Adjusting a white balance in a camera using a flash

• US 5,568,194 A
• Filed: 05/30/1995
• Issued: 10/22/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.
• Original Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Abe, Nobuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Application Number:
  US08/453,470
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 348/223, 348/224, 348/227, 348/655, 354/430, 354/413, 354/415, 354/420
• US Class Current: 348/223.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control

Abstract

An exposure condition when an electronic flash is to be used, i.e., an aperture value and a shutter speed, is determined based on a photometry value. Under the exposure condition, a photographing operation is carried out without use of the electronic flash, and image data obtained by this photographing operation are stored in a first image memory. Further, another photographing operation is carried out with use of the electronic flash, and image data obtained by this photographing operation are stored in a second image memory. The image data stored in the first and second image memories are read out and the luminance signals of corresponding pixels are compared. When the difference between the luminance signals is large, the white balance adjustment is performed based on electronic flash light. When the difference between the luminance signals is small, the white balance adjustment is performed based on the ambient daylight.

Claims

1. A white balance adjusting device provided in a still-video camera having an electronic flash, said white balance adjusting device comprising:

means for determining an exposure condition of said still-video camera when said electronic flash is to be used;

a first memory for storing first image data obtained by a first photographing operation for said exposure condition, said first photographing operation being performed without using said electronic flash, said first image data including pixel luminance data;

a second memory for storing second image data obtained by a second photographing operation for said exposure condition, said second photographing operation being performed by using said electronic flash, said second image data including pixel luminance data; and

means for performing a white balance adjustment for said second image data read from said second memory, in accordance with a difference between luminance data of corresponding pixels, obtained from said first and second image data stored in said first and second memories.

2. A white balance adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein said performing means performs said white balance adjustment for a pixel on which said electronic flash has an effect higher than a predetermined level based on light emitted by said electronic flash, said performing means performing said white balance adjustment for another pixel on which said light emitted by said electronic flash has an effect lower than said predetermined level based on ambient daylight.

3. A white balance adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein said performing means performs said white balance adjustment, when said difference is larger than a predetermined standard level, based on light emitted by said electronic flash, and said performing means performs said white balance adjustment, when said difference is smaller than said predetermined standard level, based on ambient daylight.

4. A white balance adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined standard level comprises a predetermined range, said performing means performing said white balance adjustment when said difference is within said predetermined range, based on an intermediate light intensity between an intensity of light emitted by said electronic flash and ambient daylight.

5. A white balance adjusting device according to claim 1, further comprising a white balance sensor by which a color temperature is sensed.

6. A white balance adjusting device according to claim 5, wherein said white balance adjustment, based on light emitted by said electronic flash, is performed using a first coefficient, said first coefficient comprising a constant value, and said white balance adjustment based on ambient daylight is performed using a second coefficient, said second coefficient being obtained by a signal outputted from said white balance sensor.

7. A white balance adjusting device according to claim 1, said performing means comprises:

means for dividing said first image data and said second image data into a plurality of blocks of data;

means for comparing luminance signals of each block of said plurality of blocks of data of said first image data to a corresponding block of said plurality of blocks of data of said second image data to obtain a difference between said luminance signals; and

means for determining coefficients of said white balance adjustment based on said difference between said luminance signals obtained by said comparing means.

8. A white balance adjusting device according to claim 7, further comprising a compression unit for image compression of said white balance adjusted image data, wherein said white balance adjustment is performed for said each block of said second image data coincident with said image compression.

9. A white balance adjusting device provided in a still-video camera having an electronic flash, said white balance adjusting device comprising:

means for determining an exposure condition of said still-video camera in a state in which said electronic flash is to be used;

means for obtaining image data to be stored in a memory, said image data comprising first image data, for said exposure condition by using said electronic flash, and second image data, for said exposure condition without using said electronic flash; and

means for performing a white balance adjustment to said second image data, in accordance with a difference between obtained luminances of corresponding pixels, said luminances being obtained from said first and second image data.

10. A white balance adjusting device for a camera having an electronic flash, comprising:

first means for storing pixel luminance data obtained by a photographing operation performed without a use of the electronic flash;

second means for storing pixel luminance data obtained by a photographing operation performed with the use of the electronic flash; and

means for adjusting a white balance in accordance with a difference between pixel luminance data of corresponding pixels stored in said first and second storing means.