JPH1164911A - Shake correction apparatus, shake correction method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To enable good shake correction to be performed both when shooting with a fixed camera and when shooting while holding the camera in a hand. SOLUTION: Based on the frequency of the shake and the magnitude of the shake, a photographing device is provided based on frequency detection circuits 102a and 102b for detecting the frequency of the shake, amplitude detection circuits 103a and 103b for detecting the magnitude of the shake. A state detecting means 101 for detecting whether the apparatus is fixed on a supporting part such as a tripod or a hand, and based on a detection result of the state detecting means 101, the photographing device is mounted on a supporting part such as a tripod. Correction state changing means 402a and 402b for switching between a shake correction state when the camera is fixed to the camera or a shake correction state when the imaging device is held in the hand, and by recognizing the shooting state of the camera, It is possible to prevent swinging back and fluffing when a panning operation is performed on a support portion such as a tripod.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shake correcting device, a shake correcting method, and a storage medium, and more particularly to a shake correcting device provided in a camera having a shake correcting device or a video camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the field of photographing equipment such as a camera and a video camera (hereinafter referred to as a camera), automation and multi-functionality in terms of exposure setting, focus adjustment, and the like have been attempted, and good photographing has been achieved. It has become easier to do. Also,
In recent years, a shake correction device for correcting camera shake has been put to practical use. In particular, in a small-sized video camera, the use of a recent high-magnification lens causes noticeable camera shake on the telephoto side and significantly degrades the quality of an image. Therefore, the shake correction device is an essential function.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the above-mentioned shake correcting apparatus, in which an angular velocity sensor such as a vibrating gyroscope is used as shake detecting means.
This is an example (optical shake correction device) using a variable apex angle prism (VAP) as an image correction device.

Hereinafter, an optical shake correcting apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. Generally, in a shake correction apparatus, two directions of a horizontal (Yaw) direction and a vertical (Pitch) direction are used.
Detect shake in the direction.

[0005] In FIG. 3, the structure denoted by reference numeral a is a structure related to the horizontal direction, and the structure denoted by reference character b is a structure related to the vertical direction. Note that the configuration of the symbol a and b
Since the same processing is performed in both configurations, only the configuration in the horizontal direction will be described here.

Reference numeral 301a denotes the vibration gyro, which is attached to a camera such as the video camera, and outputs an angular velocity signal according to the shake when the shake occurs. Reference numeral 302a denotes a filter that cuts a DC component of a signal output from the vibration gyro 301a and passes only an AC component.

Reference numeral 303a denotes an amplifier for amplifying the signal. The signal amplified by the amplifier 303a is input to the microcomputer 315, and the microcomputer 315
/ D converter 304a, high-pass filter (HPF)
305a, a correction circuit 306a, an integrator 307a,
A target value for driving the VAP 310 in the Yaw direction is calculated.

On the other hand, the movement of the VAP 310 is detected by a position sensor 311a, and the detection output is amplified by an amplifier 312a and input to a microcomputer 315. And A /
A / D conversion is performed by the D converter 313a, and the result is provided to the adder 308a as a feedback signal. Then, the adder 308a adds the target value and the actual correction amount.

The correction amount calculated by the adder 308a is D / A converted by a D / A converter 309a and output from a microcomputer 315 to a Yaw direction drive circuit 314a. The drive circuit 314a drives the VAP 310. With the above operation, the VAP control is performed.

When a camera equipped with such a shake correction function is fixed to a supporting part such as a tripod for photographing, an image which should be stopped originally fluctuates due to noise components from the angular velocity sensor. It may shake.

In order to prevent such inconvenience, there is provided a judging means for judging whether or not the camera is fixed to a tripod or the like. When the judging means judges that the camera is fixed to a tripod or the like, Has proposed a method of changing a filter characteristic in the microcomputer 315 to remove image fluctuation due to noise.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration when the judgment means is added. 4, the same components as those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The camera shown in FIG. 4 is different from the camera shown in FIG.
02a and 402b are added.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing in the microcomputer in the horizontal direction regarding the determination method. Hereinafter, FIG.
A method of determining whether the camera is fixed to a tripod or the like will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, in step 501, digital signal processing is performed by the A / D converters 304a to 309a in FIG.

