JP4313232B2 - Method for customizing camera shake correction in imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus such as a video movie, and more particularly to a camera shake correction technique in the imaging apparatus.

  In recent years, consumer video cameras (hereinafter referred to as “video movies”) have become smaller, lighter, and optical zooms have become more powerful, and their usability has improved dramatically. For this reason, a video movie has become an ordinary video device for general users. However, if the user of the video movie is not proficient in shooting, downsizing, weight reduction, and high optical zoom magnification have caused camera shake at the time of shooting, causing the shot image to become unstable. Therefore, in order to reduce such problems, many video movies equipped with a camera shake correction device have been developed and commercialized.

  For example, there has been proposed a method (Patent Document 1) in which a correction lens group is moved in two directions perpendicular to the optical axis to correct camera shake by a user and obtain a stable image. Based on this method, a camera shake correction device for a video movie can be realized.

  Such a conventional camera shake correction device was determined to be the best by the manufacturer of the video movie so that the camera shake correction device system is easy to use for photographers who are an unspecified number of users. It is usually sold after setting. A setting method of the camera shake correction apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In this figure, the horizontal axis represents the camera shake frequency Fcs (unit: Hz), and the vertical axis represents the camera shake suppression degree Scs (unit: dB).

Here, the camera shake suppression degree Scs is an index indicating the degree of the effect of camera shake correction, and is defined by the following equation.
Scs = 20 log (Ar / Acs) (1)
Where Acs: amount of camera shake
Ar: Residual camera shake amount As will be described later, Acs and Ar in the above definition formula (1) are the amplitude of the camera shake amount represented by the curve W0 and the amplitude of the residual camera shake represented by the curve Wr shown in FIG. Respectively.

  According to the definition of the suppression degree Scs of camera shake as described above, the lower the numerical value of the suppression degree Scs (the larger the absolute value of the suppression degree Scs), the better the camera shake correction performance. In general, the user's camera shake frequency Fcs is about 1 to 10 [Hz]. However, since it is difficult to improve the camera shake correction performance for all frequencies, the camera shake correction performance for a specific frequency is reduced. Set to improve.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 26, the suppression degree Scs of camera shake depends on the frequency Fcs of camera shake (hereinafter, the dependence of the suppression degree of camera shake Scs on the camera shake frequency Fcs is referred to as “camera shake correction frequency characteristic”). That is, the performance of camera shake correction (effect of camera shake correction) in the camera shake correction device depends on the camera shake frequency Fcs, and is maximized at a specific camera shake frequency Fcs (the absolute value of the camera shake suppression degree Scs is maximized). .

Therefore, for example, if the frequency of camera shake of a large number of users is about 5 Hz, the performance of the camera shake correction device is maximized at the frequency of 5 Hz, and the effect of the camera shake of the user is eliminated, thereby providing a stable captured image. In order to obtain this, the manufacturer had previously set the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction in a video movie. In other words, the frequency characteristics of image stabilization, which is the characteristics of image stabilization devices in video movies, are set in advance by the manufacturer, and the user who is the actual photographer can change the settings or select settings that are suitable for them. I couldn't.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-18515

  However, the frequency of camera shake when shooting a subject in a video movie is usually about 1 to 10 Hz as described above, and varies depending on the user. For example, the frequency of camera shake varies greatly depending on the user's gender, age, the size of the hand holding the video movie, and the strength of the holding force. In addition, since the holding method of the user is different between the case where the shape of the video movie 1 is a horizontal type as shown in FIG. 25A and the case where it is a vertical type as shown in FIG. It will be different.

  Therefore, for example, if a user with a camera shake frequency of about 7 Hz is shot using a video movie set in advance so that the camera shake correction performance is maximized when the camera shake frequency is 5 Hz, good camera shake correction is not performed. The problem occurs. That is, since the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction in the video movie are not suitable for the user, the camera shake correction effect is small, or the correction state of the photographed image becomes unnatural. As a result, the user feels uncomfortable with the image taken by the user, and the usability of the video movie is poor.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a camera shake correction customization method for specializing the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction in an imaging apparatus such as a video movie to a user of the imaging apparatus, and an imaging apparatus that can implement such a method. Objective.

An image stabilization customization system including an image capture device, a server computer, and a client computer, wherein the server computer has a plurality of types of control signal tables that define the dependence of the effect of image stabilization on the image stabilization frequency of the image capture device. Storage means storing in advance in association with the model and user attributes, server-side receiving means for receiving attribute designation information, which is information indicating the model of the imaging apparatus and the user attributes, from the client computer; Selection means for selecting a control signal table to be used from a plurality of types of control signal tables based on the attribute designation information, and server-side transmission means for transmitting the selected control signal table to the client computer, The client computer has attribute specification information. Client-side transmission means for transmitting the control information selected by the server computer based on the attribute designation information, and output interface means for taking out the received control information The image pickup apparatus includes a memory for storing the control signal table fetched from the client computer, a sensor for detecting camera shake, a blur of a photographed image caused by the camera shake based on the output of the sensor and the control signal table. And a camera shake correction device that corrects the image .

  As described above, according to the present invention, the dependency of the camera shake correction effect on the camera shake frequency, that is, the frequency characteristic of the camera shake correction is matched with the camera shake frequency of the actual user of the imaging apparatus, and Blur is suitably suppressed. That is, the effect of camera shake correction can be maximized at the camera shake frequency of the user.

<1. First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
<1.1 Video Movie Structure>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a main part of a video movie provided with a camera shake correction device to which a camera shake correction customizing method according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. This video movie 1 includes an image pickup optical system 20, a third lens group drive unit 21, a movement amount detection unit 22, an image pickup optical system drive control unit 23, an A / D converter 24, a microcomputer 25, Solid-state imaging device 26, solid-state imaging device drive control unit 27, analog signal processing unit 28, A / D converter 29, digital signal processing unit 30, angular velocity sensor 31, and high-pass filter (hereinafter referred to as “HPF”) ”32, a low-pass filter (hereinafter abbreviated as“ LPF ”) 33, an amplifier 34, an A / D converter 35, a D / A converter 36, and a recording media interface unit 37. And a recording medium insertion unit 38.

  The imaging optical system 20 is an optical system including four lens groups including the first to fourth lens groups L1, L2, L3, and L4, and the zooming operation is performed when the second lens group L2 moves in the optical axis direction. (Zooming) is performed, and the fourth lens unit L4 moves in the optical axis direction to perform a focusing operation (focusing). The third lens group L3 is a shake correction lens group, and plays a role of correcting the movement of the captured image by moving the optical axis in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

  Based on the control signal from the D / A converter 36 and the detection signal from the movement amount detection unit 22, the third lens group drive unit 21 moves the lens group L3, which is a shake correction lens group, to the optical axis of the imaging optical system 20. Is moved up, down, left and right in a plane orthogonal to The movement amount detection unit 22 detects the actual movement amount of the third lens group L3, and supplies a signal indicating the detection result to the third lens group driving unit 21 as the detection signal. The movement amount detection unit 22 forms a feedback control loop for driving and controlling the third lens group L3 together with the third lens group driving unit 21. The third lens group L3 and the lens group driving unit 21 as described above form a motion correction unit that controls the optical axis of the imaging light.

