Integrated circuit chip, control method and generation method

By using the generator in the IC chip to generate a control signal based on the detection signal and relationship information, the problem of sound suppression when the driving mechanism moves the optical element, and the stable and rapid movement of the optical element is achieved.

CN119472237APending Publication Date: 2025-02-18ASAHI KASEI MICRODEVICES CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202411082362.X
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-08-10
Filing Date
2024-08-08
Publication Date
2025-02-18

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

When the driving mechanism moves the optical element to the target position, how to suppress sound generated by driving of the driving mechanism.

Method used

An IC chip is provided, and the generator generates a control signal for suppressing sound based on the detection signal and relationship information, so that the optical element can be moved to a target position. The IC chip can achieve sound suppression by adjusting the movement speed or acceleration of the optical element, or suppressing the rate of change of current supplied by the driving mechanism.

Benefits of technology

The sound generated by driving the driving mechanism is effectively suppressed, ensuring that the optical element can move to the target position stably and quickly.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention provides an integrated circuit chip, a control method and a generation method. Provided is an IC chip that controls a drive mechanism that drives an optical element on the basis of a control signal. The IC chip is provided with a generation unit that generates a position of the optical element on the basis of a detection signal indicating the position of the optical element, and relationship information indicating the relationship between an index corresponding to the volume of sound generated in accordance with the driving of the driving mechanism and the position of the optical element. The control unit generates the control signal for suppressing sound generated by driving of the driving mechanism and moving the optical element to a target position.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, a control method and a generation method. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a motion device control circuit that stably operates the motion device regardless of the magnitude of the differential amount of the target value when the motion device is moved to a target position, and the convergence time of the operation is short. Patent document 2 describes a position control device that suppresses the reduction of the driving force generated in the peripheral area of ​​the movable part by correcting the driving force applied to the voice coil motor, thereby improving the following performance.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6360388

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 5259851 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0008] When the driving mechanism moves the optical element to a target position, it is desirable to suppress the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism.

[0009] Solutions for solving problems

[0010] In a first aspect of the present invention, an IC chip is provided for controlling a drive mechanism that drives an optical element based on a control signal. The IC chip includes a generating unit that generates the control signal for suppressing the sound generated by driving the drive mechanism and moving the optical element to a target position based on a detection signal indicating the position of the optical element and relationship information indicating the relationship between an index corresponding to the magnitude of the sound generated by driving the drive mechanism and the position of the optical element.

[0011] In the IC chip, the generation unit may generate the control signal corresponding to the position of the optical element based on the relationship information so as to suppress a sound generated by driving the drive mechanism by suppressing a speed or an acceleration of movement of the optical element.

[0012] In any of the IC chips, the generating unit may generate the control signal corresponding to the position of the optical element based on the relationship information, so as to suppress the sound generated accompanying the driving of the driving mechanism by suppressing at least one of the rate of change of the current supplied to the driving mechanism and the magnitude of the current.

[0013] In any of the IC chips, the relationship information may indicate, as the index, a correction coefficient for correcting the control signal according to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism. The generation unit may determine the position of the optical element based on at least one of the detection signal and a target position signal indicating the target position, determine the correction coefficient corresponding to the determined position of the optical element by referring to the relationship information, and generate the control signal based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element, the target position signal, and the detection signal.

[0014] In any of the IC chips, the generating unit may generate the control signal for proportional-integral-differential control of the driving mechanism by performing four arithmetic operations on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element and at least one of a proportional component, a differential component and an integral component based on a deviation between the target position signal and the detection signal, based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element, the target position signal and the detection signal.

[0015] In any of the IC chips, the generating unit may generate the control signal for correcting the gain of the drive band of the drive mechanism by performing four arithmetic operations using the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element. The drive band may be 200 Hz or less.

[0016] Any of the IC chips may further include a storage unit for storing the relationship information.

[0017] Any of the IC chips may be capable of operating in a correction mode in which the control signal is corrected based on the relationship information and in a non-correction mode in which the control signal is not corrected based on the relationship information. When the IC chip operates in the correction mode, the generation unit may generate the control signal for suppressing the sound generated by driving the drive mechanism and moving the optical element to a target position based on the detection signal and the relationship information.

[0018] Any of the IC chips may further include a magnetic sensor that outputs the detection signal. The magnetic sensor may include a plurality of Hall elements.

[0019] In any of the IC chips, the relationship information may indicate, as the index, a correction coefficient for correcting the control signal according to the magnitude of the sound generated when the drive mechanism is driven. The generation unit may generate the control signal based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element, a target position signal indicating the target position, and the detection signal. The IC chip may further include a calibration unit that generates or updates the relationship information based on sound information indicating the magnitude of the sound corresponding to the position of the optical element when the drive mechanism is driven according to a predetermined driving condition, and correction coefficient information indicating the relationship between the magnitude of the sound and the correction coefficient.

[0020] In any of the IC chips, the predetermined driving conditions may include a step size indicating a distance by which the optical element is moved according to the target position and an update cycle of the target position.

[0021] In any of the IC chips, the calibration unit may perform the following processing at each step size or each update cycle: when the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven is larger than a predetermined magnitude, the correction coefficient for suppressing the sound is adjusted so as to reduce the rate of change of the current supplied to the drive mechanism, thereby generating or updating the relationship information. The calibration unit may perform the following processing at each step size or each update cycle: when the sound generated during the driving of the optical element accompanying the driving of the drive mechanism is larger than a predetermined magnitude, the correction coefficient for suppressing the sound is adjusted so as to suppress the rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the drive mechanism, thereby generating or updating the relationship information.

[0022] In any of the IC chips, the calibration unit may determine the frequency component of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism based on the sound information. The calibration unit may perform the following processing at each step length or each update cycle: when the frequency component of the sound having a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude includes a frequency component of a first frequency band, the calibration unit adjusts the correction coefficient in a manner that suppresses the rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the driving mechanism, thereby generating or updating the relationship information. The calibration unit may perform the following processing at each step length or each update cycle: when the frequency component of the sound having a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude includes a frequency component of a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, the calibration unit adjusts the correction coefficient in a manner that reduces the rate of change of the current supplied to the driving mechanism, thereby generating or updating the relationship information. The first frequency band may be below the driving band of the driving mechanism, and the second frequency band may be higher than the driving band of the driving mechanism.

[0023] In a second aspect of the present invention, a control method for controlling a drive mechanism for driving an optical element based on a control signal is provided. The control method includes the following steps: generating a control signal for suppressing the sound generated by driving the drive mechanism and moving the optical element to a target position based on a detection signal indicating the position of the optical element and relationship information indicating the relationship between an index corresponding to the magnitude of the sound generated by driving the drive mechanism and the position of the optical element.

[0024] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a generation method for generating relationship information referred to by a control device that generates a control signal for suppressing a sound generated by driving a driving mechanism for driving an optical element and controlling the driving mechanism for moving the optical element to a target position, the relationship information indicating a relationship between a correction coefficient of the control signal corresponding to the magnitude of the sound generated by driving the driving mechanism and the position of the optical element. The generation method includes the following steps: generating the relationship information based on sound information indicating the magnitude of the sound corresponding to the position of the optical element generated by driving the driving mechanism according to a predetermined driving condition, and correction coefficient information indicating a relationship between the magnitude of the sound and the correction coefficient.

[0025] In the generation method, the predetermined driving condition may include a step size indicating a distance by which the optical element is moved according to the target position and an update cycle of the target position.

[0026] In any of the generation methods, it may be that the generation stage includes the following stages: performing the following processing at each of the step sizes or each of the update cycles: when the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven is greater than a predetermined magnitude, adjusting the correction coefficient for suppressing the sound in a manner that reduces the rate of change of the current supplied to the drive mechanism, thereby generating the relationship information; and performing the following processing at each of the step sizes or each of the update cycles: when the sound generated during the period when the optical element is driven along with the driving of the drive mechanism is greater than a predetermined magnitude, adjusting the correction coefficient for suppressing the sound in a manner that suppresses the rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the drive mechanism, thereby generating the relationship information.

[0027] In any of the generation methods, the generation stage may include the following stages: determining the frequency component of the sound generated along with the driving of the driving mechanism based on the sound information; performing the following processing at each step size or each update cycle: when the frequency component of the sound having a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude includes a frequency component of a first frequency band, adjusting the correction coefficient in a manner that suppresses the rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the driving mechanism, thereby generating the relationship information; and performing the following processing at each step size or each update cycle: when the frequency component of the sound having a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude includes a frequency component of a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, adjusting the correction coefficient in a manner that reduces the rate of change of the current supplied to the driving mechanism, thereby generating the relationship information. The first frequency band may be below the driving band of the driving mechanism, and the second frequency band may be higher than the driving band of the driving mechanism.

[0028] The above summary of the invention does not list all the features of the present invention. In addition, sub-combinations of these feature groups can also form inventions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the imaging device 100 .

[0030] Figure 2A This is an example of a block diagram showing the configuration of the generation unit 32 and the storage unit 50 .

[0031] Figure 2B It is an example of a block diagram showing the configuration of the generation unit 32 , the storage unit 50 , and the calibration unit 36 ​​.

[0032] Figure 3 This is an example of a graph showing the relationship between time and the position of an optical element, and the relationship between time and the magnitude of sound.

[0033] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of the time dependency of the magnitude and position of the sound in each of the time zones A1 to A5.

[0034] Figure 5 This is a diagram schematically illustrating the shape of a graph of the frequency dependency of the magnitude of the sound generated as the drive mechanism 20 is driven.

[0035] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an example of a control method for controlling the driving of an optical element using the driving mechanism control unit 30 .

