Image stabilization device, imaging device, image stabilization method, and image stabilization program

Abstract

To provide a blur correction device, a blur correction method, and a blur correction program.SOLUTION: A digital camera 1 includes a vibration detector 17, an imaging element shift mechanism 13 that corrects blurring of an image captured by the imaging element 12, and a system control unit 18, and the system control unit 18 performs first control to drive the imaging element shift mechanism 13 on the basis of the vibration information output from the vibration detector 17, and predicts vibration information (angular velocity V2a) output from the vibration detector 17 at the timing when the first state ends when determining that the first state is established on the basis of the vibration information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a blur correction device, an imaging device, a blur correction method, and a blur correction program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vibration correction control circuit that corrects misalignment of the optical axis due to vibrations applied to an imaging device. This circuit includes an integration circuit that integrates an acceleration signal output from a vibration detection element that detects vibrations to generate a movement amount signal indicating the amount of movement of the imaging device, and a control unit that determines whether the imaging device is in a panning or tilting state. The integration circuit is composed of a digital filter, and this digital filter includes a register that holds an integrated value to be used as the amplitude value of the movement amount signal. If the control unit determines that the imaging device is in a panning or tilting state, it reduces the absolute value of the integrated value held in the register.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes a correction control device that divides a plurality of pixels arranged on an image sensor into a plurality of groups, reads out still image signals from pixels belonging to each group for each divided group, and further reads out moving image signals from pixels belonging to each group for each divided group during intervals during which the still image signals are read out for each divided group, a camera shake detection unit that detects movement of the image sensor, and a camera shake correction unit that operates a correction mechanism to correct the movement based on the movement detected by the camera shake detection unit. In this device, when the period during which still image signals for generating one still image are read out is defined as a still image cycle period, the camera shake correction unit performs a centering operation to move the correction mechanism to a reference position within a centering operation possible period, which is a period obtained by excluding at least the moving image signal readout period from the still image cycle period. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-267872 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-004818 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An image stabilization device according to an embodiment of the technology of the present disclosure includes: Detecting the movement of the imaging device The image sensor includes a vibration detector, a vibration reduction mechanism for reducing the vibration of an image captured by an imaging element, and a processor, wherein the processor performs a first control for driving the vibration reduction mechanism based on vibration information output from the vibration detector, and , the period during which the imaging device is moving in one direction exceeds a threshold value. When it is determined that the first state is present, vibration information output from the vibration detector at the timing when the first state ends is 、 It is something that can be predicted.

[0007] A shake correction method according to one embodiment of the technology of the present disclosure includes: Detecting the movement of the imaging device A first control is performed to drive a shake correction mechanism that corrects shake of an image captured by an image sensor based on vibration information output from the vibration detector, and , the period during which the imaging device is moving in one direction exceeds a threshold value. When it is determined that the first state is present, vibration information output from the vibration detector at the timing when the first state ends is 、 It is something that can be predicted.

[0009] A shake correction program according to an embodiment of the technology of the present disclosure includes: Detecting the movement of the imaging device A first control is performed to drive a shake correction mechanism that corrects shake of an image captured by an image sensor based on vibration information output from the vibration detector, and , the period during which the imaging device is moving in one direction exceeds a threshold value. When it is determined that the first state is present, vibration information output from the vibration detector at the timing when the first state ends is 、 It is a step that causes a processor to execute a predictive step. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a digital camera 1 that is an embodiment of an imaging device of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the movable range of the image sensor 12 by the image sensor shift mechanism 13. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the output of the vibration detector 17 when a panning operation or a tilting operation is performed. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the imaging element 12 is moved from the reference position based on the angular velocity V1 detected at time t1 in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the imaging element 12 has been moved from the state in FIG. 4 based on the angular velocity V2 detected at time t2 in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the imaging element 12 has been moved closer to the reference position from the state in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the imaging element 12 has been moved away from the reference position from the state in FIG. 4. [Figure 8] 1 shows the appearance of a smartphone 200. [Figure 9] 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the smartphone 200 shown in FIG. 8. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a digital camera 1, which is one embodiment of an imaging device of the present invention. Digital camera 1 includes a camera body 10 and a lens device 20. Lens device 20 is configured to be detachable from camera body 10, in other words, replaceable. Lens device 20 may be integrated with camera body 10.

[0013] The lens device 20 has an imaging optical system 30 and a lens control unit 40. The imaging optical system 30 includes an imaging lens 31 and an aperture mechanism (not shown). The imaging lens 31 is composed of a single lens or multiple lenses, including, for example, a lens for adjusting the focus of the imaging optical system 30. The lens control unit 40 is mainly composed of a processor, and drives and controls the imaging optical system 30 under the control of the system control unit 18 (described later).