  The imaging optical system drive control unit 23 drives and controls the second lens group L2 and the fourth lens group L4 in the imaging optical system 20, thereby performing zooming and focusing operations, and focal length information of the imaging optical system 20. Also has a function of a focal length detection means for outputting. The A / D converter 24 converts the focal length information of the imaging optical system output from the imaging optical system drive control unit 23 into a digital signal and supplies the digital signal to the microcomputer 25.

  The solid-state imaging device 26 converts an image incident via the imaging optical system 20 into an electrical signal. The solid-state image sensor drive control unit 27 is means for driving and controlling the solid-state image sensor 26. The analog signal processing unit 28 performs analog signal processing such as gamma processing on the video signal that is an electrical signal obtained by the solid-state imaging device 26. The A / D converter 29 converts the analog video signal output from the analog signal processing unit 28 into a digital signal. The digital signal processing unit 30 performs digital signal processing such as noise removal and contour enhancement on the video signal converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion unit 29.

  The angular velocity sensor 31 is a sensor for detecting the movement of the imaging apparatus itself including the imaging optical system 20 and corresponds to the movement direction of the video movie 1 based on the output when the video movie 1 is stationary. Output both positive and negative angular velocity signals. As such an angular velocity sensor 31, two sensors, a sensor that detects movement in the yawing direction and a sensor that detects movement in the pitching direction, are provided. However, in FIG. 1, only the component about one direction of a yawing direction and a pitching direction is shown. Such an angular velocity sensor 31 detects the motion of the video movie 1 due to camera shake and other vibrations.

  The HPF 32 is a high-pass filter that removes a DC drift component in unnecessary band components included in the output of the angular velocity sensor 31. The LPF 33 is a low-pass filter that removes the resonance frequency component and noise component of the sensor from unnecessary band components included in the output of the angular velocity sensor 31. The amplifier 34 adjusts the output signal level of the angular velocity sensor 31. The A / D converter 35 converts the output signal of the amplifier 34 into a digital signal, and the digital signal is given to the microcomputer 25.

  The microcomputer 25 performs filtering, integration processing, phase compensation, gain adjustment, clip processing, and the like on the output signal of the angular velocity sensor 31 taken in via the A / D converter 35 (hereinafter, these processing is performed). The output signal of the angular velocity sensor 31 is referred to as an “adjustment sensor signal”), and functions as a control signal generation unit that generates a drive control signal Sc indicating the drive amount of the third lens unit L3 necessary for motion correction.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the microcomputer 25 stores at least one type of table (hereinafter referred to as “control signal table”) that defines the relationship between the camera shake frequency and the degree of suppression, that is, the table that defines the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction. An EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Read-Only Memory) 25m is built in as a non-volatile memory that can be used. Based on the adjustment sensor signal, the microcomputer 25 generates the drive control signal Sc along one control signal table stored in the EEPROM 25m. This drive control signal Sc is output to the third lens group controller 21 via the D / A converter 36. As described above, the third lens group driving unit 21 corrects the motion of the image by driving the third lens group L3 based on the drive control signal Sc.

  A memory card such as a multimedia card (MMC) or an SD card (hereinafter, these memory cards are collectively referred to as “media card”) 60 can be inserted into the recording medium insertion unit 38. The data recorded on the media card 60 inserted in is read into the microcomputer 25 via the recording media interface unit 37. Using the recording medium insertion unit 38 and the recording medium interface unit 37, the microcomputer 25 stores a predetermined program (hereinafter referred to as “table writing program”) stored in its built-in memory (not shown). Based on this, the control signal table recorded on the media card 60 can be written into the EEPROM 25m, or the control signal table already stored in the EEPROM 25m can be rewritten with the control signal table recorded on the media card 60.

  That is, in the present video movie 1, writing means and rewriting means for the control signal table are realized by the microcomputer 25, the table writing program stored therein, the recording medium insertion section 38, and the recording medium interface section 37. ing. As a result, the control signal table used when generating the drive control signal Sc of the third lens unit L3 as the shake correction lens unit can be written from the outside or rewritten by data given from the outside. It has become.

  In this video movie 1, a signal (hereinafter referred to as “digital sensor signal” or simply “sensor” which is output from the angular velocity sensor 31 and input to the microcomputer 25 through the HPF 32, LPF 33, amplifier 34 and A / D converter 35. Signal ") can be recorded on the media card 60. That is, the microcomputer 25 sends the digital sensor signal via the recording medium interface unit 37 based on another predetermined program (hereinafter referred to as “sensor signal output program”) stored in its built-in memory (not shown). Recording can be performed on the media card 60 inserted into the recording media insertion unit 38.

  As will be described in detail later, this digital sensor signal is used as frequency information for determining a user's camera shake frequency. Therefore, in this video movie 1, information indicating the user's camera shake frequency (hereinafter referred to as “camera shake frequency information”) is obtained by the microcomputer 25, the sensor signal output program stored therein, the recording medium insertion unit 38, and the recording medium interface unit 37. ") Is obtained.

  As a method for acquiring camera shake frequency information, in addition to the method of writing on a removable recording medium such as the media card 60 as described above, the video movie 1 is a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as “PC”). A method of directly connecting to an external computer via a predetermined interface is also conceivable. In this case, for example, an interface unit corresponding to the IEEE 1394 standard, that is, an IEEE 1394 interface unit 37b indicated by a dotted line in FIG. When the IEEE 1394 interface unit 37b is provided, the video movie 1 is connected to a personal computer having an interface unit corresponding to the IEEE 1394 standard with a predetermined cable, and a sensor signal as camera shake frequency information is transferred to the personal computer. can do.

  As for the rewriting of the control signal table, the control signal table stored in the EEPROM 25m in the microcomputer 25 is rewritten with the control signal table recorded on the removable recording medium such as the media card 60 as described above. In addition to the above method, a method of directly connecting the video movie 1 to an external personal computer through a predetermined interface and rewriting the control signal table stored in the EEPROM 25m with a control signal table sent from the external personal computer is also conceivable.

  In this case, an interface unit corresponding to, for example, the IEEE 1394 standard for transferring data between the microcomputer 25 and the outside is provided in the video movie 1, and the interface unit is changed by changing the table writing program. The control signal table received from the outside via the above may be written in the EEPROM 25m.

<1.2 Shake correction optical mechanism>
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a shake correction optical mechanism 39 that drives and controls the third lens unit L3 in the imaging optical system 20 in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that a right-handed orthogonal coordinate system having the optical axis as the Z-axis is set. The shake correcting optical mechanism 39 includes a pitching moving frame 40, a yawing moving frame 41, a fixed frame 42, a magnet 45x and a yoke 46x, a magnet 45y and a yoke 46y, a light emitting element 48, and a light receiving element 49. ing. The third lens unit L3 is fixed to the pitching moving frame 40.

