Image pickup apparatus with blur compensation

• US 6,778,210 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2000
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugahara, Takuro, Yoshida, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harris, Tia M.
• Application Number:
  US09/617,296
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.4, 348/208.12, 348/208.13, 348/208.16, 348/221.1, 348/229.1, 348/230.1, 348/362, 348/296, 348/297, 396/52, 396/54, 396/55
• US Class Current: 348/208.4
• 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 23/684 performed by controlling the image sensor readout, e.g. by controlling the integration time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/687 by shifting the lens or sensor position
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time

Abstract

An image pickup apparatus including: CCD image pickup device; a preprocess circuit for generating image signals based on output of the image pickup device; a CCD driver for controlling charge accumulation time at the image pickup device; a pickup image generating section for generating one pickup image signal by means of addition of a plurality of image signals obtained by rendering a plurality of times of consecutive exposure by controlling the CCD driver; a blur correcting section for, in generation of the pickup image, adding a plurality of image signals after compensated for relative motion among said plurality of image signals; and an image blur detecting section for detecting relative motion information among the plurality of image signals on the basis of said plurality of image signals, wherein compensation processing at the blur correcting section is performed on the detection result at the image blur detecting section.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an image pickup device;

image signal generation means for generating image signals based on output of the image pickup device;

accumulation time control means for controlling charge accumulation time at said image pickup device;

pickup image generation means for generating one pickup image signal by adding together a plurality of image signals obtained by rendering a plurality of consecutive exposures by controlling the accumulation time control means;

blur corrected static image taking control means for, if an exposure time longer than a predetermined value is set, dividing the exposure time into a plurality of exposure time periods each equal to or shorter than said predetermined value and for setting each of the divided exposure time periods respectively as the exposure time of each of said plurality of consecutive exposures,

motion information detection means for detecting relative motion information among the plurality of image signals based on said plurality of image signals; and

motion compensation means for compensating relative motion among said plurality of image signals based on the detection result at said motion information detection means,

wherein said pickup image generation means adds together the plurality of image signals compensated for motion by said motion compensation means.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of consecutive exposures are equally divided into the least times of exposure.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined value is a camera shake limit exposure time to be determined by the focal length of taking lens and the size of imaging frame.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined value is a camera shake limit exposure time to be determined by the focal length of taking lens and the size of imaging frame.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to anyone of claims 1, 2, 3, or 4, further comprising mode setting means for selectively setting to a first image taking mode where said motion compensation means is caused to function or to a second image taking mode where the same is not allowed to function.

6. An image pickup apparatus capable of obtaining image signals of a plurality of consecutive frames with respect to one image object, said image pickup apparatus comprising:

setting means for, if an exposure time longer than a predetermined value is set, setting charge accumulation time per one frame by dividing the set exposure time into a plurality of exposure time periods each shorter than the predetermined value;

motion information detection means for detecting relative motion information among the respective image signals each obtained in said charge accumulation time per one frame;

operation means for operating said respective image signals so as to achieve an agreement in object images of the plurality of frames on the basis of output from said motion information detection means; and

image generation means for generating one pickup image signal by adding together said plurality of image signals based on the result of said operation.

7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said predetermined value is a camera shake limit exposure time.

8. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, if the exposure time is set as longer than a camera shake limit exposure time, said setting means sets the number of exposures to the quotient (a whole number) obtained by dividing said set exposure time by the camera shake limit exposure time.

9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said camera shake limit exposure time is determined by the focal distance of taking lens and the size of imaging frame.

10. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said operation means operates said respective image signals so as to achieve an agreement of main object images of said plurality of frames by translating or rotating the images and wherein said image generation means generates an image without blur having one suitable exposure value by adding together said respective image signals.

11. An image pickup apparatus capable of obtaining image signals of a plurality of consecutive frames with respect to one image object, said image pickup apparatus comprising:

determination means for determining whether or not a set exposure time is longer than a camera shake limit exposure time;

setting means for, if determined as longer than the camera shake limit exposure time, setting said exposure time to a charge accumulation time by which image signals of a plurality of consecutive frames can be obtained;

blur detection means for detecting relative amount of blur among image signals respectively for the plurality of consecutive frames obtained with respect to one image object;

operation means for operating vectors concerning the object image between the respective image signals among said plurality of consecutive frames on the basis of said detected blur amount and for operating amount of shift and direction thereof of the respective image signals on the basis of the vectors; and

image generation means for generating one pickup image signal by adding together the plurality of image signals based on result of said operation.

12. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said setting means sets the exposure time as shorter than the camera shake limit exposure time at the same time of achieving the least number of exposures.

13. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said camera shake limit exposure time is determined by the focal distance of taking lens and the size of imaging frame.

14. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising mode switch means for setting, if the exposure time set by said determination means is longer than the camera shake limit exposure time, to a first mode where image taking is performed consecutively for a plurality of times or, if the exposure time set by said determination means is shorter than the camera shake limit exposure time, to a second ordinary mode where a plurality of consecutive exposures are not performed.