[0014] The camera body 10 comprises an image sensor 12, an image sensor shift mechanism 13 constituting a shake correction mechanism, an image sensor drive unit 14, a display unit 15 which is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, memory 16 including RAM (Random Access Memory) as a volatile memory for temporarily recording information and ROM (Read Only Memory) as a non-volatile memory for recording in advance programs and various information required for their operation, a vibration detector 17, a system control unit 18, and a recording medium 19 such as a memory card composed of non-volatile memory.

[0015] The imaging element 12 captures an image of a subject through an imaging optical system 30. The imaging element 12 is configured by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor, or the like. The imaging element 12 has a light receiving area 120 (see FIG. 2) in which a plurality of pixels are arranged two-dimensionally.

[0016] The image sensor shift mechanism 13 is a mechanism for moving the image sensor 12 in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis K of the imaging optical system 30 to prevent blurring of the subject image formed on the light receiving area 120 of the image sensor 12.

[0017] Vibration detector 17 is a sensor for detecting the movement of digital camera 1. Vibration detector 17 is configured with an acceleration sensor or an angular velocity sensor, or both of these. Note that vibration detector 17 may be provided in lens device 20. In the following description, it is assumed that vibration detector 17 is an angular velocity sensor.

[0018] The system control unit 18 controls the entire digital camera 1, and its hardware configuration is made up of various processors that execute programs including a shake correction program and perform processing.

[0019] The various processors include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is a general-purpose processor that executes programs to perform various processes; a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture; and a dedicated electrical circuit, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), which is a processor having a circuit configuration specifically designed to perform specific processes. More specifically, the structure of these various processors is an electrical circuit combining circuit elements such as semiconductor devices. The system control unit 18 may be configured with one of the various processors, or may be configured with a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (e.g., a combination of multiple FPGAs or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA).

[0020] The system control unit 18 controls the image sensor driving unit 14 to cause the image sensor 12 to capture an image of the subject, and causes the image sensor 12 to output a captured image signal corresponding to the subject image formed on the light receiving area 120 of the image sensor 12. The system control unit 18 processes the captured image signal output from the light receiving area 120 of the image sensor 12 to generate an image in a format that can be played back by the digital camera 1 itself or other devices, such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format.

[0021] When imaging a subject with imaging element 12, system control unit 18 controls imaging element shift mechanism 13 based on vibration information (specifically, angular velocity) of digital camera 1 detected by vibration detector 17 to correct blur (image shake) in the image captured by imaging element 12. System control unit 18, vibration detector 17, and imaging element shift mechanism 13 form a blur correction device.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the movable range of the image sensor 12 by the image sensor shift mechanism 13. FIG. 2 shows the optical axis K of the imaging optical system 30, an image circle 30A centered on the optical axis K, and axes Jx and Jy that are orthogonal to each other and have the optical axis K as the origin. The axis Jx extends in the direction in which the long sides of the light receiving area 120 extend (row direction X). The axis Jy extends in the direction in which the short sides of the light receiving area 120 extend (column direction Y). The plane including the axes Jx and Jy is referred to as the XY plane. The image sensor 12 is moved within the XY plane by the image sensor shift mechanism 13 within a range in which the entire light receiving area 120 fits within the image circle 30A. The image sensor shift mechanism 13 has a movable part driven by an actuator such as a voice coil motor, and the image sensor 12 is fixed to this movable part. Therefore, in the following, the position of the imaging element 12 on the XY plane (hereinafter simply referred to as the position of the imaging element 12) will be treated as the same as the position of the movable part of the imaging element shift mechanism 13 on the XY plane.

[0023] A reference position is defined for the position of the image sensor 12. The reference position is a position where the image sensor 12 is held when the digital camera 1 is not moving. In the example of FIG. 2, the position of the image sensor 12 where the center 120A of the light receiving area 120 coincides with the optical axis K is the reference position. The reference position does not need to be a position where the center 120A coincides with the optical axis K; for example, the reference position may be a position where the center 120A is slightly away from the optical axis K. By defining the reference position as being near the optical axis K, the movable range of the image sensor 12 can be increased when correcting image blur by moving the image sensor 12 from this reference position as a starting point, thereby improving image blur correction performance. The reference position constitutes a first position.

[0024] The system control unit 18 performs high-pass filtering on the angular velocity output from the vibration detector 17, and based on the integral value of the angular velocity after high-pass filtering, derives the direction and amount of movement of the image sensor 12 to offset the movement of the digital camera 1, and performs a first control to move the image sensor 12 in that direction and by that amount.

