Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup element for converting an optical image on a focal plane into an electrical image signal and outputting the electrical image signal. A vibration sensor detects a vibration amount of an image pickup apparatus main body, and an optical axis decentering member is provided for decentering an optical axis to cause the optical image to coincide with a predetermined position on the focal plane of the image pickup element. A driving control circuit controls a decentering amount of the optical axis decentering member on the basis of a detection output from the vibration sensor, and a control circuit controls the driving control circuit so that the decentering member is operated if the image pickup element is outputting the electrical signal.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup element for converting an optical image on a focal plane into an electrical image signal, and outputting the electrical image signal, a vibration sensor for detecting a vibration amount of an image pickup apparatus main body, an optical axis decentering member for decentering an optical axis so as to cause the optical image to coincide with a predetermined position on the focal plane of the image pickup element, a driving control circuit for controlling a decentering amount of the optical axis decentering member on the basis of a detection output from the vibration sensor, and a control circuit for, when the image pickup element outputs the electrical image signal, controlling to permit a driving operation of the optical axis decentering member by the driving control circuit.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes

Abstract: An image shake detecting device for detecting a shake of an image on an image sensing plane on the basis of a video signal output from an image sensor includes detection circuits arranged to detect image displacement in a plurality of areas set on the image sensing plane, and a control microcomputer which makes a discrimination, on the basis of information output from these detection circuits, between a movement of a camera and a solo movement of a photographed object. The device thus accurately makes compensation for an image shake by judging the state of the image on the basis of information output from these detection circuits. The image shake detecting device further includes a computing circuit arranged to compute a quantity of an image shake on the basis of a difference in detecting timing of a feature point of the image and a sensitivity control circuit arranged to change the detection sensitivity of the shake detection circuits.

Abstract: An image shake detecting device for detecting a shake of an image on an image sensing plane on the basis of a video signal output from an image sensor includes detection circuits arranged to detect image displacement in a plurality of areas set on the image sensing plane, and a control microcomputer which makes a discrimination, on the basis of information output from these detection circuits, between a movement of a camera and a solo movement of a photographed object. The device thus accurately makes compensation for an image shake by judging the state of the image on the basis of information output from these detection circuits. The image shake detecting device further includes a computing circuit arranged to compute a quantity of an image shake on the basis of a difference in detecting timing of a feature point of the image and a sensitivity control circuit arranged to change the detection sensitivity of the shake detection circuits.

Abstract: An exposure control device for performing exposure control on the basis of a video signal obtained from a light measuring area set within an image sensing plane is provided with a determining circuit which determines the position of a photographed object within the image sensing plane from the values of a specific component of the video signal obtained from the inside and outside of a detection area the position of which is variably set within the image sensing plane. The light measuring area is set in the object's position within the image sensing plane detected by the determining circuit. The exposure control device is provided further with a changing circuit which detects the size of the object on the image sensing plane and changes the size of the light measuring area accordingly, and a weighting circuit which performs for light measurement a weighting operation on video signals obtained from the inside and outside of the light measuring area.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a sight axis detecting unit for detecting a sight axis of an observer, a driving unit for driving an objective lens system on the basis of an area detected by the sight axis detection unit, a display unit for displaying areas of a plurality of objects on the basis of an image signal of an image pick-up unit, an image pick-up unit, and an objective lens system.

Abstract: An automatic focusing device for automatically controlling the focused state of an optical system on the basis of a video signal obtained within a focus detecting area which is set on an image sensing plane comprises: a tracing area setting circuit arranged to movably set, within said image sensing plane, an inner tracing area and an outer tracing area which surrounds the inner tracing area; a computing circuit arranged to compute information on a difference in a given frequency component of the video signal obtained from the inner and outer tracing areas in each of their different positions to which they are moved within the image sensing plane; determining means for determining the position or size of an object's image formed within the image sensing plane from the difference information computed by the computing circuit; and a circuit which is arranged to shift the focus detecting area to the position of the object's image determined by the determining circuit and to change the size of the focus detecting

Abstract: An image shake detecting device for detecting a shake of an image on an image sensing plane on the basis of a video signal output from an image sensor includes detection circuits arranged to detect image displacement in a plurality of areas set on the image sensing plane, and a control microcomputer which makes a discrimination, on the basis of information output from these detection circuits, between a movement of a camera and a solo movement of a photographed object. The device thus accurately makes compensation for an image shake by judging the state of the image on the basis of information output from these detection circuits. The image shake detecting device further includes a computing circuit arranged to compute a quantity of an image shake on the basis of a difference in detecting timing of a feature point of the image and a sensitivity control circuit arranged to change the detection sensitivity of the shake detection circuits.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup element for converting an optical image on a focal plane into an electrical image signal and outputting the electrical image signal. A vibration sensor detects a vibration amount of an image pickup apparatus main body, and an optical axis decentering member is provided for decentering an optical axis to cause the optical image to coincide with a predetermined position on the focal plane of the image pickup element. A driving control circuit controls a decentering amount of the optical axis decentering member on the basis of a detection output from the vibration sensor, and a control circuit controls the driving control circuit so that the decentering member is operated if the image pickup element is outputting the electrical signal.

