Camera with blur reducing function

• US 6,343,187 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2000
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): PERKEY, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US09/557,984
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 396/52-55, 396/263, 396/266
• US Class Current: 396/52
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/40 with delayed or timed action
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2207/005 involving control of motion blur

Abstract

An exposure start determining section executes exposure start determination for reducing a shake level, on the basis of the output of a shake detecting/computing section, and a reduction in shaking is waited for. An exposure start determination controlling section determines the wait time, i.e. a time lag, and a state reporting section reports information corresponding to the stages of the time lag.

Claims

1. A camera with a blur reducing function comprising:

sampling means responsive to a releasing operation for sampling levels of shaking of the camera in a time-series manner;

control means for starting exposure when shake data sampled by said sampling means satisfies a predetermined determination criterion or when a period having elapsed from the releasing operation has reached a predetermined period; and

display means for displaying information concerning conditions assumed at least till start of exposure.

2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein said display means displays information corresponding to stages of a period which has elapsed from the releasing operation to the start of exposure.

3. The camera according to claim 1, wherein said display means displays, after exposure, information concerning a level of shaking during exposure when said control means starts exposure the predetermined period after the releasing operation.

4. The camera according to claim 1, wherein when said control means starts exposure the predetermined period after the releasing operation, said display means displays, after exposure, information indicating that exposure was started the predetermined period after the releasing operation.

5. A camera with a blur reducing function comprising:

a shake detecting/computing section for detecting and computing a shaking state of the camera;

a photography start determining section for executing photography start determination on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing section so as to reduce shaking during photography;

a shutter unit operable in response to a determination result of said photography start determining section, thereby enabling photography;

a time measuring section for measuring a period for which the photography start determination is continued by said photography start determining section; and

a reporting section for reporting time lag information in stages on the basis of a measurement result of said time measuring section.

6. The camera according to claim 5, further comprising:

a photography start determination control section responsive to the measurement result of said time measuring section for controlling the photography start determination of said photography start determining section, and wherein

said photography start determination control section changes a photography start determination method employed in said photography start determining section, in response to the measurement result of said time measuring section.

7. The camera according to claim 5, further comprising:

a photography start determination control section responsive to the measurement result of said time measuring section for controlling the photography start determination of said photography start determining section; and

a time lag limit setting section for setting information concerning an effective time limit on the photography start determination by said photography start determining section, and wherein

said photography start determination control section outputs to said photography start determining section an instruction to allow start of photography irrespective of an output of said shake detecting/computing section, when the effective time limit set by said time lag limit setting section has expired, and

said reporting section reports, after a photography operation is executed by said shutter unit, that the photography operation has been executed irrespective of the output of said shake detecting/computing section.

8. The camera according to claim 7, wherein said reporting section also reports information concerning shaking during photography.

9. The camera according to claim 5, wherein said reporting section is a display section.

10. A camera comprising:

a sensor for continuously sensing a shake state of the camera;

a release switch for instructing the camera to execute a photography operation;

a shutter unit;

a control circuit for operating said shutter unit so as to execute photography when said release switch has been depressed and after an output of said sensor is lower than a predetermined value; and

a monitor for displaying information indicating stages of a wait period for which said control circuit was waiting for the output of said sensor to become lower than the predetermined value.

11. The camera according to claim 10, wherein

said control circuit executes forced photography by forcibly operating said shutter unit when the wait period has reached a predetermined value, and

said monitor displays information on the forced photography after the forced photography.

12. The camera according to claim 10, wherein said monitor displays information corresponding to a shake level sensed by said sensor during photography.

13. A method of reducing, during exposure, shaking of a camera having a sensor for sensing a shake state of the camera, and a monitor for displaying information on shaking, comprising:

a first step of sampling shake data in a time-series manner on the basis of an output of the sensor;

a second step of measuring a period required for a level of shaking to be lower than a reference value, on the basis of a predetermined number of shake data items sampled by the sensor in a time-series manner;

a third step of displaying, on the monitor, information corresponding to the period;

a fourth step of forcibly executing exposure when the period is longer than a predetermined value; and

a fifth step of displaying on the monitor, after exposure is executed forcibly, information indicating the execution of forced exposure.