Flash optimization for camera devices

• US 9,560,252 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2016
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Essential Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Essential Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Evans, David John V, Jiang, Xinrui, Rubin, Andrew E., Hershenson, Matthew, Miao, Xiaoyu, Tate, Joseph Anthony, Gagne-Keats, Jason Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US15/156,690
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio

Abstract

Various embodiments include a camera system. The camera system can receive a command to photograph an environment utilizing a camera. The camera system can identify a plurality of flash settings for a flash system of the camera. The camera system can drive the flash system in a sequence of flashes respectively corresponding to the plurality of flash settings. The camera system can then capture consecutive images utilizing the camera. The capturing of the consecutive images can be synchronized against the sequence of flashes such that a device can later combine the consecutive images to generate a composite image that represents a virtual photograph of the environment.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a command to take a photograph with a camera associated with the mobile device;

selecting a plurality of different flash settings for one or more light emitting devices associated with the mobile device, wherein the one or more light emitting devices comprise one or more color specific sets, wherein each of the one or more color specific sets comprises one or more light emitting devices of substantially same emission spectrum;

driving the one or more light emitting devices in accordance with the plurality of flash settings in a sequence of flashes;

capturing consecutive images with the camera in response to said command, wherein capture of each said image is synchronized with the driving of the one or more light emitting devices during the sequence of flashes to capture each said image with a different flash set; and

generating a composite image based on at least a subset of the consecutive images.

2. A mobile device comprising:

a data memory storing executable instructions;

a camera;

a flash system for the camera, wherein the flash system comprises one or more light emitting devices;

a processor system configured by the executable instructions to control the flash system and the camera; and

wherein the processor system is further configured to;

receive a command to take a photograph with the camera;

in response to the received command, select a plurality of flash settings for the flash system;

drive the flash system in a sequence of flashes respectively corresponding to the plurality of flash settings; and

capture consecutive images utilizing the camera, wherein said capturing is synchronized to said driving the flash system to capture each of the consecutive images with a different flash set;

generate a composite image by identifying at least a subset of the consecutive images as component images of the composite image and combining, according to weight values, the component images to produce the composite image.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the processor system is configured to generate a user interface to adjust the composite image by tuning the weight values respectively associated with the component images.

4. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the processor system is configured to automatically adjust one or more other composite images with user-selected weight values by matching context data associated with the other composite images and context data associated with the composite image.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the processor system is configured to match location or timestamp data of the other composite images against location or timestamp data of the composite image.

6. A mobile device comprising:

a data memory storing executable instructions;

a camera;

a flash system for the camera, wherein the flash system comprises one or more light emitting devices, and further wherein the flash system comprises multiple colored lights corresponding to different colors, wherein each of the multiple colored lights comprises one or more light emitting devices of substantially same color;

a processor system configured by the executable instructions to control the flash system and the camera; and

wherein the processor system is further configured to;

receive a command to take a photograph with the camera;

in response to the received command, select a plurality of flash settings for the flash system;

drive the flash system in a sequence of flashes respectively corresponding to the plurality of flash settings; and

capture consecutive images utilizing the camera, wherein said capturing is synchronized to said driving the flash system to capture each of the consecutive images with a different flash set.