Image pickup apparatus with adjustable image pickup posture

• US 6,377,302 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2000
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ozaki, Koji, Hirono, Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, JACQUELINE B
• Application Number:
  US09/613,908
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 348/333.01, 348/333.06, 348/207, 348/231, 348/208, 348/230, 348/341, 348/373, 396/52, 396/50, 396/53
• US Class Current: 348/231.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

An image pickup apparatus that includes a body on which an optical system is mounted for facing a subject for an image, a signal generator is rotatably provided for generating an image pickup signal in response to an image of the subject obtained through the optical system, and a rotary driver is mounted for rotating the signal generator in relation to the body on an axis of rotation that is substantially coincident with an optical axis of the optical system. An image pickup signal processor for producing a video signal that represents the subject according to the image pickup signal from the signal generator and a posture detector for detecting a posture of the image generator in relation to the subject.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising;

video signal producing means including a body on which an optical system is mounted to face toward a subject, image pickup signal generating means provided in said body for generating an image pickup signal in response to a subject image obtained through the optical system and image pickup signal processing means provided in the said body for producing a video signal on the basis of the image pickup signal obtained from said image pickup signal generating means,

first posture detecting means for producing a first posture signal representing a posture of said body constituting said video signal producing means,

picture displaying means for displaying the video signal obtained from said video signal producing means,

second posture detecting means for producing a second posture signal representing a posture of said picture displaying means,

video signal compensating means for compensating the video signal obtained from said video signal producing means with the first and second posture signals to produce a compensated video signal, and

video signal supplying means operative to supply said picture displaying means with the compensated video signal obtained from said video signal compensating means.

2. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said video signal supplying means is operative to supply said picture displaying means selectively with the video signal obtained from said video signal producing means and the compensated video signal obtained from said video signal compensating means.

3. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising memory means for storing the video signal obtained from said video signal producing means and the first posture signal obtained from said first posture detecting means to be read therefrom as occasion demands, wherein said video signal compensating means is operative to compensate the video signal read from said memory means with the first posture signal read from said memory means and the second posture signal obtained from said second posture detecting means.

4. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising first image control signal generating means for producing a first image control signal based on the first posture signal obtained from said first posture detecting means and second image control signal generating means for producing a second image control signal based on the a second posture signal obtained from said second posture detecting means, wherein said video signal compensating means is operative to compensate the video signal obtained from said video signal producing means with the first and second image control signals.

5. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising synthesizing means for synthesizing the first image control signal obtained from said first image control signal generating means and the second image control signal obtained from said second image control signal generating means to be supplied to said video signal compensating means.

6. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first posture detecting means is operative to detect a rotational direction and rotational amount of said body with reference to a normal posture of said body and produce the first posture signal based on the rotational direction and rotational amount detected thereby and said second posture detecting means is operative to detect a rotational direction and rotational amount of said picture displaying means with reference to a normal posture of said picture displaying means and produce the second posture signal based on the rotational direction and rotational amount detected thereby.

7. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said video signal compensating means is operative to compensate the video signal obtained from said video signal producing means with the first posture signal obtained from said first posture detecting means and the second posture signal obtained from said second posture detecting means in such a manner that the picture corresponding to the subject represented by the video signal is rotated in response to the posture of said body and the posture of said picture displaying portion.