JP7524022B2 - Image capture device, image capture device control method, and control program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an imaging device having a pan-tilt mechanism, a control method thereof, and a control program.

Conventionally, imaging devices are known that perform vibration reduction control to correct image blur by driving a movable part in response to shaking detected by a detection part. Patent Document 1 discloses a device that detects vibrations that occur when a movable part is displaced in accordance with a predetermined signal based on the output of the detection part, and determines that the detection part is not normal when the output of the detection part is equal to or lower than a predetermined value.

JP 2010-38942 A

In the above-mentioned imaging device, if the movable part is not covered with an exterior or the like and is grabbed and lifted to move the imaging device, the movable part will continue to operate to counteract the shaking detected by the detection unit, even though there is no need to perform anti-shake control. As a result, the user will feel uncomfortable and power will be wasted.

The present invention aims to provide an imaging device that can appropriately drive a pan-tilt mechanism even when the movable part is not covered by an exterior or the like, as well as a control method and program for the imaging device.

An imaging device according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising a movable part capable of rotating a lens barrel relative to a fixed part, a drive control part for driving the movable part, a first detection part for detecting the position of the movable part, a second detection part for detecting vibrations, a correction part for correcting vibrations by having the drive control part drive the movable part, a determination part for determining the state of the movable part using an output signal from the first detection part, and the drive control part stopping the movable part when the determination part determines that the movable part is in a grabbed state.

In addition, as another aspect of the present invention, a control method for an imaging device having a movable part capable of rotating a lens barrel relative to a fixed part, a drive control part that drives the movable part, a detection part that detects vibrations, and a correction part that corrects vibrations by having the drive control part drive the movable part, the control method is characterized by having a step of detecting the position of the movable part, a step of determining the state of the movable part using information regarding the position of the movable part, and a step of stopping the movable part when the state of the movable part is determined to be a grabbed state.

The present invention provides an imaging device, a control method for an imaging device, and a program that can appropriately drive a pan-tilt mechanism even when the movable part is not covered by an exterior or the like.

1 is a schematic diagram of an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an imaging apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit. 13 is a graph showing the change in position of the pan rotation unit when the movable part is gripped. 11 is a flowchart showing the process of a movable part gripping determination function in the first embodiment. 11 is a flowchart showing an inflection point storage process according to the first embodiment. 11 is a flowchart showing a movable part gripping determination process according to the first embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing the process of a movable part gripping determination function according to the second embodiment. 13 is a graph showing the deviation between a target position and a current position of the pan rotation operation unit when the movable part is gripped. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the imaging device is grasped and rotated in the pan direction. 13 is a flowchart showing a movable part gripping determination process according to the second embodiment.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numbers are used for the same components, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an imaging device (hereinafter, referred to as a camera) 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1(a) is a perspective view of the exterior of the camera 101.

The camera 101 has a lens barrel 102, a movable part 110, and a fixed part 103. The movable part 110, which is connected to the lens barrel 102, is rotatable relative to the fixed part 103. The tilt rotation unit 204 can rotate the movable part 110 in a tilt direction (vertical direction). This allows the direction of the optical axis 108 of the imaging optical system provided in the lens barrel 102 to be changed from the direction shown in FIG. 1(a) to the direction shown in FIG. 1(b) or FIG. 1(c). The pan rotation unit 205 can rotate the movable part 110 in a pan direction (horizontal direction).

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the camera 101, and Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 210.

The lens barrel 102 has an imaging optical system including a zoom unit 202 and a focus unit 203. The zoom unit 202 includes a zoom lens for variable magnification. The zoom drive control unit 213 drives the zoom unit 202. The focus unit 203 includes a focus lens for focus adjustment. The focus drive control unit 214 drives the focus unit 203. The imaging unit 215 receives light that has passed through the imaging optical system, and outputs charge information according to the amount of light to the image processing unit 206 as analog image data.

