Digital camera with integrated accelerometers

• US 8,619,146 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Phase One A/S
• Original Assignee: Phase One A/S
• Inventors: Molgaard, Claus
• Primary Examiner(s): GILES, NICHOLAS G
• Application Number:
  US13/094,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20110205375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.1, 348/208.2, 348/208.3, 348/231.2, 348/231.3, 348/231.6, 348/333.01, 348/333.11, 348/208.6
• US Class Current: 348/208.6
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3878 Skew detection or correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4092 Edge or detail enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/683 performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory

Abstract

A digital camera system has integrated accelerometers for determining static and dynamic accelerations of the digital cameral system. Data relating to static and dynamic accelerations are stored with recorded image data for further processing, such as for correcting image data for roll, pitch and vibrations and for displaying recorded images with a predetermined orientation using information about, e.g., roll. Data may also be used on-the-fly for smear suppression caused by vibrations.

Claims

1. A method of correcting sideways slant in an image recorded by a digital camera, said method comprising:

providing a first accelerometer integrated on a monolithic chip in the digital camera, the first accelerometer being sensitive to acceleration in a first direction lying in an imaging plane of the digital camera, said first accelerometer being adapted to provide a first output signal in response to acceleration in the first direction;

providing a second accelerometer integrated on a monolithic chip in the digital camera, the second accelerometer being sensitive to acceleration in a second direction lying in an imaging plane of the digital camera and being different from the first direction, said second accelerometer being adapted to provide a second output signal in response to acceleration in the second direction;

low-pass filtering the first and second output signals to obtain information relating to static accelerations;

using the information relating to static accelerations to identify a roll angle of the digital camera when the image was recorded; and

correcting sideways slant in the recorded image in accordance with the identified roll angle to reduce the influence of roll away from a vertical orientation or a horizontal orientation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sideways slant correction is carried out by post-processing software and comprises rotating the recorded image an amount equivalent to the identified roll angle.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising cropping the corrected image to fit a rectangular frame.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the sideways slant correction comprises performing a horizon correction or a roll correction of the recorded image based on the identified roll angle.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sideways slant correction is carried out automatically.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second output signals are provided as continuous functions of accelerations in the first and second directions.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing said first and second accelerometers comprises using first and second micro-mechanical accelerometers as the first and second accelerometers.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising correcting forward slant in the image, said correcting forward slant comprising:

providing a third accelerometer integrated on a monolithic chip in the digital camera, the third accelerometer being sensitive to acceleration in a third direction normal to the first and second directions, said third accelerometer being adapted to provide a third output signal in response to acceleration in the third direction;

low-pass filtering the third output signal to obtain information relating to static acceleration;

using the information relating to static acceleration in the third direction and in at least one of the first and second directions to identify a pitch angle of the digital camera when the image was recorded; and

correcting forward slant in the recorded image in accordance with the identified pitch angle to also reduce the influence of pitch away from a horizontal or vertical orientation.

9. A non-transitory digital storage holding software configured to perform the method of claim 1 when executed by a processor in the digital camera.

10. A computer program embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for correction of sideways slant in an image recorded by a digital camera, the computer readable medium comprising:

a first code segment for causing a processor to obtain a first output signal in response to acceleration in a first direction lying in an imaging plane of the digital camera;

a second code segment for causing the processor to obtain a second output signal in response to acceleration in a second direction lying in an imaging plane of a digital camera and being different from the first direction;

a third code segment for causing the processor to low-pass filter the first and second output signals to obtain information relating to static accelerations;

a fourth code segment for causing the processor to use the information relating to static accelerations to identify a roll angle of the digital camera when the image was recorded; and

a fifth code segment for causing the processor to correct sideways slant in the image in accordance with the identified roll angle to reduce the influence of roll away from a vertical orientation or a horizontal orientation.

11. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the fifth code segment causes the processor to turn correcting of the sideways slant in the recorded image off and on.

12. A digital camera providing correction of sideways slant of images, the digital camera comprising:

an image sensor

a first accelerometer integrated on a monolithic chip in the digital camera, the first accelerometer being sensitive to acceleration in a first direction lying in a plane of the image sensor, said first accelerometer being adapted to provide a first output signal in response to acceleration in the first direction;

a second accelerometer integrated on a monolithic chip in the digital camera, the second accelerometer being sensitive to acceleration in a second direction lying in a plane of the image sensor and being different from the first direction, said second accelerometer being adapted to provide a second output signal in response to acceleration in the second direction;

a processor being adapted to process the first and second output signals, said processor comprising a low-pass filter for filtering the first and second output signals to obtain information relating to static accelerations and to use the information relating to static accelerations to identify a roll angle of the digital camera; and

means for correcting sideways slant in images in accordance with the identified roll angle to reduce the influence of roll away from a vertical orientation or a horizontal orientation.

13. The digital camera according to claim 12, wherein the means for correcting sideways slant in the recorded image can be turned off and on.

14. The digital camera according to claim 12, further comprising a digital storage and wherein the means for correcting sideways slant in the recorded image comprises software held in the digital storage and being configured to rotate the recorded image an amount equivalent to the identified roll angle when executed by the processor.

15. The digital camera according to claim 12, wherein the means for correcting sideways slant comprises one or more mechanical actuators for counter rotating the image sensor an amount equivalent to the identified roll angle prior to recording of the image.

16. The digital camera according to claim 12, wherein said first and second accelerometers are first and second micro-mechanical accelerometers.

17. The digital camera according to claim 12, wherein said first and second output signals are continuous functions of accelerations in the first and second directions.

18. A method of correcting sideways slant during recording of images using a digital camera, comprising:

providing a first accelerometer integrated on a monolithic chip in the digital camera, the first accelerometer being sensitive to acceleration in a first direction lying in an imaging plane of the digital camera, said first accelerometer being adapted to provide a first output signal in response to acceleration in the first direction;

providing a second accelerometer integrated on a monolithic chip in the digital camera, the second accelerometer being sensitive to acceleration in a second direction lying in an imaging plane of the digital camera and being different from the first direction, said second accelerometer being adapted to provide a second output signal in response to acceleration in the second direction;

low-pass filtering the first and second output signals to obtain information relating to static accelerations;

using the information relating to static accelerations to identify a roll angle of the digital camera during recording of the image; and

correcting sideways slant in the recording of the image in accordance with the identified roll angle to reduce the influence of roll away from a vertical orientation or a horizontal orientation.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the correction to reduce the influence of roll comprises counter moving an image sensor used for the recording so as to compensate for the identified roll angle of the digital camera.