Method, apparatus, software and arrangement for modifying image data

• US 8,077,208 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ahonen, Petri
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, HUNG H
• Application Number:
  US11/667,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20080303912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,220 Days
• Field of Search: 348/211.1, 348/211.11, 348/207.99, 348/207.11
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

This invention relates to programmable modification of image data of a small compact digital camera. In the method according to the embodiments of the invention sensor data is processed before transferring it to an image processing component. The sensor data is read out from a camera sensor several times during one total exposure time and a data entity representing the final picture is integrated from the sensor data read out during an individual exposure time. The sensor data and/or the data entity are analyzed before the data entity is transferable to the image processing component.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

reading out sensor data from a camera sensor during an individual exposure time of a total exposure time; and

integrating a data entity representing a final picture from the sensor data read out during the total exposure time such that at least one of the read sensor data and the integrated data entity is analyzed before the data entity is transferred to an image processing component, where a focus distance is automatically changed for at least two individual exposure times to clearly focus at least two objects at different focal distances in an image field of the camera sensor, and where focus information for each of the at least two objects is included in the data entity.

2. A method according to claim 1, where the sensor data is read out at a high frequency at least two times during the total exposure time.

3. A method according to claim 1, where the sensor data is read out at a high frequency such that the ratio of frequencies of the total exposure time and an individual exposure time, during which the sensor data is read, is of the order of 1:

10, 1;

100, 1;

1000 or 1;

10000.

4. A method according to claim 1, where the sensor data read out during the total exposure time is converted to digital form and integrated into one data entity, after which the integrated, digital data entity is analyzed before transferring it to the image processing component.

5. A method according to claim 1, where during the total exposure time the data entity is analyzed such that an exposure adjustment is analyzed and the exposure time is determined based on the analysis performed.

6. A method according to claim 5, where the exposure adjustment is analyzed over an area of one of an entire camera sensor, an individual pixel or specified pixels.

7. A method according to claim 1, where the read sensor data is converted to digital form and the digital sensor data is analyzed before the sensor data is integrated into the data entity.

8. A method according to claim 1, where the data entity is a digital data entity and where during the total exposure time, in a case where a motion sensor indicates a camera movement, the digital data entity is shifted to a direction opposite to the indicated camera movement for eliminating blurring in the final picture caused by the movement.

9. A method according to claim 1, where the focus information for each of the at least two objects is integrated as part of the data entity to be accumulated during the total exposure time.

10. A method according to claim 1, where the focus information for each of the at least two objects is included in the data entity such that each of the at least two objects is accurately photographed irrespective of an object distance.

11. A method according to claim 1, where the image field is corresponding to a size of the sensor, and where during the total exposure time an offset is caused in the sensor or in a photographing apparatus such that a larger image field is exposed during the total exposure time than the image field corresponding to the sensor size.

12. A method according to claim 11, where the read sensor data includes more detailed information on a center area common to various offset positions and additional information on an edge area specific to each offset position.

13. A method according to claim 11, where the sensor data read out during the total exposure time is integrated into the data entity for composing a picture that includes a wider image field than a normal image field of the sensor.

14. A method according to claim 11, where the data entity is integrated from information, concerning a sensor center area, common to the sensor data read out during the total exposure time, for composing a picture whose resolution is higher than the sensor resolution.

15. A method according to claim 1, where the data entity produced during the total exposure time is transferred to an external memory, in which the final picture is composed of at least two or more data entities by integrating the data entities into an integrated picture.

29. A non-transitory memory embodying software, the software executed to carry out the method according to claim 1.

16. An apparatus comprising:

at least one data processor; and

at least one memory including software, where the at least one memory and the software are configured, with the at least one data processor, to cause the apparatus to at least;

read out sensor data of a camera sensor during an individual exposure time of a total exposure time,

analyze the read sensor data,

integrate a data entity representing a final picture from the sensor data read out during the total exposure time, and

analyze the data entity before the data entity is transferred to an image processing component, where a focus distance is automatically changed for at least two individual exposure times to clearly focus at least two objects at different focal distances in an image field of the camera sensor, and where focus information for each of the at least two objects is included in the data entity.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, where the sensor data is read out at least two or more times during the total exposure time.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16, where the sensor data is read out one of 10, 100, 1000 or 10000 times during the total exposure time.

19. An apparatus according to claim 16, comprising the at least one memory including software are configured, with the at least one data processor, to cause the apparatus to convert the read sensor data to digital form,

analyze the digital sensor data, and

integrate the analyzed digital sensor data into the data entity.

20. An apparatus according to claim 16, comprising the at least one memory including software are configured, with the at least one data processor, to cause the apparatus to sense a movement of the camera,

shift the digital data entity to a direction opposite to the camera movement, and

eliminate blurring caused by the movement from the final picture to be composed of the data entity.

21. An apparatus according to claim 19, it comprising means for analyzing the digital data entity created out of the sensor data.

22. An apparatus according to claim 16, comprising the at least one memory including software are configured, with the at least one data processor, to cause the apparatus to examine exposure adjustment of the sensor data, and

determine the exposure value by analyzing the data entity during the total exposure time.

23. An apparatus according to claim 21, comprising the at least one memory including software are configured, with the at least one data processor, to cause the apparatus to examine exposure adjustment over the entire sensor area, over the area of an individual pixel or over an area of specified pixels.

24. An apparatus according to claim 16, where the focus information for each of the at least two objects is integrated as part of the data entity to be accumulated during the total exposure time.

25. An apparatus according to claim 16, where the focus information for each of the at least two objects is included in the data entity such that each of the at least two objects is accurately photographed irrespective of an object distance.

26. An apparatus according to claim 16, comprising the at least one memory including software are configured, with the at least one data processor, to cause the apparatus to cause a sway in the sensor or in the photographing apparatus during the total exposure time for exposing a larger image field than the one corresponding to the sensor size during the total exposure time.

27. An apparatus according to claim 25, comprising the at least one memory including software are configured, with the at least one data processor, to cause the apparatus to integrate the sensor data read out during the total exposure time into a data entity for composing a picture that includes a wider image field than the normal image field of the sensor.

28. An apparatus according to claim 25, comprising the at least one memory including software are configured, with the at least one data processor, to cause the apparatus to integrate the information, concerning the sensor center area, common to the sensor data read out during the total exposure time, into a data entity for composing a picture whose resolution is higher than the sensor resolution.