[0036] Fig. 7A 2 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the position of the optical element and the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 when the sound suppression control of the driving mechanism control unit 30 is not used.

[0037] Figure 7B 1 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the position of the optical element and the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 when the sound suppression control of the driving mechanism control unit 30 is used.

[0038] Fig. 8A This is a flowchart showing an example of an updating method of updating the relationship information stored in the first storage unit 52 using the calibration unit 36 ​​.

[0039] Figure 8B Yes Description Fig. 8A A flowchart of an example of the processing of step S202 in .

[0040] Figure 8C Yes Description Fig. 8A Flowchart of another example of the processing of step S202 in .

[0041] Fig. 9 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the processing unit 90 provided outside the imaging device 100 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The present invention will be described below by way of the embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention involved in the claims. In addition, the combination of features described in the embodiments is not necessarily essential to the solution means of the invention.

[0043] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the imaging device 100. The imaging device 100 is a device for a user to use the imaging device 100 to capture a still image or a moving image of a subject.

[0044] As an example, the imaging device 100 is a device including a camera built into a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop personal computer, or a small personal computer. As another example, the imaging device 100 may also be a device including a camera for shooting moving images, such as a digital camera, a web camera, or a video camera. The imaging device 100 includes an optical system 10, an imaging element 12, a drive mechanism 20, a magnetic sensor 22, a microphone 24, a drive mechanism control unit 30, an imaging control unit 40, a storage unit 50, a display unit 60, and an operation unit 70.

[0045] The optical system 10 is a compound lens system that forms an image of a subject on an imaging element 12. The optical system 10 includes at least one of a zoom lens and a focus lens. The optical system 10 is supported by the imaging device 100 by means of a support mechanism. The optical system 10 of this embodiment is driven by magnetic force by a drive mechanism 20 described later. Therefore, in this embodiment, a magnet is provided in the support mechanism by which the optical system 10 is supported by the imaging device 100.

[0046] The imaging element 12 captures an image (image or video) of the subject formed on the imaging surface of the imaging element 12 by the optical system 10, and outputs the data of the image or video to the imaging control unit 40. In addition, below, the image of a still image of the subject captured by the imaging element 12 is sometimes referred to as an image or a still image, and the image of a moving image of the subject captured by the imaging element 12 is sometimes referred to as a video or a moving image. The imaging element 12 can be composed of a CCD or a CMOS.

[0047] The drive mechanism 20 drives the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 to change the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12. Thus, the imaging device 100 is equipped with a lens position control function such as focus control and shake correction control of an image or video captured by the imaging element 12 via the optical system 10.

[0048] Here, in this specification, the optical system 10 and the image pickup element 12 are sometimes collectively referred to as an "optical element". When the image pickup device 100 is equipped with an image shake correction function for an image or video captured by the optical element, the drive mechanism 20 may sometimes drive the image pickup element 12 instead of driving the optical system 10, or may drive the image pickup element 12 in addition to driving the optical system 10. In the figure, for the sake of simplicity of description, an example is shown in which the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical system 10, but the drive mechanism 20 is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 20 drives one or both of the optical system 10 and the image pickup element 12.

[0049] The driving mechanism 20 of this embodiment changes the position and angle (hereinafter sometimes the position and angle are collectively referred to as "position") of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 by driving the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12. When the three-dimensional space is represented by the XYZ space, the driving mechanism 20 can change the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 in one direction in the XYZ space, or can change the position in multiple directions.

[0050] For example, the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 along the optical axis direction of the lens of the optical system 10 to realize the focusing control such as the autofocus function of the imaging device 100. That is, the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical element along the optical axis of the optical element. In addition, the optical axis of the lens refers to the axis connecting the center point of the lens with the focal position of the lens. In addition, the "direction along the optical axis direction of the lens" can refer to, for example, the direction in which the angle between the X-axis and the Y-axis and the angle between the Z-axis and the X-axis are respectively within the range of ±3 degrees or less for the optical axis direction (the direction parallel to the optical axis direction is set as the X-axis direction). However, the "direction along the optical axis direction of the lens" can also be determined as the direction in which the angle between the X-axis and the Y-axis and the angle between the Z-axis and the X-axis are respectively within the range of ±1 degrees or less, or the angle between the X-axis and the Y-axis and the angle between the Z-axis and the X-axis are respectively within the range of ±0.5 degrees or less, according to the correction function to be installed in the imaging device 100.

[0051] Alternatively, the drive mechanism 20 changes the position and angle of the optical system 10 or the image pickup element 12 to realize the shake correction function of the image pickup device 100. The drive mechanism 20 may drive the image pickup element 12 when the image pickup element 12 is lighter than the optical system 10, or drive both the optical system 10 and the image pickup element 12 to follow the shake such as hand shake at high speed.

[0052] The driving mechanism 20 of this embodiment is an electromagnetic actuator that drives the optical element by using electromagnetic interaction by changing the magnetic field around the optical element. The driving mechanism 20 includes a voice coil motor 200 and a motor driver 202. However, the driving mechanism 20 is not limited to an electromagnetic actuator, and may also be a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator, a piezoelectric actuator, etc.

[0053] The magnetic sensor 22 detects the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12, and outputs a detection signal indicating the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12. The magnetic sensor 22 is, for example, a magnetic sensor that utilizes a magnetic sensor element such as a Hall element, a TMR element utilizing a tunnel magnetoresistance effect, or a GMR element utilizing a giant magnetoresistance. When detecting the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12, the magnetic sensor 22 may include one or more magnetic sensor elements according to a desired detection range and detection accuracy. For example, the magnetic sensor 22 may include a plurality of Hall elements. When the drive mechanism 20 is an electromagnetic actuator, precise position measurement can be performed by using the magnetic sensor 22.

[0054] When the position is detected by the magnetic sensor 22, the magnetic sensor 22 can be set at a position where it is easy to detect the magnetic field, and the driving mechanism 20 causes the magnetic field to change around the magnet of the optical element. As an example, the magnetic sensor 22 is set on an axis that passes through the geometric center of the winding of the coil in the voice coil motor 200. However, the magnetic sensor 22 can be set at any position of the imaging device 100 as long as it can detect the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12.

[0055] As a structure for detecting the position of the optical element, the imaging device 100 may include other sensors such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) instead of the magnetic sensor 22, or may include other sensors such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) in addition to the magnetic sensor 22. The detection signal may be a signal corresponding to the position information of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 output by the sensor composed of these composite sensors.

[0056] The microphone 24 detects sound data corresponding to the sound generated by the driving mechanism 20. The microphone 24 outputs a current or voltage corresponding to the sound data to the driving mechanism control unit 30. The microphone 24 may also be used as a microphone for recording audio when capturing a moving image of the imaging device 100.

[0057] The drive mechanism control unit 30 outputs a control signal for controlling the supply of voltage or current, etc. supplied to the voice coil motor 200 so that the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical element. Specifically, based on the target position instruction signal from the camera control unit 40 and the detection signal from the magnetic sensor 22, the drive mechanism control unit 30 outputs a control signal for driving the optical element in such a manner as to move the optical element to the target position and suppress the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20.

[0058] The drive mechanism control unit 30 can control the optical element to gradually move to the final target position by the amount of the step length in each update cycle of the control signal. Therefore, the update cycle of the control signal represents the period in which the target position shown in the control signal is updated. That is, the update cycle of the control signal represents the period in which the target position shown in the control signal is fixed to a predetermined value. In addition, the step length of the control signal is a certain amount of movement (distance) that the optical element is moved by a single action in a plurality of steps of position change caused by the drive mechanism control unit 30 within the update cycle when the optical element is driven from the current position to the final target position. For details about the update cycle and the step length, refer to Figure 3 A specific example (update cycle 102 and step size 104) will be described later.

[0059] Here, the drive mechanism control unit 30 and the magnetic sensor 22 may be integrated into the same IC chip, and the drive mechanism control unit 30 is an example of a "control device". That is, the imaging device 100 may include an IC chip, and the IC chip may include the magnetic sensor 22. In addition, the IC chip may include the drive mechanism control unit 30. The drive mechanism control unit 30 includes a generating unit 32. The generating unit 32 generates a control signal for moving the optical element to a target position, and outputs the control signal to the motor driver 202. The motor driver 202 supplies a voltage or current corresponding to the control signal to the voice coil motor 200. The voice coil motor 200 is driven according to the voltage or current from the motor driver 202 to move the optical element.

[0060] In this embodiment, the generator 32 generates a control signal for suppressing the sound generated by the driving mechanism 20 and moving the optical element to the target position. The generator 32 obtains a detection signal indicating the position of the optical element by means of the magnetic sensor 22. Figure 2A As described later, the generating unit 32 generates a control signal for suppressing the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 and moving the optical element to the target position based on the position information of the optical element read from the target position signal and the detection signal from the magnetic sensor 22, and the relationship information indicating the relationship between an indicator corresponding to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 and the position of the optical element.

[0061] In particular, the generating unit 32 is as shown in FIG. Figure 2AAs described later, the PID control unit 324 performs PID (Proportional Integral Differential) control when moving the optical element to the target position. Therefore, the generator 32 generates a control signal based on PID parameters with proportional components, integral components, and differential components as elements for the deviation between the target position and the current position acquired from the detection signal. The generator 32 generates a control signal after correcting these PID parameters when suppressing the sound corresponding to the position of the optical element.

[0062] The sound generated by driving the drive mechanism 20 may depend on the speed and acceleration of the optical element when it moves. The generator 32 can generate a control signal for suppressing the sound generated by driving the drive mechanism 20 by suppressing the speed or acceleration of the optical element movement.

