IMAGING DEVICE, IMAGING METHOD AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20110012998A1
• Filed: 07/16/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: PAN, Yi
• Granted Patent: US 8,773,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/246 Calibration of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

An imaging method includes: calculating an amount of parallax between a reference optical system and an adjustment target optical system; setting coordinates of an imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system; calculating coordinates of an imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the second viewpoint image outputted by the adjustment target optical system, based on the set coordinates of the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image, and on the calculated amount of parallax; and adjusting imaging conditions of the reference optical system and the adjustment target optical system, based on image data in the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image, at the set coordinates, and on image data in the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the second viewpoint image, at the calculated coordinates, and outputting the viewpoint images in the adjusted imaging conditions.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

an imaging unit configured to photoelectrically convert subject images formed via a reference optical system and an adjustment target optical system respectively, by an imaging element, and output viewpoint images for a left eye and a right eye;

a parallax amount calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of parallax between the reference optical system and the adjustment target optical system;

a setting unit configured to set coordinates of an imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to a first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system;

a calculation unit configured to calculate coordinates of an imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to a second viewpoint image outputted by the adjustment target optical system, based on the coordinates of the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system, which have been set by the setting unit, and on the amount of parallax calculated by the parallax amount calculation unit; and

a control unit configured to adjust imaging conditions of the reference optical system and the adjustment target optical system, based on image data in the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the viewpoint image from the reference optical system, at the coordinates set by the setting unit, and on image data in the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the viewpoint image from the adjustment target optical system, at the coordinates calculated by the calculation unit, and control the imaging unit to output the viewpoint images in the adjusted imaging conditions.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging condition evaluation region includes a focus evaluation value calculation region.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a reference optical system-focus control unit, while changing a focus position of the reference optical system, configured to detect a focused position at which a contrast in the focus evaluation value calculation region located at the coordinates set by the setting unit becomes a local maximum, in the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system, and to move the focus position of the reference optical system to the detected focused position; and

an adjustment target optical system-focus control unit, while changing a focus position of the adjustment target optical system, configured to detect a focused position at which a contrast in the focus evaluation value calculation region located at the coordinates calculated by the calculation unit becomes a local maximum, in the second viewpoint image outputted by the adjustment target optical system, and to move the focus position of the adjustment target optical system to the detected focused position.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging condition evaluation region includes a subject luminance calculation region.

5. The imaging device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a reference optical system-exposure control unit configured to control an exposure of the reference optical system so that a subject luminance detected from the subject luminance calculation region located at the coordinates set by the setting unit becomes appropriate, in the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system; and

an adjustment target optical system-exposure control unit configured to control an exposure of the adjustment target optical system so that a subject luminance detected from the subject luminance calculation region located at the coordinates calculated by the calculation unit becomes appropriate, in the second viewpoint image outputted by the adjustment target optical system.

6. The imaging device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a reference optical system-exposure control unit configured to control an exposure of the reference optical system so that an average weight of subject luminances detected from respective divided regions of the subject luminance calculation region including a plurality of the divided regions which are weighted with the coordinates set by the setting unit at the center, becomes appropriate, in the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system; and

an adjustment target optical system-exposure control unit configured to control an exposure of the adjustment target optical system so that an average weight of subject luminances detected from respective divided regions of the subject luminance calculation region including a plurality of the divided regions which are weighted with the coordinates calculated by the calculation unit at the center, becomes appropriate, in the second viewpoint image outputted by the adjustment target optical system.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging condition evaluation region includes a light adjustment-luminance calculation region.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the parallax amount calculation unit calculates the amount of parallax between the reference optical system and the adjustment target optical system, based on a parallax vector connecting a feature point detected from the imaging condition evaluation region whose coordinates have been set by the setting unit and which corresponds to the reference optical system, and a corresponding point corresponding to the feature point in the viewpoint image from the adjustment target optical system.

9. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein

the parallax amount calculation unit calculates the amount of parallax depending on at least one of a cross-point adjustment amount, an automatic parallax adjustment amount and a manual parallax adjustment amount.

10. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a stereoscopic image output unit configured to output a stereoscopic image based on the left and right viewpoint images outputted by the imaging unit.

11. An imaging method in which an imaging device comprising an imaging unit configured to photoelectrically convert subject images formed via a reference optical system and an adjustment target optical system respectively, by an imaging element, and output viewpoint images for a left eye and a right eye, executes the steps of:

calculating an amount of parallax between the reference optical system and the adjustment target optical system;

setting coordinates of an imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system;

calculating coordinates of an imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the second viewpoint image outputted by the adjustment target optical system, based on the set coordinates of the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system, and on the calculated amount of parallax; and

adjusting imaging conditions of the reference optical system and the adjustment target optical system, based on image data in the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system, at the set coordinates, and on image data in the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the second viewpoint image outputted by the adjustment target optical system, at the calculated coordinates, and controlling the imaging unit to output the viewpoint images in the adjusted imaging conditions.

12. A computer-readable recording medium including instructions stored thereon, such that when the instructions are read and executed by a processor, the processor is configured to perform the steps of:

calculating an amount of parallax between a reference optical system and an adjustment target optical system;

setting coordinates of an imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system;

calculating coordinates of an imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the second viewpoint image outputted by the adjustment target optical system, based on the set coordinates of the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system, and on the calculated amount of parallax; and

adjusting imaging conditions of the reference optical system and the adjustment target optical system, based on image data in the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the first viewpoint image outputted by the reference optical system, at the set coordinates, and on image data in the imaging condition evaluation region corresponding to the second viewpoint image outputted by the adjustment target optical system, at the calculated coordinates, and outputting the viewpoint images in the adjusted imaging conditions.