  The pitching movement frame 40 is held so as to be slidable in the Y direction with respect to the yawing movement frame 41. The coils 43x and 43y are fixed to the pitching moving frame 40. The yawing movement frame 41 is held slidable in the X direction with respect to the fixed frame 42. The magnet 45x and the yoke 46x are held by the fixed frame 42 and constitute an actuator 47x together with the coil 43x. Similarly, the magnet 45y and the yoke 46y are held by the fixed frame 42 and constitute an actuator 47y together with the coil 43y. The light emitting element 48 is fixed to the pitching movement frame 40. The light receiving element 49 is an element that receives the projection light of the light emitting element 48 and detects a two-dimensional position coordinate, and is fixed to the fixed frame 42.

  Next, the operation of this shake correction optical mechanism will be described. When current is supplied to the coils 43x and 43y of the pitching moving frame 40 from external circuits, the pitching moving frame 40 is moved in two directions X and X perpendicular to the optical axis Z by a magnetic circuit formed by the actuators 47x and 47y. Move in a plane determined by Y. In addition, since the position of the pitching moving frame 40 is detected by the light receiving element 49, highly accurate position detection can be performed. That is, by moving the third lens unit L3 within a plane orthogonal to the optical axis by the shake correction optical mechanism 39, it is possible to correct an image incident on the solid-state image sensor 26 through the imaging optical system 20. Become.

  As described above, the third lens group L3, the third lens group driving unit 21, the movement amount detecting unit 22, the D / A converter 36, the microcomputer 25, the angular velocity sensor 31, and the HPF 32 in the hardware shown in FIG. The image stabilization apparatus 50 is configured by the LPF 33, the amplifier 34, the A / D converter 35, and the shake correction optical mechanism 39 shown in FIG.

<1.3 System configuration>
As shown in FIG. 6, the image stabilization customizing method according to the present embodiment is installed on a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “client computer”) 110 installed in a video movie store 100 and a video movie maker 200 side. The computer (hereinafter referred to as “server computer”) 210 is connected to the Internet 500 (hereinafter referred to as “camera shake correction customization system”).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the client computer 110 includes an I / O interface unit 102, a CPU 103, a memory 104, a hard disk interface unit 106, a display control unit 108, and an Internet interface unit 105 connected by a bus. The operation unit 101 such as a keyboard and a mouse is connected to the I / O interface unit 102, the hard disk device 107 is connected to the interface unit 106, and the display control unit 108 is a display device such as a CRT. 109 is connected.

  The client computer 110 also has a mechanism for reading from and writing to the media card. That is, a recording medium insertion unit 138 for inserting a media card is provided, and the recording medium insertion unit 138 is connected to the I / O interface unit 105. The I / O interface unit 105 has a function as a recording medium interface unit. Have. The client computer 110 operates as a WWW (World Wide Web) browser by executing a predetermined program stored in the memory 104, and can access a WWW server via the Internet 500.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the server computer 210 also has the same hardware configuration as the client computer 110, and includes an I / O interface unit 202 to which the operation unit 201 and the recording medium insertion unit 238 are connected, A CPU 203, a memory 204, a hard disk device 207 and its interface unit 206, a display control unit 208 connected to a display device 209, and an Internet interface unit 205 for connecting to the Internet 500 are provided.

  The server computer 210 operates as a WWW (World Wide Web) server by executing a predetermined program stored in the memory 204. In addition, the server computer 210 executes a predetermined analysis program stored in the memory 204, thereby performing frequency analysis on the sensor signal that is a signal indicating the user's camera shake frequency, and based on the analysis result, the control signal table Can be created.

  Further, the client computer 110 and the server computer 210 execute predetermined programs stored in the memories 104 and 204, respectively, thereby reading / writing data from / to the media cards inserted in the recording media insertion units 138 and 238, respectively. be able to. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, data can be transferred through the media card 60 between the client computer 110 and the server computer 210 and the video movie 1.

<1.4 Customize camera shake correction>
In the present embodiment, camera shake correction of the video movie 1 is customized for the user according to the procedure shown in FIG. 7 under the system configuration as described above. A method for customizing the camera shake correction will be described below.
First, the user, that is, the photographer of the video movie 1, holds the video movie 1 at the store 100 and takes a shooting posture for a certain period (S301). Then, a signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency of the user at that time is recorded (S302). Specifically, the sensor signal obtained by the angular velocity sensor 31 is obtained by inserting the media card 60 into the recording medium insertion unit 38 before shooting and causing the microcomputer 25 to execute a sensor signal output program during shooting. It is recorded on the media card 60 as a signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency.

  Next, the store clerk of the store 100 takes out the media card 60 from the video movie 1 and inserts it into the recording media insertion unit 138 of the client computer 110. Then, the store clerk of the store 100 connects the client computer 110 to the server computer 210 on the manufacturer 200 side via the Internet 500, and the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency via the home page of the manufacturer 200 provided by the server computer 210. The sensor signal recorded on the media card 60 is uploaded (S303). Thereby, the sensor signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency is transferred from the client computer 110 in the store 100 to the server computer 210 on the manufacturer side, and stored in a predetermined storage unit in the server computer 210.

  When the sensor signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency is transferred to the server computer 210 in this way, the server computer 210 is transferred by executing the above analysis program based on a predetermined operation of the operator of the manufacturer 200. A frequency analysis is performed on the received sensor signal 2 and a control signal table 3 is created based on the analysis result (S304). The control signal table 3 is specialized for a user corresponding to the sensor signal 2 and can suitably suppress blurring of a captured image due to camera shake when the user performs shooting with the video movie 1. It defines the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction (hereinafter, this control signal table is referred to as “specialized control signal table”).

  Next, on the maker 200 side, a predetermined worker puts the specialized control signal table 3 on the EEPROM 25m in the microcomputer 25 in the video movie of the same model as the video movie 1 (hereinafter referred to as “same model video movie”). Write (S305). Specifically, for example, when the same model video movie has the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the specialized control signal table 3 obtained by the server computer 210 is recorded on the media card 60, and the media card is recorded. 60 may be inserted into the recording medium insertion section 38 for the same model video movie, and the specialized control signal table 3 may be read into the same model video movie. Also, if the same model video movie does not have the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and the control signal table cannot be written to the same model video movie from the outside, the same model video movie is manufactured by the manufacturer 200 when the same model video movie is manufactured. The specialized control signal table 3 is written in the EEPROM 25m in the microcomputer 25 of the model video movie.

  Next, the manufacturer 200 converts the same-type video movie written in the specialized control signal table 3 as described above into a user corresponding to the specialized control signal table 3, that is, as a signal indicating a camera shake frequency. In order to acquire the sensor signal 2, the store 100 directly sells it to a user who has taken a shooting posture with the video movie 1 (S 306). As a result, a video movie whose image stabilization is customized for the user is sent directly to the user's home 300.

  The same-model video movie sent to the user's home 300 as described above is suitable for the camera shake frequency when the camera shake correction is customized for the user and the user uses the video movie of the model. The camera shake is corrected. Hereinafter, this point will be described in more detail.