Then, in the next step 502, it is determined whether or not the horizontal angular velocity signal is equal to or less than a predetermined value A. If the result of the determination in step 502 is equal to or less than the predetermined value A, the process proceeds to step 503, and it is determined whether or not the vertical angular velocity signal is equal to or less than the predetermined value B.

If the result of the determination in step 503 is that the angular velocity signal in the vertical direction is less than the predetermined value B, the process proceeds to step 504, where it is determined whether the integrated value in the horizontal direction is less than the predetermined value. . Here, if it is determined that the value is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step 505.

In general, the cutoff frequency at the time of detection of a state of being supported by a supporting portion such as a tripod is set to a higher value than the normal cutoff frequency. A low-frequency component close to the DC component is removed.

In step 505, the cut-off frequency of the high-pass filter (HPF) 305a is changed to the cut-off frequency at the time of detecting the state of a tripod supported by a support such as a tripod. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a shake correction device in which an image does not shake even when the camera is fixed to a tripod or the like.

Steps 502 to 50
In each of the determinations in 4, if any one of the signals is higher than the predetermined value, it is determined that the camera is not fixed. In this case, the process proceeds to step 506 and the HP
Control is performed to return the cutoff frequency of F305a to the normal (handheld) cutoff frequency. Here, steps 502 to 504 show the processing performed in the tripod state detection circuit 401 in FIG. Further, the processing of steps 505 and 506 indicates the processing performed in the cutoff changing circuit 402a.

As described above, by detecting that the camera is fixed to a tripod or the like by the tripod state detection circuit 401, the shake correction function works in the case of hand-held shooting,
When shooting with the camera fixed, the shake correction function can be disabled so that optimal shake correction control can be performed for the photographer.

[0020]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, when the camera is moved, such as by panning, while the camera is fixed, the vibration is deviated from the control when the camera is fixed. However, there is a problem that after the completion of the panning, the swinging back and the fluffing are caused.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention prevents swinging back and fluffing when a panning operation is performed with the camera mounted on a support section such as a tripod, and secures a camera when photographing. It is an object of the present invention to be able to perform good shake correction both in the case of holding a camera and shooting.

[0022]

According to the present invention, there is provided a shake correcting apparatus comprising: a frequency detecting circuit for detecting a frequency of a shake, an amplitude detecting circuit for detecting a magnitude of the shake, a frequency of the shake and a magnitude of the shake. State detecting means for detecting whether the photographing device is fixed on a support portion such as a tripod or held by a hand, and the photographing device is connected to a tripod or the like based on the detection result of the state detecting means. The image processing apparatus further includes a correction state changing unit configured to switch to a shake correction state when the camera is fixed on the supporting unit or to a shake correction state when shooting while holding the imaging device in a hand.

Another feature of the shake correcting apparatus according to the present invention is that a first detecting means for detecting a horizontal vibration of the photographing device and a second detecting means for detecting a vertical vibration of the photographing device. Detecting means, and correcting means for correcting image shaking,
On the basis of signals from the first and second detection means,
First control means for driving the correction means in a direction for correcting image shake, and second control means for stopping driving of the correction means based on signals from the first and second detection means. In the camera shake correction apparatus having the above, it is determined whether to switch from the second control means to the first control means based on the evaluation signals detected by the first and second detection means. It is characterized by doing.

According to another feature of the shake correcting apparatus of the present invention, the evaluation signal includes a shake frequency calculated from an output of the first detecting means, and a detection frequency detected by the second detecting means. The magnitude of the detected shake or the magnitude of the shake detected by the first detecting means,
Is one of the shake frequencies calculated from the output of the detection means.

Further, a shake correction method according to the present invention includes a frequency detection process for detecting a shake frequency, an amplitude detection process for detecting a shake size, and a shake detection method based on the shake frequency and the shake size. A state detection process that detects whether the imaging device is fixed on a support unit such as a tripod or is held in a hand, and the imaging device is mounted on a support unit such as a tripod based on the detection result of the state detection process. The camera is characterized in that a shake correction state when the image pickup apparatus is fixed or a correction state change process for switching to a shake correction state when the image pickup apparatus is held by hand while shooting is performed.

