PHOTOGRAPHING APPARATUS

• US 20110187920A1
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kunishige, Keiji, Shimada, Yoshinao
• Granted Patent: US 8,817,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/371
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00

Abstract

A photographing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: an accumulation control section controlling an accumulation operation in an imaging section; an accumulation start timing setting section setting a timing of accumulation start in the imaging section; and a flash light emission control section controlling the start and stop of light emission in the flash light emission section, wherein the accumulation control section instructs the flash light emission control section to start the flash light emission and causes the imaging section to start the accumulation based on an output of the accumulation start timing setting section, and the flash light emission control section causes the flash light emission to be started in response to the flash light emission start instruction of the accumulation control section and causes the flash light emission section to stop the light emission based on an appropriate light emission amount output by an exposure calculation section.

Claims

1. A photographing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging section accumulating photoelectric current according to a received light amount and outputting an image signal according to this accumulated photoelectric current;

an accumulation control section controlling an accumulation operation in the imaging section;

a flashlight emission section illuminating an object by flash light emission;

an emitted light waveform storing section storing emitted light waveform information which shows a relationship between a light emission time and a light emission amount in the flash light emission section;

an exposure calculation section calculating an accumulation time in the imaging section and a reception light amount of the flash light emission in the flash light emission section by the imaging section; and

an accumulation start timing setting section setting a timing of accumulation start in the imaging section from the light emission start in the flash light emission section based on an output of the emitted light waveform storing section and the reception light amount of the flash light emission output by the exposure calculation section, wherein

the accumulation control section instructs the flash light emission section to start flash light emission and also causes the imaging section to start the accumulation based on the accumulation start timing output by the accumulation start timing setting section from the flash light emission start in the flash light emission section.

2. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the accumulation control section causes the imaging section to terminate the accumulation based on the accumulation time output by the exposure calculation section.

3. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising in the imaging section:

a pixel section in which pixels are arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix, the pixels including a photoelectric conversion element changing an electric charge amount to be accumulated according to incident light and an electric charge holding section holding the electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element; and

an electric charge accumulation control section controlling the pixel section so as to cause the plurality of pixels in the pixel section to start the accumulation at the same time by an accumulation start instruction from the accumulation control section.

4. The photographing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the electric charge accumulation control section controls the pixel section so as to cause the plurality of pixels in the pixel section to complete the accumulation at the same time by an accumulation completion instruction output by the accumulation control section.

5. The photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the accumulation start timing setting section divides an emitted light waveform stored in the emitted light waveform storing section into a plurality of intervals, selects any of the plurality of intervals, and calculates the accumulation start timing by a calculation formula according to the emitted light waveform in the interval.

6. A photographing apparatus, comprising:

an external flash light emission apparatus which is configured to be attachable to the above photographing apparatus and illuminates an object, the external flash light emission apparatus storing emitted light waveform information showing a relationship between a light emission time and a light emission amount of flash light emission;

an imaging section accumulating photoelectric current according to a received light amount and outputting an image signal according to this accumulated photoelectric current;

an accumulation control section controlling an accumulation operation in the imaging section;

a communication section performing communication with the external flash light emission apparatus;

an exposure calculation section calculating an accumulation time in the imaging section and a reception light amount of the flash light emission in the external flash light emission apparatus by the imaging section;

an accumulation start timing setting section setting a timing of accumulation start in the imaging section from light emission start in the external flash light emission apparatus based on the emitted light waveform information obtained by the communication section through the communication with the external flash light emission apparatus and the reception light amount of the flash light emission output by the exposure calculation section, wherein

the accumulation control section instructs the external flash light emission apparatus via the communication section to start the flash light emission and also causes the imaging section to start the accumulation based on the accumulation start timing output by the accumulation start timing setting section from the flash light emission start in the external flash light emission apparatus.

7. The photographing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the accumulation control section causes the imaging section to complete the accumulation based on the accumulation time output by the exposure calculation section.

8. The photographing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising in the imaging section:

a pixel section in which pixels are arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix, the pixel including a photoelectric conversion element changing an electric charge amount to be accumulated according to incident light and an electric charge holding section holding the electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element; and

an electric charge accumulation control section controlling the pixel section so as to cause the plurality of pixels in the pixel section to start the accumulation at the same time by an accumulation start instruction from the accumulation control section.

9. The photographing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the electric charge accumulation control section controls the pixel section so as to cause the plurality of pixels in the pixel section to complete the accumulation at the same time by an accumulation completion instruction output by the accumulation control section.

10. The photographing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the accumulation start timing setting section divides an emitted light waveform stored in the emitted light waveform storing section into a plurality of intervals, selects any of the plurality of intervals, and calculates the accumulation start timing by a calculation formula according to the emitted light waveform in the interval.

