Imaging apparatus having a synchronous shooting function

• US 9,167,171 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2014
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Muraki, Jun, Yamamoto, Kazuto, Matsuda, Hideaki, Kato, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, CHIA WEI A
• Application Number:
  US14/179,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20140226058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 3482111-21199, 348370-371, 348/159, 348/47, 348/48, 348/139, 396155-206, 396322-340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/665 involving internal camera communication with the image sensor, e.g. synchronising or multiplexing SSIS control signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time

Abstract

A camera is provided with an imaging element, and detects a timing of blinking of light which blinks periodically at a reference timing, based on a timing of variation in luminance of an image obtained by the imaging element, wherein the image is taken by the imaging element under a condition that the light blinks periodically at the reference timing. Further, the timing of exposure of the imaging element is adjusted based on the detected timing of the blinking light, thereby synchronizing shooting operations of plural cameras with each other.

Claims

1. A camera comprising:

an imaging element for taking a picture to obtain an image;

a detecting unit which detects a timing of blinking of light based on a timing of variation in luminance of an image obtained by the imaging element, wherein the light blinks periodically at a reference timing and the image is taken by the imaging element under a condition that the light blinks periodically at the reference timing; and

an adjusting unit which adjusts a timing of exposure of the imaging element, based on the timing of blinking of light detected by the detecting unit,

wherein the detecting unit detects the timing of blinking of light which blinks at the reference timing, based on a timing of variation in luminance of line images corresponding to particular lines respectively included in plural frames serially taken by the imaging element, each of the plural frames including at least one of said particular lines.

2. The camera according to claim 1, wherein said variation in luminance is caused due to an inconsistency between an emitting period of the light blinking at the reference timing and an exposure period of the imaging element.

3. The camera according to claim 2, wherein

the adjusting unit adjusts the timing of exposure of the imaging element such that an inconsistency in time between the timing of blinking of light detected by the detecting unit and the timing of exposure of the imaging element will be a predetermined time or less.

4. The camera according to claim 3, wherein

the imaging element serially exposes lines in one frame to light with a timing delayed by a predetermined time, thereby outputting the line images.

5. The camera according to claim 4, wherein

the detecting unit further detects the timing of blinking of the light blinking at the reference timing, based on a timing of variation in luminance of a specific line image from among plural line images obtained by serially shooting lines included in one frame, which variation in luminance is caused due to the inconsistency between an emitting period of the light blinking at the reference timing and an exposure period of the imaging element,

wherein timings of variation in luminance of the plural line images are different from each other.

6. The camera according to claim 5, wherein

the detecting unit for detecting the timing of blinking of light is the imaging element.

7. The camera according to claim 1, wherein

the variation in luminance is caused by an inconsistent amount between one emitting period of the blinking light and one exposure period of the imaging element, which inconsistent amount is caused due to inconsistency between an emitting cycle of the emitting light and an exposure cycle of the imaging element and varies every frame shooting operation.

8. The camera according to claim 1, wherein

the adjusting unit adjusts the timing of exposure of the imaging element such that an inconsistency in time between the timing of blinking of light detected by the detecting unit and the timing of exposure of the imaging element will be a predetermined time decided based on a line position of the particular line in the frame.

9. The camera according to claim 8, further comprising:

a synchronizing signal generating unit which generates a frame synchronizing signal which is used as a reference for the timing of exposure of the imaging element,

wherein;

the imaging element receives the frame synchronizing signal generated by the synchronizing signal generating unit as the reference to serially output the plural line images with a timing of an exposure period of a line image properly varied depending on a line position within one frame, and

the adjusting unit adjusts a timing of generation of the frame synchronizing signal to be generated by the synchronizing signal generating unit such that a timing of exposure of the particular line by the imaging element and the timing of blinking of light detected by the detecting unit will coincide with each other.

10. The camera according to claim 9, wherein

the particular line is the line located at a center of a frame, and is inconsistent in time by a half period with an exposure period of a leading line indicated by the frame synchronizing signal and with an emitting period of the light blinking at the reference timing.

11. The camera according to claim 1, wherein:

the light blinks in synchronization with the reference timing which is inconsistent by a previously determined time with a timing of exposure of an imaging element of another camera used together with the present camera for imaging an object, and

the adjusting unit adjusts the timing of exposure of the imaging element of the present camera based on the timing of blinking detected by the detecting unit such that the timing of exposure of the imaging element of the present camera will coincide with the timing of exposure of the imaging element of the other camera in consideration of an inconsistency in time between the timing of exposure of the imaging element of the other camera and the reference timing.

12. The camera according to claim 11, wherein

the light is emitted from the other camera, and the detecting unit detects a timing of blinking of the light emitted from the other camera.