[0025] The state in which the angular velocity (absolute value) output from the vibration detector 17 increases can be a first state in which the angle of view is shifted significantly due to the movement of the digital camera 1, or a second state in which the digital camera 1 is vibrating slightly. Specifically, the first state is a state in which a predetermined operation is being performed, such as a panning operation, a tilting operation, a parallel movement operation of the digital camera 1, or a movement of the digital camera 1 mounted on a moving device. The system control unit 18 determines the second state when the period of change in the angular velocity output from the vibration detector 17 (the period from rising to falling) is equal to or less than a threshold, and determines the first state when this period of change exceeds the threshold. In the second state, the system control unit 18 performs a first control to move the image sensor 12 based on the angular velocity after high-pass filtering, and then performs a second control (hereinafter referred to as centering control) to move the image sensor 12 toward a reference position. On the other hand, if the system control unit 18 determines that the state is the first state, after performing the first control to move the image sensor 12 based on the angular velocity after high-pass filtering, the system control unit 18 suspends the centering control until the timing at which the first state ends. This "timing at which the first state ends" refers to any or all of the time from when the angular velocity starts to fall until it reaches zero after determining that the state is the first state.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the output of the vibration detector 17 when a panning or tilting operation is performed. The signal SG1 shown in FIG. 3 indicates the angular velocity output from the vibration detector 17. The signal SG2 shown in FIG. 3 indicates the state of the signal SG1 after high-pass filtering. In the example of FIG. 3, the panning or tilting operation starts at time t1 and ends at time t2. As shown by the signal SG2, the angular velocity after high-pass filtering becomes a positive angular velocity V1 at time t1 and a negative angular velocity V2 at time t2. Both the signals SG1 and SG2 constitute vibration information.

[0027] When the system control unit 18 detects the angular velocity V1 at time t1, it performs a first control to move the image sensor 12 based on the angular velocity V1. If the system control unit 18 subsequently detects that the period of change in the angular velocity that began at time t1 exceeds a threshold, it determines that the system is in the first state and predicts the angular velocity V2a after high-pass filtering at the end of the period of change (the end of the first state). The angular velocity V2a can be predicted using an experimentally determined function. For example, the angular velocity V2a is predicted using a linear function (y = ax + b) in which the variable x is the value of the angular velocity at the start of the period of change in the angular velocity (e.g., the angular velocity V1 in FIG. 3) and a and b are experimentally determined coefficients.

[0028] After predicting angular velocity V2a, system control unit 18 maintains the position of image sensor 12 so that the position of image sensor 12 is the position based on angular velocity V2a at least until the end of the period in which the angular velocity changes. Angular velocity V2a is predicted based on the initial angular velocity (angular velocity V1 in FIG. 3) that occurs at the start of the first state. Therefore, the "position based on angular velocity V2a" can also be referred to as the position based on the first state.

[0029] During this period of change in angular velocity, a change in angular velocity may occur in response to minute vibrations of the digital camera 1. If such a change occurs, the system control unit 18 further moves the image sensor 12 from the position to which it was moved during the first control at time t1 in order to correct image blur caused by the vibrations. In this manner, if the first control is further performed between time t1 and time t2, the system control unit 18 moves the image sensor 12 to a position based on the angular velocity V2a after the first control ends and maintains the position. If the first control is not performed between time t1 and time t2, the position of the image sensor 12 is maintained at the position based on the angular velocity V2a during the period from the prediction of the angular velocity V2a until time t2.

[0030] Maintaining the position of image sensor 12 means determining a target position and controlling image sensor 12 so that it remains at that target position unless the first control is performed. When system control unit 18 detects the end of the changing period at time t2, it performs the first control to move image sensor 12 based on the angular velocity output from vibration detector 17 (actually measured angular velocity V2).

[0031] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the image sensor 12 has been moved from the reference position based on the angular velocity V1 detected at time t1 in FIG. 3. The image sensor 12 has moved from the reference position to the upper right in the figure by a distance L1 based on the angular velocity V1. The predicted angular velocity V2a has the opposite sign to the angular velocity V1. Therefore, when a first control is performed to move the image sensor 12 based on the angular velocity V2a from the state shown in FIG. 4, the position of the image sensor 12 returns toward the reference position. Hereinafter, the movement distance of the image sensor 12 toward the reference position determined based on the angular velocity V2a is referred to as a first movement distance L2. The system control unit 18 determines the position of the image sensor 12 to be maintained until time t2 based on this first movement distance L2 and the reference position.