The image processing unit 206 applies image processing such as distortion correction, white balance adjustment, and color interpolation processing to the digital image data that has been A/D converted from the analog image data, and outputs the digital image data after the processing. Furthermore, the image processing unit 206 converts the digital image data into a video signal (image signal) that conforms to a format such as NTSC or PAL, and supplies it to the image memory 207. The image conversion unit 208 outputs the image signal stored in the image memory 207 based on the image conversion amount calculated by the control unit 210. The image recording unit 209 is a recording medium such as a non-volatile memory, and records the image signal from the image conversion unit 208.

The motion vector detection unit (third detection unit) 230 detects motion vectors from multiple images obtained from the image memory 207.

The tilt rotation drive control unit 212 drives the tilt rotation unit 204. The pan rotation drive control unit 221 drives the pan rotation unit 205. The tilt rotation drive control unit 212 and the pan rotation drive control unit 221 drive the tilt rotation unit 204 and the pan rotation unit 205, respectively, thereby allowing the lens barrel 102 connected to the movable unit 110 to rotate in the tilt direction and the pan direction.

The shaking detection unit (second detection unit) 216 is provided in the fixed unit 103 and detects shaking (vibration) of the imaging device 101. The shaking detection unit 216 is, for example, an angular velocity meter (gyro sensor) that detects the angular velocity of the camera 101 in three axial directions.

The power supply unit 217 supplies power to each part of the camera 101.

The control unit 210 controls the entire system of the camera 101. The control unit 210 executes, for example, a shooting program and a program for a movable part grip determination function as computer programs stored in the memory 222. The control unit 210 also functions as a correction unit that corrects the shaking detected by the shaking detection unit 216 by rotating the tilt rotation unit 204 and the pan rotation unit 205 via the tilt rotation drive control unit 212 and the pan rotation drive control unit 221.

The operation unit 211 includes a power button and a button that can change the settings of the camera 101, and is used by the user to give instructions to the control unit 210. For example, when the power button is operated, power is supplied from the power supply unit 217 to each part of the camera 101, and the camera 101 starts up.

The display unit 223 is a liquid crystal display or the like. For example, when the movable part grip determination unit 303 determines that the movable part 110 is gripped, a warning message may be displayed on the display unit 223 to notify the user. Also, when it is determined that the movable part 110 is gripped, the color or blinking pattern of the LED 224 may be changed, or a voice or beep may be generated by the speaker 225 to notify the user.

The fixed part contact detection unit 218 is a contact sensor or the like, and can notify the control unit 210 that an accessory such as a stand has been attached to the fixed part 103.

The cable insertion detection unit 231 detects that a USB power supply cable or the like has been inserted into a terminal, and notifies the control unit 210 of the detected information. Specifically, when the terminal of the camera 101 comes into contact with the terminal of the cable, the cable insertion detection unit 231 detects that the cable is inserted into the terminal.

The control unit 210 has a target position setting unit (setting unit) 302, a movable part gripping determination unit (determination unit) 303, and a drive control method determination unit 306.

The target position setting unit 302 sets the target positions of the tilt rotation unit 204 and the pan rotation unit 205 using information acquired from the image processing unit 206, the operation unit 211, etc.

A method for setting a target position using information acquired from the image processing unit 206 will be described. The image processing unit 206 detects a subject using image information acquired from the imaging unit 215. The subject is detected by face detection processing or the like. The subject information is sent to the control unit 210. If the subject or the user holding the camera 101 moves laterally, the subject may move out of the angle of view. In order to continue photographing the subject, it is necessary to rotate the tilt rotation unit 204 and the pan rotation unit 205. At that time, the target position setting unit 302 sets the target positions of the tilt rotation unit 204 and the pan rotation unit 205 using information such as the size and position of the subject in the image information.

A method of setting a target position using information acquired from the operation unit 211 will now be described. The target position setting unit 302 sets the target position using the amount of operation of an operating member such as a button or a control wheel acquired from the operation unit 211. Note that if the subject is not captured, it is necessary to rotate the tilt rotation unit 204 and the pan rotation unit 205 in order to search for the subject. In this case, the target position setting unit 302 sets a specified position as the target position.

