IMAGE PICK-UP APPARATUS, IMAGE PICK-UP METHOD AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20090231465A1
• Filed: 03/10/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: SENBA, Takehiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,159,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/229.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/583 with different integration times
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure

Abstract

Image light from an object is dispersed by a light dispersing device. When a plurality of image sensors are used for picking up images, an image in which a moving object is stopped is picked up with a high shutter speed, and at the same time, a motion-blurred image in which the moving object is picked up at a slow shutter speed. The obtained images are synthesized. The synthesized image has a slow synchronized flash effect. Accordingly, an image having a slow synchronized flash effect can be obtained without using a flash.

Claims

1. An image pick-up apparatus comprising:

a first and a second image sensors for photo-electrically converting image light entering from an object via an image lens and outputting a first and a second image signals;

a light dispersing device for dispersing the image light on a light path of the image light and causing the image light to enter the first and second image sensors;

a first and a second exposure time control devices for controlling respective exposure time of the first and second image sensors;

a photometering device for photometering brightness of the object;

an exposure condition setting device for setting exposure times of the first and second image sensors based on the photometered brightness of the object by the photometering device, and for setting a first exposure time when motion-blur of a moving object is not generated and a second exposure time when the motion-blur is generated;

an image pick-up control device for picking-up by controlling the first and second exposure time control device based on the first and second exposure time set by the exposure condition setting device; and

an image synthesis device for synthesizing an image having a slow synchronized flash effect based on the first and second image signals output from the first and second image sensors after the photographing.

2. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a device for detecting a focal length of the image lens,

wherein the exposure condition setting device sets at least the first exposure time of the first and second exposure times according to the detected focal length of the image lens.

3. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a synchronization timing input device for selecting a relationship of the first and second exposure times from among at least three synchronization timings including:

an early act sync in which exposure starting timings substantially coincide;

a middle sync in which middle times of the first and second exposure times substantially coincide, and a later act sync in which exposure ending timings substantially coincide, wherein

the exposure condition setting device sets timings of exposure in each of the first and second image sensors based on the relationship selected by the synchronization timing input device.

4. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising

an image display unit for displaying graphics indicating synchronization timings including the early act sync, the middle curtain sync, and the later act sync, wherein

the synchronization timing input device selects the synchronization timing according to the graphics displayed on the image display.

5. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a first and a second drivers respectively connected to the first and second exposure time control devices, wherein

the first and second exposure time control devices includes mechanical shutters driven by the first and second drivers.

6. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising

a first and a second pick-up synchronization signal generation devices for outputting a first and a second pick-up synchronization signals for controlling each driving of the first and second image sensors, wherein

the first and second exposure time control devices include electronic shutters for controlling exposure ending timings based on pick-up synchronization signals generated by the first and second pick-up synchronization signal generation devices, and

the image control device controls relative phases of the first pick-up synchronization signal and the second pick-up synchronization signal according to the synchronization timing selected by the synchronization timing input device.

7. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a light amount adjustment device provided between the light dispersing device and at least one image sensor of the first and second image sensors on a light path of the image light, the light amount adjustment device adjusting light amounts of each light entering the first and second image sensors.

8. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light dispersing device disperses the image light at a predetermined ratio so that a light amount entering the first image sensor is more than a light amount entering the second image sensor.

9. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a sensitivity adjustment device for independently adjusting a gain of the first image signal output from the first image sensor and a gain of the second image signal output from the second image sensor.

10. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a predetermined table in which a first exposure condition and second exposure condition including at lease the first exposure time and the second exposure time according to the brightness of the object, wherein

the exposure condition setting device sets the first and second exposure conditions according to the photometered brightness of the object and the predetermined table.

11. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a shading setting device for setting a shading of at least one of the first and second image signals or a shading ratio thereof, wherein

the exposure condition setting device sets the first and second exposure times according to the shading or shading ratio set by the shading setting device.

12. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a shading setting device for setting a shading of at least one of the first and second image signals and a shading ratio thereof, wherein

the synthesis device changes a ratio of the first and second image signals in the image synthesis according to the shading or the shading ratio set by the shading setting device.

13. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a motion-blur effect setting device for setting a size of motion-blur of the moving object,

wherein the exposure condition setting device changes the second exposure time according to the size of the motion-blur set by the motion-blur effect setting device.

14. An image pick-up method comprising:

dispersing image light entered from an object via an image lens and causing each of a first and a second image sensors to form an image;

photometering brightness of the object;

setting each exposure condition including exposure times of the first and second image sensors based on the photometered brightness of the object, and setting a first exposure time when motion-blur of a moving object is not generated and a second exposure time when the motion-blur is generated;

controlling exposure of the first and second sensors based on the set first and second exposure times set when an image is picked up; and

synthesizing an image having a slow synchronized flash effect based on a first and a second image signals output from the first and second image sensors after the image is picked up.

15. The image pick-up method according to claim 14, further comprising:

setting a shading of at least one of the first and second image signals and a shading ratio thereof; and

setting the first and second exposure times so that the set shading or the shading ratio are adopted.

16. The image pick-up method according to claim 14, further comprising:

setting a shading at least one of the first and second image signals or a shading ratio thereof, and

changing the shading ratio of the first and second image signals in the image synthesis according to the set shading or the shading ratio.

17. The image pick-up method according to claim 14, further comprising:

setting a size of motion-blur of the moving object; and

changing the second exposure time according to the set size of the motion-blur.

18. A recording medium on which a program is recorded, the program causing a processor to control an image pick-up apparatus so as to perform:

setting exposure condition including exposure time of a first image sensor based on photometered brightness of an object,

setting exposure condition including exposure time of a second image sensor based on the photometered brightness of the object,

setting a first exposure time when motion-blur of a moving object is not generated and a second exposure time when the motion-blur is generated;

controlling exposure of the first and second sensors based on the set first and second exposure times set when an image is picked up; and

synthesizing an image having a slow synchronized flash effect based on a first image signal output from the first image sensor and a second image signal output from the second image sensor, after the image is picked up.