Image pickup apparatus equipped with function of detecting image shaking

• US 8,564,674 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Sasaki, Masaaki, Matsui, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): FOSSELMAN, JOEL W
• Application Number:
  US12/151,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20080284858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,994 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.1, 396/52
• US Class Current: 348/208.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/144 Movement detection for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51

Abstract

In an initial stage, using a global motion vector, a rough degree of image shaking is determined. After the image shaking is determined to have converged to some measure, using the difference values between frames, the finer degree of the image shaking is determined. And if it is determined to be free of image shaking, the recording photography is made to be done. Thereby, with certainty in the timing of no hand shaking and no image shaking, the photographing can be done.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus having a function of detecting image shaking, comprising:

a first image shaking detection unit which detects image shaking based on a size of a motion vector which represents a movement amount of each pixel and is detected from a plurality of successively obtained image frames;

a second image shaking detection unit which calculates a difference value obtained by comparing respective pixel values of pixels located at identical positions in a plurality of successively obtained image frames, to detect image shaking; and

a determination unit which determines whether image shaking detected by the first image shaking detection unit has converged by comparing the motion vector with a first threshold, and which determines whether image shaking detected by the second image shaking detection unit has converged by comparing the difference value with a second threshold;

wherein the determination unit determines that image shaking has disappeared, when, after image shaking detected by the first image shaking detection unit is determined to have converged, image shaking detected by the second image shaking detection unit is further determined to have converged; and

wherein the determination unit does not determine that image shaking has disappeared before image shaking detected by the first image shaking detection unit is determined to have converged, even if image shaking detected by the second image shaking detection unit is determined to have converged.

2. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second image shaking detection unit starts detection processing of image shaking after image shaking detected by the first image shaking detection unit is determined to have converged.

3. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when image shaking is determined to have disappeared by the determination unit, photographic recording is automatically carried out.

4. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein during a time when image shaking is determined to be present by the determination unit, photographic recording is inhibited or warned against by alarm at a time of receiving an instruction to photograph.

5. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein detection accuracy of image shaking by the second image shaking detection unit is higher than detection accuracy of image shaking by the first image shaking detection unit.

6. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein detection accuracy of image shaking by the second image shaking detection unit deteriorates while the image pickup apparatus is not focused on a subject, and a degree of deterioration of the accuracy is greater than a degree of deterioration of detection accuracy of image shaking by the first image shaking detection unit while the image pickup apparatus is not focused on the subject.

7. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein detection accuracy of image shaking by the second image shaking detection unit deteriorates while motion of a subject or the image pickup apparatus is large, and a degree of deterioration of the accuracy is greater than a deterioration of detection accuracy of image shaking by the first image shaking detection unit while motion of the subject or the image pickup apparatus is large.

8. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first image shaking detection unit detects a component of image shaking caused by hand shaking among a component of image shaking caused by hand shaking and a component of image shaking caused by motion of a subject, and the second image shaking detection unit detects image shaking irrespective of the component of image shaking caused by hand shaking and the component of image shaking caused by motion of the subject.

9. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the motion vector is a motion vector of a whole image obtained by photographing.

10. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit holds, as the second threshold, a minimum difference value among difference values successively detected by the second image shaking detection unit, and determines whether image shaking is present or not according to whether a newly detected difference value has become lower than the held difference value or not.

11. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the determination unit updates the held difference value with the newly detected difference value when the newly detected difference value becomes lower than the held difference value, and determines that image shaking has disappeared when the updating has been performed more than a predetermined number of times.

12. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a high frequency component detection unit which detects a high frequency component in an image frame,

wherein the determination unit does not update the held difference value with the difference value detected based on an image frame in which the high frequency component detected by the high frequency component detection unit is lower than the reference value, even if the difference value is lower than the held difference value.

13. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a high frequency component detection unit which detects a high frequency component in an image frame,

wherein the determination unit determines whether a high frequency component detected by the high frequency component detection unit is lower than a reference value or not, and determines whether image shaking is present or not according to the difference value detected by the second image shaking detection unit, excluding from evaluation an image frame in which the high frequency component is determined to be lower than the reference value.

14. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit sets the difference value between an initial successive two image frames as the second threshold, and subsequently, when a difference value between newly calculated image frames is lower than the second threshold, updates the second threshold with the difference value between the newly calculated image frames, and determines that image shaking has become less, when the updating has been performed more than a predetermined number of times.

15. A method for controlling an image pickup apparatus having a function of detecting image shaking, comprising:

performing first image shaking detection based on a size of a motion vector which represents a movement amount of each pixel and is detected from a plurality of successively obtained image frames;

performing second image shaking detection by calculating a difference value obtained by comparing respective pixel values of pixels located identical positions in a plurality of successively obtained image frames;

determining whether image shaking detected by the first image shaking detection has converged by comparing the motion vector with a first threshold, and determining whether image shaking detected by the second image shaking detection has converged by comparing the difference value with a second threshold; and

determining that image shaking has disappeared, when, after image shaking detected in the first image shaking detection is determined to have converged, image shaking detected in the second image shaking detection is further determined to have converged;

wherein it is not determined that image shaking has disappeared before image shaking detected by the first image shaking detection is determined to have converged, even if image shaking detected by the second image shaking detection is determined to have converged.