  First, the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, it is assumed that camera shake has occurred at a certain frequency, and the amount of camera shake indicated by the sensor signal at that time is represented by a curve W0, which is obtained by driving the third lens unit L3 in the camera shake correction apparatus 50. The correction amount to be obtained is represented by a curve W1. As shown in FIG. 8, there is usually a delay in the signal indicating the correction amount with respect to the signal indicating the amount of camera shake, and a residual shake as represented by the curve Wr remains according to the delay. The smaller the residual shake (amplitude value), the greater the effect of camera shake correction. That is, Acs and Ar in the equation (1) of the degree of suppression of camera shake Scs correspond to the amplitude of the camera shake amount represented by the curve W0 and the amplitude of the residual camera shake amount represented by the curve Wr, respectively. The smaller the (amplitude value), the larger the absolute value of the suppression degree Scs.

  By the way, even if the same type of video movie is used, if the user is different, the camera shake frequency is different. That is, when the frequency analysis is performed on the sensor signal obtained in step S302, that is, the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency of the user, for example, a frequency spectrum as shown in FIG. 9 is obtained. FIG. 9 shows the frequency spectrum of the sensor signal 2 acquired for three users A, B, and C. From this figure, the camera shake frequencies of the users A, B, and C are approximately 3 Hz, 5 Hz, It turns out that it is 7 Hz.

  In step S304, the control signal table 3 corresponding to the result of the frequency analysis is created. At this time, a control signal table corresponding to the frequency characteristics as shown in FIG. 10 may be created for each of the users A, B, and C described above. For example, for the user B, the absolute value of the suppression degree Ssc becomes maximum (the effect of correcting camera shake is maximum) when the camera shake frequency is 5 Hz, and the absolute value of the suppression degree Ssc gradually decreases as the distance from 5 Hz increases. A simple control signal table.

  That is, assuming that the residual shake amount at 5 Hz is R, a control signal table for controlling camera shake correction is created so that the residual shake amount gradually increases from R as the distance from 5 Hz increases. When the camera shake correction is performed based on the control signal table that defines the frequency characteristics of the camera shake correction, the effect of the camera shake correction is maximized at the camera shake frequency when the user B uses the video movie 1 (approximately 5 Hz). On the other hand, at a frequency away from 5 Hz, the effect of camera shake correction is reduced, and unnecessary camera shake correction is prevented from being performed on the motion of the video movie itself that is not caused by camera shake.

  In this way, camera shake correction specialized for user B is realized. For the users A and C other than the user B, a control signal table corresponding to the frequency spectrum of camera shake correction suitable for each user, that is, a specialized control signal table can be created in the same manner as described above. Then, by using the specialized control signal table corresponding to each of the users A and C, camera shake correction can be specialized for each user.

<1.5 Effects of First Embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to sell a video movie in which the frequency characteristic of camera shake correction is matched with the actual camera shake frequency of the user. For this reason, unlike a conventional manufacturer-based sales method, a sales method that gives top priority to user merits becomes possible. In addition, by exchanging data using a network, it becomes easy to create a database of user information, which can be used for after-sales service and future product development. In addition, since the user has the best performance at his / her own handshake frequency, he / she can purchase his / her own or his / her own video movie and receive an unprecedented service.

<1.6 Modification of First Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the sensor signal obtained by the angular velocity sensor 31 is used as the signal 2 (frequency information) indicating the camera shake frequency, but other signals are used as long as they indicate the camera shake frequency. For example, a video signal photographed by the user may be used as the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency. However, when the video signal is used as a signal indicating the camera shake frequency, it is desirable to stop the camera shake correction function during shooting so that the effect of camera shake correction is not reflected in the video signal.

  In this case, instead of taking out the video signal as it is as the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency from the video movie 1, a signal directly indicating the camera shake frequency is created using the motion vector obtained from the video signal, and this is used as the video movie. It is preferable to take out from 1 and upload to the server computer 210 as the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency. In order to implement such a method, for example, a video movie having a configuration shown in FIG. 11 may be used. Hereinafter, the configuration of the video movie will be described, and a method for customizing camera shake correction using the video movie will be described. Of the constituent elements in this video movie, the same constituent elements as those of the video movie 1 (see FIG. 1) used in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. .

    The video movie shown in FIG. 11 includes an image stabilization ON / OFF switch 71, a field memory 72, and a motion vector detection unit 73. The camera shake correction ON / OFF switch 71 is a switch operated by the user to switch between the camera shake correction operation state and the stop state. Based on a signal input from the switch 71 to the microcomputer 25, the microcomputer 25 is Controls ON / OFF of camera shake correction function. The field memory 72 temporarily stores the digital video signal Sv0 from the A / D converter 29, whereby a video signal Sv1 obtained by delaying the digital video signal Sv0 by one field is obtained.

  Both the digital video signal Sv0 from the A / D converter 29 and the video signal Sv1 delayed by one field are input to the motion vector detection unit 73. The motion vector detection unit 73 detects a motion vector from these video signals Sv0 and Sv1, and the detected motion vector is input to the microcomputer 25. The microcomputer 25 generates a signal (for example, a signal as shown in FIG. 9) that directly indicates the camera shake frequency from the motion vector by executing a predetermined program stored therein, and this is recorded on the recording medium. Recording is performed on a media card inserted into the recording media insertion unit 38 via the interface unit 37.

  Thereafter, this media card is inserted into the recording media insertion unit 138 of the client computer 110, and the above-mentioned signal recorded on this media card is a server computer in the same manner as in the first embodiment as a signal 2 indicating a camera shake frequency. 210 is uploaded. Thereafter, a video movie in which the frequency characteristic of camera shake correction is customized for the user is provided to the user by the same procedure as in the first embodiment.

  By the way, as for the control signal table 3, the first embodiment has been described on the assumption that the control signal table 3 is written in the video movie 1 in accordance with the camera shake frequency of one person. However, at the store, a signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency of a plurality of people is recorded, a separate control signal table 3 is created for each of the plurality of people, written to the video movie 1, and selected by the user when used. By taking a form that is used by a plurality of people, the merit is further enhanced. Further, the frequency characteristics of the camera shake correction (relationship between the camera shake frequency and the camera shake correction effect) defined by the control signal table 3 are not limited to the three types shown in FIG.

  In the description of the first embodiment, the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency has been described with respect to either the pitching or yawing direction of the camera shake correction device 50, but the control signal number table 3 is created for both. Needless to say. If the control signal table 3 in the pitching or yawing direction is different depending on the user, a more suitable camera shake correction effect can be obtained.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
<2.1 Video movie configuration>
The hardware configuration of the video movie to which the image stabilization customization method according to the present embodiment is applied and the configuration of the shake correction optical mechanism are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same components are used. Are denoted by the same reference numerals (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, in this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, when creating a specialized control signal table for customizing camera shake correction, the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency of the user is not required. Therefore, a mechanism for acquiring the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency is unnecessary (specifically, the IEEE 1394 interface unit 37b for taking out the sensor signal obtained by the angular velocity sensor 31 to the outside is unnecessary).

