IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD FOR IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS, AND CONTROL PROGRAM FOR IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS

• US 20200137284A1
• Filed: 12/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: MASUDA, Tomonori, OTSURU, Mototada
• Granted Patent: US 11,012,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/00 Special procedures for taking photographs; Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/093 for control of exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/663 for controlling interchangeable camera parts based on electronic image sensor signals
• 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 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components

Abstract

An image capturing apparatus includes: an image capturing unit that includes an imaging device in which pixels are arranged in a two-dimensional array and that outputs an image signal obtained by image capturing of a photographic subject by the imaging device; an image processing unit that generates a captured image based on the image signal; and a CPU that performs an exposure control process to determine whether an image of a moving subject is included in the captured image, that controls the amount of exposure of the imaging device by performing a first process in a case where the determination unit determines that an image of a moving subject is included in the captured image, and that controls the amount of exposure of the imaging device by performing a second process in a case where the determination unit determines that no moving-subject image is included in the captured image.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus comprising:

an image sensor, in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a two-dimensional array, that outputs an image signal obtained by image capturing of a photographic subject by the image sensor through an image capturing optical system;

a processor; and

a display,

wherein the processor configured to

generate a captured image based on the image signal,

determine whether an image of a moving subject is included in the captured image,

control an amount of exposure of the image sensor by performing a first process for controlling an exposure time of the image sensor for each row of the array of the plurality of pixels in a case where an image of a moving subject is included in the captured image, and control the amount of exposure of the image sensor by performing a second process different from the first process in a case where no moving-subject image is included in the captured image, and

wherein the display displays the captured image obtained with the amount of exposure controlled by the processor.

2. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor further configured to control an amount of light that reaches the image sensor per unit time as the second process.

3. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor further configured to perform the first process in a case where a brightness of a moving-subject region that includes the image of the moving subject is equal to or higher than a predetermined brightness.

4. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the processor further configured to perform the first process in a case where a brightness of a moving-subject region that includes the image of the moving subject is equal to or higher than a predetermined brightness.

5. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor further configured to perform the second process in a case where a brightness of a moving-subject region that includes the image of the moving subject is lower than a predetermined brightness.

6. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the processor further configured to

divide the captured image into a plurality of division regions on the basis of a result of analysis of the captured image, and

assume a region in which the image of the moving subject is included among the plurality of division region to be the moving-subject region.

7. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor further configured to divide the captured image into a plurality of division regions along a boundary line determined on the basis of a result of analysis of the captured image.

8. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor further configured to perform the first process in a case where a moving speed of the moving subject detected from the image of the moving subject is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed.

9. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor further configured to perform the second process in a case where a moving speed of the moving subject detected from the image of the moving subject is lower than a predetermined speed.

10. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor further configured tot perform the first process in a case where an amount of movement, per unit time, of the moving subject detected from the image of the moving subject is equal to or larger than a predetermined amount of movement.

11. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor further configured to perform the second process in a case where an amount of movement, per unit time, of the moving subject detected from the image of the moving subject is smaller than a predetermined amount of movement.

12. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

before performing the first process, the processor further configured to communicate information indicating that the processor is going to perform the first process.

13. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processor further configured to communicate predetermined information in a case where an image of a moving subject is included in the captured image.

14. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

after performing the first process, the processor further configured to communicate information indicating that the processor has performed the first process.

15. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an interface that accepts an instruction for performing the first process, wherein

the processor further configured to perform the first process in a case where an image of a moving subject is included in the captured image and the interface accepts an instruction for performing the first process.

16. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the processor further configured to perform the second process in a case where an image of a moving subject is included in the captured image but the interface does not accept an instruction for performing the first process.

17. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in a case of performing the first process, the processor further configured to divide the captured image into a plurality of division regions along a boundary line determined on the basis of a result of analysis of the captured image, and perform the first process for each of the plurality of division regions obtained as a result of division.

18. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where an image of a moving subject is included in the captured image, the processor further configured to divide the captured image into a plurality of division regions on the basis of a result of analysis of the captured image, perform the first process for a division region that includes the image of the moving subject among the plurality of division regions obtained as a result of division, and perform the second process or not to control the amount of exposure of the image sensor for a division region other than the division region that includes the image of the moving subject.

19. A control method for an image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, the control method including a process comprising:

generating the captured image based on the image signal obtained by image capturing of the photographic subject by the image sensor in which the plurality of pixels are arranged in the two-dimensional array;

determining whether the image of the moving subject is included in the captured image;

controlling the amount of exposure of the image sensor by performing the first process for controlling the exposure time of the image sensor for each row of the array of the plurality of pixels in the case where the image of the moving subject is determined to be included in the captured image;

controlling the amount of exposure of the image sensor by performing the second process different from the first process in the case where no moving-subject image is determined to be included in the captured image; and

displaying the captured image obtained with the controlled amount of exposure.

20. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a control program for an image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, for causing a computer to perform a process comprising:

generating the captured image based on the image signal obtained by image capturing of the photographic subject by the image sensor in which the plurality of pixels are arranged in the two-dimensional array;

determining whether the image of the moving subject is included in the captured image;

controlling the amount of exposure of the image sensor by performing the first process for controlling the exposure time of the image sensor for each row of the an^-ay of the plurality of pixels in the case where the image of the moving subject is determined to be included in the captured image;

controlling the amount of exposure of the image sensor by performing the second process different from the first process in the case where no moving-subject image is determined to be included in the captured image; and

displaying the captured image obtained with the controlled amount of exposure.