Device, Method, and Program for Estimating Light Source

• US 20080246950A1
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: ONO, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,869,019 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/04 Optical or mechanical part supplementary adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0477 Prisms, wedges
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4228 arrangements with two or more detectors, e.g. for sensitivity compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/429 applied to measurement of ultraviolet light using counting tubes G01T
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/0481 Preset integrating sphere or cavity
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4266 for measuring solar light
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0294 Multi-channel spectroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/51 using colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/513 having fixed filter-detector pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/18 Signals indicating condition of a camera member or suitability of light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control

Abstract

A light source estimating device includes a light receiving section for receiving visible light and invisible light radiated from a light source, and a light source estimating section for estimating a type of the light source on the basis of an intensity of the received visible light and an intensity of the received invisible light.

Claims

1. A light source estimating device comprising:

light receiving means for receiving visible light and invisible light radiated from a light source; and

light source estimating means for estimating a type of the light source on the basis of an intensity of the received visible light and an intensity of the received invisible light.

2. The light source estimating device according to claim 1,

wherein the light receiving means includes

visible light receiving means having a spectral sensitivity for visible light and receiving the visible light radiated from the light source,

ultraviolet light receiving means having a spectral sensitivity for ultraviolet light and receiving ultraviolet light radiated from the light source, and

infrared light receiving means having a spectral sensitivity for infrared light and receiving infrared light radiated from the light source.

3. The light source estimating device according to claim 2, further comprising:

first relative intensity calculating means for calculating a relative intensity of the ultraviolet light to the visible light on the basis of the intensity of the received visible light and the intensity of the received ultraviolet light; and

second relative intensity calculating means for calculating a relative intensity of the infrared light to the visible light on the basis of the intensity of the received visible light and the intensity of the received infrared light,

wherein the light source estimating means estimates the type of the light source on the basis of the relative intensity calculated by the first relative intensity calculating means and the relative intensity calculated by the second relative intensity calculating means.

4. The light source estimating device according to claim 1,

wherein the light receiving means receives light in a plurality of wavelength ranges contained in a wavelength range of visible light, and

wherein the light source estimating means estimates the type of the light source on the basis of intensities of the received light in the plurality of wavelength ranges, and the intensity of the received invisible light.

5. The light source estimating device according to claim 4, further comprising:

visible light intensity calculating means for calculating a sum of the intensities of the received light in the plurality of wavelength ranges as the intensity of the visible light;

first relative intensity calculating means for calculating a relative intensity of the invisible light to the visible light on the basis of the intensity of the visible light and the intensity of the invisible light; and

second relative intensity calculating means for calculating relative intensities of the light in the plurality of wavelength ranges to the visible light on the basis of the intensity of the visible light and the intensities of the light in the plurality of wavelength ranges,

wherein the light source estimating means estimates the type of the light source on the basis of the relative intensity calculated by the first relative intensity calculating means and the relative intensities calculated by the second relative intensity calculating means.

6. The light source estimating device according to claim 4, further comprising:

normalizing means for calculating a sum of intensities of the received light in the plurality of wavelength ranges as the intensity of the visible light, and normalizing the intensities of the light in the plurality of wavelength ranges and the intensity of the invisible light on the basis of the calculated intensity of the visible light,

wherein the light source estimating means estimates the type of the light source on the basis of the normalized intensities of the light in the plurality of wavelength ranges and the normalized intensity of the invisible light.

7. A light source estimating method comprising the steps of:

controlling reception of visible light and invisible light radiated from a light source; and

estimating a type of the light source on the basis of an intensity of the received visible light and an intensity of the received invisible light.

8. A computer executable program comprising the steps of:

controlling reception of visible light and invisible light radiated from a light source; and

estimating a type of the light source on the basis of an intensity of the received visible light and an intensity of the received invisible light.

9. A light source estimating device comprising:

a light receiving section receiving visible light and invisible light radiated from a light source; and

a light source estimating section estimating a type of the light source on the basis of an intensity of the received visible light and an intensity of the received invisible light.