<2.2 System configuration>
As shown in FIG. 12, the image stabilization customization method according to this embodiment includes a client computer 320 that is a personal computer installed on the user side and a server computer 220 that is a computer installed on the video movie maker side. A system connected via the Internet 500 is assumed.

  The hardware configuration of the client computer 320 is the same as that of the client computer 310 used in the first embodiment (FIG. 3), and the same reference numerals are given to the same components. The client computer 320 can read / write data from / to the media card 60 and records the control signal table 4 received from the server computer 220 via the Internet 500 on the media card 60 as described below. The client computer 320 includes a WWW browser and can access a WWW server via the Internet.

  The hardware configuration of the server computer 220 is as shown in FIG. 13 and is substantially the same as the configuration of the server computer 210 used in the first embodiment, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Detailed description will be omitted. However, since the server computer 220 does not require a read / write function for the media card, the server computer 220 does not include the recording media insertion unit 238.

  The server computer 220 stores, in the hard disk device 207 as its external storage device, data including various control signal tables corresponding to combinations of user attributes and video movie models (hereinafter referred to as “camera shake correction control data”). is doing. FIG. 14 shows an example of the data structure of the camera shake correction control data. In this example, the camera shake correction control data includes a control signal table suitable for each of various combinations of the user's sex, age, hand size, and video movie model.

  That is, based on the average or representative value of camera shake frequency when various users defined by gender, age, and hand size were shot using each video movie model, the various users The hard disk device 207 stores a control signal table that prescribes the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction specialized for the hard disk device 207. This means, for example, that control signal tables 4 for men, women, children, etc. are prepared for each model of video movie as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the camera shake correction control data includes pointers pointing to each of these specialized control signal tables, the user's gender, age, hand size and video movie corresponding to each specialized control signal table. It also includes correspondence data 251 for associating various combinations with models. Therefore, according to the image stabilization control data having such a configuration, when the user's gender, age, hand size, and identification information of the model of the video movie are given, the user with such attributes can view the video movie of the model. It is possible to easily access a specialized control signal table that can suitably correct camera shake when taking a picture using.

The server computer 220 operates as a WWW server by operating based on a predetermined program stored in the internal memory 204, and has a home page having an operation screen 5 including a selection menu as shown in FIG. is doing. Therefore, when a client computer 320 equipped with a WWW browser accesses a home page provided by the server computer 220 as a WWW server via the Internet 500, a selection as shown in FIG. An operation screen 5 including a menu is displayed.

  Then, after the user inputs the gender, age, hand size, and model name of the video movie via the operation screen 5 (hereinafter, the information input here is referred to as “attribute designation information”), the operation is performed. When the “download” button 261 on the screen 5 is clicked, the attribute designation information is sent to the server computer 220 via the Internet 500. This means a request for the specialized control signal table from the client computer 320 to the server computer 220. When the server computer 220 receives the attribute designation information, the server computer 220 refers to the correspondence data 251 as shown in FIG. 14 from the hard disk device 207, reads the special control signal table corresponding to the attribute designation information, and specializes the special control signal table. The control signal table is transmitted to the client computer 320 via the Internet 500.

<2.3 Customize camera shake correction>
In the present embodiment, the camera shake correction of the video movie 1 is customized for the user according to the procedure shown in FIG. 16 under the system configuration as described above. A method for customizing the camera shake correction will be described below.
First, the user purchases the video movie 1 from the manufacturer (S601). As described above, the server computer 220 installed on the manufacturer side and functioning as a WWW server operates the operation screen 5 for inputting attribute designation information including the user's gender, age, hand size, and video movie model name. A homepage with is provided.

  A user who purchased the video movie 1 (hereinafter referred to as “purchased user”) accesses the home page via the Internet 500 by operating the client computer 320 on the user side (S603). When the operation screen 5 is displayed on the display device 109 of the client computer 320 as a result of accessing this home page, the purchase user inputs attribute designation information by operating the operation screen 5 and matches the attribute designation information. The specialized control signal table 4 which is a control signal table is downloaded (S604).

  That is, first, the purchase user inputs attribute designation information by clicking a column corresponding to the user from the selection column of the selection menu on the operation screen 5. Next, the purchase user clicks a “download” button on the operation screen 5. Thereby, the input attribute designation information is sent to the server computer 220 via the Internet 500. When the server computer 220 receives this attribute designation information, the specialized control signal table 4 corresponding to the attribute designation information is Data is read from the hard disk device 207 in which camera shake correction control data is stored.

  At this time, the server computer 220 receives the received attribute among various attribute designation information (combination of user gender, age, hand size and video movie model identification name) in the correspondence data 251 stored in the hard disk device 207. A search is made for a match with the designation information, and the control signal table stored in the hard disk device 207 is read in association with the matched attribute designation information (the closest attribute designation information if there is no matching attribute designation information). Then, the read control signal table is transmitted to the client computer 320 via the Internet 500 as the specialized control signal table 4.

  When the specialized control signal table 4 is downloaded in this way, the purchase user transfers the specialized control signal table 4 to the video movie 1 and writes it to the EEPROM 25m in the microcomputer 25 (S605). Specifically, when the specialized control signal table 4 is downloaded, the client computer 320 records the specialized control signal table 4 on the media card 60 inserted in the recording media insertion unit 138 therein.

  The purchase user takes out the media card 60 in which the special control signal table 4 is recorded from the client computer 320 and inserts it into the recording media insertion unit 38 of the video movie 1 (see FIG. 5). The microcomputer 25 in the video movie 1 reads the specialized control signal table 4 from the media card 60 via the recording media interface unit 37, and writes it in the EEPROM 25m therein. Thereafter, in the video movie 1, camera shake correction is performed using the specialized control signal table 4, so that the frequency characteristics of the camera shake correction are in accordance with the specialized control signal table. As a result, camera shake correction in the video movie 1 is specialized for the purchase user corresponding to the attribute designation information sent from the client computer 320. You can use your own video movie for many years.

<2.4 Effects of Second Embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the frequency characteristics of the camera shake correction of the video movie are set in accordance with the camera shake frequency closest to the actual photographer who is the purchase user of the video movie. For this reason, unlike conventional manufacturer-oriented image stabilization settings, user merits are given top priority, and video movie image stabilization is customized for the purchasing user. It can be carried out.

  In addition, for the user, the image stabilization performance is best at the frequency of his / her camera shake, so that the user can use his / her own or his / her own video movie and can receive an unprecedented service. Further, since this control signal table can be rewritten any number of times, if the control signal table selected first does not suit itself, another control signal table can be selected. In addition, when a manufacturer develops software to perform even better image stabilization in the future, only the control signal table, which is software, is downloaded without purchasing a new video movie as hardware. It is possible to use a video movie owned for many years.

<2.5 Modification of Second Embodiment>
In the above, the control signal table 4 is a video movie 1 based on the attribute designation information input by the operation of one user on the operation screen 5 according to the camera shake frequency of the user (specialized control signal table). The second embodiment has been described as writing to the. However, a plurality of people input attribute designation information on the homepage, download a separate control signal table 4 suitable for each of the plurality of people, write it to the video movie 1, and the user selects that when using it. Therefore, if a form that is used by a plurality of people is taken, the merit is further increased. Note that the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction (the relationship between the camera shake frequency and the effect of camera shake correction) defined by the control signal table 4 are not limited to the three types shown in FIG.

