ELECTRONIC FLASH, ELECTRONIC CAMERA AND LIGHT EMITTING HEAD

• US 20140139702A1
• Filed: 01/27/2014
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: KAWAKAMI, Chikuni
• Granted Patent: US 9,479,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/224.1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0521 movable housing, e.g. bounce-light
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0535 Built-in diffusor
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0567 Solid-state light source, e.g. LED, laser
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0592 installed in front of light emitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/10 for generating image signals from different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• 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 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/713 Transfer or readout registers; Split readout registers or multiple readout registers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/22 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/325 Pulse-width modulation [PWM]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 Converter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

An electronic camera having an electronic flash including a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit different wavelength light is disclosed. Electric energy is supplied to a capacitor to the LEDs. A system controller controls light emitting amounts of the LEDs so that a color temperature of the electronic flash light becomes a color temperature that has been manually set with a color temperature setting switch or a color temperature of a light source determined by color temperature sensors.

Claims

1. An electronic camera that stores color image signals of subject image captured with a taking lens and an imaging device, the electronic camera comprising:

a color temperature determining device that determines a color temperature of subject from the color image signals of the subject image captured with the taking lens and the imaging device;

an electronic flash light source that emits electronic flash light, said light source having a plurality of light emitting diodes that emit different wavelength light;

a light emission control device that determines a desired light emission color so as to adapt to the color temperature of the subject determined by said color temperature determining device, and controls to turn on and off the plurality of light emitting diodes with duty ratios, and controls the duty ratios of turning on and off of the plurality of light emitting diodes so as to adapt a color temperature of the electronic flash light to the desired light emission color.

2. The electronic camera as defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic camera further comprising:

a white balance correcting device that corrects a white balance of the color image signals based on the color temperature of the subject determined by said color temperature determining device.

3. The electronic camera as defined in claim 1, wherein the color temperature determining device determines color temperature of subject light by dividing an image of the color image signals into multiple areas and calculating respective average integrated value of R, G, and B signals in each area.

4. The electronic camera as defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic flash light source further comprising:

at least one diffusion plate which diffuses light from the plurality of light emitting diodes.

5. The electronic camera as defined in claim 1, wherein the light emission control device makes both of a start and end of each light emission of the plurality of light emitting diodes to be the same, wherein light emission of each of the plurality of light emitting diodes ends when amounts of the electronic flash light reach desired amounts.

6. The electronic camera as defined in claim 2, wherein the color temperature determining device determines color temperature of subject light by dividing an image of the color image signals into multiple areas and calculating respective average integrated value of R, G, and B signals in each area.

7. The electronic camera as defined in claim 2, wherein the electronic flash light source further comprising:

at least one diffusion plate which diffuses light from the plurality of light emitting diodes.

8. The electronic camera as defined in claim 2, wherein the light emission control device makes both of a start and end of each light emission of the plurality of light emitting diodes to be the same, and wherein light emission of each of the plurality of light emitting diodes ends when amounts of the electronic flash light reach desired amounts.

9. The electronic camera as defined in claim 2, wherein the color temperature determining device determines color temperature of subject light by dividing an image of the color image signals into multiple areas and calculating respective average integrated value of R, G, and B signals in each area;

and

wherein the electronic flash light source further comprising;

at least one diffusion plate which diffuses light from the plurality of light emitting diodes.

10. The electronic camera as defined in claim 2, wherein the color temperature determining device determines color temperature of subject light by dividing an image of the color image signals into multiple areas and calculating respective average integrated value of R, G, and B signals in each area;

and

wherein the light emission control device makes both of a start and end of each light emission of the plurality of light emitting diodes to be the same, and wherein light emission of each of the plurality of light emitting diodes ends when amounts of the electronic flash light reach desired amounts.

11. The electronic camera as defined in claim 2, wherein the electronic flash light source further comprising:

at least one diffusion plate which diffuses light from the plurality of light emitting diodes; and

wherein the light emission control device makes both of a start and end of each light emission of the plurality of light emitting diodes to be the same, and wherein light emission of each of the plurality of light emitting diodes ends when amounts of the electronic flash light reach desired amounts.

12. The electronic camera as defined in claim 2, wherein the color temperature determining device determines color temperature of subject light by dividing an image of the color image signals into multiple areas and calculating respective average integrated value of R, G, and B signals in each area;

wherein the electronic flash light source further comprising;

at least one diffusion plate which diffuses light from the plurality of light emitting diodes; and

wherein the light emission control device makes both of a start and end of each light emission of the plurality of light emitting diodes to be the same, and wherein light emission of each of the plurality of light emitting diodes ends when amounts of the electronic flash light reach desired amounts.

13. The electronic camera as defined in claim 3, wherein the electronic flash light source further comprising:

at least one diffusion plate which diffuses light from the plurality of light emitting diodes.

14. The electronic camera as defined in claim 3, wherein the light emission control device makes both of a start and end of each light emission of the plurality of light emitting diodes to be the same, and wherein light emission of each of the plurality of light emitting diodes ends when amounts of the electronic flash light reach desired amounts.

15. The electronic camera as defined in claim 3, wherein the electronic flash light source further comprising:

at least one diffusion plate which diffuses light from the plurality of light emitting diodes; and

wherein the light emission control device makes both of a start and end of each light emission of the plurality of light emitting diodes to be the same, and wherein light emission of each of the plurality of light emitting diodes ends when amounts of the electronic flash light reach desired amounts.

16. The electronic camera as defined in claim 4, wherein the light emission control device makes both of a start and end of each light emission of the plurality of light emitting diodes to be the same, and wherein light emission of each of the plurality of light emitting diodes ends when amounts of the electronic flash light reach desired amounts.