Sensor-Shift Stabilization Timing Control for Exposure Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The concurrent use of sensor-shift image stabilization and electronic front curtain reset in cameras requires precise control to prevent uneven exposure, especially at high shutter speeds, as the position shift due to stabilization can disrupt the timing of the electronic front curtain reset, leading to shading or vignetting in images.
Innovation Solution
An imaging apparatus with a camera shake detector, image stabilizer, electronic front curtain, mechanical shutter, and image stabilization controller that adjusts the imaging device's position and electronic front curtain operation to maintain precise timing and alignment, ensuring uniform exposure by compensating for camera shake corrections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensor-shift image stabilization is used to correct camera shake, then image quality is improved, but the timing of electronic front curtain reset shifts causing uneven exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device is moved to a predetermined initial position before the electronic front curtain reset operation. This preliminary positioning ensures that even when sensor-shift image stabilization is active, the reset timing remains accurate relative to the mechanical rear curtain, preventing uneven exposure while maintaining image stabilization benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The image stabilization controller receives position information from the imaging device and adjusts the reset timing of the electronic front curtain accordingly. This feedback mechanism compensates for any timing shifts caused by sensor-shift image stabilization, ensuring uniform exposure across the image sensor
2Speed
If high shutter speed is used to capture fast action, then freezing capability is improved, but control precision requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical shutter system with an electronic front curtain reset combined with a mechanical rear curtain. This substitution enables high shutter speeds (1/4000 or shorter) by using electronic control for the front curtain, while the mechanical rear curtain provides reliable timing reference, achieving both high speed and precision control
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic front curtain reset is performed in advance at a predetermined timing before the mechanical rear curtain closes. This preliminary action ensures that the reset operation is completed accurately even at high shutter speeds, as the timing is established before the critical exposure period begins
3Loss of time
If electronic front curtain reset is used to reduce release time lag, then response speed is improved, but timing control difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image stabilization controller continuously monitors the position of the imaging device and adjusts the electronic front curtain reset timing based on this feedback. This feedback mechanism simplifies timing control by automatically compensating for position shifts, reducing release time lag while maintaining control accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic front curtain reset is triggered at a predetermined timing before the mechanical rear curtain operation. This preliminary reset action eliminates release time lag by ensuring the imaging device is ready for immediate capture, while the predetermined timing provides a simple control reference that reduces complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an imaging apparatus which corrects uneven exposure caused when a sensor-shift image stabilization and an electronic front curtain reset are used concurrently. The imaging apparatus includes: a camera shake detector configured to detect a camera shake; an imaging device configured to capture e a subject image; an image stabilizer configured to move the imaging device in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis; an electronic front curtain configured to reset electric charges accumulated in the imaging device; a mechanical shutter configured to switch between blocking and passing of a subject image to be collected onto the imaging device; and an image stabilization controller configured to produce an image stabilization signal from the camera shake detected by the camera shake detector and configured to control the image stabilizer. The image stabilization controller controls the imaging device to move to a specified position and then controls the electronic front curtain to operate in response to the shooting instruction.