  In the second embodiment, on the home page provided by the server computer 220 on the manufacturer side, when the user inputs attribute designation information by operating the operation screen 5 and clicks the “Download” button 261, The specialized control signal table 4 is sent from the server computer 220 on the manufacturer side to the client computer 320 on the user side. Therefore, the user who can receive provision of the specialized control signal table 4 by the above operation on the home page is not particularly limited.

  However, in order to prevent a person other than the video movie purchaser from rewriting the control signal table of the video movie without permission, only the purchase user is provided with a specialized control signal table for the video movie. It may be required to be able to do so. That is, when attribute designation information is sent from the client computer to the server computer 220 and a download of the corresponding specialized control signal table 4 is requested, an authentication step of determining whether or not to accept the request It may be necessary to provide As a method for realizing such authentication, a method of user registration and password assignment for a video movie purchase user (hereinafter referred to as “method 1”), and a method of user registration and fingerprint registration for a video movie purchase user (hereinafter referred to as “method”). Method 2 ”).

First, realization of authentication by the method 1 will be described. In this method 1, authentication is realized by the following procedures (1) to (3).
(1) A user who purchased a video movie (purchased user) performs user registration using the serial number or manufacturing number attached to the video movie (in the following, it is assumed that user registration has been performed using the serial number) explain). As a user registration method, for example, a known method using the Internet can be used.
(2) After the user registration is completed, the video movie maker gives a password to each user who has completed the user registration.
(3) When the user who has completed user registration requests download of the specialized control signal table 4 on the home page provided by the server computer 220 in the above step S604, the attribute designation information is obtained by an operation on the operation screen. And a serial number and password, and then click the “Download” button (see FIG. 18).

  As shown in FIG. 19, the server computer 220 corresponding to the authentication by the method 1 corresponds to the serial number of the video movie purchased by the user for each user who has completed user registration, as shown in FIG. A collation table 271 recorded and added is created and stored in the hard disk device 207. The server computer 220 operates according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  That is, when the server computer 220 starts to operate as a WWW server and displays the operation screen 5b (FIG. 18) on the client computer 320, the server computer 220 transmits the specialized control signal table to the server computer 220 via the Internet 500. It waits while monitoring whether download is requested (S700). When a request for downloading the specialized control signal table is detected during this standby, the attribute designation information and the serial number and password sent from the client computer 320 at the time of the request are received (S702) (hereinafter, the received serial number is received). Number and password are called "Receive serial number" and "Receive password", respectively).

  Next, a password (hereinafter referred to as “corresponding registration password”) recorded in the verification table 271 as a password corresponding to the received serial number is obtained, and it is determined whether or not the received password matches the corresponding registered password (step). S704). Here, if the password corresponding to the received serial number is not recorded in the verification table 271 or if the received password does not match the corresponding registered password, a notification that there is an error in the received serial number or password. That is, error notification is sent to the client computer 320 via the Internet 500 (S709).

  On the other hand, when the received password matches the corresponding registered password, various attribute designation information (user gender, age, hand size) included in the camera shake correction control data and included in the corresponding data 251 as in the second embodiment. And the identification name of the video movie model) that match the received attribute specification information, and search for the matching attribute specification information (the closest attribute specification information if there is no matching attribute specification information) The control signal table stored in the hard disk device 207 in association with it is read (S706).

  Then, the read control signal table is transmitted to the client computer 320 via the Internet 500 as the specialized control signal table 4 (S708). After transmitting the specialized control signal table 4 or the error notification as described above, the process returns to step S700, and thereafter the same operations (S700 to S709) as described above are repeated.

Next, realization of authentication by the method 2 will be described. In this method 2, authentication is realized by the following procedures (1) to (3).
(1) A user who purchased a video movie (purchased user) performs user registration using the serial number or manufacturing number attached to the video movie (in the following, it is assumed that user registration has been performed using the serial number) explain). As a user registration method, for example, a known method using the Internet can be used.
(2) The maker of the video movie provides a menu that allows a user to log in using the fingerprint verification system on the operation screen for downloading the specialized control signal table. That is, a user who has completed user registration registers his / her fingerprint, and only a user who has registered a fingerprint can log in to the menu.
(3) When a user who has completed user registration and fingerprint registration requests download of the specialized control signal table 4 on the home page provided by the server computer 220 in the above step S604, first, on the operation screen described above, After entering the serial number and fingerprint collation by the fingerprint collation system, log in to the above menu, then enter attribute designation information in that menu, and then click the "Download" button.

  The server computer 220 that supports the authentication by the method 2 described above, for each user who has completed user registration and fingerprint registration, data indicating the user's fingerprint (hereinafter referred to as “fingerprint data”) A collation table recorded in association with each other is created and stored in the hard disk device 207. The server computer 220 performs substantially the same operation as the server computer 220 corresponding to the authentication by the method 1 (see FIG. 20). However, in the method 2, unlike the method 1, the server computer 220 uses the fingerprint data (hereinafter referred to as “corresponding registered fingerprint data”) recorded in the collation table as fingerprint data corresponding to the received serial number in step S704. To determine whether the received fingerprint data matches the corresponding registered fingerprint data.

<3. Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
<3.1 Structure of video movie>
The hardware configuration of the video movie to which the image stabilization customization method according to the present embodiment is applied and the configuration of the shake correction optical mechanism are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same components are used. Are denoted by the same reference numerals (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

<3.2 System configuration>
As shown in FIG. 21, the image stabilization customization method according to the present embodiment includes a client computer 330 that is a personal computer installed on the user side and a server computer 230 installed on the video movie maker side via the Internet 500. Assumes a connected system. The hardware configurations of the client computer 330 and the server computer 230 are the same as those of the client computer 310 (FIG. 3) and the server computer 210 (FIG. 4) used in the first embodiment, respectively. The same reference numerals are attached. The client computer 330 has a mechanism for reading / writing data from / to the media card 60. In addition, the server computer 230 executes a predetermined analysis program stored in the memory 204, thereby performing frequency analysis on the sensor signal 2 which is a signal indicating a user's camera shake frequency, and a control signal based on the analysis result. A table can be created.

<3.3 Customizing image stabilization>
In the present embodiment, the camera shake correction of the video movie 1 is customized for the user according to the procedure shown in FIG. 22 under the system configuration as described above. A method for customizing the camera shake correction will be described below.
First, the user purchases the video movie 1 from the manufacturer (S1001). Next, the user who purchased the video movie 1 (hereinafter referred to as “purchased user”) holds the video movie 1 and takes a shooting posture for a certain period of time (S1002). The signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency of the purchase user at that time is recorded for a predetermined period (S1003). Specifically, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the media card 60 inserted into the recording media insertion unit 38 of the video movie 1 using the sensor signal obtained by the angular velocity sensor 31 as the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency. To record.