Abstract: In an image sensing an processing device, a movement vector of an image is detected in each of detection blocks formed by dividing an image sensing plane, and a distributed state of the image movement within the image sensing plane is detected by statistically processing the movement vector detected in each of the detection blocks. On the basis of the distributed state of the image movement, an area having an image of a main photographed object is detected so as to set a focus detecting area on the image sensing plane or to control a focusing circuit.

Abstract: An image shake detecting device for detecting a shake of an image on an image sensing plane on the basis of a video signal output from an image sensor includes detection circuits arranged to detect image displacement in a plurality of areas set on the image sensing plane, and a control microcomputer which makes a discrimination, on the basis of information output from these detection circuits, between a movement of a camera and a solo movement of a photographed object. The device thus accurately makes compensation for an image shake by judging the state of the image on the basis of information output from these detection circuits. The image shake detecting device further includes a computing circuit arranged to compute a quantity of an image shake on the basis of a difference in detecting timing of a feature point of the image and a sensitivity control circuit arranged to change the detection sensitivity of the shake detection circuits.

Abstract: An automatic focusing device which is capable of movably setting within an image sensing plane a focus detecting area for detecting the focused degree of an object image formed on the image sensing plane by a photo-taking optical system comprises a position detecting circuit for detecting the position of an object within the focus detecting area, a computing circuit for computing on the basis of information from the position detecting circuit a setting position for setting the focus detecting area, and a control circuit which is arranged to move the focus detecting area according to the output of the computing circuit and to vary and control at least one of the size, the moving range and the moving response speed of the focus detecting area according to information on the depth of field of the photo-taking optical system.

Abstract: In the automatic focusing device having an object image variation detecting circuit for quantitatively detecting a variation of an object image on the image pickup plane of an image pickup element so that the focusing operation is controlled in accordance with the amount of variation of the object image detected by the object image variation detecting circuit, there are provided a stop control circuit for controlling the period for stopping the focusing operation when panning depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image is large or small, a characteristic varying circuit for varying the frequency band of the picked-up image signal to be used in the focus detection depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image at the time of the focusing operation is large or small, and a pass characteristic varying circuit for varying the focus detection area on the image pickup plane depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image is large or small.

Abstract: In the automatic focusing device having an object image variation detecting circuit for quantitatively detecting a variation of an object image on the image pickup plane of an image pickup element so that the focusing operation is controlled in accordance with the amount of variation of the object image detected by the object image variation detecting circuit, there are provided a stop control circuit for controlling the period for stopping the focusing operation when panning depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image is large or small, a characteristic varying circuit for varying the frequency band of the picked-up image signal to be used in the focus detection depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image at the time of the focusing operation is large or small, and a pass characteristic varying circuit for varying the focus detection area on the image pickup plane depending on whether the amount of variation of the object image is large or small.

Abstract: A camera system having a lens unit provided with an actuator for changing the state of an optical system by driving a driving part and a driving circuit which drives the actuator on the basis of a driving control instruction signal supplied in a given periodicity from a control circuit disposed on the side of a camera body. The lens unit is characterized in that the actuator driving timing of the driving circuit is arranged to differ from the timing at which the driving control instruction signal is supplied from the control circuit to the driving circuit.

Abstract: An optical apparatus is provided with a lens unit movable in the direction of the optical axis thereof, a lens barrel, an electromagnetic coil coupled to one of the lens unit and the lens barrel, a driving unit having a magnetic material coupled to the other of the lens unit and the lens barrel, and a guide for slidably guiding the lens unit relative to the lens barrel.

Abstract: An automatic image stabilization device which is arranged to detect image movement information from a sensed image signal produced from an image sensor and to reduce the image movement comprises a movement detecting circuit which obtains movement vector information for each of a plurality of parts of an image plane, and a weight setting circuit arranged to attach weight to each movement vector information and to vary the weighting degree according to photographing conditions. A camera using this device is arranged to correct the shaking of the camera on the basis of the result of a computing operation performed on a camera shake detected from the signal produced from the image sensor together with a camera shake physically detected by means of an accelerometer.

Abstract: A focus adjusting device having an added capability of discriminating effective focal length information by using an image signal produced from an image pickup element is provided with an automatic focus adjusting circuit for moving a lens to the in-focus position on the basis of a high-frequency component in the image signal, and a circuit for discriminating effective focal length information of the lens from the degree of change of a low-frequency component in the image signal, wherein the gain of the automatic focus adjusting circuit is controlled in accordance with the discriminated focal length information.

Abstract: An interchangeable lens unit for use in a camera system which is arranged to drive a motor in the interchangeable lens on the basis of a signal supplied from a camera body. The interchangeable lens unit is provided with a circuit for continuously transmitting a specific signal to the camera body for at least the time period required to absorb a backlash when the direction of running of the motor is reversed with respect to the preceding direction of running of the same.