[0063] The imaging control unit 40 outputs a target position signal indicating the target position of the optical element. The imaging control unit 40 sets the target position of the optical element based on at least one of an operation input from the operating unit 70 by the user, the contrast of an image or video captured by the imaging element, and phase difference data detected by an autofocus sensor provided together with the imaging element, and outputs the target position signal.

[0064] The storage unit 50 stores information for controlling the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 by the drive mechanism control unit 30 and the imaging control unit 40. The storage unit 50 may include a memory for storing the control information of the drive mechanism control unit 30 and a memory for storing the control information of the imaging control unit 40. The storage unit 50 may also include a single memory for storing the control information of both the drive mechanism control unit 30 and the imaging control unit 40.

[0065] The display unit 60 displays to the user an image or video of a subject captured by the imaging device 100. The user can perform various operations using the operation unit 70 described later based on the image or video displayed on the display unit 60.

[0066] The operation unit 70 is an interface for the user of the imaging device 100 to operate the imaging device 100. The user can use the operation unit 70 to perform various operations on the image or video confirmed by the display unit 60. The user can use the operation unit 70 to select a focus target, switch between a moving image shooting mode and a still image shooting mode, or start and end the timing of storing moving images in the storage unit 50, for example.

[0067] Here, the drive mechanism control unit 30 has an operation mode of a calibration mode and a non-calibration mode. The "calibration mode" refers to a mode in which control is performed based on a control signal that has been calibrated to suppress the sound corresponding to the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 when the drive mechanism 20 is driven to the target position. On the other hand, the "non-calibration mode" refers to a mode in which the control signal for suppressing the sound corresponding to the position is not calibrated when the drive mechanism 20 is driven to the target position.

[0068] The drive mechanism control unit 30 can switch the operation mode between the calibration mode and the non-calibration mode as described below. Furthermore, the user can switch the operation mode of the drive mechanism control unit 30 between the calibration mode and the non-calibration mode through the operation unit 70 .

[0069] In the case where the user shoots a still image, or in the case where the position of the subject that is the focus target changes little in moving image shooting, and the drive mechanism 20 is driven only by power below a predetermined threshold, even if sound is generated, it will not be recorded as the shooting data. In such a case, the drive mechanism control unit 30 can operate in the non-correction mode in which the control signal for sound suppression is not corrected in the present embodiment.

[0070] In the calibration mode for suppressing sound, the movement speed of the optical element is reduced at a position where loud sound may be generated. Therefore, if the sound is not a problem as described above, the user can intentionally switch between the calibration mode and the non-calibration mode through the operation unit 70.

[0071] Specifically, the user of the camera device 100 sends a command for switching between the correction mode and the non-correction mode to the drive mechanism control unit 30 through the operation unit 70. In the present embodiment, the camera control unit 40 receives a command for switching between the correction mode and the non-correction mode from the user via the operation unit 70. The camera control unit 40 sends a command for switching between the correction mode and the non-correction mode to the drive mechanism control unit 30. When the drive mechanism control unit 30 receives the command for switching between the correction mode and the non-correction mode, it switches between the correction mode and the non-correction mode according to the command. However, the switching between the correction mode and the non-correction mode may also be directly input to the drive mechanism control unit 30 from the operation unit 70.

[0072] Next, an example in which the drive mechanism control unit 30 switches between the correction mode and the non-correction mode will be described. The user of the imaging device 100 switches between the moving image imaging mode and the still image imaging mode for an image to be captured through the operation unit 70. In this case, the drive mechanism control unit 30 receives a notification from the imaging control unit 40 indicating that the moving image imaging mode and the still image imaging mode have been switched, and switches between the correction mode and the non-correction mode based on the notification. The drive mechanism control unit 30 can operate in the correction mode in the moving image imaging mode and in the non-correction mode in the still image imaging mode.

[0073] As another example, when the above-mentioned focus object position does not change for a long time and no shaking or the like is detected because the camera device 100 is fixed to a fixing device such as a tripod, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may operate in the non-correction mode. In addition, when the camera control unit 40 detects the movement of the focus object and image shaking, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may switch the operation mode to operate in the correction mode.

[0074] As another example, when the camera device 100 has a switch for turning the OIS (optical image stabilization) mode on and off, it is expected that the position control of the optical element is performed at a high speed in the OIS. Therefore, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may switch from the non-correction mode to the correction mode according to the camera control unit 40 turning on the OIS mode. The drive mechanism control unit 30 may switch from the correction mode to the non-correction mode according to the camera control unit 40 turning off the OIS mode or detecting that the camera device 100 is set on a tripod or the like.

[0075] In the imaging device 100, the display unit 60 and the operation unit 70 may be provided integrally with the touch screen. However, the operation unit 70 may be provided as a separate element from the display unit 60, like the operation button of a camera.

[0076] Next, the structure included in the driving mechanism 20 will be described. The voice coil motor 200 changes the magnetic field around a magnet provided together with the optical element by electromagnetic induction, and drives the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 by electromagnetic force generated by the change in the magnetic field.

[0077] The driving force of the voice coil motor 200 is proportional to the magnitude of the current flowing through the coil of the voice coil motor 200. Therefore, the larger the driving force, the louder the sound generated when the driving mechanism 20 drives the optical element.

[0078] Furthermore, the steeper the rate of change of the current flowing through the voice coil motor 200, the louder the sound generated when the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical element. When the rate of change of the current is steep, for example, a force close to the impact force given to the components in the drive mechanism 20, especially at least a part of the components of the voice coil motor 200, due to the rapid current change may be generated. Such a force may generate stress in the components or structure of the drive mechanism 20, thereby generating vibration in the drive mechanism 20. Therefore, the vibration in the drive mechanism 20 may increase the sound generated when the drive mechanism 20 is driven.

[0079] In particular, when the vibration in the above example occurs, the frequency of the vibration is sometimes close to the resonant frequency of the components or structures of the drive mechanism 20. When the vibration having a frequency close to the resonant frequency occurs, the vibration in the drive mechanism 20 sometimes increases the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20.

[0080] As another example, when the rate of change of the current is made steep, the speed or movement of the optical element changes due to the rapidly flowing current, and the contact or friction force of at least a part of the components in the drive mechanism 20, especially the rotor of the voice coil motor 200, may change. Such a change in contact or friction force may increase the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20.

[0081] The generator 32 can generate a control signal for suppressing at least one of the voltage, the rate of change of the current, and the magnitude of the current supplied to the voice coil motor 200 , so as to suppress the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 .

[0082] The motor driver 202 adjusts at least one of the voltage, the rate of change of the current, and the magnitude of the current supplied to the voice coil motor 200 based on the control signal output by the drive mechanism control unit 30, thereby adjusting the magnetic field changed by the voice coil motor 200. Thus, the motor driver 202 provides a driving force to the optical element. Therefore, the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical element using the driving force from the voice coil motor 200 based on the control signal.

[0083] In the imaging device 100 of the present embodiment, when the drive mechanism control unit 30 and the magnetic sensor 22 are integrated into the same IC chip, the signal processing in the drive mechanism control unit 30 can be performed in the form of digital processing. In such a case, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may include an ADC (Analog to Digital Converter) for converting the detection signal from the magnetic sensor 22 into a digital signal. On the other hand, the drive mechanism 20 may include a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) for converting the control signal provided from the drive mechanism control unit 30 into an analog signal and providing it to the motor driver 202.

[0084] As described above, each component of the imaging device 100 may include an ADC or a DAC to appropriately perform digital processing or analog processing on a signal. Such an ADC or a DAC is omitted in each figure for simplicity of description.

[0085] Here, when the driving mechanism 20 drives the optical element, a sound may be generated in at least one of the optical element and its supporting mechanism and the driving mechanism 20 along with the driving. When a user captures a moving image of a subject through the camera device 100, the audio during the capture is recorded together with the image of the subject. In order to provide a good user experience to the user who views the captured moving image, it is preferable that the sound is smaller than the recorded audio.

[0086] The sound generated by the driving mechanism 20 of the optical element is generated due to the influence of friction during the movement of the optical element. The value of the friction during the movement of the optical element may vary depending on the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12. Among them, as a cause of the deviation of the value of the dynamic friction, there are, for example, the following cases: there is a deviation in the amount of grease applied to the optical element or the support mechanism, and the dynamic friction coefficient of the optical element varies according to the position within the driving range of the optical element.

[0087] Therefore, the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20 driving the optical element becomes a sound corresponding to the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12. Such a sound becomes louder particularly when the speed of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 is high. In the imaging device 100, when the drive control is performed so as to reduce the sound without evaluating the dependence of the sound on the position of the optical element, the overall drive speed of the drive control of the drive mechanism 20 may be limited.

[0088] The generator 32 can generate a control signal for suppressing the sound corresponding to the position of the optical element and moving the optical element to the target position based on the relationship between the position of the optical element read from the detection signal and the sound generated by the accompanying driving corresponding to the position acquired from the microphone 24. Figure 2A The internal structure of the generation unit 32 and the details of the operation of the generation unit 32 will be described.

[0089] Figure 2A 2 is an example of a block diagram showing the configuration of the generator 32 and the storage unit 50. The generator 32 includes a correction coefficient output unit 322 and a PID control unit 324. The storage unit 50 includes a first storage unit 52 and a second storage unit 54.

[0090] The generator 32 generates a control signal based on the detection signal indicating the position of the optical element, the correction coefficient corresponding to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving mechanism, and the relationship information indicating the relationship between the position of the optical element read from the sound data corresponding to the position of the optical element and the optimal correction coefficient. The relationship information is information indicating the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element for correcting the control signal according to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving mechanism 20 as an index according to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving mechanism 20.