  When the sensor signal, which is signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency, is recorded on the media card 60, the purchase user takes out the media card 60 from the video movie 1 and inserts it into the recording media insertion unit 138 of the client computer 330. Then, the purchase user connects the client computer 330 to the server computer 230 on the manufacturer side via the Internet 500, and the sensor signal 2 recorded on the media card 60 via the manufacturer's home page provided by the server computer 230. Is uploaded (S1004).

Thereby, the sensor signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency is transferred from the client computer 330 on the user side to the server computer 230 on the manufacturer side, and stored in a predetermined storage unit in the server computer 230. The uploading of the sensor signal 2 means a request for the specialized control signal table from the client computer 330 to the server computer 230.
When the sensor signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency is transferred to the server computer 230 as described above, the frequency analysis is performed on the sensor signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Based on the analysis result, the control signal table 3 is created (S1005).

The control signal table 3 is a specialized control signal table specialized for a purchase user who is a user corresponding to the sensor signal 2, and is a photographed image caused by camera shake when the purchase user shoots a video movie 1. This defines a frequency characteristic of camera shake correction that can suitably suppress blurring.
Next, the specialized control signal table 3 is transferred from the server computer 230 on the manufacturer side to the client computer 330 on the user side via the Internet 500 (S1006). When the specialized control signal table 3 is transferred to the client computer 330 in this way, the purchase user transfers the specialized control signal table 3 to the video movie 1 and writes it to the EEPROM 25m in the microcomputer 25 (S1007). ).

  Specifically, when the client computer 330 receives the special control signal table 3, the client computer 330 records the special control signal table 4 on the media card 60 inserted in the internal recording medium insertion unit 138. The purchase user takes out the media card 60 on which the special control signal table 3 is recorded from the client computer 320 and inserts it into the recording media insertion unit 38 of the video movie 1. The microcomputer 25 in the video movie 1 reads the specialized control signal table 3 from the media card 60 via the recording media interface unit 37, and writes it in the EEPROM 25m therein. Thereafter, in the video movie 1, the camera shake correction is performed using the specialized control signal table 3, so the frequency characteristics of the camera shake correction are in line with the specialized control signal table 3, and the camera shake correction is specialized for the purchase user. Will be. In this way, the user can construct a system optimal for the user's hand shaking frequency by himself.

<3.4 Effects of Third Embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction of the video movie are set in accordance with the camera shake frequency of the actual photographer who is the purchase user of the video movie. For this reason, unlike conventional manufacturer-oriented image stabilization settings, user merits are given top priority, and video movie image stabilization is customized for the purchasing user. It can be carried out. In addition, since the user has the best performance at the frequency of his / her hand shake, the user can use his own video movie or his own video movie, and can receive an unprecedented service.

<3.5 Modification of Third Embodiment>
In the above, the third embodiment has been described on the assumption that the control signal table 3 is written in the video movie according to the camera shake frequency of one user (specialized control signal table). However, it records the signal 2 indicating the hand shake frequency of a plurality of people, transfers a separate control signal table 3 for each of the plurality of people to the user side, writes it to the video movie 1, and the user selects that when using it By taking a form that can be used by a plurality of people, the merit is further enhanced.

  In this embodiment as well, by providing an authentication mechanism in the same way as the modification of the second embodiment (see steps S702 and S704 in FIGS. 19 and 20), the provision of a specialized control signal table is provided. It is possible to limit the person who can receive the video to the user who purchased the video movie.

<4. Fourth Embodiment>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
<4.1 Composition of video movie>
The hardware configuration of the video movie to which the image stabilization customization method according to the present embodiment is applied and the configuration of the shake correction optical mechanism are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same components are used. Are denoted by the same reference numerals (see FIGS. 1 and 2), and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

<4.2 System configuration>
As shown in FIG. 23, the image stabilization customization method according to the present embodiment includes a client computer 340 that is a personal computer installed on the user side and a server computer 240 installed on the video movie maker side via the Internet 500. Assumes a connected system. The hardware configurations of the client computer 340 and the server computer 240 are the same as those of the client computer 310 (FIG. 3) and the server computer 210 (FIG. 4) used in the first embodiment, respectively. The same reference numerals are attached. The client computer 340 includes a mechanism for reading / writing data from / to the media card 60. The server computer 240 stores a predetermined analysis program 6 in the hard disk device 207. The analysis program 6 is a program for performing frequency analysis on the sensor signal 2 which is a signal indicating the hand shaking frequency of the user and creating a control signal table based on the analysis result, and is executed in the client computer 340. It is possible.

<4.3 Customizing image stabilization>
In the present embodiment, the camera shake correction of the video movie 1 is customized for the user according to the procedure shown in FIG. 24 under the system configuration as described above. A method for customizing the camera shake correction will be described below.
First, the user purchases the video movie 1 from the manufacturer (S1201). Next, the user who purchased the video movie 1 (purchased user) transmits a specific request from the client computer 340 to the server computer 240 on the manufacturer side via the home page of the manufacturer of the video movie 1, thereby setting the camera shake frequency. An analysis program 6 for performing a frequency analysis for obtaining and creating a control signal table is downloaded (S1202). Further, the purchase user holds the video movie 1 and takes a shooting posture for a certain period (S1203). The signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency of the purchase user at that time is recorded (S1204). Specifically, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the media card 60 inserted into the recording media insertion unit 38 of the video movie 1 using the sensor signal obtained by the angular velocity sensor 31 as the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency. To record.

  When the sensor signal which is the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency is recorded on the media card 60, the purchase user uses the analysis program 6 downloaded from the server computer 240 to analyze the frequency of the signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency. The control signal table 3 is created based on the analysis result (S1205). Specifically, the purchase user takes out the media card 60 from the video movie 1 and inserts it into the recording media insertion unit 138 of the client computer 340 (see FIG. 5). Then, the purchase user causes the client computer 340 to execute the analysis program 6 described above. As a result, the client computer 340 performs frequency analysis on the sensor signal 2 indicating the camera shake frequency recorded on the media card 60 and creates the control signal table 3 based on the analysis result. The control signal table 3 is recorded on the media card 60 as a specialized control signal table specialized for the purchase user.

  Next, the purchase user transfers the specialized control signal table 3 to the video movie 1 and writes it in the EEPROM 25m in the microcomputer 25 (S1206). Specifically, the purchase user takes out the media card 60 on which the specialized control signal table 3 is recorded from the client computer 340 and inserts it into the recording media insertion unit 38 of the video movie 1. The microcomputer 25 in the video movie 1 reads the specialized control signal table 3 from the media card 60 via the recording media interface unit 37, and writes it in the EEPROM 25m therein. Thereafter, in the video movie 1, the camera shake correction is performed using the specialized control signal table 3, so the frequency characteristics of the camera shake correction are in line with the specialized control signal table 3, and the camera shake correction is specialized for the purchase user. Will be. In this way, the user can construct a system optimal for the user's hand shaking frequency by himself.

