Camera with blur reducing function

• US 6,487,369 B1
• Filed: 04/25/2000
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Russell
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, ARTHUR A
• Application Number:
  US09/557,677
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 396/52, 396/53, 396/54, 396/55, 396/263, 396/266, 396/354, 396/358
• US Class Current: 396/52
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04

Abstract

An exposure start determining section executes exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of the output of the shake detecting/computing section. At this time, an exposure start method used in the exposure start determining section is changed in accordance with a change condition set in a condition setting section. For example, in accordance with an exposure start instructing operation (a releasing operation), preparatory operations (such as a mirror-raising operation, a lens stop down operation, etc.) for exposure are executed. When the preparatory operations have finished, the shake detecting/computing section and the exposure start determining section start to operate. An exposure-start-determining-method changing section changes an exposure start determination method used in the exposure start determining means before and after a predetermined period elapses from the start of the shake detecting/computing section and the exposure start determining section.

Claims

1. A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

shake detecting/computing means for detecting and computing a shake state of the camera;

exposure start determining means for executing exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing means;

exposure means for executing an exposure operation in accordance with a determination result of said exposure start determining means;

exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing an exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means; and

condition setting means for setting a condition used in said exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;

wherein said condition setting means includes camera control means for controlling all operations of the camera, and said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means in response to an instruction from said camera control means; and

wherein said exposure start determining means uses different exposure start determination methods for the output of said shake detecting/computing means and for an output obtained by estimation based on the output of said shake detecting/computing means.

2. A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

shake detecting/computing means for detecting and computing a shake state of the camera;

exposure start determining means for executing exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing means;

exposure means for executing an exposure operation in accordance with a determination result of said exposure start determining means;

exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing an exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means; and

condition setting means for setting a condition used in said exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;

wherein said condition setting means includes camera control means for controlling all operations of the camera, and said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means in response to an instruction from said camera control means, and

wherein said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes an exposure start determination algorithm used in said exposure start determining means.

3. A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

shake detecting/computing means for detecting and computing a shake state of the camera;

exposure start determining means for executing exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing means;

exposure means for executing an exposure operation in accordance with a determination result of said exposure start determining means;

exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing an exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means; and

condition setting means for setting a condition used in said exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;

wherein said condition setting means includes “

photography-with-moving-camera”

determining means for determining whether or not photography is being executed while moving the camera, and

wherein said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means, in response to an output from said “

photography-with-moving-camera”

determining means.

4. The camera according to claim 3, wherein said “

photography-with-moving-camera”

determining means determines whether or not photography is being executed while moving the camera, on the basis of said shake state detected by the shake detecting/computing means.

5. The camera according to claim 3, wherein said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the output of said shake detecting/computing means to a predetermined value when said “

photography-with-moving-camera”

determining means determines that photography is being executed while moving the camera.

6. The camera according to claim 3, wherein

said “ photography-with-moving-camera”

determining means determines whether or not photography is being executed while moving the camera, on the basis of a level of shaking in each of two directions perpendicular to a photography optical axis of the camera and intersecting each other, and

said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the output of said shake detecting/computing means to a predetermined value, the output corresponding to that one of the two directions in which photography is determined to be being executed while moving the camera.

7. The camera according to claim 3, wherein

said exposure start determining means finishes exposure start determination based on the output of said shake detecting/computing means and starts the exposure operation of said exposure means irrespective of a shake state of the camera, when a time limit set by said exposure-start-determining-method changing means has expired, and

said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the time limit when said “

photography-with-moving-camera”

determining means determines that photography is being executed while moving the camera.

8. A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

shake detecting/computing means for detecting and computing a shake state of the camera;

exposure start determining means for executing exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing means;

exposure means for executing an exposure operation in accordance with a determination result of said exposure start determining means;

exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing an exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means; and

condition setting means for setting a condition used in said exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means;

wherein said condition setting means includes time lag measuring means for measuring a time lag by which said exposure start determining means retards an operation of said exposure means, and

wherein said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes the exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means, in accordance with an output from said time lag measuring means.

9. The camera according to claim 8, wherein

said shake detecting/computing means detects a shake level in each of two directions substantially perpendicular to a photography optical axis of the camera and intersecting each other, and

said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes determination period information indicating a determination period required to determine whether or not both the shake levels in the two directions reach a predetermined value.

10. The camera according to claim 8, wherein said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes determination level information indicating a determination level, on the basis of which the output of said shake detecting/computing means is determined.

11. A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

shake detecting/computing means for detecting and computing a shake state of the camera;

shake estimating means for storing an output of said shake detecting/computing means and estimating a level of shaking on the basis of the stored output;

shake information stored state monitoring means for monitoring a shake information stored state of said shake estimating means;

exposure start determining means for executing exposure start determination to reduce shaking during exposure, on the basis of an output of said shake detecting/computing means or an output of said shake estimating means;

exposure means for executing an exposure operation in accordance with a determination result of said exposure start determining means; and

exposure-start-determining-method changing means for changing an exposure start determination method used in said exposure start determining means, on the basis of a monitoring result of said shake information stored state monitoring means.