[0032] Specifically, when the position of image sensor 12 reaches the reference position by moving image sensor 12 a first movement distance L2 from the state shown in FIG. 4 toward the reference position (i.e., when L2=L1), system control unit 18 maintains the position of image sensor 12 at the position shown in FIG. 4 until time t2. Assuming that predicted angular velocity V2a matches actual angular velocity V2, at time t2, the position of image sensor 12 moves a first movement distance L2 toward the reference position based on the actually measured angular velocity V2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the position of image sensor 12 returns to the reference position upon termination of the first state.

[0033] Further, when the imaging element 12 moves by the first moving distance L2 from the state of FIG. 4 in the direction of the reference position and the position of the imaging element 12 does not reach the reference position (when L2 < L1), the system control unit 18, until time t2, positions the imaging element 12 closer to the reference position than the position shown in FIG. 4 (the position indicated by the dashed line in the figure) (the position where the distance from the reference position is the first moving distance L2), as shown in FIG. 6. On the premise that the angular velocity V2a matches the angular velocity V2, at time t2, based on the measured angular velocity V2, the position of the imaging element 12 moves by the first moving distance L2 in the direction of the reference position. Therefore, at the end of the first state, the position of the imaging element 12 returns to the reference position.

[0034] Further, when the imaging element​​​Note that if the image sensor 12 moves the first movement distance L2 from the state shown in FIG. 4 toward the reference position and passes the reference position (if L2 > L1), the system control unit 18 may maintain the position of the image sensor 12 at the position shown in FIG. 4 until time t2, and may set the image blur correction sensitivity of the image sensor shift mechanism 13 in the first control executed at time t2 lower than the correction sensitivity in the first control executed at times other than time t2. Lowering the correction sensitivity means setting the movement amount of the image sensor 12, determined according to the angle, which is the integral value of the angular velocity, to be smaller than when the correction sensitivity is the reference value (the value in the first control executed at times other than time t2). By doing so, at time t2, the image sensor 12 can be moved toward the reference position by a distance shorter than the first movement distance L2 based on the actually measured angular velocity V2. As a result, the position of the image sensor 12 can be returned to the reference position upon termination of the first state.

[0036] As described above, according to the digital camera 1, in the first state, in which a predetermined operation such as a panning operation or a tilting operation is being performed, the centering control (second control) is stopped, thereby suppressing image fluctuations associated with large movements of the image sensor 12 by the image sensor shift mechanism 13. Furthermore, by stopping the centering control, image blur caused by minute vibrations of the digital camera 1 that occur in the first state can be corrected by performing the first control, thereby improving the quality of captured images. Furthermore, when the first state ends, the image sensor 12 is moved based on the angular velocity (angular velocity V2 in FIG. 3 ) that occurs upon the end of the first state. However, after the first state is determined to be established, the position of the image sensor 12 is maintained at a position (the position shown in FIG. 4 , FIG. 6 , or FIG. 7 ) based on the angular velocity V2a predicted to occur at the end of the first state. Therefore, when the first state ends, the position of the image sensor 12 can be returned to or near the reference position. As a result, the movable range of the image sensor 12 can be widened when the first control is performed after the digital camera 1 has come to a standstill, thereby improving image blur correction performance.

[0037] The movement of the image sensor 12 accompanying the end of the first state occurs almost simultaneously with the end of a panning operation, tilting operation, or the like and the digital camera 1 coming to a standstill. Therefore, the user is unlikely to perceive any fluctuations in the image caused by the movement of the image sensor 12. This allows the image sensor 12 to approach the reference position without causing the user any discomfort.

[0038] Next, the configuration of a smartphone, which is another embodiment of the imaging device of the present invention, will be described.

[0039] Fig. 8 shows the external appearance of smartphone 200. Smartphone 200 shown in Fig. 8 has a flat housing 201, and is provided on one surface of housing 201 with display panel 202 as a display unit and display input unit 204 which is an integrated unit of operation panel 203 as an input unit.

[0040] Such housing 201 also includes a speaker 205, a microphone 206, an operation unit 207, and a camera unit 208. The configuration of housing 201 is not limited to this, and for example, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the display unit and the input unit are independent, or a configuration having a foldable structure or a sliding mechanism.

[0041] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the smartphone 200 shown in FIG.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 9, the main components of the smartphone include a wireless communication unit 210, a display input unit 204, a call unit 211, an operation unit 207, a camera unit 208, a memory unit 212, an external input / output unit 213, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiving unit 214, a motion sensor unit 215, a power supply unit 216, and a main control unit 220.

[0043] The smartphone 200 also has, as its main function, a wireless communication function for performing mobile wireless communication via a base station device BS (not shown) and a mobile communication network NW (not shown).

[0044] The wireless communication unit 210 performs wireless communication with a base station device BS accommodated in the mobile communication network NW in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 220. Using this wireless communication, various file data such as audio data and image data, e-mail data, etc. are sent and received, and web data, streaming data, etc. are received.