<4.4 Effects of Fourth Embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction of the video movie are set in accordance with the camera shake frequency of the actual photographer who is the purchase user of the video movie. For this reason, unlike conventional manufacturer-oriented image stabilization settings, user merits are given top priority, and video movie image stabilization is customized for the purchasing user. It can be carried out. In addition, since the image stabilization performance is the best at the user's own image stabilization frequency, the user can use his / her own or his / her own video movie and receive an unprecedented service. Furthermore, since the user can obtain an analysis program, which is software for analyzing camera shake frequency, there is no need to send a signal indicating the camera shake frequency to the manufacturer via the homepage, and the control signal table can be rewritten any number of times without time loss. It is possible.

<4.5 Modification of Fourth Embodiment>
In the fourth embodiment, the analysis program 6 is downloaded via a predetermined homepage, that is, transferred from the manufacturer's server computer 240 to the user's client computer 340 via the Internet 500. An analysis program may be attached to the video movie 1 when the movie 1 is sold. However, even in this case, considering that the analysis program can be improved, the analysis program can be obtained from the manufacturer via a homepage or the like in that the latest version of the analysis program 6 can be easily obtained by the purchase user. The method of the fourth embodiment transferred to the user side is effective.

  Also in this embodiment, the analysis program 6 is provided by introducing an authentication mechanism in the same manner as the modification of the second embodiment (see steps S702 and S704 in FIGS. 19 and 20). Those who can do this can be limited to users who purchase video movies.

<5. Other>
In each of the above embodiments, a video movie has been described as an example of an imaging device. However, other imaging devices equipped with a camera shake correction device, for example, an imaging device such as a digital still camera or a photographing device using a silver salt film are also used. The same effect can be obtained by customizing the frequency characteristics of camera shake correction for each user of the imaging apparatus with the same configuration as described above.
In each of the above embodiments, a system in which a client computer and a server computer are connected by the Internet 500 is assumed. However, in the present invention, a communication network as a means for enabling data transfer between both computers is as follows. The communication network is not limited to the Internet, and may be another communication network as long as it can transfer a signal indicating a camera shake frequency, a control signal table, and the like between both computers.

  The present invention can be used for an imaging device equipped with a camera shake correction device.

It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the principal part of the video movie which is an imaging device provided with the camera-shake correction apparatus with which the camera-shake correction customization method which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the mechanism of the camera-shake correction apparatus with which the camera-shake correction customization method which concerns on 1st Embodiment is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the client computer used in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the server computer used in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing data transfer by a media card between a computer and a video movie. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure for customizing camera shake correction according to the method which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a camera shake correction customization method according to the first embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the frequency characteristic of camera shake correction. It is a figure which shows the frequency spectrum of the sensor signal as a signal which shows camera shake frequency. It is a conceptual diagram of the table for control signals which prescribes | regulates the frequency characteristic of camera shake correction in 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the video movie provided with the camera-shake correction apparatus to which the camera-shake correction customization method which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment is applied. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure for customizing camera shake correction according to the method which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the server computer used in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data structure of the camera-shake correction control data stored in the server computer used in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen displayed as a maker's homepage in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the customization method of the camera-shake correction which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram of the table for control signals which prescribes | regulates the frequency characteristic of camera shake correction in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation screen displayed as a maker's homepage in the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the table for collation which the server computer in the modification of 2nd Embodiment hold | maintains. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the server computer in the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure for customizing camera shake correction according to the method which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a camera shake correction customization method according to the third embodiment. It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure for customizing camera shake correction according to the method which concerns on 4th Embodiment. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a camera shake correction customizing method according to a fourth embodiment. It is a figure which shows the holding | maintenance method of the video movie by a user. It is a conceptual diagram of the control signal table for setting the effect of camera shake correction in the conventional camera shake correction apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 Video movie 2 Shake frequency signal (sensor signal)
3, 4 Control signal tables 5, 5b Operation screen 6 Analysis program 20 Imaging optical system 25 Microcomputer 25m EEPROM
31 Angular velocity sensor 37 Recording medium interface unit 37b IEEE 1394 interface unit 38 Recording media insertion unit 39 Camera shake correction mechanism 50 Camera shake correction device 60 Media card 71 Camera shake correction ON / OFF switch 72 Field memory 73 Motion vector detection unit 105 Internet interface units 110 and 120 , 130, 140 Client computer 205 Internet interface unit 210, 220, 230, 240 Server computer 251 Corresponding data 261 Download button 271 Verification table 500 Internet L3 Correction lens group

Claims (7)

An image stabilization customization system having an imaging device, a server computer, and a client computer,
The server computer
Storage means for preliminarily storing a plurality of types of control signal tables that prescribe the dependence of the effect of camera shake correction on camera shake frequency, in association with the model of the imaging device and the user's attributes;
Server-side receiving means for receiving, from the client computer, attribute designation information that is information indicating the model of the imaging apparatus and the user's attributes;
Selection means for selecting a control signal table to be used from among the plurality of types of control signal tables based on the received attribute designation information;
Server-side transmission means for transmitting the selected control signal table to the client computer,
The client computer is
Client-side transmission means for transmitting the attribute designation information to the server system;
Client-side receiving means for receiving the control information selected in the server computer based on the attribute designation information;
Output interface means for extracting the received control information to the outside,
The imaging device
A memory for storing the control signal table retrieved from the client computer;
A sensor for detecting camera shake,
A camera shake correction customization system comprising: a camera shake correction device that corrects camera shake caused by camera shake based on the output of the sensor and the control signal table. The camera shake correction customization system according to claim 1, wherein the attribute designation information is a user's sex, age, hand size, imaging device model, or a combination thereof. Storage means for preliminarily storing a plurality of types of control signal tables that prescribe the dependence of the effect of camera shake correction on camera shake frequency, in association with the model of the imaging device and the user's attributes;
Receiving means for receiving attribute designation information, which is information indicating the model of the imaging apparatus and the attribute of the user;
Selection means for selecting a control signal table to be used from among the plurality of types of control signal tables based on the attribute designation information received by the receiving means;
A server computer comprising: a control signal table selected by the selection means; and a transmission means for transmitting the attribute designation information. 4. The server computer according to claim 3, wherein the attribute designation information is a user's gender, age, hand size, imaging device model, or a combination thereof. A memory that stores a control signal table that defines the dependence of the image stabilization effect on the image stabilization frequency;
A sensor for detecting camera shake,
A camera shake correction device that corrects camera shake caused by the camera shake based on the output of the sensor and the camera shake correction control information;
Interface means for receiving an available control signal table from the outside;
An imaging apparatus comprising: writing means for writing the control signal table corresponding to the user received by the interface means into the memory. 6. The memory according to claim 5, wherein the control signal table corresponding to each of a plurality of users is stored in the memory, and the control signal table corresponding to the user is selected and used. Imaging device. In the control signal table, the degree of dependence on the image stabilization frequency of the image stabilization effect differs depending on the attribute designation information, and the attribute designation information includes the user's gender, age, hand size, imaging device model, or a combination thereof. The imaging apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein

Images