[0091] The correction coefficient output unit 322 calculates the correction coefficient for the PID parameter and outputs the calculated correction coefficient. Specifically, the correction coefficient output unit 322 of the present embodiment calculates the correction coefficient based on the current position of the optical element read from the detection signal and the relationship information read from the first storage unit 52, and outputs the calculated correction coefficient to the PID control unit 324.

[0092] The correction coefficient output unit 322 of this embodiment detects the current position of the optical element based on the detection signal based on the position detected by the magnetic sensor 22 when calculating the correction coefficient. However, the correction coefficient output unit 322 may also determine the position of the optical element based on the target position indicated by the target position signal. The advantage of position detection based on the target position signal is that the target position signal is also highly resistant to noise.

[0093] That is, when the generator 32 determines the correction coefficient, the generator 32 can determine the position of the optical element based on at least one of the detection signal and the target position signal. In this case, the generator 32 can determine the correction coefficient corresponding to the determined position of the optical element by referring to the relationship information stored in the first storage unit 52. Therefore, the generator 32 can generate a control signal based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element, the target position signal indicating the target position, and the detection signal.

[0094] The PID control unit 324 calculates reference PID parameters based on the deviation between the current position and the target position, and stores the calculated reference PID parameters in the second storage unit 54. The PID control unit 324 calculates PID parameters reflecting the correction using the correction coefficients for the calculated reference PID parameters.

[0095] The reference PID parameters are PID parameters when no correction using the correction coefficient is performed in the PID control unit 324. The imaging device 100 can generate a control signal using the reference PID parameters in the non-correction mode.

[0096] Specifically, the PID control unit 324 calculates the PID parameters for each of the proportional component, the integral component, and the differential component based on the deviation between the current position of the optical element obtained from the detection signal and the target position obtained from the target position signal. The PID control unit 324 further performs addition and subtraction operations on the proportional component, the integral component, and the differential component through an adder.

[0097] The correction coefficient calculated by the correction coefficient output unit 322 may be a coefficient for correcting at least one of the proportional component, integral component, and differential component before the addition and subtraction operation by the adder, or may be a coefficient for correcting the addition and subtraction operation result of the proportional component, integral component, and differential component. Thus, the generator 32 can correct the PID parameter by performing four arithmetic operations on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element and at least one of the proportional component, differential component, and integral component based on the deviation between the target position signal and the detection signal.

[0098] The PID control unit 324 also outputs a control signal for controlling the movement of the optical element so that the position of the optical element reaches the target position read from the target position signal from the current position obtained from the self-detection signal. The generation unit 32 may generate a control signal based on the PID parameter corrected in this way, and the drive mechanism control unit 30 may output the generated control signal.

[0099] In this way, the generator 32 can generate a control signal for PID control of the drive mechanism 20 based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element, the target position signal, and the detection signal. Therefore, the generator 32 generates a control signal based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element, the target position signal indicating the target position, and the detection signal.

[0100] There are several means for realizing the control of the drive mechanism control unit 30 to suppress the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20 according to the position of the optical element. These means are exemplified below.

[0101] For example, in order to suppress the sound corresponding to the position of the optical element when the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical element, the generator 32 may adjust the control signal in such a way that the deviation between the current position input for the correction of the PID parameter and the target position is reduced, that is, in such a way that a temporary target position is set so that the target position becomes a position close to the current position. For example, the generator 32 may set the temporary target position in such a way that the deviation between the target position and the current position is reduced by adjusting the value of the control signal, thereby realizing the above function.

[0102] In this way, the generator 32 may set a temporary target position in the control signal that reduces the deviation between the position of the optical element and the target position, and gradually control the temporary target position to approach the original target position in the target position signal. By setting the deviation between the current position and the temporary target position smaller than the deviation between the current position and the original target position, the speed of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 is reduced, and as a result, the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 is reduced.

[0103] As another example, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may use the control signal to limit the operation amount such as the speed or acceleration used to operate the optical element to the target position by the drive mechanism 20. For example, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may set a threshold value predetermined for the operation amount according to the position, and limit the operation amount so that the operation amount becomes less than the threshold value. Alternatively, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may limit the operation amount so that it becomes a fixed value within the predetermined driving range of the drive mechanism 20.

[0104] In this way, the generating unit 32 can generate a control signal corrected by the correction coefficient to adjust the gain of the drive band of the driving mechanism 20. In particular, the generating unit 32 can generate a control signal for correcting the gain of the drive band of the driving mechanism 20 by four arithmetic operations using the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element.

[0105] As another example, the generator 32 can reduce the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20 by changing the frequency of changing the value indicated by the control signal according to the position of the optical element. Specifically, the drive mechanism control unit 30 reduces the update frequency of the control signal output in the range where the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20 becomes louder. Since the control signal is not updated, the control signal shows the same value, the current supplied to the voice coil motor 200 becomes fixed, and the slope of the current becomes smaller. As a result, the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20 can be suppressed within the range where the update frequency of the control signal is reduced.

[0106] As described above, the imaging device 100 of this embodiment is provided with an ADC and a DAC as needed. In particular, when a digital signal is input from the driving mechanism control unit 30 to the driving mechanism 20 and the signal converted by the DAC is input to the motor driver 202, the control of reducing the update frequency of the control signal can also be achieved by reducing the update frequency of the DAC.

[0107] That is, in order to suppress the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20, the driving mechanism control unit 30 can control the DAC so as to extend the update cycle 102 of the DAC that controls the input to the driving mechanism 20 within the range in which the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 becomes louder. As a result, the driving mechanism control unit 30 can reduce the frequency of updating the magnitude of the current supplied to the voice coil motor 200 and the fluctuation of the driving force. As a result, the driving mechanism control unit 30 can suppress the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20.

[0108] As another example, the motor driver 202 may adjust the power supply or the like in such a manner that the magnitude of the power supply voltage supplied to the drive mechanism 20 is reduced within a range where the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20 becomes louder according to the position of the optical element, so as to suppress the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20. For example, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may reduce the level of the voltage supplied to the motor driver 202 by means of a level shifter within a range where the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20 becomes louder according to the position of the optical element. The motor driver 202 may adjust the absolute value of the current supplied to the voice coil motor 200, the magnitude of the slope of the current, or the magnitude of the current acceleration, instead of controlling the power supply voltage. Alternatively, in addition to controlling the power supply voltage, the absolute value of the current supplied to the voice coil motor 200, the magnitude of the slope of the current, or the magnitude of the current acceleration may be adjusted to reduce the absolute value of the current supplied to the voice coil motor 200. Thus, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may also control the magnitude of the absolute value of the current supplied to the voice coil motor 200 and the magnitude of the rate of change of the current by using the output control signal.

[0109] In addition, the drive mechanism control unit 30 may reduce the duty ratio of the current (equivalent to the density of the pulse wave supplied by PWM control) supplied from the motor driver 202 to the voice coil motor 200 by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control or the like using the control signal to suppress the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20. In this way, the drive mechanism control unit 30 can reduce the density of the pulse wave supplied to the voice coil motor 200 within the range where the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20 increases, and control the drive mechanism 20 in such a way that the power supplied to the voice coil motor 200 decreases. Thus, the drive mechanism control unit 30 can suppress the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20.

[0110] As another example, the drive mechanism 20 may include a plurality of motor drivers 202 that output different electric powers to the voice coil motor 200 as the motor driver 202. In order to suppress the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20, the drive mechanism control unit 30 selects a motor driver 202 that can supply the voice coil motor 200 with electric power that can suppress the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20 to a predetermined level or less from the plurality of motor drivers 202, according to the position of the optical element.

[0111] For example, the storage unit 50 stores a predetermined correspondence table in which a motor driver 202 that supplies voltage, current, or power to the voice coil motor 200 is allocated for each range of voltage, current, or power supplied to the voice coil motor 200. The drive mechanism control unit 30 selects a motor driver 202 that supplies voltage, current, or power from a plurality of motor drivers 202 based on the desired voltage, current, or power and the correspondence table, and outputs a control signal to the selected motor driver 202. The selected motor driver 202 supplies voltage, current, or power to the voice coil motor 200 based on the control signal. Thus, the drive mechanism control unit 30 can suppress the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20 according to the position of the optical element.

[0112] Several examples of control for reducing the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20 by the drive mechanism 20, the drive mechanism control unit 30, and the imaging control unit 40, etc., according to the position of the optical element have been given above. Unlike the case where only the drive force is controlled without the purpose of suppressing the sound generated by the driving, these controls can include control of the speed or acceleration of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12, the slope (current change rate) of the current flowing through the voice coil motor 200, or the current acceleration, etc., according to the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12.

[0113] By performing these controls, the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20 and corresponding to the position of the optical system 10 or the image pickup element 12 is suppressed, and the speed reduction of the optical system 10 or the image pickup element 12 is reduced compared to the case where the control corresponding to the position is not performed. Therefore, in the control of the image pickup device 100 such as the shake correction control and the focus control accompanied by the driving of the drive mechanism 20, both high speed and quietness can be achieved.

[0114] As already described, the first storage unit 52 stores the relationship information. The IC chip having the drive mechanism control unit 30 may have the first storage unit 52. Figure 5 As described later, the first storage unit 52 can store data on the correspondence between the magnitude of the sound generated when the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical element and the correction coefficient specified for the magnitude of the generated sound. The second storage unit 54 stores reference PID parameters.

