Digital camera and solid-state image pickup unit

• US 7,515,191 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Sinh N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pasiewicz; Daniel M
• Application Number:
  US10/912,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20050057661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.99, 3482081- 7, 348/239, 348/241, 348/248, 34833301-33304, 348/333.11
• US Class Current: 348/333.04
• 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 23/6842 by controlling the scanning position, e.g. windowing

Abstract

A digital camera comprising: a solid-state image pickup device having an image pickup region; a signal processing unit for generating a through-image on a basis of an image signal read from a region extracted from a through-image extraction frame of said image pickup region; a display unit for displaying said through-image generated by said signal processing unit; a camera shake detection unit for detecting an amount of camera shake; and a control unit for calculating an amount of displacement by amplifying said amount of camera shake detected by said camera shake detection unit and shifting said through-image extraction frame on a basis of said amount of displacement.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

a solid-state image pickup device having an image pickup region;

a signal processing unit for generating a through-image on a basis of an image signal read from a region extracted from a through-image extraction frame of said image pickup region;

a display unit for displaying said through-image generated by said signal processing unit;

a camera shake detection unit for detecting an amount of camera shake; and

a control unit for calculating an amount of displacement by amplifying said amount of camera shake detected by said camera shake detection unit and shifting said through-image extraction frame on a basis of said amount of displacement so that the through-image is displayed on the displaying unit in a state in which blurring of the through-image is recognized visually by a user of the digital camera.

2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement in accordance with a zoom ratio of a zoom lens provided in front of said solid-state image pickup device.

3. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement so that an amount of correction decreases as said zoom ratio increases.

4. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement so that said amount of displacement is kept constant regardless of said zoom ratio.

5. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement in accordance with a number of recording pixels.

6. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement in accordance with a number of recording pixels.

7. The digital camera according to claim 3, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement in accordance with a number of recording pixels.

8. The digital camera according to claim 4, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement in accordance wit a number of recording pixels.

9. The digital camera according to claim 5, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement so that an amount of displacement decreases as said number of recording pixels decreases.

10. The digital camera according to claim 6, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement so that an amount of displacement decreases as said number of recording pixels decreases.

11. The digital camera according to claim 7, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement so that an amount of displacement decreases as said number of recording pixels decreases.

12. The digital camera according to claim 8, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement so that an amount of displacement decreases as said number of recording pixels decreases.

13. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said control unit adjusts the calculated amount of displacement by amplification before said amount of camera shake exceeds a predetermined threshold but adjusts the calculated amount of displacement by damping after said amount of camera shake exceeds said predetermined threshold.

14. The digital camera according to claim 13, wherein said control unit sets said predetermined threshold in accordance with a zoom ratio of a zoom lens provided in front of said solid-state image pickup device.

15. A solid-state image pickup unit comprising a solid-state image pickup device defined in claim 1, and a control unit defined in claim 1, wherein said solid-state image pickup device and said control unit are formed on one chip.