Image capturing apparatus and method for obtaining images with broad brightness range

• US 6,833,864 B1
• Filed: 07/08/1999
• Issued: 12/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ashida, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Long, Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US09/349,943
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: 348/229.1, 348/207.99, 348/362
• US Class Current: 348/229.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/743 Bracketing, i.e. taking a series of images with varying exposure conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2625 for obtaining an image which is composed of images from a temporal image sequence, e.g. for a stroboscopic effect sequence generated by event triggered capturing H04N7/188

Abstract

An image capturing apparatus determines whether, if images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, a main subject will hardly move in the images. The determination is made based on the detection by a tripod detection switch, which detects whether the image capturing apparatus is mounted on a tripod or not, etc. Only when it is determined that the main subject will be at the same position in the images, an imaging device including a solid state image sensor captures images multiple times at the predetermined time interval while an exposure control part changes exposures for the plurality of images, respectively. Then, the plurality of images with different exposures are combined into one image. Consequently, it is possible to combine the captured images, in which the main subject is at the same position, to obtain a desirable image with a broad dynamic range.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining image data representing a subject;

an exposure controller for controlling an exposure in the imaging device in accordance with brightness of the subject;

a determination part for determining whether, if a plurality of images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, the subject will be at a same position in the plurality of images;

a controlling part for controlling the imaging device to sequentially capture the plurality of images at the predetermined time interval while controlling the exposure controller to change exposures for the plurality of images, respectively, when the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images; and

an image composition part for receiving image data with different exposures, obtained by the imaging device, and combining the image data to compose image data representing one image.

2. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining image data representing a subject;

an exposure controller for controlling an exposure in the imaging device in accordance with brightness of the subject;

a determination part for determining whether, if a plurality of images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, the subject will be at a same position in the plurality of images; and

a controlling part for controlling the imaging device to sequentially capture the plurality of images at the predetermined time interval while controlling the exposure controller to change exposures for the plurality of images, respectively, when the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images;

wherein the determination part comprises a detection part for detecting that the image capturing apparatus is mounted on a tripod and wherein the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images if the detection part detects that the image capturing apparatus is mounted on the tripod.

3. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining image data representing a subject;

an exposure controller for controlling an exposure in the imaging device in accordance with brightness of the subject;

a determination part for determining whether, if a plurality of images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, the subject will be at a same position in the plurality of images; and

a controlling part for controlling the imaging device to sequentially capture the plurality of images at the predetermined time interval while controlling the exposure controller to change exposures for the plurality of images, respectively, when the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images;

wherein the determination part comprises a detection part for detecting a selection of a self-timer mode and wherein the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images if the detection part detects the selection of the self-timer mode.

4. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining image data representing a subject;

an exposure controller for controlling an exposure in the imaging device in accordance with brightness of the subject;

a determination part for determining whether, if a plurality of images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, the subject will be at a same position in the plurality of images; and

a controlling part for controlling the imaging device to sequentially capture the plurality of images at the predetermined time interval while controlling the exposure controller to change exposures for the plurality of images, respectively, when the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images;

wherein the determination part comprises a detection part for detecting a selection of a remote control mode and wherein the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images if the detection part detects the selection of the remote control mode.

5. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining image data representing a subject;

an exposure controller for controlling an exposure in the imaging device in accordance with brightness of the subject;

a determination part for determining whether, if a plurality of images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, the subject will be at a same position in the plurality of images; and

a controlling part for controlling the imaging device to sequentially capture the plurality of images at the predetermined time interval while controlling the exposure controller to change exposures for the plurality of images, respectively, when the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images;

wherein the determination part comprises a detection part for detecting a selection of a macro image capturing mode and wherein the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images if the detection part detects the selection of the macro image capturing mode.

6. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining image data representing a subject;

an exposure controller for controlling an exposure in the imaging device in accordance with brightness of the subject;

a determination part for determining whether, if a plurality of images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, the subject will be at a same position in the plurality of images; and

a controlling part for controlling the imaging device to sequentially capture the plurality of images at the predetermined time interval while controlling the exposure controller to change exposures for the plurality of images, respectively, when the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images;

wherein the determination part comprises a detection part for detecting a selection of a distant view image capturing mode and wherein the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images if the detection part detects the selection of the distant view image capturing mode.

7. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining image data representing a subject;

an exposure controller for controlling an exposure in the imaging device in accordance with brightness of the subject;

a determination part for determining whether, if a plurality of images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, the subject will be at a same position in the plurality of images; and

a controlling part for controlling the imaging device to sequentially capture the plurality of images at the predetermined time interval while controlling the exposure controller to change exposures for the plurality of images, respectively, when the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images;

wherein the determination part comprises a detection part for detecting that a shutter speed is lower than a predetermined threshold and wherein the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images if the detection part detects that the shutter speed is lower than the predetermined threshold.

8. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining image data representing a subject;

an exposure controller for controlling an exposure in the imaging device in accordance with brightness of the subject;

a determination part for determining whether, if a plurality of images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, the subject will be at a same position in the plurality of images; and

a controlling part for controlling the imaging device to sequentially capture the plurality of images at the predetermined time interval while controlling the exposure controller to change exposures for the plurality of images, respectively, when the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images;

wherein the determination part comprises a detection part for detecting a selection of a multiple-time image capturing mode for capturing the plurality of images and wherein the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images if the detection part detects the selection of the multiple-time image capturing mode.

9. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

an imaging device for obtaining image data representing a subject;

an exposure controller for controlling an exposure in the imaging device in accordance with brightness of the subject;

a determination part for determining whether, if a plurality of images are sequentially captured at a predetermined time interval, the subject will be at a same position in the plurality of images;

a controlling part for controlling the imaging device to sequentially capture the plurality of images at the predetermined time interval while controlling the exposure controller to change exposures for the plurality of images, respectively, when the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images;

a body; and

an imaging head including the imaging device, the imaging head being attached on the body and capable of rotating with respect to the body,

wherein the determination part comprises a detection part for detecting that the imaging head is rotated by at least a predetermined angle with respect to the body and that the imaging device is ready to capture an image of a user, and

wherein the determination part determines that the subject will be at the same position in the plurality of images if the detection part detects that the imaging head is rotated by at least the predetermined angle with respect to the body and that the imaging device is ready to capture the image of the user.