[0115] Figure 2B 1 is an example of a block diagram showing the configuration of the generation unit 32, the storage unit 50, and the calibration unit 36. Figure 2A Compared with the implementation method of Figure 2B In the embodiment of the present invention, the drive mechanism control unit 30 includes a calibration unit 36. Therefore, the following describes in detail the calibration unit 36 ​​as a calibration unit. Figure 2A The calibration section 36 of the different points between the two is omitted Figure 2A The descriptions already given in .

[0116] In the present embodiment, the calibration unit 36 ​​is provided in the drive mechanism control unit 30 separately from the generation unit 32. However, the calibration unit 36 ​​may be provided in the generation unit 32.

[0117] Here, for example, there is a case where the sound at a specific position of the optical element increases when the drive mechanism 20 drives due to the deterioration of the supporting mechanism of the optical element over time. In such a case, the calibration unit 36 ​​is provided to calibrate the relationship information stored in the first storage unit 52. The calibration unit 36 ​​generates the relationship information based on the sound information indicating the size of the sound corresponding to the position of the optical element generated when the drive mechanism 20 drives according to the predetermined driving conditions, and the correction coefficient information indicating the relationship between the size of the sound and the correction coefficient, and stores the relationship information in the first storage unit 52. By providing the calibration unit 36, even if the relationship information is changed compared to the factory, the relationship information stored in the first storage unit 52 can follow the change, and the generation unit 32 can generate a control signal using the relationship information reflecting the change.

[0118] In the case where the influence of the increase in sound caused by aging during driving is small, when using the relationship information measured in advance before shipment and stored in the first storage unit 52, it is possible to Figure 2A When the calibration unit 36 ​​is omitted and the microphone 24 is another microphone other than the microphone for recording the sound data in the moving image data when the moving image is captured, the microphone 24 can be omitted in the imaging device 100.

[0119] The predetermined driving conditions of the driving mechanism 20 include a step length indicating a distance that the optical element is moved according to the target position and an update cycle of the target position. Furthermore, the driving conditions of the optical element may include environmental conditions around the camera device 100. Environmental conditions may include temperature, humidity, or altitude, etc. The predetermined driving conditions are, for example, driving conditions indicating a distance (step length) that the focus lens is moved in one drive and a drive cycle (update cycle) of the focus lens in contrast autofocus (AF) in which the focus lens is moved while adjusting the focus position based on the brightness difference (contrast) of an image or video.

[0120] The calibration unit 36 ​​detects the position of the optical element based on at least one of the detection signal and the target position signal. In addition, the microphone 24 detects the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 and sends the sound data to the calibration unit 36. Therefore, the calibration unit 36 ​​can generate the sound data collected by the microphone 24, that is, the sound data corresponding to the position by comparing the position data with the sound data.

[0121] In addition, for example, the calibration unit 36 ​​divides the sound data collected by the microphone 24 into sound data for each time region based on the update cycle or the step size. Figure 3 Let's illustrate this specific example.

[0122] Figure 3 This is an example of a graph showing the relationship between time and the position of the optical element, and the relationship between time and the magnitude of the sound. The calibration unit 36 ​​divides the period of collecting sound data into time zones of the width of the update period according to the number of steps and based on the update period 102 of the target position indicated by the control signal, or the period during which the target position indicated by the control signal increases or decreases by the step length 104. Figure 3 , for the sake of illustration, an example in which a period is divided into time zones A1 to A8 is shown. Figure 3 The number of time zones shown is an example for explanation, and in actual drive control of the optical element by the drive mechanism 20 , the number of time zones may be smaller or larger.

[0123] When the control signal changes by a step length 104 at the start time of the time zones A1 to A8, the position of the optical element changes between the time zones A1 to A8. Therefore, the calibration unit 36 ​​can divide the time zones A1 to A8 based on the update cycle, or can divide the time zones based on the time when the position of the optical element changes by the step length 104.

[0124] The calibration unit 36 ​​acquires data on the magnitude of the sound generated in each time zone as the drive mechanism 20 is driven. Here, among the sounds generated in each time zone as the drive mechanism 20 is driven, there are sounds that depend on the magnitude of the slope of the current flowing into the voice coil motor 200 of the drive mechanism 20 and sounds that largely depend on the speed of the optical element.

[0125] At the end time of each time zone, the optical element is in a state of being stationary for a predetermined period. Therefore, when the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical element, the stationary optical element is driven for a predetermined period starting from the start time of each time zone having a width of each update period.

[0126] The calibration unit 36 ​​can perform the following processing at each step 104 or each update cycle 102: when the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven is greater than a predetermined magnitude, the correction coefficient for suppressing the sound is adjusted in such a way as to reduce the rate of change of the current supplied to the drive mechanism 20, thereby generating or updating the relationship information stored in the first storage unit 52.

[0127] Here, "before and after the optical element starts to be driven" refers to the period from when the current for driving the optical element starts to flow through the drive mechanism 20 until the optical element starts to be driven. In other words, it refers to a predetermined period from the start time point of each time zone, including the time point when the optical element in a stationary state starts to be driven.

[0128] During this period, among the sounds generated by friction of the optical element, the friction coefficient related to friction is mainly the static friction coefficient, and the influence of the dynamic friction coefficient is small. In this way, when the optical element is moved from a stationary state, the sound depends largely on the magnitude of the rate of change of the current flowing into the voice coil motor 200 due to the movement of the optical element overcoming the static friction force. In addition, as one of the main causes of the sound in this case, there is a sound based on the coil whine phenomenon generated by the current flowing into the inductor of the voice coil motor 200.

[0129] When the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven is greater than a predetermined level, the calibration unit 36 ​​refers to the correction coefficient information pre-stored in the storage unit 50, which represents the relationship between the level of the sound and the correction coefficient when the sound generated accompanying the driving of the driving mechanism 20 depends on the static friction of the optical element, to determine the optimal correction coefficient for reducing the rate of change of the current supplied to the driving mechanism 20 to suppress the sound.

[0130] On the other hand, after this period has passed, that is, "while the optical element is driven", the proportion of the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20 based on the dynamic friction of the optical element, etc. becomes larger. The size of the sound generated based on the dynamic friction of the optical element, etc. depends largely on the speed of the optical element. For a given position, the static friction is greater than the dynamic friction. However, in cases where the moving speed is high or the amount of grease used to reduce friction at a specific position in the moving range is small, the sound generated while the optical element is driven may sometimes become louder than the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven.

[0131] The calibration unit 36 ​​can perform the following processing at each step 104 or each update cycle 102: when the sound generated during the period when the optical element is driven along with the driving of the driving mechanism 20 is greater than a predetermined magnitude, the correction coefficient for suppressing the sound is adjusted in a manner that suppresses the rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the driving mechanism 20, thereby generating or updating the relationship information.

[0132] When the sound generated during the driving of the optical element by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 is larger than a predetermined level, the calibration unit 36 ​​determines the optimal correction coefficient for reducing the rate of change or level of the driving speed of the driving mechanism 20 to suppress the sound by referring to the correction coefficient information stored in advance in the storage unit 50, which indicates the relationship between the level of the sound and the correction coefficient when the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 depends on the dynamic friction of the optical element. The correction coefficient information is, for example, information that is stored in the storage unit 50 by actually measuring the level of the sound generated by the driving according to the position of the optical element while changing the correction coefficient, and deriving the correction coefficient that depends on the static friction of the optical element and the correction coefficient that depends on the dynamic friction of the optical element that can minimize the sound by experiment.

[0133] The calibration unit 36 ​​stores the relationship information in the storage unit 50 for each of the cases where the sound generated by the driving mechanism 20 depends on the magnitude of the rate of change of the current and the case where the sound depends on the speed of the optical element. The calibration unit 36 ​​updates the relationship information stored in the storage unit 50 through the above-mentioned processing.

[0134] In addition, in the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20, when the influence of the dynamic friction force is large, the frequency of the sound is greatly affected by the frequency band below the driving band of the drive mechanism 20. In addition, as already described, the deviation of the dynamic friction force of the optical element may be caused by manufacturing errors such as the amount of grease applied to the optical element or the support mechanism.

[0135] The sound generated by the howling phenomenon is a sound generated in a relatively high frequency band relative to the driving frequency band. Therefore, the calibration unit 36 ​​analyzes the frequency components of the sound generated by the driving mechanism 20, for example, by setting a threshold for the frequency, thereby dividing the sound into high-frequency sound with a frequency above the threshold and low-frequency sound with a frequency below the threshold, and can generate relationship information for suppressing the sound for each frequency component. Figure 5 As described later, the frequency threshold is set to a threshold higher than the peak value in the drive band of the drive mechanism 20 and lower than the peak value due to the howling phenomenon. The frequency threshold may be, for example, 200 Hz.

[0136] As a first method of generating the relationship information, the calibration unit 36 ​​can generate the relationship information by dividing the sound generated in each time zone accompanying the driving of the driving mechanism 20 into a time component before and after the optical element starts to be driven and a time component during the driving of the optical element. As a second method of generating the relationship information, the calibration unit 36 ​​can generate the relationship information by dividing the sound generated in each time zone accompanying the driving of the driving mechanism 20 into a frequency component above a threshold and a frequency component below a threshold.

[0137] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of the time dependency of the magnitude and position of the sound in each of the time zones A1 to A5.

[0138] The calibration unit 36 ​​controls the sound in each time zone A1 to A5 so that the magnitude is less than the threshold value TH. Among the sounds generated by the driving mechanism 20, the first peak in each time zone A1 to A5 is the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven. On the other hand, among the sounds generated by the driving mechanism 20, the peaks other than the first peak in each time zone A1 to A5 are the sounds generated during the driving of the optical element.

