Image stabilizer and image-shake correcting method

• US 9,229,295 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chen, Yu-Han, Liang, Ho-Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THONG Q
• Application Number:
  US13/664,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20140016200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 359554-557, 359813-814, 359823-824
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/646 compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2205/0007 Movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur imaging systems in general using optical elements for stabilisation of the position of the image G02B27/64
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/005 Blur detection
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 5/00 Adjustment of optical system relative to image or object surface other than for focusing

Abstract

An exemplary image stabilizer includes a shaking sensor, a control module, a driving module, an image module, and a data adjusting module. The shaking sensor detects a shake of a lens associated with the image stabilizer. The control module stores a shake correcting setting having one or more error ranges. The driving module is controlled by the control module to move the lens according to the shake correcting setting. The image module captures an image through the corrected lens. The data adjusting module adjusts the shake correcting setting within one or more of the error ranges when a resolution value of the captured image is lower than a preset reference value.

Claims

1. An image stabilizer, comprising:

a shaking sensor detecting a shake of a lens associated with the image stabilizer;

a control module storing a shake correcting setting having one or more adjustable error ranges, and electrically connected to the shaking sensor;

a driving module electrically connected to the control module and physically coupled to the lens, wherein the driving module is controlled by the control module to move the lens according to the shake correcting setting and thereby correcting a position of the lens;

an image module capturing an image through the lens; and

a data adjusting module electrically connected between the control module and the image module, and adjusting the shake correcting setting within one or more of the one or more adjustable error ranges when a resolution value of the captured image is lower than a preset reference value;

wherein the control module further controls the driving module to move the lens according to an adjusted shake correcting setting adjusted by the data adjusting module, and thereby further correcting the position of the lens.

2. The image stabilizer of claim 1, wherein the shaking sensor and the lens are physically separate from each other.

3. The image stabilizer of claim 1, wherein the image module comprises a capturing module and an analyzing module connected to the capturing module;

the capturing module converts light rays penetrating the lens to image signals, and captures an image; and

the analyzing module analyzes the image captured by the capturing module, and compares the resolution value of the image with the preset reference value.

4. The image stabilizer of claim 3, wherein when the resolution value is greater than or equal to the preset reference value, the analyzing module outputs a first controlling signal to the data adjusting module, and the control module stores the image captured by the capturing module.

5. The image stabilizer of claim 3, wherein when the resolution value is lower than the preset reference value, the analyzing module outputs a second controlling signal to the data adjusting module, and the data adjusting module adjusts the shake correcting setting.

6. The image stabilizer of claim 5, wherein the shake correcting setting comprises an X-axis datum, a Y-axis datum, and a Z-axis datum, and the one or more error ranges are three error ranges, which are an X-axis datum error range, a Y-axis datum error range, and a Z-axis datum error range.

7. An image-shake correcting method, comprising:

detecting a shake of a lens;

correcting a position of the lens according to an adjustable shake correcting setting or a pre-stored shake correcting setting having one or more adjustable error ranges;

capturing an image through the lens after the position of the lens is corrected;

deciding whether or not a resolution value of the captured image is greater than or equal to a preset reference value; and

when the resolution value is lower than the preset reference value, adjusting the pre-stored shake correcting setting within one or more of the one or more adjustable error ranges.

8. The image-shake correcting method of claim 7, further comprising, when the resolution value is greater than the preset reference value, storing the captured image.

9. The image-shake correcting method of claim 7, further comprising, after the pre-stored shake correcting setting is adjusted, correcting the position of the lens according to the adjusted shake correcting setting, and again capturing an image through the lens.