Another feature of the shake correcting method according to the present invention is that the cutoff frequency of the high-pass filter for signal processing is the cutoff frequency at the time of detection of a state of being supported by a support such as a tripod. And the step of detecting whether or not the frequency of the shake is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the step of detecting whether or not the magnitude of the shake is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the cutoff frequency is set to a support portion such as a tripod. The cutoff frequency at the time of detection of the supported state, and the cutoff frequency of the signal processing high-pass filter is supported by a support unit such as a tripod when the frequency of the shake and the magnitude of the shake are equal to or less than predetermined values. Setting a cut-off frequency at the time of detection of the performed state.

The storage medium of the present invention stores a program for causing a computer to execute the procedure of the shake correction method.

Since the present invention has the technical means described above,
During shooting, the frequency of the shake and the magnitude of the shake are constantly monitored.After the control state when the camera is fixed on a tripod, etc., the control when the camera is fixed based on the magnitude of the amplitude and the frequency is performed. Since it is determined whether or not the user exits the state, even when the panning operation is performed while being supported on a support unit such as a tripod, swinging back and fluffing do not occur.

[0029]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a shake correction apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted. In the following description, only the horizontal direction will be described for the reasons described above.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a tripod state detection circuit for detecting a state of a tripod fixed to a support portion such as a tripod, and 102a and 102b denote horizontal and vertical frequency detection circuits, respectively. This is for detecting each frequency from the output. Also, 103a,
Reference numeral 103b denotes a horizontal and vertical amplitude detection circuit for detecting the magnitude of the output of the angular velocity sensor. Reference numeral 104 denotes a microcomputer.

When the camera is moved in the horizontal direction with the camera mounted on a tripod, that is, when panning is performed on the tripod, the frequency in the horizontal direction is low and almost no amplitude is generated in the vertical direction.

When the camera is moved in the vertical direction,
That is, when tilting is performed, the frequency in the vertical direction is low, and the amplitude in the horizontal direction hardly occurs. In consideration of this point, the shake correction apparatus according to the present embodiment uses the frequency detection circuit 102a and the amplitude detection circuit 103a to
It is possible to determine whether panning, tilting, or the like is performed in a state where the panning, tilting, or the like is fixed to a support unit such as a tripod.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation in the microcomputer of the shake correction apparatus according to the present embodiment. Note that this flowchart also shows only the processing in the horizontal direction.

Hereinafter, the shake correction apparatus and the shake correction method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, step 201 includes A / D converter 304a to D / A converter 309a.
Is the digital signal processing performed in step (1). In the next step 202, the current cutoff frequency of the HPF 305a is checked to determine whether it is the cutoff frequency when the tripod state is detected.

Here, if the cutoff frequency is a normal cutoff frequency, the process proceeds to step 205, and the same determination as in the conventional case is performed. If it is the cutoff frequency at the time of detecting the tripod state, the process proceeds to step 203, and it is checked whether or not the frequency in the horizontal direction is lower than a predetermined value. This is determined from the frequency detected by the Yaw frequency detection circuit 102a.

Here, if the frequency in the horizontal direction is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step 205, and the same judgment as that of the related art is performed.
If the frequency in the horizontal direction is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step 204. In step 204, it is determined whether or not the vertical angular velocity signal is equal to or less than a predetermined value C. This is determined from the angular velocity detected by the Yaw amplitude detection circuit 103a. If the result of the determination in step 204 is that the angular velocity signal is larger than the predetermined value C, the process proceeds to step 205 and the same determination as in the past is performed.

If the result of determination in step 204 is that the angular velocity signal is equal to or less than the predetermined value C, the flow advances to step 208 to set the horizontal cutoff frequency to the cutoff frequency at the time of detecting the tripod state. That is, once the tripod state is detected, if the horizontal vibration frequency is small <and the vertical vibration magnitude is small, the cutoff frequency of the HPF 305a can be easily calculated from the cutoff frequency when the tripod state is detected. Do not change to Step 205
Step 209 is a conventional determination method, and is exactly the same as step 502 to step 506 in the flowchart of FIG.

By performing the shake determination as described above, it is possible to determine whether panning or tilting is performed in a state fixed to a tripod or the like. In such a case, by preventing the shake correction control from falling out of the control state when the camera is fixed, it is possible to surely prevent swing back and flutter.

(Other Embodiments of the Present Invention) The present invention is applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), but is also applicable to an apparatus composed of one device. You may.

