Image-taking apparatus detecting vibration and correcting image blurring

• US 7,432,953 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Washisu, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Ngoc-Yen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peterson; Christopher K
• Application Number:
  US10/929,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20050057662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.99, 348/208.1, 348/208.4, 348/208.5, 348/208.7, 348/208.11, 348/208.13, 348/219.1
• US Class Current: 348/208.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• 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 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• 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

Abstract

An image-taking apparatus which improves accuracy of taken images by correcting image blurring is disclosed. The image-taking apparatus comprises an image pickup element which photoelectrically converts an object image formed by an image-taking optical system; a detection sensor which detects vibration; and a control circuit which controls driving of a correcting lens unit being disposed in the image-taking optical system and correcting image blurring by moving within a plane substantially orthogonal to the optical axis.

Claims

1. An image-taking apparatus comprising:

an image pickup element which photoelectrically converts an object image formed by an image-taking optical system into an electrical signal;

a detection sensor which detects vibration; and

a control circuit which controls driving of a correcting lens unit being disposed in the image-taking optical system and corrects image blurring by moving the correcting lens unit within a plane substantially orthogonal to an optical axis of the image-taking optical system,

wherein in a case where it is not possible to move the correcting lens unit according to a result of the detection by the detection sensor after starting an image-taking operation, the control circuit (a) stops the correcting lens unit at a present position, (b) stops a first exposure of the image pickup element in the image-taking operation to generate first image data based on an output signal of the image pickup element before stopping the correcting lens unit, (c) carries out successively a second exposure at a predetermined period while the correcting lens unit is positioned at the present position to generate at least one second image data to be synthesized together with the first image data, and (d) stops the second exposure when total period of the first and second exposures reaches a proper exposure period determined before the image-taking operation.

2. The image-taking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a remaining period representing a difference between the proper exposure period and a period of the first exposure is shorter than a predetermined period, the control circuit prohibits the restart of the image-taking operation the second exposure.

3. The image-taking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detection circuit which detects a displacement between a reference image and another image among the first and second image data;

a coordinate conversion circuit which applies coordinate conversion to the another image so as to conform the another image to the reference image based on a result of the detection by the detection circuit; and

a synthesis circuit which produces a synthesized image by synthesizing the another image to which the coordinate conversion is applied and the reference image.

4. The image-taking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a recording circuit which records the second image data on a recording medium in a form enabling identification.

5. The image-taking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the reference image is an image obtained through exposure with illumination light.

6. The image-taking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in a stage of image-taking, the control circuit can start the second exposure according to the result of the detection by the detection sensor, and in a stage of object observation, the control circuit retains the correcting lens unit at the reference position and changes a region read out in each image obtained by using the image pickup element.

7. An image-taking system comprising:

the image-taking apparatus according to claim 1; and

a lens apparatus which is attached to the image-taking apparatus and has the image-taking optical system including the correcting lens unit.