Power controller and power control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10180620-B2
Application number	US-201615544378-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2016
Priority date	Feb 3, 2015
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

The present technology relates to a power controller, a power control method, and a program which appropriately supply power to an actuator for driving a shutter and an actuator for camera shake correction. A power controller includes a shutter controller for controlling a shutter driving unit, a camera shake correction controller for controlling a camera shake correction driving unit, and a power amount setting unit for setting amounts of power to be allocated to the shutter driving unit and the camera shake correction driving unit according to a set shutter speed. The power amount setting unit allocates the amount of power to be supplied to the camera shake correction driving unit when the shutter speed is equal to or less than a predetermined speed to the shutter driving unit in a case where the shutter speed is faster than a predetermined speed. The present technology available for an image pickup device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power controller, comprising:
a shutter controller configured to control a shutter driving unit, wherein the shutter driving unit is configured to control a shutter, wherein the shutter includes a rear curtain; and
a camera shake correction controller configured to control a camera shake correction driving unit; and
circuitry configured to:
detect an exposure of an image sensor;
set a shutter speed based the detected exposure;
allocate a first amount of power to the shutter driving unit and a second amount of power to the camera shake correction driving unit,
wherein the allocation of the first amount of power and the second amount of power is based on the shutter speed; and
allocate the first amount of power to drive the rear curtain based on the shutter speed.

2. The power controller according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
reduce the allocated second amount of power to the camera shake correction driving unit based on the shutter speed that is faster than a determined speed;
supply the reduced second amount of power to the shutter driving unit; and
allocate the second amount of power to the camera shake correction driving unit based on the shutter speed that is equal to or less than the determined speed.

3. The power controller according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
allocate a minimum amount of power from the second amount of power necessary to maintain a state of the camera shake correction driving unit based on the shutter speed faster than a determined speed.

4. The power controller according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to change a voltage applied to the shutter driving unit based on the shutter speed.

5. The power controller according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to
increase a voltage applied to the shutter driving unit based on the shutter speed that is higher than a determined speed.

6. The power controller according to claim 1 , wherein the shutter is a focal plane shutter.

7. The power controller according to claim 1 , wherein the shutter further includes a front curtain.

8. The power controller according to claim 1 , wherein the shutter speed is one of 1/2000 seconds, 1/4000 seconds, or 1/8000 seconds.

9. The power controller according to claim 7 , wherein the front curtain of the shutter is one of an electronic shutter or a mechanical shutter, and the rear curtain is a mechanical shutter.

10. The power controller according to claim 7 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to
set the front curtain and the rear curtain as mechanical shutters, wherein the camera shake correction driving unit is further configured to execute camera shake correction based on the shutter speed that is less than or equal to a determined speed, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
set the front curtain as an electronic shutter and the rear curtain as a mechanical shutter based on the shutter speed that is faster than the determined speed; and
allocate the first amount of power to the rear curtain based on the shutter speed that is faster than the determined speed.

11. The power controller according to claim 9 , wherein
in a case the front curtain is the electronic shutter, the circuitry is configured to add a third amount of power to the rear curtain based on the shutter speed that is faster than a determined speed, and
the front curtain of the shutter is set as the mechanical shutter based on the shutter speed that is equal to or less than the determined speed.

12. The power controller according to claim 10 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to:
set the front curtain and the rear curtain as the mechanical shutters based on the shutter speed that is equal to the determined speed, and
allocate the first amount of power to the rear curtain based on the shutter speed that is equal to the determined speed.

13. The power controller according to claim 12 , wherein
the first amount of power allocated to the rear curtain based on the shutter speed that is higher than the determined speed is larger than the first amount of power allocated to the rear curtain based on the shutter speed that is equal to the determined speed.

14. A power control method, comprising:
controlling a shutter driving unit for driving a shutter, wherein the shutter includes a rear curtain;
controlling a camera shake correction driving unit;
detecting an exposure of an image sensor;
setting a shutter speed based on the detected exposure;
allocating a first amount of power to the shutter driving unit and a second amount of power to the camera shake correction driving unit, wherein the allocation of the first amount of power and the second amount of power is based on the shutter speed; and
allocating the first amount of power to drive the rear curtain based on the shutter speed.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon, computer executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute operations, the operations comprising:
controlling a shutter driving unit for driving a shutter, wherein the shutter includes a rear curtain;
controlling a camera shake correction driving unit;
detecting an exposure of an image sensor;
setting a shutter speed based on the detected exposure;
allocating a first amount of power to the shutter driving unit and a second amount of power to the camera shake correction driving unit, wherein the allocation of the first amount of power and the second amount of power is based on the shutter speed; and
allocating the first amount of power to drive the rear curtain based on the shutter speed.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Murashima Nobuharu
• Hara Yuki

Classifications

• H04N23/73

  by influencing the exposure time · CPC title

• H04N23/75

  by influencing optical camera components · CPC title

• H04N23/651

  for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/687

  by shifting the lens or sensor position · CPC title

• G03B5/00 Primary

  Adjustment of optical system relative to image or object surface other than for focusing · CPC title