[0139] The figure shows an example in which the first peak is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH in the time zones A1 to A4. On the other hand, in the example in the figure, in the time zones A1 to A2 and A5, peaks other than the first peak are greater than or equal to the threshold value TH.

[0140] Therefore, the calibration unit 36 ​​generates relationship information for controlling the magnitude of the rate of change of the current in the time ranges A1 to A4 so that the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven is smaller than the threshold value TH. On the other hand, the calibration unit 36 ​​generates relationship information for controlling the speed of the optical element in the time ranges A1 to A2 and A5 so that the sound generated during the driving of the optical element is smaller than the threshold value TH.

[0141] The calibrator 36 does not generate relationship information for controlling the speed of the optical element in the time zones A3 and A4. In addition, the calibrator 36 does not generate relationship information for controlling the magnitude of the rate of change of the current and the speed of the optical element in the time zone A5.

[0142] Here, the calibration unit 36 ​​may generate the relationship information based on the maximum value of the peak value of the sound, for example, so that the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 is smaller than the threshold value TH. Alternatively, the calibration unit 36 ​​may generate the relationship information based on the area of ​​the portion enclosed between the curve drawn by the peak value of the sound and the horizontal line drawn by the threshold value, so that the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 is smaller than the threshold value TH.

[0143] The calibration unit 36 ​​can read the position of the optical element from the magnetic sensor 22 or the target position signal. In addition, between the time zones A1 to A5, the position of the optical element varies approximately by a step size 104. Therefore, in the position information read from the magnetic sensor 22 or the target position signal, the time zones A1 to A5 correspond to the position in a manner having a tolerance of approximately the variation range of the step size 104.

[0144] Figure 5 This is a diagram schematically illustrating the shape of a graph of the frequency dependency of the magnitude of the sound generated as the drive mechanism 20 is driven.

[0145] The calibration unit 36 ​​divides the sound in each time zone according to the main cause by performing a Fourier transform such as a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on the sound data of each time zone A1 to A5 collected by the magnetic sensor 22. That is, the calibration unit 36 ​​extracts the sound generated by the magnitude of the rate of change of the current at a frequency of 200 Hz or more and the sound generated by the speed of the optical element at a frequency of less than 200 Hz.

[0146] In addition, in this embodiment, 200 Hz is set as the threshold for distinguishing the main cause of sound based on experimental data, but based on necessary conditions such as the design of the camera device 100, 150 Hz may be used as the threshold instead of 200 Hz, 250 Hz may be used as the threshold, or 300 Hz may be used as the threshold.

[0147] The example shown in the figure is an overview of peaks 112 and 114 of sound data acquired in a time zone specified based on an update cycle or a step size. Peak 114 is a component of sound higher than 200 Hz among the frequency components of sound generated by the drive mechanism 20. Peak 114 is a peak value related to the static friction coefficient of each element when the drive mechanism 20 drives the optical element. That is, peak 114 is related to Figure 4 The peak 114 corresponds to the first peak in the diagram indicating the magnitude of the sound. The peak 114 is a peak generated when the optical element first moves from a stationary state, and its peak width is likely to be narrower than that of the peak 112.

[0148] On the other hand, peak 112 is a component of sound lower than 200 Hz among the frequency components of sound generated by the driving mechanism 20. Peak 114 is a peak value related to the coefficient of kinetic friction of each element when the driving mechanism 20 drives the optical element. That is, peak 114 is related to Figure 4 The peak 114 corresponds to the peak other than the first peak in the graph showing the magnitude of the sound. The frequency band in which the peak 114 appears is a frequency band below the drive band of the drive mechanism 20.

[0149] Therefore, the calibration unit 36 ​​determines the frequency component of the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20 based on the sound information, and performs the following processing at each step size 104 or each update cycle 102: when the frequency component of the sound having a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude includes the frequency component of the first frequency band, the calibration coefficient is adjusted in such a manner as to suppress the rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the drive mechanism 20, thereby generating or updating the relationship information. Here, the "first frequency band" refers to the frequency band of the sound generated while the optical element is driven, and is a frequency band below the driving band of the drive mechanism 20.

[0150] In addition, the calibration unit 36 ​​performs the following processing at each step size 104 or each update cycle 102: when the frequency component of the second frequency band is included, the correction coefficient is adjusted so as to reduce the rate of change of the current supplied to the drive mechanism 20, thereby generating or updating the relationship information. Here, the second frequency band refers to a frequency band higher than the drive band of the drive mechanism 20. As described above, the calibration unit 36 ​​can generate the relationship information.

[0151] Figure 6 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a control method for controlling the driving of an optical element using the driving mechanism control unit 30. The control method includes steps S100 to S106.

[0152] The magnetic sensor 22 detects the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the position. In addition, the imaging control unit 40 outputs a target position signal for moving the optical element so that the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 reaches a target position.

[0153] The correction coefficient output unit 322 acquires the position of the optical element based on at least one of the detection signal and the target position signal. In addition, the PID control unit 324 acquires the current position of the optical element from the detection signal (step S100).

[0154] Next, the correction coefficient output unit 322 calculates the correction coefficient based on the information of the position of the optical element and the relationship information stored in the first storage unit 52 (step S102), and outputs the correction coefficient to the PID control unit 324. Next, the PID control unit 324 calculates the PID parameter based on the position information of the optical element obtained from the detection signal, the target position information obtained from the target position signal, and the correction coefficient (step S104).

[0155] Next, the PID control unit 324 outputs a control signal using the calculated PID parameter, and the drive mechanism control unit 30 controls the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12, that is, the position of the optical element, based on the control signal (step S106). The drive mechanism control unit 30 controls the position of the optical element through the above steps.

[0156] Fig. 7A 2 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the position of the optical element and the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20 when the sound suppression control of the drive mechanism control unit 30 is not used. Figure 7B 1 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the position of the optical element and the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 when the sound suppression control of the driving mechanism control unit 30 is used. Fig. 7A and Figure 7B These are graphs for illustrating an example of a rough shape, and are illustrated as graphs in which the units of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis of these graphs are respectively arbitrary units (arbitrary unit; au).

[0157] exist Fig. 7A In FIG. 8 , a curve 80 is a curve showing the relationship between the position of the optical element and the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20. Figure 7B , a curve 82 is a curve showing the relationship between the position of the optical element and the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20, and in this figure, the curve 80 is also shown by a dotted line.

[0158] In the figure, curve 82 shows a sound that is lower than the sound shown in curve 80 at all positions. In curve 82, the sound is reduced, so it becomes a curve that is substantially flat at all positions. As an example, in the imaging device 100, the drive mechanism control unit 30 controls the sound generated by the driving of the drive mechanism 20 so that the absolute value of the sound at any frequency is less than a predetermined threshold value at all positions of the optical element.

[0159] Fig. 8A 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an updating method for updating the relationship information stored in the first storage unit 52 using the calibration unit 36. The updating method includes steps S200 to S206.

[0160] In this updating method, a method for generating relationship information indicating the relationship between the correction coefficient of the control signal corresponding to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving mechanism 20 and the position of the optical element using the calibration unit 36 ​​is shown. The relationship information is referred to by the control device, which generates a control signal stored in the storage unit 50 for suppressing the sound generated by the driving mechanism 20 for driving the optical element and controlling the driving mechanism 20 for moving the optical element to the target position. Then, the generated relationship information is stored in the first storage unit 52, thereby updating the first storage unit 52. In the following steps S200 to S206, it is assumed that the calibration unit 36 ​​performs each step for explanation.

[0161] The calibration unit 36 ​​acquires sound data corresponding to the position of the optical element based on the position of the optical element based on at least one of the detection signal and the target position signal and the sound collected by the microphone 24 (step S200 ).

[0162] The calibration unit 36 ​​acquires sound data corresponding to the position of the optical element based on the position of the optical element based on at least one of the detection signal and the target position signal, the driving condition of the optical element, and the sound collected by the microphone 24. The calibration unit 36 ​​can generate sound data corresponding to the position collected by the microphone 24 by comparing the position data with the sound data.

[0163] The driving condition of the optical element may be a predetermined driving condition. Specifically, the driving condition of the optical element may include a step size 104 when the optical element is moved according to the target position. In addition, the driving condition of the optical element may include an update period 102 of the control signal. Furthermore, the driving condition of the optical element may include the environmental conditions of the surroundings where the camera device 100 is located.

[0164] Next, the calibration unit 36 ​​determines the optimal value of the correction coefficient at each position of the optical element, or the calibration unit 36 ​​and the correction coefficient output unit 322 cooperate to determine the optimal value of the correction coefficient at each position of the optical element (step S202). For example, when the calibration unit 36 ​​receives the sound generated when the drive mechanism 20 is driven and collected by the microphone 24, the sound generated when the drive mechanism 20 is driven is selected from the collected sound based on the pattern of the sound represented by the frequency component or the time component in the time region for each time region corresponding to the update cycle 102 or the step size 104.

[0165] The calibration unit 36 ​​also calculates relationship information indicating the relationship between the position of the optical element and the correction coefficient based on the position of the optical element and the optimal value of the correction coefficient calculated in step S202 (step S204). Next, the calibration unit 36 ​​outputs the calculated relationship information to the first storage unit 52, and the first storage unit 52 stores the updated relationship information (step S206).

[0166] For example, the calibration unit 36 ​​obtains data that associates the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 with the correction coefficient to be set from the first storage unit 52. The calibration unit 36 ​​determines the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical system 10 or the imaging element 12 by referring to the data. The calibration unit 36 ​​can store information indicating the relationship between the position of the optical element and the correction coefficient in the first storage unit 52 as relationship information indicating the relationship between the index corresponding to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism 20 and the position of the optical element.