In order to make the tilt rotation unit 204 and the pan rotation unit 205 reach the target position, feedback control must be performed to eliminate the deviation between the target position and the current position. In this embodiment, the tilt rotation unit 204 and the pan rotation unit 205 each have a position detection unit (first detection unit) 311, 312 that detects the position of the corresponding rotation unit. The zoom unit 202 also has a position detection unit 310. The position detection units 310 to 312 are composed of, for example, encoders, etc.

The movable part grip determination unit 303 determines the state of the movable part 110 using information about the target position set by the target position setting unit 302 and the output signals of the position detection units 311 and 312 (position information of each rotation unit).

The drive control method determination unit 306 determines the drive control method for the actuator of each rotation unit based on the determination result by the movable part grip determination unit 303. The actuator of each rotation unit is driven by the drive control unit executing drive control based on the drive control method determined by the drive control method determination unit 306.

Figure 4 is a graph showing the change in position of the pan rotation unit 205 when the movable part 110 is gripped. Figure 4(a) shows the target position of the pan rotation unit 205 and the output signal of the position detection unit 312. Figure 4(b) shows a graph plotting the change over time and the inflection point of the output signal of the position detection unit 312. Figure 4(c) shows the change in position of the pan rotation unit 205 when the movable part 110 is gripped and in the normal state.

In order to make the pan rotation unit 205 reach the target position, feedback control is performed to eliminate the deviation between the target position and the current position. However, when the user grabs and lifts the movable part 110, the shaking detection unit 216 detects shaking of the camera 101. At this time, in order to cancel the shaking of the pan direction component of the detected shaking, the pan rotation unit 205 drives toward the target position set by the target position setting unit 302. However, when the movable part 110 is grabbed, the shaking caused by the driving of the pan rotation unit 205 to cancel the shaking is transmitted to the shaking detection unit 216, and the pan rotation unit 205 reverses the driving direction and continues to drive. That is, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the target position changes in a sinusoidal manner, and the position of the pan rotation unit 205 also changes accordingly. In this embodiment, the driving direction in which the current position of the pan rotation unit 205 increases with respect to the reference position is called the positive direction, and the driving direction in which the current position decreases is called the negative direction.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), when the position change of the pan rotation unit 205 is plotted, multiple inflection points are present. An inflection point is the apex of a plot. In this embodiment, the two inflection points used to calculate the period and amplitude of the position change are inflection points A and B, and the position of inflection point A is defined as Ya, the corresponding time (elapsed time) as Ta, the position of inflection point B as Yb, and the corresponding time (elapsed time) as Tb. Note that in this embodiment, the time Ta is smaller than the time Tb.

In FIG. 4(c), the first current position indicates the change in position of the pan rotation unit 205 when the movable part 110 is grasped. The second current position indicates the change in position of the pan rotation unit 205 due to anti-shake control when shaking is detected during walking shooting, etc. The third current position indicates the change in position of the pan rotation unit 205 due to anti-shake control when shaking is detected due to camera shake, etc. Note that in this embodiment, walking shooting means shooting while walking, and handheld shooting means shooting while the user is standing. Also, during handheld shooting, shaking of the user's body transmitted to the camera 101 is referred to as camera shake.

The shaking that occurs when taking a picture while walking is large in amplitude and period, so the amplitude and period of the position change of the pan rotation unit 205 caused by the shaking that occurs when taking a picture while walking are both large. Also, the shaking that occurs when there is a hand shake is small in amplitude and period, so the amplitude and period of the position change of the pan rotation unit 205 caused by the shaking that occurs when there is a hand shake is both small. On the other hand, the amplitude of the position change of the pan rotation unit 205 when the movable part 110 is held is large and the period is small. The amplitude of the position change of the pan rotation unit 205 when anti-shake is performed while taking a picture while walking and when the movable part 110 is held, and the period of the position change of the pan rotation unit 205 when anti-shake is performed while taking a picture while walking and when the movable part 110 is held may be close to each other. In other words, the combination of the amplitude and period of the position change of the pan rotation unit 205 when the movable part 110 is held does not usually occur. Therefore, by setting a threshold value so that both the amplitude and period satisfy a predetermined condition, it is possible to determine whether the movable part 110 is held. In this embodiment, the movable part grip determination unit 303 determines whether the amplitude and period obtained using multiple inflection points exceed a predetermined value, thereby determining whether the movable part 110 is being gripped.

