevention device performs an image shake prevention, comprising:

determination portion which determines an output of an image shake detection device which detects an image shake; and

restriction portion which restricts an image shake prevention operation of said image shake prevention device in accordance with a determination of said determination portion, wherein

said restriction portion restricts the image shake prevention operation of said image shake prevention device when said image shake prevention device is performing the image shake prevention operation in accordance with the output of said image shake detection device and said determination portion judges that the output of said image shake detection device is smaller than a predetermined level.

17. An image shake correction apparatus comprising:

an image shake correction device for correcting an image shake;

determination portion which determines that an output of an image shake detection device which detects an image shake is larger than a predetermined value; and

a control portion which determines whether said image shake correction device should be activated in accordance with the judgment of said determination portion under the state that said image shake detection device is being activated but said image shake correction device has not yet been activated in accordance with an output of said image shake detection device.

18. An optical equipment to which an image shake correction device performs an image shake correction, comprising:

determination portion which determines that an output of an image shake detection device which detects an image shake is larger than a predetermined value; and

a control portion which determines whether said image shake correction device should be activated in accordance with the judgment of said determination portion under the state that said image shake detection device is being activated but said image shake correction device has not yet been activated in accordance with an output of said image shake detection device.

19. An apparatus used for image shake correction system which includes an image shake detection device which detects an image shake and an image shake correction device which performs a predetermined image shake correction operation in accordance with an output of said image shake detection device, said apparatus comprising:

determination portion which determines that an output of said image shake detection device is larger than a predetermined value; and

a control portion which starts the predetermined image shake correction operation of said image shake correction device in accordance with the judgment of said determination portion under the state that said image shake detection device is being activated but said image shake correction device does not perform the predetermined image shake correction operation in accordance with an output of said image shake detection device.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said determination portion includes means for performing the judgment of said determination portion in accordance with a signal which corresponds to the output of said image shake detection device and a value of which represents a displacement.

21. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said image shake detection device includes means for detecting a shake of the apparatus.

22. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said image shake correction device includes means for optically correcting the image shake.

23. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said image shake correction device includes means for correcting the image shake by bending a light ray.

24. An image shake correction apparatus comprising:

an image shake correction device for correcting an image shake;

determination portion which determines that an output of an image shake detection device is larger than a predetermined value; and

a control portion which starts a predetermined image shake correction operation of said image shake correction device in accordance with the judgment of said determination portion under the state that said image shake detection device is being activated but said image shake correction device does not perform the predetermined image shake correction operation in accordance with an output of said image shake detection device.

25. An optical equipment to which an image shake correction device performs an image shake correction comprising:

determination portion which determines that an output of an image shake detection device is larger than a predetermined value; and

a control portion which starts a predetermined image shake correction operation of said image shake correction device in accordance with the judgment of said determination portion under the state that said image shake detection device is being activate but said image shake correction device does not perform the predetermined image shake correction operation in accordance with an output of said image shake detection device.