Image capturing apparatus providing image blur information and method thereof

• US 20090115857A1
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Altek Corporation
• Original Assignee: Altek Corporation
• Inventors: Han, Shih-Chang, Li, Yun-Chin, Yang, Chin-Lung
• Application Number:
  US12/219,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20090115857A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations

Abstract

A method for providing image blur information is applied to a photographing mode of image capturing apparatus of which a shooting shutter speed is greater than a safe shutter speed, the method comprising the steps of: capturing a long exposure image in the shooting shutter speed and a short exposure image which is smaller than or equal to the safe shutter speed, in order to search correspondingly a plurality of characteristic positions in the long exposure image and the short exposure image, and then comparing the characteristics on the relative characteristic positions between the long exposure image and the short exposure image to produce a comparing result upon which a further operation is performed to define a degree of image blur. Thus, the present invention can achieve the purpose of providing image blur information for the long exposure image when the image capturing apparatus captures the long exposure image.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus providing image blur information at a shooting mode of which a shooting shutter speed is greater than a safe shutter speed, comprising:

an image capturing unit, for receiving a shooting signal to capture a first image at the shooting shutter speed and a second image at a shutter speed less than the safety shutter speed;

a processing unit, for generating the shooting signal, and receiving the first image and the second image, then search for a plurality of relative characteristic positions between the first image and the second image, in order to use the second image as relative reference to the first image'"'"'s characteristic positions so a compared result can be generated, furthermore an operation is done to define degree of image blur according to the comparison result; and

a display connected to the processing unit to display the first image and information about the degree of image blur.

2. The image capturing apparatus providing image blur information according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic position used for characteristic comparison may be an Edge, a Corner, or a Line.

3. The image capturing apparatus providing image blur information according to claim 1, wherein each of the characteristic positions is provided with a weight (importance value), and the weights of each kinds of the characteristic positions are to be set in proportion to the same weights or to dissimilar weights according to the coordinate difference of characteristic positions.

4. The image capturing apparatus providing image blur information according to claim 3, wherein after executing the comparison, the processing unit generates a characteristic coincidence value at each of the characteristic positions of the first image and multiplies the characteristic coincidence value by the weight of each of the characteristic weights for a total sum to define the degree of image blur.

5. The image capturing apparatus providing image blur information according to claim 3, wherein after executing the comparison, the processing unit generates a characteristic blur degree at each of the characteristic positions of the first image and multiplies the characteristic blur degree by the weight of each of the characteristic weights for a total sum to define the degree of image blur.

6. The image capturing apparatus providing image blur information according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a memory unit connected to the processing unit to store the first image and record the first image'"'"'s comparison result and the first image'"'"'s coordinates of the characteristic positions.

7. The image capturing apparatus providing image blur information according to claim 6, wherein when the image capturing apparatus stays at the playback mode to show the first image on the display, the processing unit makes a plurality of marks corresponding to the first image according to the comparison result and coordinates to the characteristic positions.

8. The image capturing apparatus providing image blur information according to claim 1, wherein the display displays the information about the degree of image blur in the form of a pie chart or bar chart in percentage.

9. The image capturing apparatus providing image blur information according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

a button unit outputting a triggering signal to the processing unit to generate the shooting signal; and

a register being connected between the image capturing unit and the processing unit to temporarily store the first image and the second image captured by the image capturing unit and then provide them for the processing unit.

10. A method for providing image blur information, being applied to the image capturing apparatus at the shooting mode of which the shooting shutter speed is greater than the safe shutter speed, comprising steps of:

capturing a first image at the shooting shutter speed and a second image at a shutter speed less than the safe shutter speed;

searching multiple characteristic positions corresponding between the first image and the second images;

using the characteristic positions correspondingly between the first image and the second image to perform a comparison, in order to use the second image as a relative reference to the first image'"'"'s characteristic positions so a compared result can be generated; and

using the comparison result to operate and define the degree of image blur;

then, the image capturing apparatus providing the degree of image blur information about the first image.

11. The method for providing image blur information according to claim 10, wherein the characteristic position used for characteristic comparison may be an Edge, a Corner, or a Line.

12. The method for providing image blur information according to claim 10, wherein each of the characteristic positions is provided with a weight (importance value), and the weights of each kinds of the characteristic positions are to be set in proportion to the same weights or to dissimilar weights according to the coordinate difference of characteristic positions.

13. The method for providing image blur information according to claim 12, wherein at the step of comparison, a characteristic coincidence value is generated at each of the characteristic positions of the first image, and at the step of operation, the characteristic coincidence value is multiplied by the weight of each of the characteristic weights for a total sum to define the degree of image blur.

14. The method for providing image blur information according to claim 12, wherein at the step of comparison, a characteristic blur degree is generated at each of the characteristic positions of the first image, and at the step of operation, the characteristic blur degree is multiplied by the weight of each of the characteristic weights for a total sum to define the degree of image blur.

15. The method for providing image blur information according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises providing a display in the image capturing apparatus to show the first image and receiving the degree of image blur to show the information about the degree of image blur when the first image is shown.

16. The method for providing image blur information according to claim 15, wherein the display displays the information about the degree of image blur in the form of a pie chart or bar chart in percentage.