[0045] The display input unit 204 is a so-called touch panel that displays images (still images and moving images) or text information, etc. under the control of the main control unit 220 to visually convey information to the user and detects user operations on the displayed information, and is equipped with a display panel 202 and an operation panel 203.

[0046] The display panel 202 uses an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OLED (Organic Electro-Luminescence Display), or the like as a display device.

[0047] The operation panel 203 is placed so that an image displayed on the display surface of the display panel 202 can be seen, and is a device that detects one or more coordinates operated by a user's finger or a stylus. When this device is operated by the user's finger or a stylus, a detection signal generated by the operation is output to the main control unit 220. Next, the main control unit 220 detects the operation position (coordinates) on the display panel 202 based on the received detection signal.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 9, the display panel 202 and operation panel 203 of a smartphone 200, which is exemplified as one embodiment of the imaging device of the present invention, are integrated to form a display input unit 204, and the operation panel 203 is positioned so as to completely cover the display panel 202.

[0049] When such an arrangement is adopted, operation panel 203 may also have a function to detect user operations in areas outside display panel 202. In other words, operation panel 203 may have a detection area for the overlapping portion that overlaps display panel 202 (hereinafter referred to as a display area), and a detection area for the other outer edge portion that does not overlap display panel 202 (hereinafter referred to as a non-display area).

[0050] The size of the display area and the size of the display panel 202 may be completely the same, but they do not necessarily have to be the same. Also, the operation panel 203 may have two sensitive areas: an outer edge portion and an inner portion other than the outer edge portion. Furthermore, the width of the outer edge portion is designed appropriately depending on the size of the housing 201, etc.

[0051] Furthermore, the position detection method used in the operation panel 203 may be a matrix switch method, a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, a capacitance method, or the like, and any method may be used.

[0052] The call unit 211 is equipped with a speaker 205 or a microphone 206, and converts the user's voice input through the microphone 206 into voice data that can be processed by the main control unit 220 and outputs it to the main control unit 220, or decodes voice data received by the wireless communication unit 210 or the external input / output unit 213 and outputs it from the speaker 205.

[0053] Also, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, speaker 205 can be mounted on the same surface as display input unit 204, and microphone 206 can be mounted on the side surface of housing 201.

[0054] The operation unit 207 is a hardware key using a key switch or the like, and receives instructions from a user. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the operation unit 207 is a push-button switch mounted on the side of the housing 201 of the smartphone 200, which turns on when pressed with a finger or the like, and turns off when the finger is released by the restoring force of a spring or the like.

[0055] The storage unit 212 stores the control program and control data of the main control unit 220, application software, address data associated with names or telephone numbers of communication partners, data of sent and received e-mails, web data downloaded by web browsing, downloaded content data, and also temporarily stores streaming data, etc. The storage unit 212 is composed of an internal storage unit 217 built into the smartphone and an external storage unit 218 having a removable external memory slot.

[0056] The internal memory unit 217 and the external memory unit 218 constituting the memory unit 212 are realized using storage media such as a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card-type memory (e.g., MicroSD (registered trademark) memory, etc.), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc.

[0057] The external input / output unit 213 serves as an interface with all external devices connected to the smartphone 200, and is used to directly or indirectly connect to other external devices via communication (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), IEEE1394, Bluetooth (registered trademark), RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Infrared Data Association (IrDA) (registered trademark), UWB (Ultra Wideband) (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), etc.) or a network (e.g., Ethernet (registered trademark), wireless LAN (Local Area Network), etc.).

[0058] Examples of external devices that can be connected to the smartphone 200 include wired / wireless headsets, wired / wireless external chargers, wired / wireless data ports, memory cards connected via card sockets, SIM (Subscriber Identity Module Card) / UIM (User Identity Module Card) cards, external audio / video devices connected via audio / video I / O (Input / Output) terminals, wirelessly connected external audio / video devices, wired / wirelessly connected smartphones, wired / wirelessly connected personal computers, wired / wirelessly connected personal computers, earphones, etc.

[0059] The external input / output unit 213 can transmit data received from such external devices to each component inside the smartphone 200, or transmit data inside the smartphone 200 to external devices.

[0060] The GNSS receiver 214 receives GNSS signals transmitted from GNSS satellites ST1 to STn in accordance with instructions from the main controller 220, executes positioning calculation processing based on the received multiple GNSS signals, and detects a position consisting of the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the smartphone 200. When the GNSS receiver 214 can acquire position information from the wireless communication unit 210 or the external input / output unit 213 (for example, a wireless LAN), it can also detect the position using the position information.

