Adjustment of shooting parameters in dependence of motion in a scene

• US 7,801,427 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Kaikumaa, Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): Blackman; Rochelle-Ann J
• Application Number:
  US11/224,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20070058965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,835 Days
• Field of Search: 396213-262, 396 52- 55, 396/65, 396/67, 396/153, 348/154, 348/155, 34820812-20816, 348362-368, 348/699, 348/208.3, 3482231-2241, 348/655, 348/657, 348/208.99, 348/208.1, 348/208.2, 348/208.4, 348/208.5, 348/208.6, 348/208.11, 250/559.32, 250/206.1
• US Class Current: 396/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/102 characterised by the element, parameter or selection affected or controlled by the adaptive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/137 Motion inside a coding unit, e.g. average field, frame or block difference
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/51 Motion estimation or motion compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• 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 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera system including a motion estimator estimating a motion of an image taken by the camera system, and; a controller controlling, based on the estimation, an update frequency of a predetermined parameter and/or an amount of adjustment of the predetermined parameter per update cycle.

Claims

1. A camera apparatus comprising:

a camera module and a phone module;

said camera module comprises an image sensor, an amplifier configured to amplify an output signal of the image sensor, and an A/D converter configured to convert the amplified signal to digital signal,

said phone module comprises a baseband circuit and a controller configured to control the baseband circuit,

wherein said controller is connected to the camera module by a first line configured to receive an output signal of the camera module, and by a second line which is associated with at least one of the image sensor and the amplifier, and said controller is configured to process an output signal of the camera module, and said controller is further configured;

to estimate a motion of an image taken by the camera module, and

to adjust at least one value depending on whether motion is estimated to exist in a portion of a frame or whether motion is estimated to exist in an entire frame, said at least one value comprising at least one of;

an update rate of a control parameter configured to control the camera module,

an amount of adjustment of the control parameter per update cycle in a given update cycle,

an update rate of a processing parameter configured to process the output signal of the camera module, and

an amount of adjustment of the processing parameter per update cycle in the given update cycle,

where the adjusted at least one value is applied to the entire frame.

2. A camera apparatus according to claim 1, where said at least one value comprises at least one of:

an update rate of a white balance adjustment of the output signal of the camera module, and

an amount of white balance adjustment per update cycle in the given update cycle.

3. A camera apparatus according to claim 2, where said controller comprises a first processor configured to control the baseband circuit, a second processor configured to control an output signal of the camera module and configured to control the camera module, and a memory configured to store programs for instructing to the first and the second processors.

4. A camera apparatus according to claim 3, where said phone module comprises a motion sensor whose output signal is used by said controller, where the controller is configured to adjust said at least one value depending the output signal of the motion sensor.

5. A camera apparatus comprising:

a camera module and a phone module;

said camera module comprises an image sensor, a first controller, an image constructor configured to construct an image data from a raw data of the image sensor, and a motion analyzer configured to estimate a motion of an image taken by the image sensor;

said phone module comprises a baseband circuit and a second controller configured to control the baseband circuit, and is connected to the camera module by a first line configured to receive an output data of the image constructor, and by a second line which is associated with the first and the second controller;

said motion analyzer is configured to estimate whether motion exists in a portion of a frame or whether motion exists in an entire frame,

said first controller is configured;

to adjust at least one value depending on an estimation made by the motion analyzer, said at least one value comprising at least one of;

an update rate of a control parameter configured to control the camera module,

an amount of adjustment of the control parameter per update cycle in a given update cycle,

an update rate of a processing parameter configured to process the raw data, and

an amount of adjustment of the processing parameter per update cycle in the given update cycle,

where the adjusted at least one value is applied to the entire frame,

where said first controller is further configured to be controlled by the second controller.

6. A camera apparatus according to claim 5, where said at least one value comprises at least one of:

an update rate of a white balance adjustment of the raw data, and

an amount of white balance adjustment per update cycle in the given update cycle.

7. A method comprising:

estimating, with a motion sensor, a motion of an image taken by a camera apparatus, the camera apparatus comprising a camera module and a phone module, said camera module comprising an image sensor, a first controller, an image constructor configured to construct an image data from a raw data of the image sensor, and a motion analyzer configured to estimate a motion of an image taken by the image sensor;

said phone module comprising a baseband circuit and a second controller configured to control the baseband circuit, and is connected to the camera module by a first line configured to receive an output data of the image constructor, and by a second line which is associated with the first and the second controller;

estimating, with the motion analyzer, whether motion exists in a portion of a frame or whether motion exists in an entire frame;

adjusting, with the first controller,;

at least one value depending on an estimation made by the motion analyzer, said at least one value comprising at least one of;

an update rate of a control parameter configured to control the camera module,

an amount of adjustment of the control parameter per update cycle in a given update cycle,

an update rate of a processing parameter configured to process the raw data, and

an amount of adjustment of the processing parameter per update cycle in the given update cycle,

applying the adjusted at least one value to the entire frame; and

controlling the first controller by the second controller.

8. A method comprising:

estimating, with a motion sensor, a motion of an image taken by a camera apparatus, the camera apparatus comprising a camera module and a phone module, said camera module comprising an image sensor, a first controller, an image constructor configured to construct an image data from a raw data of the image sensor, and a motion analyzer configured to estimate a motion of an image taken by the image sensor, said phone module comprising a baseband circuit and a second controller configured to control the baseband circuit, and is connected to the camera module by a first line configured to receive an output data of the image constructor, and by a second line which is associated with the first and the second controller;

estimating, with the motion analyzer, whether motion exists in a portion of a frame or whether motion exists in an entire frame;

adjusting, with the first controller;

at least one value depending on an estimation made by the motion analyzer, said at least one value comprising at least one of;

an update rate of a control parameter configured to control the camera module,

an amount of adjustment of the control parameter per update cycle in a given update cycle,

an update rate of a processing parameter configured to process the raw data, and

an amount of adjustment of the processing parameter per update cycle in the given update cycle,

applying the adjusted at least one value to the entire frame; and

controlling the first controller by the second controller.