Imaging apparatus and imaging method

• US 8,908,064 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2013
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Koshiba, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): BHUIYAN, FAYEZ A
• Application Number:
  US13/850,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20130208147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 348/339, 348/239, 348/22.11
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/093 for control of exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/581 acquired simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/583 with different integration times
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/585 with pixels having different sensitivities within the sensor, e.g. fast or slow pixels or pixels having different sizes

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes: a device control unit that performs a driving in which a first captured image signal during a first exposure period and a second captured image signal during each of second exposure periods are read by sequentially exposing second photoelectric conversion elements for the second exposure periods while exposing first photoelectric conversion elements for the first exposure period, and an image processing unit that performs a processing in which a captured image signal with a dynamic range is generated by using the first captured image signal and at least one of the second captured image signals, and the processing includes plural types of processings where numbers of the second captured image signals to be used are different.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus provided with a solid state imaging device that includes a plurality of first photoelectric conversion elements and a plurality of second photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a two-dimensional array, the imaging apparatus comprising:

a driving unit that performs a driving in which a first captured image signal according to electrical charges accumulated in the plurality of first photoelectric conversion elements during a first exposure period and a second captured image signal according to electrical charges accumulated in the plurality of second photoelectric conversion elements during each of several second exposure periods are read by sequentially exposing the plurality of second photoelectric conversion elements for the several second exposure periods while exposing the plurality of first photoelectric conversion elements for the first exposure period; and

an image processing unit that performs a processing in which a captured image signal with a dynamic range is generated by using the first captured image signal and at least one of the plurality of the second captured image signals,

wherein each of the second exposure periods overlaps with the first exposure period and the processing includes plural types of processing where numbers of the second captured image signals to be used are different,

wherein the image processing unit determines a captured image data among the plurality of the captured image data generated from each of the plural types of the processing to be recorded on a recording medium based on the captured image data generated from at least one of the plural types of the processing, and

wherein the image processing unit allows any of the captured image data without the saturation area among the captured image data obtained from a processing other than another processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used among the plural types of the processing to be recorded on the recording medium, and when a captured image data without the saturation area is absent, the image processing unit allows the captured image data obtained from the processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used among the plural types of the processing to be recorded on the recording medium.

2. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processing unit performs the plural types of the processing in an ascending order of the number of the second captured image signals to be used, and determines whether the saturation area is present in the captured image data obtained from the processing other than the processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used each time when the processing is ended, and if the saturation area is absent, the captured image data is allowed to be recorded on the recording medium, and when it is determined that the saturation area is present in the captured image data obtained from the processing having the second smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used, the captured image data obtained from a processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used is allowed to be recorded on the recording medium.

3. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processing unit selects the respective non-saturation areas of the plurality of the captured image data obtained from the plural types of processing first from the non-saturation areas obtained from a processing having the largest number of the second captured image signals to be used, and generates the captured image data by combining the selected non-saturation areas.

4. The imaging apparatus of claim 3, wherein when the number of the selected non-saturation areas is insufficient, the image processing unit supplements a shortage with the saturation area of the captured image data obtained from a processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used.

5. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processing unit performs a processing in which the captured image data having the dynamic range instructed through the manipulation unit among the plural types of the processing is obtained, and allows the captured image data obtained from the processing to be recorded on the recording medium.

6. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processing unit performs the respective plural types of the processing and allows all the captured image data obtained from the processing or a captured image data selected among them to be recorded on the recording medium.

7. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a mechanical shutter installed in light incident side of the solid state imaging device,

wherein the solid state imaging device is a MOS type solid state imaging device,

the driving unit performs the global reset driving in which the accumulated electrical charges of the plurality of the first photoelectric conversion elements are simultaneously reset to make the first exposure period start, closes the mechanical shutter to make the first exposure period end after starting the first exposure period, and performs a rolling reset driving in which the accumulated electrical charges of the plurality of the second photoelectric conversion elements are reset for each line of the second photoelectric conversion elements while varying timings to make exposure periods except for at least last exposure period of the plurality of second exposure periods start.

8. The imaging apparatus of claim 6, wherein the driving unit performs the global reset driving in which the accumulated electrical charges of the plurality of the second photoelectric conversion elements are simultaneously reset to make the last exposure period of the plurality of second exposure periods start, and closes the mechanical shutter to make the last exposure period of the plurality of second exposure periods end.

9. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driving part includes a first read-out circuit for reading the first captured image signal from the plurality of the first photoelectric conversion elements and a second read-out circuit, which is installed separately from the first read-out circuit, for reading the second captured image signal from the plurality of the second photoelectric conversion elements.

10. An imaging method using a solid state imaging device that includes a plurality of first photoelectric conversion elements and a plurality of second photoelectric conversion elements arranged in a two-dimensional array, the imaging method comprising:

a driving step of reading a first captured image signal according to electrical charges accumulated in the plurality of first photoelectric conversion elements during the first exposure period and a second signal according to electrical charges accumulated in each of the plurality of second photoelectric conversion elements during each of several second exposure periods are read by sequentially exposing the plurality of second photoelectric conversion elements for the several second exposure periods while simultaneously exposing the plurality of first photoelectric conversion elements for a first exposure period; and

an image processing step of performing a processing in which a captured image signal with a dynamic range is generated by using the first captured image signal and at least one of the plurality of the second captured image signals, wherein each of the second exposure periods overlaps with the first exposure period and the processing includes plural types of processing where numbers of the second captured image signals to be used are different,

wherein in the image processing step, a captured image data to be recorded on a recording medium among the plurality of the captured image data generated from each of the plural types of the processing is determined based on the captured image data generated from at least one of the plural types of the processing, and

wherein in the image processing step, any of the captured image data without the saturation area among the captured image data obtained from a processing other than another processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used among the plural types of the processing is allowed to be recorded on the recording medium, and when a captured image data without the saturation area is absent, the captured image data obtained from the processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used among the plural types of the processing is allowed to be recorded on the recording medium.

11. The imaging method of claim 10, wherein in the image processing step, the plural types of the processing are performed in an ascending order of the number of the second captured image signals to be used, the method further comprising:

determining each time the processing ends whether the saturation area is present in the captured image data obtained from the processing other than the processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used; and

allowing the captured image data to be recorded on the recording medium, in response to the saturation area being present, and wherein when the saturation area is present in the captured image data obtained from the processing having the second smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used, the captured image data recorded on the recording medium is the captured image data that is obtained from a processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals.

12. The imaging method of claim 10, wherein in the image processing step, the respective non-saturation areas of the plurality of the captured image data obtained from the plural types of processing first from those obtained from processing having the largest number of the second captured image signals to be used is selected, and the captured image data is generated by combining the selected non-saturation areas.

13. The imaging method of claim 12, wherein in the image processing step, when the number of the selected non-saturation areas is insufficient, a shortage is supplemented with the saturation area of the captured image data obtained from a processing having the smallest number of the second captured image signals to be used.

14. The imaging method of claim 10, wherein in the image processing step, a processing in which the captured image data having the dynamic range instructed through the manipulation unit among the plural types of the processing is obtained is performed, and the captured image data obtained from the processing is allowed to be recorded on the recording medium.

15. The imaging method of claim 10, wherein in the image processing step, the respective plural types of the processing are performed and all of the captured image data obtained from the processing or a captured image data selected among them is allowed to be recorded on the recording medium.

16. The imaging method of claim 10, wherein the solid state imaging device is a MOS type solid state imaging device,

the driving unit performs the global reset driving in which the accumulated electrical charges of the plurality of the first photoelectric conversion elements are simultaneously reset to make the first exposure period start, closes the mechanical shutter installed in light incident side of the solid state imaging device to make the first exposure period end after starting the first exposure period, and performs a rolling reset driving in which the accumulated electrical charges of the plurality of the second photoelectric conversion elements are reset for each line of the second photoelectric conversion elements while varying timing to make exposure periods except for at least the last exposure period of the plurality of second exposure periods start.

17. The imaging method of claim 16, wherein in the driving step, the global reset driving in which the accumulated electrical charges of the plurality of the second photoelectric conversion elements are simultaneously reset is performed to make the last exposure period of the plurality of second exposure periods start, and closes the mechanical shutter to make the last exposure period of the plurality of second exposure periods end.

18. The imaging apparatus of claim 10, wherein in the driving step, the first captured image signal is read using a first read-out circuit and the second captured image signal is read using a second read-out circuit installed separately from the first read-out circuit.