Photographic apparatus for determining whether to perform stabilization on the basis of inclination angle

• US 7,903,960 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2009
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: Uenaka, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe; Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADAMS, BRET W
• Application Number:
  US12/411,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20090245774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 396/55
• US Class Current: 396/55
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• 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

Abstract

A photographic apparatus comprises a movable platform and a controller. The movable platform has an imager, and is movable and rotatable in an xy plane. The controller performs a movement control of the movable platform for an inclination correction based on an inclination angle of the photographic apparatus formed by rotation of the photographic apparatus around the optical axis, as measured with respect to a level plane, for a first stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by yaw around the y direction, and for a second stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by pitch around the x direction. The controller performs at least one of a first determination of whether the first stabilization is to be performed and a second determination of whether the second stabilization is to be performed, on the basis of the inclination angle.

Claims

1. A photographic apparatus comprising:

a movable platform which has an imager that captures an optical image through a taking lens, and is movable and rotatable in an xy plane perpendicular to an optical axis of said taking lens; and

a controller that performs a movement control of said movable platform for an inclination correction based on an inclination angle of said photographic apparatus formed by rotation of said photographic apparatus around said optical axis, as measured with respect to a level plane perpendicular to the direction of gravitational force, for a first stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by yaw around the y direction, and for a second stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by pitch around the x direction, said x direction being perpendicular to said optical axis, and said y direction being perpendicular to said x direction and said optical axis;

said controller performing at least one of a first determination of whether said first stabilization is to be performed and a second determination of whether said second stabilization is to be performed, on the basis of said inclination angle.

2. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller calculates a movable range of said movable platform in the movement range that changes in accordance with said inclination angle, and performs at least one of said first and second stabilizations on the basis of said movable range.

3. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an acceleration sensor that detects a first gravitational component and a second gravitational component, said first gravitational component being the component of gravitational acceleration in said x direction, and said second gravitational component being the component of gravitational acceleration in said y direction;

wherein said controller calculates said inclination angle, on the basis of a magnitude relation between the absolute value of said first gravitational component and the absolute value of said second gravitational component, and performs a movement control of said movable platform for said inclination correction based on said inclination angle.

4. The photographic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controller calculates said inclination angle by performing an arcsine transformation on the smaller of the absolute value of said first gravitational component and the absolute value of said second gravitational component.

5. The photographic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said x direction is perpendicular to the direction of gravitational force and said y direction is parallel to the direction of gravitational force when said photographic apparatus is held horizontally and either an upper surface or a lower surface of said photographic apparatus faces upward;

and

said x direction is parallel to the direction of gravitational force and said y direction is perpendicular to the direction of gravitational force when said photographic apparatus is held vertically and one of either side surfaces of said photographic apparatus faces upward.

6. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller performs said movement control of said movable platform for said inclination correction with at least one of first and second stabilization being prohibited, when said inclination angle is greater than a variable that changes in accordance with at least one of the first and second hand-shake quantities.

8. The photographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controller performs said at least one of the first and second determinations based upon the entire inclination angle.

7. A photographic apparatus comprising:

a movable platform which has an imager that captures an optical image through a taking lens, and is movable and rotatable in an xy plane perpendicular to an optical axis of said taking lens; and

a controller that performs a movement control of said movable platform for a first stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by yaw around the y direction, for a second stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by pitch around the x direction, and for a third stabilization for correcting hand shake caused by roll around the z direction, said x direction being perpendicular to said optical axis, said y direction being perpendicular to said x direction and said optical axis, said z direction being parallel to said optical axis;

said controller performing at least one of a first determination of whether said first stabilization is to be performed and a second determination of whether said second stabilization is to be performed, on the basis of a hand-shake quantity caused by roll that is calculated for said third stabilization.

9. The photographic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said controller performs said at least one of the first and second determinations based on an inclination angle of said photographic apparatus.