Image pickup apparatus, image pickup method, and program therefor

• US 8,179,472 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Asoma, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): LaBalle, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): FENWICK, WARREN K
• Application Number:
  US12/190,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20090086061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 348/229.1, 348/362, 348/354
• US Class Current: 348/362
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• 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 25/589 with different integration times, e.g. short and long exposures

Abstract

An image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup unit selectively performing an image capturing operation in a normal image capturing mode where an exposure image signal is output in a unit period and a combined image capturing mode where long- and short-exposure image signals are output in the unit period; a signal processing unit generating a combined image signal with a dynamic range wider than that of the long-exposure image signal or the short-exposure image signal by combining the long-exposure image signal and the short-exposure image signal; a detection unit generating a luminance integrated value of the combined image signal; and a control unit performing exposure correction control using the luminance integrated value. The control unit initializes a correction value used in the exposure correction control when the mode is switched from the normal image capturing mode to the combined image capturing mode.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an image pickup unit configured to selectively perform an image capturing operation in a normal image capturing mode in which an exposure image signal is output in a unit period and an image capturing operation in a combined image capturing mode in which a long-exposure image signal with a relatively long exposure time and a short-exposure image signal with a relatively short exposure time are output in the unit period;

a signal processing unit configured to generate a combined image signal with a relatively wide dynamic range at least wider than that of the long-exposure image signal or that of the short-exposure image signal by combining the long-exposure image signal and the short-exposure image signal obtained in the image capturing operation in the combined image capturing mode by using the image pickup unit;

a detection unit configured to generate a luminance integrated value of the combined image signal; and

a control unit configured to perform exposure correction control using the luminance integrated value, the control unit initializes a correction value for use in the exposure correction control when the image pickup unit switches from an image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode to an image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode and causes the image pickup unit to switch from the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode to the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode when a change in the luminance integrated value obtained by the detection unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit generates the luminance integrated value and a luminance histogram of the combined image signal, and

wherein the control unit performs the exposure correction control using the luminance integrated value and the luminance histogram.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the initialization by minimizing a target luminance integrated value, which is a correction value used in performing underexposure correction and which is used in the exposure correction control.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the initialization by maximizing a target short exposure time, which is a correction value used in performing overexposure correction and which is used in the exposure correction control, when the image pickup unit switches from the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode to the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the image pickup unit to switch from the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode to the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode in accordance with a signal indicating occurrence of a rotation operation of the image pickup unit.

6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit causes the image pickup unit to switch from the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode to the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode when a rotation speed of the image pickup unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined speed.

7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the image pickup unit to switch from the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode to the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode in accordance with a signal indicating occurrence of a zoom operation.

8. An image pickup method comprising the steps of:

performing an image capturing operation in a normal image capturing mode in which an exposure image signal is output in a unit period while performing exposure correction control; and

initializing a correction value for use in the exposure correction control when an image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode is switched to an image capturing operation state in a combined image capturing mode in which a long-exposure image signal with a relatively long exposure time and a short-exposure image signal with a relatively short exposure time are output in the unit period

performing, in the combined image capturing mode, the image capturing operation while performing the exposure correction control;

generating a combined image signal with a relatively wide dynamic range at least wider than that of the long-exposure image signal or that of the short-exposure image signal by combining the long-exposure image signal and the short-exposure image signal in the combined image capturing mode;

generating a luminance integrated value of the combined image signal,

switching the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode to the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode when a change in the luminance integrated value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

9. The image pickup method according to claim 8, wherein, in the initializing step, the initialization is performed by minimizing a target luminance integrated value, which is a correction value used in performing underexposure correction and which is used in the exposure correction control.

10. The image pickup method according to claim 8, wherein, in the initializing step, the initialization is performed by maximizing a target short exposure time, which is a correction value used in performing overexposure correction and which is used in the exposure correction control.

11. The image pickup method according to claim 8, wherein the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode is switched to the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode in accordance with a signal indicating occurrence of a rotation operation.

12. The image pickup method according to claim 11, wherein the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode is switched to the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode when a rotation speed is greater than or equal to a predetermined speed.

13. The image pickup method according to claim 8, wherein the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode is switched to the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode in accordance with a signal indicating occurrence of a zoom operation.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with computer readable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to execute an image pickup method, comprising:

performing an image capturing operation in a normal image capturing mode in which an exposure image signal is output in a unit period while performing exposure correction control; and

initializing a correction value for use in the exposure correction control when an image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode is switched to an image capturing operation state in a combined image capturing mode in which a long-exposure image signal with a relatively long exposure time and a short-exposure image signal with a relatively short exposure time are output in the unit period

performing, in the combined image capturing mode, the image capturing operation while performing the exposure correction control;

generating a combined image signal with a relatively wide dynamic range at least wider than that of the long-exposure image signal or that of the short-exposure image signal by combining the long-exposure image signal and the short-exposure image signal in the combined image capturing mode;

generating a luminance integrated value of the combined image signal,

switching the image capturing operation state in the combined image capturing mode to the image capturing operation state in the normal image capturing mode when a change in the luminance integrated value is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.