[0061] The motion sensor unit 215 includes, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor, and detects the physical movement of the smartphone 200 in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 220. By detecting the physical movement of the smartphone 200, the direction of movement or acceleration of the smartphone 200 is detected. The detection result is output to the main control unit 220.

[0062] The power supply unit 216 supplies power stored in a battery (not shown) to each unit of the smartphone 200 in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 220.

[0063] The main control unit 220 includes a microprocessor, operates in accordance with the control program and control data stored in the memory unit 212, and controls all the components of the smartphone 200. The microprocessor of the main control unit 220 has the same functions as the system control unit 18. The main control unit 220 also has a mobile communication control function that controls all the components of the communication system to perform voice communication or data communication via the wireless communication unit 210, and an application processing function.

[0064] The application processing function is realized by the main control unit 220 operating in accordance with the application software stored in the storage unit 212. Examples of the application processing function include an infrared communication function that controls the external input / output unit 213 to perform data communication with a partner device, an email function that sends and receives emails, and a web browsing function that views web pages.

[0065] The main control unit 220 also has an image processing function for displaying video on the display input unit 204 based on image data (still image or moving image data) such as received data or downloaded streaming data.

[0066] The image processing function refers to a function in which the main control unit 220 decodes the image data, performs image processing on the decoded result, and displays the image on the display input unit 204.

[0067] Furthermore, the main control unit 220 executes display control for the display panel 202 and operation detection control for detecting user operations via the operation unit 207 and the operation panel 203 .

[0068] By executing display control, the main control unit 220 displays software keys such as icons or scroll bars for starting application software, or displays a window for creating an e-mail.

[0069] The scroll bar refers to a software key for receiving an instruction to move the displayed portion of an image, such as a large image that cannot fit in the display area of the display panel 202.

[0070] In addition, by executing operation detection control, the main control unit 220 detects user operations through the operation unit 207, accepts operations on the above icons and input of character strings into the input field of the above window through the operation panel 203, or accepts requests to scroll the displayed image through the scroll bar.

[0071] Furthermore, by executing operation detection control, the main control unit 220 determines whether the operation position on the operation panel 203 is an overlapping portion (display area) that overlaps the display panel 202 or an outer edge portion (non-display area) that does not overlap the display panel 202, and is equipped with a touch panel control function that controls the sensitive area of the operation panel 203 or the display position of the software key.

[0072] Furthermore, the main control unit 220 can also detect a gesture operation on the operation panel 203 and execute a preset function in response to the detected gesture operation.

[0073] Gesture operation is not a simple touch operation as in the past, but rather an operation in which a trajectory is drawn with a finger or the like, multiple positions are specified simultaneously, or a combination of these is used to draw a trajectory for at least one of multiple positions.

[0074] The camera unit 208 includes the lens device 20, the image sensor 12, the image sensor shift mechanism 13, the image sensor drive unit 14, and the vibration detector 17 shown in FIG.

[0075] The captured image data generated by the camera unit 208 can be stored in the storage unit 212 or output via the external input / output unit 213 or the wireless communication unit 210 .

[0076] In the smartphone 200 shown in FIG. 9, the camera unit 208 is mounted on the same surface as the display input unit 204, but the mounting position of the camera unit 208 is not limited to this, and it may be mounted on the back surface of the display input unit 204.

[0077] Furthermore, the camera unit 208 can be used for various functions of the smartphone 200. For example, an image acquired by the camera unit 208 can be displayed on the display panel 202, or an image from the camera unit 208 can be used as one of the operation inputs for the operation panel 203.

[0078] Furthermore, when the GNSS receiver 214 detects a position, it can also detect the position by referring to an image from the camera unit 208. Furthermore, it can also refer to an image from the camera unit 208 to determine the optical axis direction of the camera unit 208 of the smartphone 200 or determine the current usage environment, without using a triaxial acceleration sensor or by using the image in combination with a triaxial acceleration sensor. Of course, the image from the camera unit 208 can also be used in application software.

[0079] In addition, image data of still or video images can be added with location information acquired by the GNSS receiving unit 214, audio information acquired by the microphone 206 (which may be converted to text information by the main control unit, etc.), posture information acquired by the motion sensor unit 215, etc., and stored in the memory unit 212, or output via the external input / output unit 213 or wireless communication unit 210.

[0080] Even in the smartphone 200 configured as described above, it is possible to provide high-quality images by suppressing image variations during and after a predetermined operation.

[0081] Up to this point, it has been assumed that camera body 10 of digital camera 1 corrects image shake by moving image sensor 12. Digital camera 1 may also correct image shake by moving an anti-shake lens included in imaging optical system 30 of lens device 20, instead of moving image sensor 12. In this case, the movement of image sensor 12 described above is simply replaced with the movement of the anti-shake lens.

