Real time video system with high dynamic range

• US 10,033,942 B1
• Filed: 05/24/2013
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gn Audio A/S (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Original Assignee: Altia Systems Inc. (GN Store Nord A/S)
• Inventors: Tanner, Jason Daniel, Sarwari, Atif Matin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Luong T
• Application Number:
  US13/902,764
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/22 for measuring depth
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/637 Control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention disclose a video imaging system. The system comprises a mechanism to operate in a first capture mode capture a first image sequence comprising images taken at a first exposure and at a first frame rate; a mechanism to perform a detecting operation to detect clipping in said first image sequence a mechanism to selectively switch to operating the video imaging system in a second capture mode to capture at least one additional image sequence comprising images taken at a different exposure, if clipping is detected; and a mechanism to perform a merging operation to merge the image sequences to produce high-dynamic range video.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for a video imaging system comprising:

operating the video imaging system in a first capture mode to capture a first image sequence comprising images taken at a first integration time and at a first frame rate;

performing a detecting operation to detect clipping in said first image sequence;

selectively switching the video imaging system to operate in a second capture mode to capture at least two additional image sequences comprising a second image sequence and a third image sequence taken at different integration times in case the clipping is detected in the detection operation; and

performing a merging operation to merge the first image sequence and each additional image sequence to produce high-dynamic range video.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection of clipping is based on a clipping threshold set in respect of dark and light areas for images.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein images of the second image sequence are at a second integration time that is longer than the first integration time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein images of the third image sequence are at a third integration time that is shorter than the first integration time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the merging operation comprises determining matching images in the second and third image sequences that are temporally aligned with each image in the first image sequence.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the merging operation comprises integrating the each image in the first image sequence with matching images in the second and third images to produce the high-dynamic range video.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selectively switching back to the first capture mode if the clipping is no longer detected.

8. A video imaging system, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

operate the video imaging system in a first capture mode to capture a first image sequence comprising images taken at a first integration time and at a first frame rate;

detect clipping in said first image sequence;

selectively switch the video imaging system to operate in a second capture mode to capture at least two additional image sequences comprising a second image sequence and a third image sequence taken at different integration times in case the clipping is detected in the detection operation; and

perform a merging operation to merge the first image sequence and each additional image sequence to produce high-dynamic range video.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein detecting the clipping is based on a clipping threshold set in respect of dark and light areas for images.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein images of the second image sequence are at a second integration time that is longer than the first integration time.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein images of the third image sequence are at a third integration time that is shorter than the first integration time.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the merging operation comprises determining matching images in the second and third image sequences that are temporally aligned with each image in the first image sequence.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the merging operation comprises integrating the each image in the first image sequence with said matching images in the second and third images to produce the high-dynamic range video.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a component to selectively switch back to the first capture mode if the clipping is no longer detected.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which when executed by a system causes the system to perform a method for producing video images, said method, comprising:

operating a video imaging system in a first capture mode to capture a first image sequence comprising images taken at a first integration time and at a first frame rate;

performing a detecting operation to detect clipping in said first image sequence;

selectively switching the video imaging system to operate in a second capture mode to capture at least two additional image sequences comprising a second image sequence and a third image sequence taken at different integration times in case the clipping is detected in the detection operation; and

performing a merging operation to merge the first image sequence and each additional image sequence to produce high-dynamic range video.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein detecting the clipping is based on a clipping threshold set in respect of dark and light areas for images.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein images of the second image sequence are at a second integration time that is longer than the first integration time.