Digital camera having burst image capture mode

• US 8,736,697 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fintel, William Vernon, Jasinski, David Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): BERARDESCA, PAUL M
• Application Number:
  US13/071,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 348/221.1, 348/208.1, 348/208.16, 348/208.12, 348/169, 348/362, 348/222.1, 382/103, 382/107
• US Class Current: 348/221.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8211 the additional signal being a sound signal H04N9/835 takes precedence

Abstract

A digital camera having a burst image capture mode, comprising: an image sensor; an optical system; a data processing system; an image memory; and a program memory storing instructions configured to implement a method for capturing a sequence of digital images in the burst image capture mode. The instructions include: capturing two or more evaluation digital images of a scene that includes a moving object; analyzing the evaluation digital images to determine a rate of motion for the moving object; determining a frame rate responsive to the rate of motion for the moving object; initiating an image capture sequence; capturing a sequence of digital images; and storing a set of captured digital images corresponding to the determined frame rate in the image memory.

Claims

1. A digital camera, comprising:

an image sensor;

an optical system for forming an image onto the image sensor;

a data processing system;

an image memory communicatively connected to the data processing system; and

a program memory communicatively connected to the data processing system and storing instructions configured to cause the data processing system to implement a method for capturing a sequence of digital images in a burst image capture mode, wherein the instructions include;

capturing two or more evaluation digital images of a scene using the image sensor, each evaluation digital image being captured at a different time, wherein the scene includes a moving object;

analyzing the two or more evaluation digital images to determine a rate of motion for the moving object;

determining a frame rate responsive to the rate of motion for the moving object by;

determining an initial object position for the moving object;

determining a projected time interval required for the moving object to reach an edge of the scene depicted in the evaluation digital images based on the rate of motion; and

determining the frame rate responsive to the projected time interval and a specified number of digital images;

capturing a sequence of digital images of the scene using the image sensor, each digital image being captured at a different time; and

storing a set of captured digital images corresponding to the determined frame rate in the image memory.

2. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the rate of motion includes both a direction and a magnitude.

3. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the specified number of digital images is predefined.

4. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the specified number of digital images is user-selectable using a user interface provided on the digital camera.

5. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the specified number of digital images is determined responsive to the rate of motion.

6. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the specified number of digital images is determined responsive to a size of the moving object.

7. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the specified number of digital images is determined such that a depiction of the moving object in any one of the captured digital images in the set will be substantially non-overlapping with a depiction of the moving object in any other captured digital image in the set.

8. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the sequence of digital images are captured at the determined frame rate, and wherein all of the captured digital images in the sequence of digital images are stored in the image memory.

9. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the sequence of digital images are captured at a predetermined frame rate that is faster than the determined frame rate, and wherein only a subset of the captured digital images in the sequence of digital images corresponding to the determined frame rate are stored in the image memory.

10. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the moving object is a main subject in the scene as determined using a main subject detection algorithm.

11. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the moving object is a foreground object in the scene.

12. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the moving object is an object determined to be a fastest moving object in the scene.

13. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein each of the digital images in the stored set of captured digital images are stored in separate digital image files.

14. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the digital images in the stored set of captured digital images are combined to form a composite image, and wherein the composite image is stored in the image memory.

15. The digital camera of claim 14 wherein the composite image is a montage image including each of the digital images in the stored set of captured digital images.

16. The digital camera of claim 14 wherein the composite image is formed by extracting the moving object from the digital images in the stored set of captured digital images and combining them onto a common background image.

17. The digital camera of claim 16 wherein the common background image corresponds to a background from one of the digital images in the stored set of digital images, or to a combination of backgrounds from a plurality of the digital images in the stored set of digital images.

18. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein rates of motion are determined for a plurality of moving objects, and wherein the frame rate is determined responsive to the rates of motion for the plurality of moving objects.

19. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein one or more of the evaluation digital images are included in the sequence of digital images.

20. The digital camera of claim 1 further including the step of adjusting one or more image capture settings used to capture the sequence of digital images responsive to the rate of motion for the moving object.

21. The digital camera of claim 20 wherein the one or more image capture settings include an exposure time setting, a lens aperture setting, an exposure index setting, an image resolution setting, or a sensor readout configuration setting.

22. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the captured sequence of digital images is a digital video sequence.