[0082] As explained above, this specification describes at least the following:

[0083] (1) a vibration detector; a blur correction mechanism that corrects blur in an image captured by the imaging element; a processor, The processor is performing a first control for driving the image stabilization mechanism based on the vibration information output from the vibration detector; When it is determined that the first state is being present based on the vibration information, the vibration information to be output from the vibration detector at a timing when the first state will end is predicted. Image stabilization device.

[0084] According to (1), by predicting vibration information generated at the timing when the first state ends, it is possible to estimate how far the movable part of the image stabilization mechanism will move from the position to which it was moved by the first control at this timing. Therefore, for example, by adjusting the position of the movable part so that the movable part returns to a predetermined position when the first control is performed at the timing when the first state ends, it is possible to minimize the movement of the movable part during the first state and improve the quality of the image captured by the imaging element. Furthermore, after the first state ends, it is possible to return the movable part to the predetermined position by the first control, which widens the range of movement of the movable part when the first control is performed thereafter, thereby improving image stabilization performance.

[0085] (2) The image stabilization device according to (1), the processor performs second control to move the movable part of the image stabilization mechanism toward the first position; Image stabilization device.

[0086] (3) (2) The image stabilization device according to the present invention, The processor stops the second control when it determines that the first state is present. Image stabilization device.

[0087] (4) The image stabilization device according to any one of (1) to (3), the first state is a state in which a predetermined operation is being performed on the image stabilization device; Image stabilization device.

[0088] (5) The image stabilization device according to (4), the predetermined operation is a panning operation or a tilting operation for moving an angle of view captured by the imaging element; Image stabilization device.

[0089] (6) A vibration reduction device according to any one of (1) to (5), When the processor determines that the first state is being established after the start of the first control, the processor maintains a position of the movable part of the image stabilization mechanism at a position based on the predicted vibration information at least at an end timing of the first state. Image stabilization device.

[0090] (7) The image stabilization device according to (6), a movement distance of the movable part when the first control is performed based on the predicted vibration information is defined as a first movement distance; the processor determines the holding position based on the first position and the first movement distance; Image stabilization device.

[0091] (8) The image stabilization device according to (7), When the position of the movable part does not reach the first position by moving the movable part by the first moving distance, the processor holds the position of the movable part, which has moved from the first position by the first control, at a position closer to the first position than the original position. Image stabilization device.

[0092] (9) The image stabilization device according to (7) or (8), When the position of the movable part coincides with the first position after the movable part has moved by the first movement distance, the processor maintains the position of the movable part, which has been moved from the first position by the first control, at that position. Image stabilization device.

[0093] (10) The image stabilization device according to any one of (7) to (9), When the position of the movable part passes the first position as a result of the movable part moving by the first moving distance, the processor holds the position of the movable part, which has moved from the first position by the first control, at a position farther away from the first position than the position of the movable part. Image stabilization device.

[0094] (11) The image stabilization device according to any one of (7) to (9), When the position of the movable part passes the first position as a result of the movable part moving by the first movement distance, the processor holds the position of the movable part moved from the first position by the first control at that position, and sets a correction sensitivity of image blur by the image blur correction mechanism in the first control executed at an end timing of the first state to be lower than the correction sensitivity in the first control executed at a timing other than the end timing. Image stabilization device.

[0095] (12) a vibration detector; a blur correction mechanism that corrects blur in an image captured by the imaging element; a processor, The processor is performing a first control for driving the image stabilization mechanism based on the vibration information output from the vibration detector; when it is determined that the camera is in the first state based on the vibration information, the position of the movable part of the image stabilization mechanism is maintained at a position based on the first state at least at an end timing of the first state; Image stabilization device.

[0096] (13) A vibration reduction device according to any one of (1) to (12), An imaging device comprising the above imaging element.

[0097] (14) performing a first control for driving a shake correction mechanism that corrects shake of an image captured by the imaging element based on the vibration information output from the vibration detector; When it is determined that the first state is being present based on the vibration information, the vibration information to be output from the vibration detector at a timing when the first state will end is predicted. Image stabilization method.

[0098] (15) performing a first control for driving a shake correction mechanism that corrects shake of an image captured by the imaging element based on the vibration information output from the vibration detector; When it is determined that the state is a first state based on the vibration information, the position of the movable part of the image stabilization mechanism is maintained at a position based on the first state at least at the timing when the first state ends.

[0099] (16) causing the processor to execute a step of performing a first control for driving a vibration reduction mechanism that corrects blur in an image captured by an image capture element based on vibration information output from a vibration detector, and, when it is determined that the device is in a first state based on the vibration information, predicting the vibration information to be output from the vibration detector at a timing when the first state will end; Image stabilization program.