The process of the movable part gripping detection function of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process of the movable part gripping determination function of this embodiment. In the movable part gripping determination function of this embodiment, an inflection point storage process and a movable part gripping determination process are executed. The inflection point storage process is a process for storing information on the positions of inflection points A and B of the position change of the movable part and the corresponding time (hereinafter, inflection point information). The movable part gripping determination process is a process for determining whether or not the movable part 110 is gripped by using the period and amplitude of the position change of the movable part based on the inflection point information. The variables used in each process and detailed flows will be described later. In this embodiment, the pan rotation unit 205 when the movable part 110 is gripped will be described as an example.

In step S501, the control unit 210 initializes the count value used in the movable part gripping determination process.

In step S502, the control unit 210 initializes the inflection point information.

In step S503, the control unit 210 causes the pan rotation drive control unit 221 to perform drive control to cause the pan rotation unit 205 to reach the target position.

In step S504, the control unit 210 executes an inflection point storage process.

In step S505, the control unit 210 determines whether inflection point information is stored. If it is determined that inflection point information is stored, the process proceeds to step S506; otherwise, the process returns to step S503.

In step S506, the control unit 210 (movable part gripping determination unit 303) executes a movable part gripping determination process. Specifically, the control unit 210 determines whether the movable part 110 is gripped using the amplitude and period based on the inflection point information.

In step S507, the control unit 210 determines whether the status flag stored in step S506 is a flag indicating that the movable unit 110 is in a grabbed state. If it is determined that the status flag is a flag indicating that the movable unit 110 is in a grabbed state, the process proceeds to step S509; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S508.

In step S508, the control unit 210 updates the information about inflection point B (information about the position and time of inflection point B) with information about inflection point A (information about the position and time of inflection point A) and initializes the information about inflection point B.

In step S509, the control unit 210 causes the pan rotation drive control unit 221 to stop driving the pan rotation unit 205.

The inflection point storage process and movable part grip determination process are explained below.

First, the inflection point storage process will be described with reference to FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the inflection point storage process.

In step S601, the control unit 210 acquires information regarding the position and drive direction of the pan rotation unit 205, and information regarding time.

In step S602, the control unit 210 determines whether the current drive direction of the pan rotation unit 205 is the same as the previous drive direction obtained in the previous drive cycle. If the current drive direction is the same as the previous drive direction, the process proceeds to step S603, and if not, the process proceeds to step S604. Note that since the previous drive direction cannot be obtained in the initial process, the current drive direction is assumed to be the same as the previous drive direction. Furthermore, a determination result that the current drive direction is different from the previous drive direction means that the drive direction of the pan rotation unit 205 has been reversed.

In step S603, the control unit 210 updates the information regarding the position and time of the pan rotation unit 205 as information regarding the previous position and time.

In step S604, the control unit 210 determines whether information about the inflection point A is stored. If information about the inflection point A is stored, the process proceeds to step S606; if not, the process proceeds to step S605.

In step S605, the control unit 210 stores the previous position Ya and the previous time Ta as information about the inflection point A.

In step S606, since no information about inflection point B has been stored, the control unit 210 stores the previous position Yb and the previous time Tb as information about inflection point B.

In step S607, the control unit 210 updates the current driving direction to the previous driving direction.

Next, the movable part gripping determination process of this embodiment executed by the movable part gripping determination unit 303 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the movable part gripping determination process of this embodiment. In the movable part gripping determination process, information about the inflection points A and B stored in the inflection point storage process is used to determine whether or not the movable part 110 is gripped.

Here, we will explain the count value used in the movable part gripping determination process. The count value is incremented when the period of position change is smaller than a predetermined value and the amplitude is larger than a predetermined value. When the count value reaches a predetermined number of times (when the movable part 110 continues to be gripped for a predetermined period of time), it is determined that the movable part 110 is gripped.

In step S701, the movable part grip determination unit 303 obtains the amplitude based on the absolute value of the position difference (Ya-Yb) between the inflection points A and B.