13. The camera according to claim 11, wherein:

the imaging element serially exposes lines in one frame to light with a timing delayed by a predetermined time, thereby outputting the line images,

the detecting unit further detects variation in luminance of the line images output from the imaging element for the respective plural frames, which variation is caused due to a relative difference in time between the timing of blinking of light from the other camera and a timing of line exposure of the present camera, and

the adjusting unit adjusts relative inconsistency between the timing of exposure of the imaging element of the present camera and the timing of blinking of light of the other camera, based on the variation detected by detecting unit, such that the timing of line exposure of the present camera coincides with a timing of line exposure of the other camera.

14. The camera according to claim 13, wherein

the adjusting unit adjusts the inconsistency between the timing of blinking of light and the timing of exposure of the imaging element such that the luminance of line images detected by the detecting unit will be maximized.

15. The camera according to claim 13, wherein

the detecting unit detects variation in luminance of the line images, which variation is caused due to relative difference in time envisaged from a condition of blinking of light and a condition of the line exposures, and the adjusting unit specifies a relative difference in time corresponding to the variation in luminance of the line images detected by the detecting unit to adjust the specified difference in time as the inconsistency in the timing of exposure of the imaging element.

16. The camera according to claim 13, wherein

the detecting unit detects variation in luminance of line images which are obtained under multiple line exposures relatively inconsistent in time with the timing of blinking of light, and

the adjusting unit specifies a relative difference in time corresponding to the variation in luminance of the line images detected by the detecting unit to adjust the specified difference in time as the inconsistency in the timing of exposure of the imaging element.

17. The camera according to claim 16, wherein

one period of the blinking of light is equivalent to a period of line exposure or less.

18. The camera according to claim 16, wherein

the multiple line exposures are performed on lines located at same line positions respectively in plural frames.

19. The camera according to claim 16, wherein

the timing of blinking of light is a cycle of shooting by the imaging element for a line exposure, and also a timing late by a half cycle in phase for a shooting timing to be finally adjusted.

20. The camera according to claim 16, wherein

the adjusting unit adjusts the timing of exposure of the imaging element, while varying a shooting cycle so as to minimize the variation in luminance of the line images in the frame.

21. The camera according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging element repeatedly exposes to obtain temporally continuous frame images.

22. A method of controlling a shooting operation in a camera, which has an imaging element for taking a picture to obtain an image, the method comprising:

detecting a timing of blinking of light based on a timing of variation in luminance of an image obtained by the imaging element, wherein the light blinks periodically at a reference timing and the image is taken by the imaging element under a condition that the light blinks periodically at the reference timing; and

adjusting a timing of exposure of the imaging element based on the timing of blinking of light detected in the detecting step,

wherein the detecting comprises detecting the timing of blinking of light which blinks at the reference timing, based on a timing of variation in luminance of line images corresponding to particular lines respectively included in plural frames serially taken by the imaging element, each of the plural frames including at least one of said particular lines.

23. A camera system comprising:

plural cameras, each having an imaging element for taking a picture to obtain an image, wherein;

a particular camera among the plural cameras includes a light emitting unit for emitting light blinking periodically at a reference timing; and

the plural cameras except the particular camera comprise;

a detecting unit which detects a blinking timing of light based on a timing of variation in luminance of an image obtained by the imaging element, wherein the light blinks periodically at the reference timing and the image is taken by the imaging element under a condition of the light blinking periodically at the reference timing; and

an adjusting unit which adjusts a timing of exposure of the imaging element, based on the timing of blinking of light detected by the detecting unit,

wherein the detecting unit detects the timing of blinking of light which blinks at the reference timing, based on a timing of variation in luminance of line images corresponding to particular lines respectively included in plural frames serially taken by the imaging element, each of the plural frames including at least one of said particular lines.

24. The camera system including plural cameras according to claim 23, wherein

the light emitting unit of the particular camera blinks light in synchronization with the timing of exposure of the imaging element.

25. The camera system according to claim 23, wherein

the imaging element serially exposes lines within one frame to light with a timing delayed by a predetermined time, thereby outputting the line images, and the adjusting unit of the plural cameras except the particular camera adjusts the timing of exposure of the imaging element such that the variation in luminance of the line images from the respective plural frames will be brought into a predetermined state, while altering a cycle or timing of the shooting operation.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program that is executable by a computer mounted on a camera, wherein the camera has an imaging element for taking a picture to obtain an image, and by the program being executable by the computer to cause the computer to implement functions of:

a detecting unit which detects a timing of blinking of light based on a timing of variation in luminance of an image obtained by the imaging element, wherein the light blinks periodically at a reference timing and the image is taken by the imaging element under a condition that the light blinks periodically at the reference timing; and

an adjusting unit which adjusts a timing of exposure of the imaging element, based on the timing of blinking of light detected by the detecting unit,

wherein the detecting unit detects the timing of blinking of light which blinks at the reference timing, based on a timing of variation in luminance of line images corresponding to particular lines respectively included in plural frames serially taken by the imaging element, each of the plural frames including at least one of said particular lines.