IMAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20100079617A1
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kosaka, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,471,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/229.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/76 by influencing the image signals

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes an image sensor configured to capture an object image, a selection unit configured to automatically select a sensitivity of the image sensor from a predetermined selectable range, and an image processing unit configured to execute correction processing in which a signal of an image captured by the image sensor which has the sensitivity selected by the selection unit is amplified. When the image processing unit is set to execute the correction processing, the selection unit sets an upper limit of the selectable range lower, compared with the upper limit thereof when the image processing unit is not set to execute the correction processing.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an image sensor configured to capture an object image;

a selection unit configured to automatically select a sensitivity of the image sensor from a predetermined selectable range; and

an image processing unit configured to execute correction processing in which a signal of an image captured by the image sensor which has the sensitivity selected by the selection unit is amplified,

wherein, when the image processing unit is set to execute the correction processing, the selection unit sets an upper limit of the selectable range lower, compared with the upper limit thereof when the image processing unit is not set to execute the correction processing.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the image processing unit is set to execute the correction processing, the selection unit sets the selectable range narrower, compared with the selectable range when the image processing unit is not set to execute the correction processing.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction processing is a correction of luminance of a part of or the entire captured image.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction processing is a correction of decrease in marginal illumination executed on image data output from the image sensor based on information about marginal illumination of an imaging optical system.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a face detection unit configured to detect a human face area from image data output from the image sensor,

wherein the image processing unit corrects the image data including the face area to set luminance of the face area or the entire image to be at an appropriate level.

3. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an image sensor configured to capture an object image;

a selection unit configured to automatically select a sensitivity of the image sensor from a predetermined selectable range; and

an image processing unit configured to execute correction processing in which a signal of an image captured by the image sensor which has the sensitivity selected by the selection unit is amplified,

wherein, when the image processing unit is set to execute the correction processing, the selection unit sets a standard sensitivity to be preferentially selected within the selectable range lower, compared with the standard sensitivity when the image processing unit is not set to execute the correction processing.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising an exposure control unit configured to use the image captured by the image sensor and adjust at least any one of a shutter speed, charge accumulation time, and an aperture value, based on the sensitivity of the image sensor,

wherein the exposure control unit adjusts at least any one of the shutter speed, the charge accumulation time, and the aperture value, based on an object luminance and the standard sensitivity, and

wherein, when the image captured by the image sensor cannot be provided with an appropriate exposure by the exposure control unit adjusting at least any one of the shutter speed, the charge accumulation time, and the aperture value because the sensitivity of the image sensor is set to the standard sensitivity, the selection unit changes the sensitivity to another sensitivity other than the standard sensitivity.

5. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an image sensor configured to capture an object image;

a selection unit configured to automatically select a sensitivity of the image sensor from a first selectable range;

an image processing unit configured to execute correction processing in which a signal of an image captured by the image sensor which has the sensitivity selected by the selection unit is amplified; and

a warning unit configured to issue a warning when the image processing unit is set to execute the correction processing and the sensitivity selected by the selection unit exceeds an upper limit of a second selectable range, which is set lower than an upper limit of the first selectable range.

9. A method for capturing an image comprising:

automatically selecting a sensitivity of an image sensor configured to capture an object image from a predetermined selectable range; and

executing correction processing in which a signal of an image captured by the image sensor which has the selected sensitivity is amplified,

wherein, when the selection is made and the correction processing is set to be executed, an upper limit of the selectable range is set lower, compared with the upper limit thereof when the correction processing is not set to be executed.

10. A method for capturing an image comprising:

automatically selecting a sensitivity of an image sensor configured to capture an object image from a predetermined selectable range; and

executing correction processing in which a signal of an image captured by the image sensor which has the selected sensitivity is amplified,

wherein, when the selection is made and the correction processing is set to be executed, a standard sensitivity to be preferentially selected within the selectable range is set lower, compared with the standard sensitivity when the correction processing is not set to be executed.

11. A method for capturing an image comprising:

automatically selecting a sensitivity of an image sensor configured to capture an object image from a first selectable range;

executing correction processing in which a signal of an image captured by the image sensor which has the selected sensitivity is amplified; and

giving a warning when the correction processing is set to be executed and the selected sensitivity exceeds an upper limit of a second selectable range, the upper limit of which is set lower than an upper limit of the first selectable range.