Imaging device with erroneous shake correction prevention due to front curtain shock

• US 7,830,416 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Yoshiharu, Murashima, Nobuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Misleh; Justin P
• Application Number:
  US11/908,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20090231450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/208.99
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 5/02 Lateral adjustment of lens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• 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 23/687 by shifting the lens or sensor position
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

In an imaging apparatus, an erroneous shake correction is prevented from being performed due to a front curtain shock. A shutter selecting section determines a current state is a shake-correction execution mode when a shake correction switch is ON, when a tripod detection sensor tripod is not mounted, when a shake detection sensor senses a shake amount equal to or larger than a predetermined value, and when a shutter speed is lower than a predetermined value. In this case, the shutter selecting section selects an electronic focal plane shutter as the front curtain, and supplies an operation command signal to an electronic focal plane shutter control section. In other cases, the shutter selecting section determines the current state is not the shake-correction execution mode, and selects a mechanical focal plane shutter as the front curtain and supplies an operation command signal to a shutter drive control section.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus which includes an imaging device having a plurality of pixels arrayed in a matrix, comprising:

shake detection means for detecting an amount of shake applied to the imaging device;

shake correction means for performing a shake correction drive of a predetermined structure on the basis of a shake amount detection signal from the shake detection means;

a mechanical focal plane shutter including a curtain that moves in a direction substantially orthogonal to a predetermined pixel line of the imaging device, the mechanical focal plane shutter being configured to perform an optical-path opening operation and an optical-path blocking operation for opening and blocking an optical path of light guided to the imaging device;

timing signal generating means for supplying a predetermined reset signal to each of the pixels on the pixel line basis so as to start exposure on the imaging device; and

control means for controlling exposure of the imaging device,

wherein the control means is capable of executing a first exposure start control for starting exposure on the imaging device by the optical-path opening operation by the mechanical focal plane shutter, and a second exposure start control for starting exposure on the imaging device by the reset signal supplied to each of the pixels from the timing signal generating means, the second exposure start control being selected in a shake-correction execution mode during which a shake correction operation by the shake correction means is actually performed.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising operating means for allowing setting of whether or not to execute a shake correction operation by the shake correction means,

wherein the control means determines that the current state is the shake-correction execution mode and selects the second exposure start control when an operation signal for executing a shake correction operation by the shake correction means is supplied from the operating means.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means determines that the current state is the shake-correction execution mode and selects the second exposure start control when a shake amount detection signal detected by the shake detection means is equal to or larger than a predetermined value.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising supporting-leg detecting means for detecting whether or not a supporting leg is attached to the imaging apparatus directly or indirectly on the basis of another parameter,

wherein the control means selects the first exposure start control when attachment of the supporting leg to the imaging apparatus is detected by the supporting-leg detecting means.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising supporting-leg detecting means for detecting whether or not a supporting leg is attached to the imaging apparatus directly or indirectly on the basis of another parameter,

wherein the control means selects the first exposure start control when attachment of the supporting leg to the imaging apparatus is detected by the supporting-leg detecting means.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising supporting-leg detecting means for detecting whether or not a supporting leg is attached to the imaging apparatus directly or indirectly on the basis of another parameter,

wherein the control means selects the first exposure start control when attachment of the supporting leg to the imaging apparatus is detected by the supporting-leg detecting means.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising exposure control means for setting at least a shutter speed,

wherein the control means determines that the current state is the shake-correction execution mode and selects the second exposure start control, when an operation signal for executing a shake correction operation by the shake correction means is supplied from the operating means, and a shutter speed set by the exposure control means is lower than a predetermined value.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control means determines that a shutter speed is lower than a predetermined value when the shutter speed is set longer than 1/2 of a flash sync shutter speed in the mechanical focal plane shutter.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein assuming that a focal length in 135 system equivalent of a shooting optical system included in the imaging apparatus is f (mm), the control means determines that a shutter speed is lower than a predetermined value when the shutter speed is set longer than 1/f (sec).

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the imaging apparatus is configured so that a taking lens is interchangeable with respect to an imaging apparatus body portion; and

the shake detection means is included in the imaging apparatus body portion.

11. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

12. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

16. The imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

17. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

18. The imaging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

19. The imaging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

20. The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the structure subjected to a shake correction drive by the shake correction means is the imaging device.

21. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device is a CMOS imaging device.