Camera having a vibration correction lens and a method for correcting image vibration

A camera having an image plane, comprising:

• a vibration detection unit to detect an amount of vibration of the camera;
• an optical lens system having a first optical axis, to focus an image on the image plane;
• a movable lens having a second optical axis;
• a movement determination unit to determine an amount of movement of said movable lens required to prevent vibration of the image on the image plane, based upon the amount of vibration detected by said vibration detection unit, and to store a correlation between an optimal position of said movable lens in a plane orthogonal to the first optical axis such that the first and second optical axes coincide and a selected position;
• and
• a lens drive unit to drive said movable lens from the selected position to the optimal position based upon the stored position information prior to the camera taking a photograph and subsequently to drive said movable lens from the optimal position based on the amount of movement determined by said movement determination unit if performing prevention of the vibration of the image on the image plane.

A camera having an image plane, comprising:

• an optical lens system having a first optical axis and focusing the image on the image plane;
• a movable lens, having an optical axis movable in a first direction parallel to the optical axis and a second direction orthogonal to the optical axis;
• a calculation unit to determine an amount of movement of the movable lens;
• a memory unit to store position information of the movable lens indicative of a correlation between a position of best optical performance of said movable lens wherein the optical axis of the movable lens coincides with the first optical axis and a selected position;
• and
• a lens drive unit to drive the movable lens to the position of best optical performance from the selected position based upon the stored position information and then to drive the movable lens based upon the amount of movement determined by said calculation unit.

A method of preventing image blur of an image on an image plane of a camera through the movement of a movable lens in a direction orthogonal to a first optical axis of an optical lens system, the method comprising:

• determining vibration of the camera, to produce vibration information;
• storing position information indicative of a correlation between an optimal position of the movable lens such that a second optical axis of the movable lens coincides with the first optical axis and a selected position, and driving the movable lens from the selected position to the optimal position prior to taking a photograph using the stored position information;
• and
• moving the movable lens in the direction orthogonal to the first optical axis based upon the vibration information if vibration correction is to be performed and maintaining the movable lens at the optimal position during the taking of the photograph if vibration correction is not to be performed.

A camera having an image plane, comprising:

• a vibration detection unit to detect an amount of vibration of the camera;
• a movable lens;
• a calculation unit to determine an amount of movement of the movable lens required to prevent vibration of an image on the image plane, based upon the amount of vibration detected by said vibration detection unit;
• an absolute position detection unit to detect absolute position information indicative of an absolute position of said movable lens;
• a relative position detection unit to detect relative position information indicative of a position relative to the absolute position of said movable lens from the absolute position information of said movable lens detected by said absolute position detection unit;
• a memory unit to store the relative position information of the movable lens detected by said relative position detection unit;
• and
• a lens drive unit to drive said movable lens based upon the amount of movement determined by said calculation unit and the relative position information.