12. The camera according to claim 11, wherein said exposure start determining means uses different exposure start determination methods for the output of said shake detecting/computing means and for the output of said shake estimating means.

13. The camera according to claim 11, wherein said exposure-start-determining-method changing means changes an exposure start determination algorithm used in said exposure start determining means.

14. A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

a shake detecting section for sampling shake levels of the camera in a time series manner;

a computing section for receiving a predetermined number of shake data items sampled by said shake detecting section in the time series manner, and executing predetermined computation of the shake data items; and

a photography start timing determining section for comparing latest shake data, output from said shake detecting section, with a first determination reference range, and comparing a computation result, when output 20- from said computing section, with a second reference range different from the first reference range, thereby determining on the basis of comparison results whether or not photography should be started.

15. The camera according to claim 14, wherein the first determination reference range has a narrower determination allowance width than the second determination reference range.

16. A camera with a blur reducing function including a shake detecting section for repeatedly detecting a shake state of the camera, and in which a shake state of the camera is repeatedly detected in response to a releasing operation for instructing start of photography, and photography is started at a time point at which shaking is in a predetermined state, comprising:

a determination reference range setting section for setting first and second reference ranges which are different from each other;

a shake estimating section for estimating a shake state of the camera to be obtained after a predetermined period, on the basis of a predetermined number of shake data items detected by said shake detecting section; and

a photography start timing determining section for comparing latest shake data, output from said shake detecting section, with a first determination reference range until estimation information is output form said shake estimating section, and comparing the estimation information with the second reference range when the estimation information is output, thereby determining on the basis of comparison results whether or not photography should be started.

17. The camera according to claim 16, wherein the first determination reference range has a narrower determination allowance width than the second determination reference range.

18. A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

a shake data sampling section, responsive to a releasing operation, for sampling, in a time series manner, a shake level in each of two directions perpendicular to a photography optical axis of the camera and intersecting each other;

a “

photography-with-moving-camera”

determining section for determining, on the basis of an output of said shake data sampling section, whether or not photography is being executed while moving the camera, and invalidating data which is included in the output of said shake data sampling section and concerns a direction in which the camera is moving; and

a control section for starting photography when the output of said shake data sampling section satisfies a predetermined reference value, or when a predetermined period has elapsed after the releasing operation.

19. The camera according to claim 18, wherein said control section changes the predetermined period to a shorter period when said “

photography-with-moving-camera”

determining section determines that photography is being executed while moving the camera.

20. A camera for detecting levels of shaking in a plurality of directions in response to a releasing operation, and starting photography at a time point at which shaking is at a low level, comprising:

a shake level detecting, responsive to a releasing operation, for detecting levels of shaking in a plurality of directions; and

a control section for determining, on the basis of levels of shaking in the plurality of directions detected by said shake level detecting section, whether or not photography is being executed while moving the camera, the control section invalidating a shake state signal obtained in a direction in which photography is being executed while moving the camera.

21. A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

a time measuring section, responsive to a releasing operation, for starting to measure a time period and stop it when a predetermined time limit expires;

a shake detecting section for repeatedly detecting a shake level of the camera; and

a photography start timing determining section for starting photography, when the predetermined time limit has expired or while time measurement is executed before the predetermined time limit expires, in accordance with a comparison result between a predetermined reference range and an estimated level of shaking which is obtained, after a predetermined period, on the basis of a plurality of shake data items including the detected shake level and shake levels near the detected shake level, wherein

said photography start timing determining section increases the predetermined period each time comparison has been executed.

22. A camera with a blur reducing function, comprising:

a time measuring section, responsive to a releasing operation, for starting to measure a time period and stop it when a predetermined time limit expires;

a shake detecting section for repeatedly detecting a shake level of the camera; and

a photography start timing determining section for starting photography, when the predetermined time limit has expired or while time measurement is executed before the predetermined time limit expires, in accordance with a comparison result between a predetermined reference range and an estimated level of shaking which is obtained, after a predetermined period, on the basis of a plurality of shake data items including the detected shake level and shake levels near the detected shake level, wherein

said photography start timing determining section widens the predetermined reference range each time comparison is executed.

23. A method of reducing blurring in a photograph taken by a camera which has a sensor for detecting a shake state of the camera and can reduce shaking during exposure, comprising:

a first step of sampling levels of shaking in a time series manner on the basis of an output of the sensor;

a second step of receiving a predetermined number of shake data items sampled in the time series manner, thereby executing predetermined computation of the shake data items;

a third step of comparing latest shake data, output from the sensor, with a first determination reference range;

a fourth step of comparing a computation result, when output at said second step, with a second determination reference range different from the first determination reference range; and

a fifth step of determining, on the basis of a comparison result at said third step or said fourth step, whether or not exposure should be started.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the first determination reference range has a narrower determination allowance width than the second determination reference range.