Image capturing apparatus, method of controlling same, and storage medium

• US 10,834,302 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2019
• Issued: 11/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Numata, Aihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj, Dave
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fereja, Samuel D
• Application Number:
  US16/246,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20190222734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• 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 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components
• 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 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An image capturing apparatus, comprising: a first imaging section having a plurality of imaging sections arranged so that parts of their image capturing ranges overlap; a second imaging section configured to generate a detailed image by capturing a part of an image capturing range of the first imaging section; a combining section configured to generate a wide-angle image by combining images captured by the plurality of imaging sections; a transfer section configured to transfer the wide-angle image; and a control section configured to control a maximum charge accumulation time period that can be set to the plurality of imaging sections in the first imaging section to be greater than a maximum charge accumulation time period that can be set to the second imaging section.

Claims

1. An image capturing apparatus, comprising:

a first image capturing device having a plurality of imaging sections arranged so that parts of their image capturing ranges overlap each other, each imaging section having a solid-state image sensor;

a second image capturing device having a solid-state image sensor and configured to generate an image by capturing a part of an image capturing range of the first image capturing device with higher sensitivity than at least one of the plurality of imaging sections; and

at least one processor or circuit configured to function as the following units;

a combining process unit configured to generate a wide-angle image, by combining images captured for each frame period by the plurality of imaging sections;

a transfer unit configured to transfer the wide-angle image combined by the combining process unit to an external device; and

a control unit configured to perform control so that a charge accumulation time of the solid-state image sensor in the second image capturing device during one frame period is parallel to any of the charge accumulation times of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image device and the charge accumulation time of the solid-state image sensor in the second image capturing device during one frame period is shorter than any of the charge accumulation times of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device.

2. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls charge accumulation time periods of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device to be less than or equal to a longer time period out of a time period incurred for the combining process and a time period incurred for the transfer process.

3. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the charge accumulation time periods of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device to be equal to a longer time period out of a time period incurred for the combining process and a time period incurred for the transfer process.

4. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein sensitivities of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device are lower than a sensitivity of the solid-state image sensor in the second image capturing device.

5. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein pixels of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device are smaller than pixels of the solid-state image sensor in the second image capturing device.

6. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a number of pixels of each solid-state image sensor of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device is greater than a number of pixels of the solid-state image sensor in the second image capturing device.

7. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the first image capturing device so that charge accumulation timings differ between the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device.

8. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit further transfers the image generated by the second image capturing device to n the external device, and, in the transfer device, a time period for transferring the wide-angle image is longer than a time period for transferring the image generated by the second image capturing device.

9. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit uses information obtained from the wide-angle image to cause the maximum charge accumulation time period that can be set to the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device to vary for each frame.

10. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second image capturing device has an aperture and the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device do not have an aperture.

11. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device have infrared cut filters, and the second image capturing device has an infrared cut filter and an insertion/removal mechanism for insertion/removal of the infrared cut filter into/out of a light path.

12. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein if a light intensity of environmental light obtained from the wide-angle image is greater than or equal to a specific threshold value, the insertion/removal mechanism inserts the infrared cut filter of the second image capturing device into the light path, and if the light intensity of environmental light obtained from the wide-angle image is less than the specific threshold value, the insertion/removal mechanism removes the infrared cut filter of the second image capturing device from the light path.

13. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device have pixels for visible light and pixels for near-infrared light, and the second image capturing device has an infrared cut filter and an insertion/removal mechanism for insertion/removal of the infrared cut filter into/out of a light path.

14. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the charge accumulation time of the solid-state imaging device in the second imaging device in one frame period to be shorter than any charge accumulation time of the solid-state imaging devices in the plurality of imaging sections in the first imaging device.

15. A method of controlling an image capturing apparatus provided with a first image capturing device having a plurality of imaging sections arranged so that parts of their image capturing ranges overlap each other, each imaging section having a solid-state image sensor, and a second image capturing device having a solid-state image sensor and configured to generate an image by capturing a part of an image capturing range of the first image capturing device with higher sensitivity than at least one of the plurality of imaging sections, the method comprising:

generating a wide-angle image by combining images captured for each frame period by the plurality of imaging sections;

transferring the wide-angle image combined by the combining to an external device; and

controlling so that the charge accumulation time of the solid-state image sensor in the second image capturing device during one frame period is parallel to any of the charge accumulation times of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image device and the charge accumulation time of the solid-state image sensor in the second image capturing device during one frame period is shorter than any of the charge accumulation times of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method of controlling an image capturing apparatus provided with a first image capturing device having a plurality of imaging sections arranged so that parts of their image capturing ranges overlap each other, and each imaging section having a solid-state image sensor, and a second image capturing device having a solid-state image sensor and configured to generate an image by capturing a part of an image capturing range of the first image capturing device with higher sensitivity than at least one of the plurality of imaging sections, the method comprising:

generating a wide-angle image by combining images captured for each frame period by the plurality of imaging sections;

transferring the wide-angle image combined by the combining to an external device; and

controlling the charge accumulation time of the solid-state image sensor in the second image capturing device during one frame period is parallel to any of the charge accumulation times of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image device and the charge accumulation time of the solid-state image sensor in the second image capturing device during one frame period is shorter than any of the charge accumulation times of the solid-state image sensors of the plurality of imaging sections in the first image capturing device.