[0167] In addition, as another example, the calibration unit 36 ​​can use the sound data as an explanatory variable and the correction coefficient that can suppress the sound size to below a predetermined benchmark as a target variable, and perform machine learning according to the supervised learning algorithm. Thus, the calibration unit 36 ​​can generate a learned prediction model that predicts the optimal correction coefficient based on the sound data and store it in the first storage unit 52. That is, the calibration unit 36 ​​can predict the correction coefficient corresponding to the sound data collected by the microphone 24 for each position of the optical element based on the learned prediction model that uses the sound data as an explanatory variable and the correction coefficient that can suppress the sound size to below a predetermined benchmark as a target variable. The algorithm in the machine learning can be any algorithm such as a neural network, a support vector machine, a multivariate regression analysis, or a decision tree.

[0168] By the above-mentioned updating method, the calibration unit 36 ​​can update the relationship information stored in the first storage unit 52. In this way, by the operation of the calibration unit 36, even if the sound generated according to the position changes with the driving of the driving mechanism 20, the appropriate relationship information can be updated and stored in the first storage unit 52.

[0169] Figure 8B Yes Description Fig. 8A A flowchart of an example of the processing of step S202 in . Figure 8B For reference Figure 4 The method of generating the relationship information by dividing the time components before and after the optical element starts to be driven and the time components during the time when the optical element is driven is an example of a specific process. The process of this embodiment includes steps S300 to S314.

[0170] The calibration unit 36 ​​substitutes N=1 into a variable N used for loop processing (step S300). Here, N=1 is an initial value of the variable N which is an integer value.

[0171] The calibrator 36 selects data of the time zone AN (Nth time zone) from the acquired sound data (step S302). The calibrator 36 determines whether the volume of the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven in the sound data of the time zone AN exceeds the threshold TH (step S304).

[0172] As reference Figure 3 As described above, the magnitude of the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven largely depends on the magnitude of the rate of change of the current flowing into the voice coil motor 200. Therefore, when the magnitude of the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven exceeds the threshold value TH, the calibration unit 36 ​​adjusts the optimal value of the coefficient related to the slope of the current (the absolute value of the rate of change) or the magnitude of the current so that the magnitude of the sound does not exceed the threshold value (step S306).

[0173] If the volume of the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven is less than the threshold value TH in step S304, the process proceeds to step S308. Alternatively, if the volume of the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven exceeds the threshold value TH in step S304, the process proceeds to step S308 after adjusting the volume of the sound so that it does not exceed the threshold value in step S306.

[0174] The calibration unit 36 ​​determines whether the volume of the sound generated when the optical element is in the driving state in the sound data of the time zone AN exceeds the threshold value TH (step S308). Figure 3As described above, the magnitude of the sound generated when the optical element is in the driving state depends largely on the speed of the optical element. Therefore, when the magnitude of the sound generated when the optical element is in the driving state exceeds the threshold value TH, the calibration unit 36 ​​adjusts the optimal value of the coefficient related to the speed of the optical element or the acceleration as a differential value so that the magnitude of the sound does not exceed the threshold value (step S310).

[0175] If the sound generated when the optical element is in the driving state is below the threshold value TH in step S308, the process proceeds to step S312. Alternatively, if the sound generated when the optical element is in the driving state exceeds the threshold value TH in step S308, the process proceeds to step S312 after adjusting the sound level in step S310 so that the sound level does not exceed the threshold value. In addition, the calibration unit 36 ​​may perform the process of steps S304 and S306 after the process of steps S308 and S310. Alternatively, the calibration unit 36 ​​may perform the process of steps S304 and S306 in parallel with the process of steps S308 and S310.

[0176] The calibration unit 36 ​​increments the variable N to N=N+1 (step S312 ). The calibration unit 36 ​​determines whether the incremented value of N exceeds the number of time zones (step S314 ).

[0177] If the value of N is less than the number of time zones in step S314, the process returns to step S302. On the other hand, if the value of N exceeds the number of time zones in step S314, the process ends.

[0178] Figure 8C Yes Description Fig. 8A Flowchart of another example of the processing of step S202 in . Figure 8C For reference Figure 5 The above-described method of generating relationship information by dividing the sound generated by driving the driving mechanism 20 in each time zone into frequency components above the threshold and frequency components below the threshold is an example of a specific process. The process of this embodiment includes steps S400 to S416.

[0179] The calibration unit 36 ​​substitutes N=1 into a variable N used for loop processing (step S400). Here, N=1 is an initial value of the variable N which is an integer value.

[0180] The calibration unit 36 ​​selects data of the time region AN (Nth time region) from the acquired sound data (step S402). The calibration unit 36 ​​performs Fourier transform (e.g., fast Fourier transform (FFT)) on the sound data corresponding to the position of the optical element to acquire frequency characteristic data of the sound (step S404).

[0181] The calibration unit 36 ​​determines whether the magnitude of the sound at a frequency below the drive band of the drive mechanism 20 in the frequency characteristic data of the sound exceeds the threshold value TH (step S406). Figure 3 As described above, the sound of the frequency below the drive band of the drive mechanism 20 corresponds to the sound generated when the optical element is in the drive state. Therefore, when the magnitude of the sound of the frequency below the drive band of the drive mechanism 20 exceeds the threshold value TH, the calibration unit 36 ​​adjusts the optimal value of the coefficient related to the speed of the optical element or the acceleration as a differential value so that the magnitude of the sound does not exceed the threshold value (step S408).

[0182] If the sound level of the frequency below the drive band of the drive mechanism 20 is below the threshold value TH in step S406, the process proceeds to step S410. Alternatively, if the sound level of the frequency below the drive band of the drive mechanism 20 exceeds the threshold value TH in step S406, the sound level is adjusted in step S408 so that it does not exceed the threshold value, and the process proceeds to step S410.

[0183] The calibration unit 36 ​​determines whether the magnitude of the sound with a frequency higher than the driving band of the driving mechanism 20 in the frequency characteristic data of the sound exceeds the threshold value TH (step S410). Figure 3 As already described, the sound with a frequency higher than the drive band of the drive mechanism 20 corresponds to the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven. Therefore, when the magnitude of the sound with a frequency higher than the drive band of the drive mechanism 20 exceeds the threshold value TH, the calibration unit 36 ​​adjusts the optimal value of the coefficient related to the slope of the current (the absolute value of the rate of change) or the magnitude of the current so that the magnitude of the sound does not exceed the threshold value (step S412). In addition, the calibration unit 36 ​​may also perform the process of steps S406 and S408 after the process of steps S410 and S412. Alternatively, the calibration unit 36 ​​may also perform the process of steps S406 and S408 in parallel with the process of steps S410 and S412.

[0184] If the level of the sound with a frequency higher than the driving band of the driving mechanism 20 is below the threshold value TH in step S410, the process proceeds to step S414. Alternatively, if the level of the sound with a frequency higher than the driving band of the driving mechanism 20 exceeds the threshold value TH in step S410, the sound level is adjusted in step S412 so that it does not exceed the threshold value, and the process proceeds to step S414.

[0185] The calibration unit 36 ​​increments the variable N to N=N+1 (step S414). The calibration unit 36 ​​determines whether the incremented value of N exceeds the number of time zones (step S416).

[0186] If the value of N is less than the number of time zones in step S416, the process returns to step S402. On the other hand, if the value of N exceeds the number of time zones in step S416, the process ends.

[0187] By referring to the above Figure 8B or Figure 8C Any of the methods described above can derive the optimal correction coefficient and relationship information even when the sound at a specific position of the optical element increases when the drive mechanism 20 is driven due to aging of the support mechanism of the optical element, etc. Based on these optimal correction coefficients and relationship information, the drive mechanism control unit 30 can reduce the sound generated by the drive of the drive mechanism 20 without significantly reducing the overall drive speed of the drive control performed by the drive mechanism 20.

[0188] Fig. 9 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the processing unit 90 provided outside the imaging device 100. In the figure, the processing unit 90 outside the imaging device 100 and the storage unit 50 inside the imaging device 100 are shown.

[0189] The processing unit 90 is, for example, a hardware resource that functions as a processing device that is connected to the imaging device 100 before shipment and performs various information processing. The processing unit 90 is, for example, a personal computer, a workstation, or a server device having a processor. The processing unit 90 includes a relationship information generating unit 92 .

[0190] The relationship information generation unit 92 generates relationship information based on the sound information indicating the magnitude of the sound corresponding to the position of the optical element generated when the drive mechanism 20 is driven according to the predetermined driving conditions, and the correction coefficient information indicating the relationship between the magnitude of the sound and the correction coefficient. That is, the relationship information generation unit 92 can play a role in updating the relationship information. Figure 2B The calibration unit 36 ​​in FIG. 1 has the same function as that of the calibration unit 36 ​​in FIG. 1 , but is configured to be outside the imaging device 100 where the magnetic sensor 22 and the drive mechanism control unit 30 can be provided.

[0191] As described above, the drive mechanism control unit 30 functions as a control device that generates a control signal for suppressing the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20 that drives the optical element and controls the drive mechanism for moving the optical element to a target position. Therefore, the processing unit 90 includes a relationship information generating unit 92 that generates the relationship information, and functions as a relationship information generating unit that generates relationship information that indicates the relationship between the correction coefficient of the control signal corresponding to the magnitude of the sound generated by the drive mechanism 20 and the position of the optical element, which is referred to by the control device.

[0192] The storage unit 50 is a reference Figure 1 , Figure 2A as well as Figure 2B The storage unit 50 is the same storage unit as the storage unit described above. The storage unit 50 stores the relationship information generated by the relationship information generating unit 92.