Further, in order to realize various functions so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by an apparatus connected to the various devices or a computer in a system. The present invention also includes a program that is implemented by supplying the program code of the software described above and operating the various devices according to a program stored in a computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus.

In this case, the program code of the software implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the program code itself and means for supplying the program code to the computer,
For example, a storage medium storing such a program code constitutes the present invention. As a storage medium for storing such a program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM,
A magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the supplied program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) or other operating system running on the computer. Needless to say, the program code is also included in the embodiment of the present invention when the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized in cooperation with application software or the like.

Further, after the supplied program code is stored in a memory provided in a function expansion board of a computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or the function expansion unit is specified based on the instruction of the program code. It is needless to say that the present invention also includes a case where a CPU or the like provided in the first embodiment performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention,
From the output of the angular velocity sensor, the frequency and amplitude are monitored, and based on the monitoring result, the photographing state of the photographing device is recognized, and when a panning or tilting operation is performed on a support unit such as a tripod, the shake is detected. Since the control of the correction is prevented from falling out of the control state when the camera is fixed, even if a panning or a tilting operation is performed on a supporting portion such as a tripod, it is possible to prevent the swing back and the flutter from occurring.
This makes it possible to perform good image capturing even when image capturing is performed with the image capturing apparatus fixed, and also to perform excellent image stabilization during hand-held image capturing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of a shake correction apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the shake correction apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a conventional shake correction apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing another conventional example.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the shake correction device illustrated in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 Tripod state detection circuit 102a Horizontal frequency detection circuit 102b Vertical frequency detection circuit 103a Horizontal amplitude detection circuit 103b Vertical amplitude detection circuit 104 Microcomputer 305a Horizontal high-pass filter 305b Vertical high-pass filter 402a Horizontal cut-off change circuit 402b Vertical cut-off change circuit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A frequency detecting circuit for detecting a frequency of a shake, an amplitude detecting circuit for detecting a size of a shake, and a photographing device is provided on a support unit such as a tripod based on the frequency of the shake and the size of the shake. State detection means for detecting whether the image pickup apparatus is fixed on a hand or held in a hand; and, based on a detection result of the state detection means, shake correction when the photographing device is fixed on a support portion such as a tripod. A shake state correction unit for switching to a state or a shake correction state when shooting while holding the imaging device in a hand. 2. A first detecting means for detecting a horizontal vibration of the photographing equipment, a second detecting means for detecting a vertical vibration of the photographing equipment, and a correcting means for correcting a shaking of the image.
On the basis of signals from the first and second detection means,
First control means for driving the correction means in a direction for correcting image shake, and second control means for stopping driving of the correction means based on signals from the first and second detection means. In the camera shake correction apparatus having the above, it is determined whether or not to switch from the second control means to the first control means based on the evaluation signals detected by the first and second detection means. A shake correction device. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation signal is a shake frequency calculated from an output of the first detection means, a magnitude of a shake detected from the second detection means, or the first detection means. The shake correction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shake is one of a magnitude of a shake detected from the image and a shake frequency calculated from an output of the second detection unit. 4. A frequency detecting process for detecting a frequency of a shake, an amplitude detecting process for detecting a size of a shake, and a photographing device is provided on a support unit such as a tripod based on the frequency of the shake and the size of the shake. A state detection process for detecting whether it is fixed on the hand or held in the hand; and a shake correction when the photographing device is fixed on a support unit such as a tripod, based on a detection result of the state detection process. And performing a correction state change process for switching to a shake correction state when shooting while holding the imaging device in a hand. 5. A step of determining whether or not a cutoff frequency of a signal processing high-pass filter is a cutoff frequency at the time of detection of a state supported by a support unit such as a tripod; Detecting whether the frequency is equal to or lower than a predetermined value; detecting whether the magnitude of the shake detected by the amplitude detection circuit is equal to or lower than a predetermined value; and supporting the cutoff frequency on a support unit such as a tripod. It is a cutoff frequency at the time of detection of the performed state, and when the frequency of the shake and the magnitude of the shake are equal to or less than a predetermined value, the cutoff frequency of the high-pass filter for signal processing is supported by a support unit such as a tripod. Setting a cutoff frequency at the time of detection of a shaken state. 6. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the procedure of the shake correction method according to claim 4.