Image pickup device and camera shake correction method

• US 7,372,483 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2004
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hirano, Hirotaka, Kumaki, Jinyo, Nomura, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SELBY, GEVELL V
• Application Number:
  US10/807,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20040218056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.99, 348/208.1, 348/208.2, 396/55
• US Class Current: 348/208.99
• 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 23/682 Vibration or motion blur correction

Abstract

In an image pickup device, a controller includes a surplus area calculation unit to detect a surplus area for use in correcting camera shake based upon a size of an effective area on an image pickup surface and a size of an efficient area extracted in response to camera shake. Thus, this image pickup device can prevent a troublesome aspect in which camera shake correction reaches the correction end from occurring, even when a large camera shake that is beyond the surplus area occurs.

Claims

1. An image pickup device for use in a camera, the device comprising:

image pickup means;

camera shake detecting means for detecting a camera shake and outputting a camera shake detection signal; and

correcting means for correcting a camera shake of an image pickup signal obtained from said image pickup means by using said camera shake detection signal,

wherein said correcting means includes surplus area detecting means for detecting a surplus area for use in camera shake correction based upon a size of an effective area on an image pickup surface of the image pickup means and a size of an efficient area extracted in response to the camera shake, integrating means for integrating said camera shake detection signal and integration coefficient control means for dynamically changing an integration coefficient used to integrate said camera shake detection signal in response to a difference between a size of said surplus area and a magnitude of said camera shake detection signal.

2. The image pickup device according to claim 1, wherein said correcting means includes a table having a plurality of integration coefficients relative to a respective plurality of sizes of said surplus area.

5. The image pickup device according to claim 1, in which said correcting means further includes a multiplier for multiplying the integration coefficient with a signal corresponding to an output signal from the integrating means so as to obtain a multiplied signal and for supplying the multiplied signal to the integrating means and in which the integrating means integrates said camera shake detection signal and the multiplied signal.

3. A camera shake correction method comprising:

an image pickup step for obtaining an image pickup signal;

a camera shake detection step for detecting a camera shake and outputting a camera shake detection signal; and

a correction step for correcting a camera shake of said image pickup signal obtained from said image pickup step by using said camera shake detection signal,

wherein said correction step includes a surplus area detection step for detecting a surplus area for use in a camera shake correction based upon a size of an effective area on an image pickup surface and a size of an efficient area extracted in response to the camera shake, an integration step for integrating said camera shake detection signal and an integration coefficient control step for dynamically changing an integration coefficient used to integrate said camera shake detection signal in response to a difference between a size of said surplus area and a magnitude of said camera shake detection signal.

4. The camera shake correction method according to claim 3, wherein said correction step corrects the camera shake by using a table having a plurality of integration coefficients relative to a respective plurality of sizes of said surplus area.

6. The camera shake correction method according to claim 3, in which the correcting step further includes a multiplying step for multiplying the integration coefficient with a signal corresponding to an output signal obtained from the integrating step so as to obtain a multiplied signal and in which the integrating step integrates said camera shake detection signal and the multiplied signal.