In step S702, the movable part gripping determination unit 303 determines whether the amplitude acquired in step S701 is greater than a predetermined value (first predetermined value) X. If the amplitude is greater than the predetermined value X, the process proceeds to step S703; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S706. Note that it is possible to arbitrarily set which step to proceed to when the amplitude is equal to the predetermined value X.

In step S703, the movable part grip determination unit 303 obtains the period based on the time difference (Tb-Ta) between inflection points A and B.

In step S704, the movable part gripping determination unit 303 determines whether the period acquired in step S703 is smaller than a predetermined value (second predetermined value) Y. If the period is smaller than the predetermined value Y, the process proceeds to step S705; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S706. Note that it is possible to arbitrarily set which step to proceed to when the period is equal to the predetermined value Y.

In step S705, the movable part gripping determination unit 303 increments the count value because the amplitude and period satisfy the conditions for when the movable part 110 is gripped.

In step S706, the movable part grip determination unit 303 initializes the count value to 0.

In step S707, the movable part gripping determination unit 303 determines whether the count value is greater than a predetermined number N. If the count value is greater than the predetermined number N, the process proceeds to step S708; if not, the movable part gripping determination process ends. Note that it is possible to arbitrarily set which step to proceed to when the count value is equal to the predetermined number N.

In step S708, the movable part gripping determination unit 303 stores a status flag indicating that the movable part 110 is gripped.

In this embodiment, the amplitude is determined before the period is determined, but the order may be reversed.

The following describes how to set the predetermined values X and Y used to determine the amplitude and period in the movable part gripping determination process.

As described above, the amplitude of the position change of the movable part 110 when it is grasped is greater than the amplitude of the position change of the movable part due to anti-shake control when shaking is detected due to hand shake or the like. Also, the period of the position change of the movable part when it is grasped is smaller than the period of the position change of the movable part due to anti-shake control when shaking is detected during shooting while walking or the like. Therefore, in this embodiment, the predetermined value X is set to the amplitude of the position change of the movable part due to anti-shake control when shaking is detected due to hand shake or the like, and the predetermined value Y is set to the period of the position change of the movable part due to anti-shake control when shaking is detected during shooting while walking or the like.

The predetermined values X and Y may be set using the change in position of the movable part 110 that is acquired when the movable part 110 is actually grasped. Also, the predetermined values X and Y may be updated using the amplitude and period acquired when the user actually uses the camera 101.

Below, we will explain how to set the predetermined number of times N used when determining the count value in the moving part gripping determination process. The predetermined number of times N can be set to an appropriate number by measuring in advance. If you want to stop the driving of the moving part when the moving part 110 is gripped more quickly, you can set the predetermined number of times N to a small value. Also, if you want to notify the user that the moving part 110 is gripped by driving the moving part, you can set the predetermined number of times N to a large value.

In addition, if the user can enable/disable the power saving mode of the camera 101 using the operation unit 211, the setting of the predetermined number of times N may be made changeable in response to the user operation. For example, the predetermined number of times when the power saving mode is enabled may be set to N1, and the predetermined number of times when the power saving mode is disabled may be set to N2 (>N1). In addition, the setting of the predetermined number of times N may be made changeable in response to the remaining battery power of the camera 101. For example, the predetermined number of times N may be set to a smaller value when the remaining battery power is low.

Whether or not the movable part 110 has been grasped may be determined even when a cable for power supply, communication, etc. is inserted into a terminal provided on the fixed part 103, or when an accessory such as a pedestal is attached to the fixed part 103. When a cable is inserted into the terminal, the cable may bend when the fixed part 103 rotates, which may change the characteristics of the position change of the movable part. In addition, when an accessory is attached to the fixed part 103, the weight of the fixed part 103 changes compared to when the accessory is not attached, which may change the characteristics of the position change of the movable part. Therefore, the predetermined values X, Y and the predetermined number of times N may be changed when a cable is inserted into a terminal provided on the fixed part 103 or when an accessory is attached to the fixed part 103.

