Imaging apparatus, imaging method and program, and reproduction apparatus

• US 10,003,745 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iso, Daisuke, Yamada, Hideshi, Kurita, Teppei
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LUONG TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US15/320,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20170155844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2207/005 involving control of motion blur
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/005 Blur detection
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/00 Control of exposure by setting shutters, diaphragms or filters, separately or conjointly control of exposure in television cameras by means of circuitry influencing the optical part of the camera H04N23/75
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/682 Vibration or motion blur correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6842 by controlling the scanning position, e.g. windowing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/44 by partially reading an SSIS array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/46 by combining or binning pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/533 by using differing integration times for different sensor regions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/77 Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an imaging apparatus, an imaging method and a program, and a reproduction apparatus according to which an image sensor is divided into a plurality of areas and exposure control may be performed for each area according to the amount of camera shake. An imaging apparatus which is an aspect of the present disclosure includes an image sensor unit for generating pixel data of a pixel constituting a frame by photoelectric conversion, a calculation unit for calculating an amount of camera shake in each of areas obtained by dividing the frame, and a control unit for controlling exposure time of the image sensor for each of the areas according to the amount of camera shake calculated for each of the areas. The present disclosure is applicable to an electronic device such as a camera including an area ADC type image sensor, for example.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

an image sensor configured to generate pixel data of a pixel that constitutes a frame by photoelectric conversion;

circuitry configured to;

calculate an amount of camera shake in each of a plurality of areas obtained by division of the frame; and

control exposure time of the image sensor for each of the plurality of areas according to the amount of camera shake calculated for each of the plurality of areas.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to control a pixel summing method of the image sensor for each of the plurality of areas according to the amount of camera shake calculated for each of the plurality of areas.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to execute exposure and pixel readout of the image sensor at least one time during one frame period for each of the plurality of areas according to the amount of camera shake calculated for each of the plurality of areas.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

detect at least one of angular velocity or acceleration; and

calculate the amount of camera shake in each of the plurality of areas based on the at least one of the angular velocity or the acceleration.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate the amount of camera shake in each of the plurality of areas based on a variance of pixel data of a plurality of pixels sampled for each of the plurality of areas.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image sensor includes, for each of a plurality of regions where a plurality of pixels are arranged, one analog digital converter (ADC) that is shared by the plurality of pixels, and wherein each of the plurality of areas corresponds to one of the plurality of regions where the plurality of pixels that share the one ADC is arranged.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to packetize, for each of the plurality of areas, the pixel data that is read out from the image sensor to generate image data.

8. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the circuitry is further configured to store, in a same packet, the pixel data that is read out from a same area, and describe an area number indicating a position of an area of the plurality of areas in the frame in the same packet.

9. The imaging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the circuitry is further configured to describe, in the same packet, at least one of a frame number indicating a place in a chronological order of the frame to which the area belongs, a subframe number indicating a time of execution of exposure and readout for the area in one frame period, and a summation pattern indicating the pixel summing method for the area.

10. The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the circuitry is further configured to resynthesize the frame based on the image data in which the pixel data is packetized on a per-area basis.

11. An imaging method, comprising:

in an imaging apparatus including an image sensor configured to generate pixel data of a pixel constituting a frame by photoelectric conversion;

calculating an amount of camera shake in each of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing the frame; and

controlling exposure time of the image sensor for each of the plurality of areas according to the amount of camera shake calculated for each of the plurality of areas.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a processor of an imaging apparatus, cause the processor to execute operations, the operations comprising:

in the imaging apparatus including an image sensor configured to generate pixel data of a pixel constituting a frame by photoelectric conversion;

calculating an amount of camera shake in each of a plurality of areas obtained by dividing the frame; and

controlling exposure time of the image sensor for each of the plurality of areas according to the amount of camera shake calculated for each of the plurality of areas.

13. A reproduction apparatus, comprising:

first circuitry configured to;

acquire image data in units of a packet, wherein the image data is output from an imaging apparatus,

the imaging apparatus including an image sensor that generates pixel data of a pixel of a frame by photoelectric conversion, and second circuitry that calculates an amount of camera shake in each of a plurality of areas obtained by division of the frame, controls exposure time of the image sensor for each of the plurality of areas according to the amount of camera shake calculated for each of the plurality of areas, and packetizes, for each of the plurality of areas, the pixel data that is read out from the image sensor to generate the image data;

analyze the packet of the acquired image data, and restore the frame based on each area of the plurality of areas corresponding to the packet; and

reproduce the image data.

14. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the packet of the image data stores the pixel data that is read out from a same area of the plurality of areas, and wherein an area number indicating a position of an area in the frame is described in the packet.

15. The reproduction apparatus according to claim 14, wherein at least one of a frame number indicating a place in a chronological order of the frame to which the area belongs, a subframe number indicating a time of execution of exposure and readout for the area in one frame period, and a summation pattern indicating a pixel summing method for the area is further described in the packet of the image data.