[0100] (17) causing the processor to execute a step of performing a first control for driving a shake correction mechanism that corrects shake in an image captured by an image sensor, based on vibration information output from a vibration detector, and when it is determined that the camera is in a first state based on the vibration information, maintaining a position of a movable part of the shake correction mechanism at a position based on the first state, at least at a timing when the first state ends; Image stabilization program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1. Digital camera 10 Camera body 12 Image sensor 13 Image sensor shift mechanism 14 Image sensor drive unit 15 Display 16 memory 17 Vibration detector 18 System control section 19 Recording media 20 Lens device 30 Imaging optical system 30A Image Circle 31 Imaging lens 40 Lens control unit 120 light receiving area 120A center Jx and Jy axes K optical axis L1 distance L2 1st movement distance 200 smartphones 201 Case 202 Display Panel 203 Operation Panel 204 Display and input section 205 Speaker 206 Microphone 208 Camera Club 210 Radio Communication Department 211 Telephone section 212 Storage section 213 External input / output section 214 GNSS receiver 215 Motion sensor unit 216 Power supply section 217 Internal storage 218 External Memory Unit 220 Main control unit

Claims

1. A vibration detector that detects the movement of an imaging device; a blur correction mechanism that corrects blur in an image captured by the imaging element; a processor, The processor: performing a first control for driving the image stabilization mechanism based on the vibration information output from the vibration detector; When it is determined based on the vibration information that the imaging device is in a first state in which the period during which the imaging device is moving in one direction exceeds a threshold, the vibration information to be output from the vibration detector at a timing when the first state ends is predicted. Image stabilization device.

2. 2. The image stabilization device according to claim 1, and after performing the first control, the processor performs a second control to move a movable part of the image stabilization mechanism toward a first position, which is a position where the movable part is held when the imaging device is not moving. Image stabilization device.

3. 3. The image stabilization device according to claim 2, the processor stops the second control when it determines that the first state is present. Image stabilization device.

4. 4. The image stabilization device according to claim 1, the first state is a state in which the imaging device is moving by a panning operation or a tilting operation that moves an angle of view captured by the imaging element; Image stabilization device.

5. A vibration reduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, when it is determined that the first state is being established after the start of the first control, the processor maintains a position of the movable part of the image stabilization mechanism at a position based on the predicted vibration information at least until the first state ends. Image stabilization device.

6. The image stabilization device according to claim 5, a movement distance of the movable part when the first control is performed based on the predicted vibration information is defined as a first movement distance; the processor determines the holding position based on the first position and the first movement distance; Image stabilization device.

7. The image stabilization device according to claim 6, When the position of the movable part does not reach the first position by moving the movable part by the first movement distance, the processor holds the position of the movable part, which has moved from the first position by the first control, at a position closer to the first position than the first position. Image stabilization device.

8. A vibration reduction device according to claim 6 or 7, when the position of the movable part coincides with the first position after the movable part has moved by the first movement distance, the processor holds the position of the movable part, which has been moved from the first position by the first control, at that position; Image stabilization device.

9. A vibration reduction device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, When the position of the movable part passes the first position as a result of the movable part moving by the first moving distance, the processor holds the position of the movable part, which has moved from the first position by the first control, at a position farther away from the first position than the position where the movable part moved. Image stabilization device.

10. A vibration reduction device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, when the position of the movable part passes the first position as a result of the movable part moving by the first movement distance, the processor holds the position of the movable part moved from the first position by the first control at that position, and sets a correction sensitivity of image blur by the image blur correction mechanism in the first control executed at an end timing of the first state to be lower than the correction sensitivity in the first control executed at a timing other than the end timing. Image stabilization device.

11. A vibration reduction device according to any one of claims 1 to 10; An imaging device comprising the imaging element.

12. A first control is performed to drive a shake correction mechanism that corrects shake in an image captured by an imaging element based on vibration information output from a vibration detector that detects movement of the imaging device, When it is determined based on the vibration information that the imaging device is in a first state in which the period during which the imaging device is moving in one direction exceeds a threshold, the vibration information to be output from the vibration detector at a timing when the first state ends is predicted. Image stabilization method.

13. A processor is caused to execute a step of performing a first control to drive a shake correction mechanism that corrects the shake of an image captured by an imaging element based on vibration information output from a vibration detector that detects the movement of an imaging device, and when it is determined based on the vibration information that the imaging device is in a first state in which the period during which the imaging device is moving in one direction exceeds a threshold, predicting the vibration information to be output from the vibration detector at the timing when the first state ends, Image stabilization program.

Images