The cable insertion detection unit 231 can detect the insertion of a cable into a terminal. The fixed part contact detection unit 218 can detect the attachment of an accessory. If the fixed part contact detection unit 218 is not provided, for example, when an accessory for fixing to clothing is attached and an image is taken while the movable part is driven, there is a possibility that a part of the body will be captured at a close distance at a certain angle. In that case, the attachment of the accessory may be detected using image information.

In this embodiment, a method for determining whether the movable part 110 is in a grasped state, which is different from the method described in the first embodiment, is described.

The process of the movable part gripping detection function of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the movable part gripping determination function of this embodiment. In this embodiment, as in embodiment 1, the movable part will be described as the pan rotation unit 205.

In step S801, the control unit 210 initializes the count value used in the movable part gripping determination process.

In step S802, the control unit 210 causes the pan rotation drive control unit 221 to perform drive control to cause the pan rotation unit 205 to reach the target position.

In step S803, the control unit 210 (movable part grab determination unit 303) executes a movable part grab determination process. Specifically, the control unit 210 determines whether the movable part 110 is being grabbed using the deviation between the target position and the current position of the pan rotation unit 205, and the motion vector of the subject calculated from multiple images.

In step S804, the control unit 210 determines whether the status flag stored in step S803 is a flag indicating that the movable unit 110 is in a grabbed state. If it is determined that the status flag is a flag indicating that the movable unit 110 is in a grabbed state, the process proceeds to step S805; otherwise, the process returns to step S802.

In step S805, the control unit 210 causes the pan rotation drive control unit 221 to stop driving the pan rotation unit 205.

The following describes the process of determining whether the movable part is grasped, using the position information and image information of the movable part.

Figure 9 is a graph showing the deviation between the target position Yt and the current position Yc of the pan rotation unit 205 at time T when the movable part 110 is gripped. As described in Example 1, when the movable part 110 is gripped, the pan rotation unit 205 continues to drive while reversing the drive direction. Therefore, as shown in Figure 9, the deviation between the target position Yt and the current position Yc becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined value.

The movement of the movable part 110 when the user grasps the camera 101 will be described below with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state in which the camera 101 is rotated in the pan direction while being grasped. FIG. 10(a) and FIG. 10(b) respectively show the state in which the movable part 110 is grasped and the state in which the fixed part 103 is held. In the state of FIG. 10(b), if shaking is intentionally given in the pan direction, the pan rotation unit 205 drives while reversing the drive direction toward the target position to cancel the shaking. In this case, the subject will be blurred unless anti-shake control is performed. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether the movable part 110 is in a grasped state or a state in which the fixed part 103 is held, and switch the drive control.

The motion vector detected in the states of Figures 10(a) and 10(b) will be described. When the movable part 110 is grasped with a hand, the image may be blurred due to shaking transmitted from the user's hand. However, when the fixed part 103 is held and rotated, the pan rotation unit 205 rotates to counteract the shaking. Therefore, when the fixed part 103 is held and rotated, the orientation of the lens barrel 102 changes significantly in accordance with the movement of the movable part 110 compared to when the movable part 110 is grasped and rotated, so the motion vector of the subject becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

The movable part gripping determination process executed by the movable part gripping determination unit 303 will be described below with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the movable part gripping determination process in this embodiment.

In step S1101, the movable part grip determination unit 303 obtains the absolute value of the position deviation (Yc-Yt) between the target rotation position and the current position of the pan rotation unit 205 at time T.

In step S1102, the movable part gripping determination unit 303 determines whether the absolute value of the position deviation acquired in step S1101 is greater than a predetermined value (third predetermined value) S. If the absolute value of the position deviation is greater than the predetermined value S, the process proceeds to step S1103. If the absolute value of the position deviation is smaller than the predetermined value S, the process proceeds to step S1104. Note that it is possible to arbitrarily set which step to proceed to when the absolute value of the position deviation is equal to the predetermined value S.

In step S1103, the movable part grip determination unit 303 acquires a motion vector from the motion vector detection unit 230. The motion vector detection unit 230 calculates a motion vector using two or more pieces of image information of the current and previous frames acquired from the image memory 207. At this time, the subject for which the motion vector is sought may be either the subject being photographed, or a subject that is automatically recognized as being the same in multiple images based on characteristics such as color and shape.

