Image capturing apparatus and image capturing method

• US 9,025,929 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kosakai, Ryota, Aiki, Katsutoshi, Sato, Nobuyuki, Nagahama, Hiroki, Sase, Masatoshi, Yoneda, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADAMS, EILEEN M
• Application Number:
  US14/462,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20140355948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 386/219
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/006 with video camera or receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/10 for generating image signals from different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• 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 23/83 specially adapted for colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0105 using a storage device with different write and read speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0127 by changing the field or frame frequency of the incoming video signal, e.g. frame rate converter
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/69 for modifying the colour signals by gamma correction controlling camera response for colour signals H04N23/83
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7904 : using intermediate digital signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/80 : Transformation of the television signal for recording, e.g. modulation, frequency changing; Inverse transformation for playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 : Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

In a high speed image capturing state, a camera signal processing circuit is not needed to perform a signal process at a high screen rate, but at a regular screen rate. In the high speed image capturing mode, raw data of 240 fps received from an image sensor 101 are recorded on a recording device 111 through a conversion processing section 201 and a recording device controlling circuit 210. Raw data that have been decimated and size-converted are supplied to a camera signal processing circuit 203 through a pre-processing circuit 202 and an image being captured is displayed on a display section 112 with a signal for which a camera process has been performed. In a reproducing state, raw data are read from the recording device 111 at a low screen rate according to a display performance of the display section 112 and the raw data that have been read are processed are processed by the pre-processing circuit 202 and the camera signal processing circuit 203 and a reproduced image is displayed by the display section 112.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

an image sensor configured to output first RAW data having a first frame rate;

a signal processor configured to perform a signal processing including a simultaneously forming processing and a white balance processing; and

circuitry configured to

in a recording process of the first RAW data onto a recording medium,

(a) convert the first RAW data output from the image sensor into second RAW data having a second frame rate which is lower than the first frame rate,

(b) control the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the second RAW data to output a camera-through image being captured for display at the second frame rate, and

(c) record the first RAW data output from the image sensor onto the recording medium without converting the first RAW data into the second RAW data and without performing the simultaneously forming processing and the white balance processing by the signal processor,

in a reproducing process of the first RAW data recorded on the recording medium,

(a) read the first RAW data from the recording medium without converting the first RAW data into the second RAW data, and

(b) control the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the first RAW data read from the recording medium to output a slow motion reproduced image for display at the second frame rate.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first frame rate is for a high speed image capture mode of the image sensor and the second frame rate is for display on a display device.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first frame rate is at least four times as high as the second frame rate.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to decimate, in the recording process, the number of fields per unit time of the first RAW data to convert the first RAW data output from the image sensor into the second RAW data.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is attachable, wherein the recording medium comprises a semiconductor memory.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing comprises a YC generation processing.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the second RAW data at the second frame rate in the recording process and control the signal processor to perform the signal processing on decompressed first RAW data at the second frame rate in the reproducing process.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

compression and decompression circuitry configured to compress and decompress the first RAW data,

wherein the compression and decompression circuitry compresses the first RAW data in advance of recording to the record medium in the recording process; and

the compression and decompression circuitry decompress the first RAW data compressed by the compression and decompression circuitry and read from the recording medium in the reproducing process.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the compression and decompression circuitry is further configured to compress and decompress the first RAW data according to a still image encoding system.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the still image encoding system is JPEG format.

11. An image capturing method, comprising the steps of:

controlling an image sensor to output first RAW data having a first frame rate;

performing signal processing including a simultaneously forming processing and a white balance processing by a signal processor; and

in a recording process of the first RAW data onto a recording medium,

(a) converting the first RAW data output from the image sensor into second RAW data having a second frame rate which is lower than the first frame rate,

(b) controlling, by circuitry, the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the second RAW data to output a camera-through image being captured for display at the second frame rate, and

(c) recording the first RAW data output from the image sensor onto the recording medium without converting the first RAW data into the second RAW data and without performing the simultaneously forming processing and the white balance processing by the signal processor,

in a reproducing process of the first RAW data recorded on the recording medium,

(a) reading the first RAW data from the recording medium without converting the first RAW data into the second RAW data, and

(b) controlling the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the first RAW data read from the recording medium to output a slow motion reproduced image for display at the second frame rate.

12. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

an image sensor configured to output first RAW data having a first frame rate;

a signal processor configured to perform a signal processing including a simultaneously forming processing and a white balance processing; and

circuitry configured to

during a recording process,

(a) convert the first RAW data output from the image sensor into second RAW data having a second frame rate which is lower than the first frame rate,

(b) control the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the second RAW data to output a camera-through image being captured for display at the second frame rate,

(c) compress the first RAW data output from the image sensor to output compressed first RAW data, and

(d) record the compressed first RAW data, without converting the compressed first RAW data into the second RAW data and without performing the simultaneously forming processing and the white balance processing by the signal processor, onto a recording medium which is attachable to the imaging apparatus, wherein the recording medium comprises a semiconductor memory,

during a reproducing process,

(a) read the compressed first RAW data from the recording medium,

(b) decompress the compressed first RAW data read from the recording medium to output decompressed first RAW data without converting the decompressed first RAW data into the second RAW data, and

(c) control the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the decompressed first RAW data to output a slow motion reproduced image for display at the second frame rate.

13. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first frame rate is for a high speed image capture mode of the image sensor and the second frame rate is for display on a display device.

14. The imaging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first frame rate is at least four times as high as the second frame rate.

15. The imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first frame rate is 240 frames per second and the second frame rate is 60 frames per second.

16. The imaging apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising the display device having a LCD.

17. The imaging apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an external output interface to output the camera-through image and the slow motion reproduced image to the display device.

18. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the image sensor comprises CMOS type image capturing device.

19. The imaging apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the CMOS type image capturing device comprises an array of color filters including a R filter, a B filter and a G filter.

20. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured to decimate, during the recording process, the number of fields per unit time of the first RAW data to convert the first RAW data output from the image sensor into the second RAW data.

21. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a size adjustment circuitry configured to adjust a size of the second RAW data during the recording process, for display on a display device and adjust a size of the decompressed first RAW data during the reproducing process for display on the display device.

22. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the recording medium is attachable such that the compressed first RAW data is retrieved to an external computer, the external computer performs a simultaneously forming processing and a white balance processing on the compressed first RAW data.

23. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing comprises a shading correction processing.

24. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing comprises a aperture correction processing.

25. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing comprises a gamma correction processing.

26. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the signal processing comprises a YC generation processing.

27. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the second RAW data at the second frame rate during the recording process and control the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the decompressed first RAW data at the second frame rate during the reproducing process.

28. The imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the circuitry is further configured to compress the first RAW data output from the image sensor according to a still image encoding system.

29. The imaging apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the still image encoding system is MEG format.

30. An image capturing method for an imaging apparatus, comprising the steps of:

controlling an image sensor to output first RAW data having a first frame rate;

performing signal processing including a simultaneously forming processing, a white balance processing and a YC generation processing by a signal processor; and

during a recording process,

(a) converting the first RAW data output from the image sensor into second RAW data having a second frame rate which is lower than the first frame rate,

(b) controlling, by circuitry, the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the second RAW data to output a camera-through image being captured for display at the second frame rate,

(c) compressing the first RAW data output from the image sensor to output a compressed first RAW data, and

(d) recording the compressed first RAW data onto the recording medium without converting the first RAW data into the second RAW data and without performing the simultaneously forming processing, the white balance processing and the YC generation processing by the signal processor,

during a reproducing process,

(a) reading the compressed first RAW data from the recording medium,

(b) decompressing the compressed first RAW data read from the recording medium to output a decompressed first RAW data without converting the decompressed first RAW data into the second RAW data, and

(c) controlling, by circuitry, the signal processor to perform the signal processing on the decompressed first RAW data to output a slow motion reproduced image for display at the second frame rate.