11. A photographing apparatus comprising:

an imaging section accumulating photoelectric current according to a received light amount and outputting an image signal according to this accumulated photoelectric current;

an accumulation control section controlling an accumulation operation in the imaging section;

a flash light emission section illuminating an object by flash light emission;

an emitted light waveform storing section storing emitted light waveform information which shows a relationship between a light emission time and a light emission amount in the flash light emission section;

an exposure calculation section calculating an appropriate accumulation time in the imaging section and an appropriate light emission amount in the flash light emission section;

an accumulation start timing setting section setting a timing of accumulation start in the imaging section from light emission start in the flash light emission section based on an output of the emitted light waveform storing section and the appropriate light emission amount output by the exposure calculation section; and

a flash light emission control section controlling start and stop of the light emission in the flash light emission section, wherein

the accumulation control section instructs the flash light emission control section to start flash light emission and causes the imaging section to start the accumulation based on an output by the accumulation start timing setting section, and the flash light emission control section causes the flash light emission to be started in response to the flash light emission start instruction from the accumulation control section and causes the light emission of the flash light emission section to be stopped based on the appropriate light emission amount output by the exposure calculation section.

12. The photographing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the flash light emission control section includes a light emission amount measuring section measuring a light emission amount of the flash light emission section and

controls the light emission stop based on the appropriate light emission amount output by the exposure calculation section and with reference to an output of the light emission amount measuring section.

13. The photographing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the light emission amount measuring section starts to measure the light emission amount in the flash light emission section from the accumulation start in the imaging section and outputs an light emission stop signal to the flash light emission section when the light emission amount reaches the appropriate light emission amount output by the exposure calculation section.

14. The photographing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the flash light emission control section determines a light emission stop timing based on the appropriate light emission amount output by the exposure calculation section and an output by the emitted light waveform storing section and controls the light emission stop based on the light emission stop timing.

15. The photographing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising

a second emitted light waveform storing section storing a relationship between the light emission time and the light emission amount in the flash light emission section regarding the light emission time which has a resolution finer than that of the emitted light waveform information stored in the emitted light waveform storing section, wherein

the flash light emission control section determines a light emission stop timing based on an output of the second emitted light waveform storing section and controls the light emission stop based on the light emission stop timing.

16. The photographing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising in the imaging section:

a pixel section in which pixels are arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix, the pixel including a photoelectric conversion element changing an electric charge amount to be accumulated according to incident light and an electric charge holding section holding the electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element; and

an electric charge accumulation control section controlling the pixel section so as to cause the plurality of pixels in the pixel section to start the accumulation at the same time by an accumulation start instruction from the accumulation control section.

17. The photographing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the electric charge accumulation control section controls the pixel section so as to cause the plurality of pixels in the pixel section to complete the accumulation at the same time by an accumulation completion instruction output by the accumulation control section.

18. A photographing apparatus comprising:

an external flash light emission apparatus which is configured to be attachable to the above photographing apparatus and illuminates an object, the external flash light emission apparatus storing emitted light waveform information showing a relationship between a light emission time and a light emission amount of flash light emission;

an imaging section accumulating photoelectric current according to a received light amount and outputting an image signal according to this accumulated photoelectric current;

an accumulation control section controlling an accumulation operation in the imaging section;

a communication section performing communication with the external flash light emission apparatus;

an exposure calculation section calculating an appropriate accumulation time in the imaging section and an appropriate light mission amount in the external flash light emission apparatus; and

an accumulation start timing setting section setting a timing of accumulation start in the imaging section from light emission start in the external flash light emission apparatus based on the emitted light waveform information obtained through the communication with the external flash light emission apparatus via the communication section and the appropriate light emission amount output by the exposure calculation section, wherein

the accumulation control section instructs the external flash light emission apparatus via the communication section to start the flash light emission and causes the imaging section to start the accumulation according to an output by the accumulation start timing setting section, and the external flash light emission apparatus starts the flash light emission in response to the flash light emission start instruction from the accumulation control section and stops the flash light emission based on the appropriate light emission amount which is output by the exposure calculation section and obtained via the communication section.

19. The photographing apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising in the imaging section:

a pixel section in which pixels are arranged two-dimensionally in a matrix, the pixels including a photoelectric conversion element changing an electric charge amount to be accumulated according to incident light and an electric charge holding section holding the electric charge accumulated in the photoelectric conversion element; and

an electric charge accumulation control section controlling the pixel section so as to cause the plurality of pixels in the pixel section to start the accumulation at the same time by an accumulation start instruction from the accumulation control section.

20. The photographing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

the electric charge accumulation control section controls the pixel section so as to cause the plurality of pixels in the pixel section to complete the accumulation at the same time by an accumulation completion instruction output by the accumulation control section.