In step S1104, the movable part grip determination unit 303 initializes the count value to 0.

In step S1105, the movable part grip determination unit 303 determines whether the motion vector acquired in step S1103 is greater than a predetermined value (fourth predetermined value) V. If the motion vector is smaller than the predetermined value V, the process proceeds to step S1106; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S1104. Note that it is possible to arbitrarily set which step to proceed to when the motion vector is equal to the predetermined value V.

In step S1106, the movable part grip determination unit 303 increments the count value.

In step S1107, the movable part gripping determination unit 303 determines whether the count value is greater than a predetermined number N. If the count value is greater than the predetermined number N, the process proceeds to step S1108; if not, the movable part gripping determination process ends. Note that it is possible to arbitrarily set which step to proceed to when the count value is equal to the predetermined number N.

In step S1108, the movable part gripping determination unit 303 stores a status flag indicating that the movable part 110 is gripped.

In each embodiment, a method of using a change in the position of the pan rotation unit 205 has been described, but the same effect can also be obtained by using a change in the position of the tilt rotation unit 204.

The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

The present invention also includes a case where a software program for implementing the functions of the above-mentioned embodiment is supplied to a system or device having a computer capable of executing the program directly from a recording medium or by using wired/wireless communication, and the program is executed. Therefore, the program code itself that is supplied and installed to a computer in order to realize the functional processing of the present invention by the computer also realizes the present invention. In other words, the computer program itself for implementing the functional processing of the present invention is also included in the present invention. In that case, as long as it has the function of the program, the form of the program does not matter, such as object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to an OS, etc. The recording medium for supplying the program may be, for example, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium such as a magnetic tape, an optical/magneto-optical storage medium, or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. In addition, a method of supplying the program may be a method in which the computer program forming the present invention is stored in a server on a computer network, and a connected client computer downloads the computer program and programs it.

101: Imaging device 102: Lens barrel 103: Fixed part 110: Movable part 210: Control part (correction part)
212 Tilt rotation drive control unit (drive control unit)
216 Shake detection unit (second detection unit)
221 Pan rotation drive control unit (drive control unit)
303 Movable part gripping judgment part (judgment part)
311 Position detection unit (first detection unit)
312 Position detection unit (first detection unit)

Claims (10)

a movable part that can rotate the lens barrel relative to a fixed part;
A drive control unit that drives the movable unit;
A first detector that detects a position of the movable part;
A second detection unit that detects vibration;
a correction unit that corrects the vibration by causing the drive control unit to drive the movable unit;
a determination unit that determines a state of the movable unit using an output signal from the first detection unit,
When the determination unit determines that the movable part is being grasped, the drive control unit stops the movable part. The imaging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination unit determines that the movable part is being grasped when the amplitude of the output signal is greater than a first predetermined value and the period of the output signal is smaller than a second predetermined value for a predetermined period of time. A setting unit that sets a target position of the movable unit;
a third detection unit that detects a motion vector of a subject using a plurality of images,
The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination section determines a state of the movable section by using the output signal and the motion vector. The imaging device according to claim 3, characterized in that the determination unit determines that the movable part is being grasped when the deviation between the target position and the position detected by the first detection unit is greater than a third predetermined value and the motion vector amount is smaller than a fourth predetermined value for a predetermined period of time. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, when a cable is inserted, the determination unit changes the predetermined value used when determining the state of the movable unit. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, when an accessory is attached to the fixed part, the determination part changes the predetermined value used when determining the state of the movable part. The imaging device according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that the determination unit changes the predetermined time depending on the remaining battery power. The imaging device according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that the determination unit changes the predetermined time depending on the power mode. 1. A control method for an imaging device having a movable section capable of rotating a lens barrel relative to a fixed section, a drive control section that drives the movable section, a detection section that detects vibrations, and a correction section that corrects the vibrations by causing the drive control section to drive the movable section,
detecting a position of the movable part;
determining a state of the movable part using information regarding the position of the movable part;
and stopping the movable part when it is determined that the movable part is in a grabbed state. A program for causing a computer to execute the method for controlling an imaging device according to claim 9.