Imaging device

• US 20070230938A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xacti Corporation (Office Support KK)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hatanaka, Haruo
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/153
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/005 Blur detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio

Abstract

An imaging device is provided that predicts before still image photographing, whether alignment of a plurality of images obtained by the still image photographing mode should be performed based on the divided exposures and automatically switches photographing modes depending on the predicted result. The imaging device has a first movement computation unit that calculates image movement from input images when still image photograph is not performed, and a photographing mode switching unit that switches between a first still image photographing mode and a second still image photographing mode when starting photographing, based on image movement calculated by the first movement computation unit right before the photographing begins.

Claims

1. An imaging device, comprising:

a first still image photographing unit that obtains a still image by one exposure;

a second still image photographing unit that generates a still image by dividing an exposure length a plurality of times to obtain a plurality of low brightness images, and aligning and combining the obtained plurality of low brightness images;

a first movement computation unit that calculates image movement from input images when still image photographing is not performed; and

a photographing mode switching unit that switches between the first still image photographing unit and the second still image photographing unit when commencing still image photographing, from information of the calculated image movement prior to making a still image photograph.

2. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein the first movement computation unit comprises a brightness reducing unit that reduces brightness from the number of divided exposures divided at the second still image photographing unit prior to making a still image photograph, and a computation unit that calculates image movement from input images of reduced brightness.

3. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein the second still image photographing unit comprises:

a second movement computation unit that calculates information of image movement between obtained second or later low brightness image and the first low-brightness image when obtaining the second or later low-brightness image;

a judgment unit that determines whether to continue divided exposures or to perform a one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images from information of image movement calculated by the second movement computation unit;

an image unit that obtains an image that corresponds to the remaining low-brightness images by performing the one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images if a one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images is selected; and

an image synthesis unit that generates one still image by aligning and combining the obtained image that corresponds to the remaining low-brightness images to the previously combined image.

4. The imaging device of claim 3, wherein the judgment unit determines whether to continue divided exposures or to perform a one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images based on a determination of low image contrast, from information of image movement calculated by the second movement computation unit.

5. The imaging device of claim 3, wherein the judgment unit determines whether to continue divided exposures or to perform a one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images from a determination of whether several kinds of movement exist within an image, from image movement information calculated by the second movement computation unit.

6. The imaging device of claim 3, wherein the judgment unit determines whether to continue divided exposures or to perform a one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images from a determination of whether a similar pattern exists within an image, from image movement information calculated by the second movement computation unit.

7. The imaging device of claim 3, wherein the judgment unit determines whether to continue divided exposures or to perform a one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images from a determination of whether an image is in a pan-tilt state, from information of image movement calculated by the second movement computation unit.

8. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein the photographing mode switching unit switches between the photographing mode of the first still image photographing unit and the photographing mode of the second still image photographing unit from a determination of whether image contrast is low, based on information of image movement calculated by the first movement computation unit.

9. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein the photographing mode switching unit switches between the photographing mode of the first still image photographing unit and the photographing mode of the second still image photographing unit, from a determination of whether several kinds of movements exist within an image, based on information of image movement calculated by the first movement computation unit.

10. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein the photographing mode switching unit switches between the photographing mode of the first still image photographing unit and the photographing mode of the second still image photographing unit from a determination of whether similar patterns exist within an image, based on information of image movement calculated by the first movement computation unit.

11. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein the photographing mode switching unit switches between the photographing mode of the first still image photographing unit and the photographing mode of the second still image photographing unit from a determination of whether an image is in a pan-tilt state, from information of image movement calculated by the first movement computation unit.

12. An imaging device, comprising:

a still image photographing unit that generates a still image by dividing an exposure length to obtain a plurality of low-brightness images, and aligning and combining the obtained low-brightness images,

wherein the still image photographing unit includes;

a movement computation unit that calculates image movement between an obtained second or later low-brightness image and the first low-brightness image when obtaining the second or later low-brightness image;

a judgment unit that determines whether to continue the divided exposures or to perform a one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images from information of image movement calculated by the movement information computation unit;

an image obtaining unit that obtains an image corresponding to the remaining low-brightness images by performing the one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images if the one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images is selected; and

an image synthesis unit that generates a still image by aligning and combining an obtained image that corresponds to the remaining low-brightness images to the previously combined image.

13. The imaging device of claim 12, wherein the judgment unit determines whether to continue divided exposures or to perform the one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images from a determination of whether an image contrast is low, based on information of image movement calculated by the movement computation unit.

14. The imaging device of claim 12, wherein the judgment unit determines whether to continue divided exposures or to perform the one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images from a determination of whether several kinds of movements exist within an image, based on the information regarding image movement calculated by the movement information computation unit.

15. The imaging device of claim 12, wherein the judgment unit determines whether to continue divided exposures or to perform the one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images from a determination of whether similar patterns exist within an image, based on the information regarding image movement calculated by the movement information computation unit.

16. The imaging device of claim 12, wherein the judgment unit determines whether to continue divided exposures or to perform the one-shot exposure of the remaining low-brightness images from a determination of whether an image is in a pan-tilt state, based on information of image movement calculated by the movement information computation unit.