Imaging device and method for capturing image

• US 7,593,037 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2006
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ida, Takashi, Matsumoto, Nobuyuki, Takeshima, Hidenori, Isogawa, Kenzo, Taguchi, Yasunori, Mita, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAMARGO, MARLY S.B.
• Application Number:
  US11/461,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20070046785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/208.4, 348/220.1, 348/441, 348/451, 348/452, 348/447, 348/459, 348/622, 348/623, 348/14.1, 348/15.4, 348/155, 348/208.13, 348/352, 348/402.1, 348/449, 345/546, 382/107, 382/154, 382/236, 382/299, 382/254
• US Class Current: 348/208.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor

Abstract

An imaging device includes: a capturing unit that captures a motion picture at one of a plurality of frame rates; a buffer that temporary stores the motion picture captured by the capturing unit; a signal generation unit that generates a signal used for specifying a core frame that is to be subjected to a resolution enhancement processing, while the capturing unit captures the motion picture at a first frame rate; a capturing control unit that controls the capturing unit to capture the motion picture, after the core frame specified by the signal, at a second frame rate that is higher than the first frame rate; a reference frame determination unit that determines a frame stored in the buffering unit at the second frame rate as a reference frame; and an image processing unit that performs the resolution enhancement processing by converting the core frame into a high-resolution frame by reference to the reference frame determined by the reference frame determination unit.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising:

a capturing unit that captures a motion picture at one of a plurality of frame rates;

a buffer that temporary stores the motion picture captured by the capturing unit;

a signal generation unit that generates a signal used for specifying a core frame that is to be subjected to a resolution enhancement processing, while the capturing unit captures the motion picture at a first frame rate;

a capturing control unit that controls the capturing unit to capture the motion picture, after the core frame specified by the signal, at a second frame rate that is higher than the first frame rate;

a reference frame determination unit that determines a frame stored in the buffer at the second frame rate as a reference frame; and

an image processing unit that performs the resolution enhancement processing by converting the core frame into a high-resolution frame by reference to the reference frame determined by the reference frame determination unit.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the signal generation unit includes a shutter button,

wherein the capturing control unit controls the capturing unit to capture the motion picture at a third frame rate that is higher than the first frame rate when the shutter button is halfway pressed,

wherein the signal generation unit generates the signal when the shutter button is fully pressed, and

wherein the reference frame determination unit determines frames stored in the buffer at the second frame rate and at the third frame rate as the reference frame.

3. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hand shake detection unit that detects amounts of hand shakes; and

a hand shake amount storing unit that stores the amounts of hand shakes detected by the hand shake detection unit,

wherein the reference frame determination unit selects the reference frame by use of the stored amounts of hand shakes.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hand shake detection unit that detects amounts of hand shakes; and

a hand shake amount storing unit that stores the amounts of hand shakes detected by the hand shake detection unit,

wherein the image processing unit converts the core frame into the high-resolution image by use of the stored amounts of hand shakes and the reference frame.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the capturing control unit controls the image capturing unit to capture the core frame in a spatial resolution that is higher than that of other frames.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a motion detection unit that detects movements between the core frame and the reference frame,

wherein the image processing unit converts the core frame into the high-resolution frame by reference to the reference frame being applied with motion compensation on the basis of the movements detected by the motion detection unit.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the reference frame determination unit determines frames stored in the buffer at the first frame rate and at the second frame rate as the reference frame.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit starts converting the core frame into the high-resolution frame after capturing the motion picture is terminated.

9. A method for capturing image, comprising:

capturing a motion picture at one of a plurality of frame rates;

temporary storing the captured motion picture;

generating a signal used for specifying a core frame that is to be subjected to a resolution enhancement processing, while capturing the motion picture at a first frame rate;

controlling the capturing of the motion picture by a capturing control unit to capture frames, after the core frame specified by the signal, at a second frame rate that is higher than the first frame rate;

determining a frame temporary stored at the second frame rate as a reference frame; and

performing the resolution enhancement processing by an image processing unit to convert into a high-resolution frame by reference to the reference frame.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the capturing to capture the motion picture at a third frame rate that is higher than the first frame rate when a shutter button is halfway pressed;

generating the signal when the shutter button is fully pressed; and

determining frames temporary stored at the second frame rate and at the third frame rate as the reference frame.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

detecting amounts of hand shakes;

storing the detected amounts of hand shakes; and

selecting the reference frame by use of the stored amounts of hand shakes.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

detecting amounts of hand shakes;

storing the detected amounts of hand shakes; and

converting the core frame into the high-resolution image by use of the stored amounts of hand shakes and the reference frame.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising controlling the capturing to capture the core frame in a spatial resolution that is higher than that of other frames.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

detecting movements between the core frame and the reference frame; and

converting the core frame into the high-resolution frame by reference to the reference frame being applied with motion compensation on the basis of the detected movements.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising determining frames temporary stored at the first frame rate and at the second frame rate as the reference frame.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the process of converting the core frame into the high-resolution frame is started after capturing the motion picture is terminated.