[0193] When the processing unit 90 is not provided in the imaging device 100, it is necessary to update the relationship information as the supporting portion of the optical element or the driving mechanism 20 deteriorates over time. In such a case, for example, the processing unit 90 may be an information processing device provided in a repair shop or a customer support center, or may be an information processing device capable of communicating with the imaging device 100 by wire or wirelessly.

[0194] For example, when the processing unit 90 is provided as an information processing device capable of wireless communication, the storage unit 50 stores the following data: sound data corresponding to the position collected by the microphone; and the magnitude of the sound of each frequency component included in the sound data, or the magnitude of the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven and the magnitude of the sound generated during the driving of the optical element. The imaging device 100 transmits such data to the processing unit 90 provided outside, and receives the relationship information from the processing unit 90. Then, the storage unit 50 stores the received relationship information.

[0195] As described above, the relationship information can also be updated by the processing unit 90 provided outside the imaging device 100 .

[0196] The present invention has been described above using the embodiments, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is obvious from the description of the claims that the methods obtained by applying such changes or improvements can also be included in the scope of the invention of the present invention.

[0197] Regarding the execution order of each process such as actions, processes, steps and stages in the devices, systems, programs and methods shown in the claims, specifications and drawings, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly stated as "before", "before", etc., and the output of the previous process is not used in the subsequent process, it can be implemented in any order. Regarding the action flow in the claims, specifications and drawings, even if "first," "next," etc. are used for convenience, it does not mean that it must be implemented in this order.

[0198] Description of Reference Numerals

[0199] 10: optical system; 12: imaging element; 20: driving mechanism; 22: magnetic sensor; 24: microphone; 30: driving mechanism control unit; 32: generating unit; 40: imaging control unit; 50: storage unit; 52: first storage unit; 54: second storage unit; 60: display unit; 70: operating unit; 80, 82: curve; 90: processing unit; 92: relationship information generating unit; 100: imaging device; 102: update cycle; 104: step size; 36: calibration unit; 112, 114: peak value; 200: voice coil motor; 202: motor driver; 322: correction coefficient output unit; 324: PID control unit.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit chip that controls a driving mechanism for driving an optical element based on a control signal, wherein the integrated circuit chip is characterized in that: The integrated circuit chip includes a generating unit that generates the control signal for suppressing the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism and moving the optical element to a target position based on a detection signal indicating the position of the optical element and relationship information indicating the relationship between an indicator corresponding to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism and the position of the optical element.

2. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The generation unit generates the control signal corresponding to the position of the optical element based on the relationship information so as to suppress the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism by suppressing the speed or acceleration of the movement of the optical element.

3. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The generation unit generates the control signal corresponding to the position of the optical element based on the relationship information so as to suppress sound generated by driving the drive mechanism by suppressing at least one of a magnitude of a rate of change of a current supplied to the drive mechanism and a magnitude of the current.

4. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The relationship information indicates, as the index, a correction coefficient for correcting the control signal according to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism, The generating unit determines the position of the optical element based on at least one of the detection signal and the target position signal indicating the target position, determines the correction coefficient corresponding to the determined position of the optical element by referring to the relationship information, and generates the control signal based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element, the target position signal and the detection signal.

5. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 4, characterized in that: The generating unit performs four arithmetic operations on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element and at least one of the proportional component, differential component and integral component based on the deviation between the target position signal and the detection signal based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element, the target position signal and the detection signal, to generate the control signal for proportional-integral-differential control of the driving mechanism.

6. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 5, characterized in that: The generating unit generates the control signal for correcting the gain of the drive belt of the drive mechanism by performing four arithmetic operations using the correction coefficient according to the position of the optical element, Regarding the drive band, 200 Hz or less is shown.

7. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device further includes a storage unit for storing the relationship information.

8. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The relationship information indicates, as the index, a correction coefficient for correcting the control signal according to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism, The generating unit determines the position of the optical element based on at least one of the detection signal and the target position signal indicating the target position, determines the correction coefficient corresponding to the determined position of the optical element by referring to the relationship information, and generates the control signal based on the correction coefficient, the target position signal and the detection signal.

9. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 3, characterized in that: The relationship information indicates, as the index, a correction coefficient for correcting the control signal according to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism, The generating unit determines the position of the optical element based on at least one of the detection signal and the target position signal indicating the target position, determines the correction coefficient corresponding to the determined position of the optical element by referring to the relationship information, and generates the control signal based on the correction coefficient, the target position signal and the detection signal.

10. The integrated circuit chip according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The integrated circuit chip is capable of operating in a correction mode in which the control signal is corrected based on the relationship information and a non-correction mode in which the control signal is not corrected based on the relationship information. While the integrated circuit chip is operating in the calibration mode, the generation unit generates the control signal for suppressing the sound generated by driving the drive mechanism and moving the optical element to a target position based on the detection signal and the relationship information.

11. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 10, characterized in that: further comprising a magnetic sensor for outputting the detection signal, The magnetic sensor has a plurality of Hall elements.

12. The integrated circuit chip according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The relationship information indicates, as the index, a correction coefficient for correcting the control signal according to the magnitude of the sound generated by the driving of the driving mechanism, The generating unit generates the control signal based on the correction coefficient corresponding to the position of the optical element, a target position signal indicating the target position, and the detection signal. The integrated circuit chip also includes a calibration unit, which generates or updates the relationship information based on sound information indicating the size of the sound corresponding to the position of the optical element generated when the driving mechanism is driven according to predetermined driving conditions, and correction coefficient information indicating the relationship between the size of the sound and the correction coefficient.

13. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 12, characterized in that: The predetermined driving condition includes a step size indicating a distance by which the optical element is moved according to the target position and an update cycle of the target position.

14. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 13, characterized in that: The calibration unit performs the following processing at each step size or each update period: when the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, a correction coefficient for suppressing the sound is adjusted so that the rate of change of the current supplied to the drive mechanism becomes smaller, thereby generating or updating the relationship information; and The calibration unit performs the following processing at each step size or each update cycle: when the sound generated during the driving of the optical element accompanying the driving of the driving mechanism is greater than a predetermined magnitude, the correction coefficient for suppressing the sound is adjusted in a manner that suppresses the rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the driving mechanism, thereby generating or updating the relationship information.

15. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 13, characterized in that: The calibration unit determines a frequency component of a sound generated along with the driving of the driving mechanism based on the sound information; The calibration unit performs the following processing at each step size or each update period: when the frequency components of the sound having a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude include frequency components of a first frequency band, the calibration unit generates or updates the relationship information by adjusting the correction coefficient in a manner that suppresses a rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the driving mechanism; and The calibration unit performs the following processing at each step size or each update period: when the frequency component of the sound having a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude includes a frequency component of a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, the correction coefficient is adjusted in such a manner that a rate of change of the current supplied to the drive mechanism becomes smaller, thereby generating or updating the relationship information; The first frequency band is below the driving band of the driving mechanism, and the second frequency band is higher than the driving band of the driving mechanism.

16. A control method for controlling a driving mechanism for driving an optical element based on a control signal, wherein: The method comprises the following steps: generating a control signal for suppressing the sound generated by driving the driving mechanism and moving the optical element to a target position based on a detection signal indicating the position of the optical element and relationship information indicating the relationship between an indicator corresponding to the size of the sound generated by driving the driving mechanism and the position of the optical element.

17. A generation method for generating relationship information to be referred to by a control device, the control device generating a control signal for suppressing a sound generated by driving a driving mechanism for driving an optical element and controlling the driving mechanism for moving the optical element to a target position, the relationship information indicating a relationship between a correction coefficient of the control signal corresponding to a magnitude of the sound generated by driving the driving mechanism and the position of the optical element, the generation method being characterized in that: The following phases are included: The relationship information is generated based on sound information indicating the magnitude of a sound corresponding to the position of the optical element generated when the drive mechanism is driven according to a predetermined drive condition and correction coefficient information indicating the relationship between the magnitude of the sound and the correction coefficient.

18. The generation method according to claim 17, characterized in that: The predetermined driving condition includes a step size indicating a distance by which the optical element is moved according to the target position and an update cycle of the target position.

19. The generation method according to claim 18, characterized in that: The generation phase includes the following phases: The following processing is performed at each step size or each update period: when the sound generated before and after the optical element starts to be driven is equal to or larger than a predetermined magnitude, a correction coefficient for suppressing the sound is adjusted so that the rate of change of the current supplied to the drive mechanism becomes smaller, thereby generating the relationship information; as well as The following processing is performed at each of the step sizes or each of the update cycles: when the sound generated during the driving of the optical element accompanying the driving of the driving mechanism is greater than a predetermined magnitude, a correction coefficient for suppressing the sound is adjusted in a manner that suppresses the rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the driving mechanism, thereby generating the relationship information.

20. The generation method according to claim 18, characterized in that: The generation phase includes the following phases: determining, based on the sound information, a frequency component of a sound generated accompanying the driving of the driving mechanism; The following processing is performed at each step size or each update period: when the frequency components of the sound having a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude include frequency components of a first frequency band, the correction coefficient is adjusted so as to suppress a rate of change or magnitude of the driving speed of the driving mechanism, thereby generating the relationship information; as well as The following processing is performed at each step size or each update period: when the frequency components of the sound having a magnitude greater than or equal to a predetermined magnitude include frequency components of a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, the correction coefficient is adjusted in such a manner that the rate of change of the current supplied to the drive mechanism becomes smaller, thereby generating the relationship information; The first frequency band is below the driving band of the driving mechanism, and the second frequency band is higher than the driving band of the driving mechanism.

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