Method for estimating camera settings adaptively

• US 20070025720A1
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Raskar, Ramesh, Nayar, Shree, Agrawal, Amit, Li, Yuanzhen
• Granted Patent: US 7,403,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/213
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/16 in accordance with both the intensity of the flash source and the distance of the flash source from the object, e.g. in accordance with the "guide number" of the flash bulb and the focusing of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/28 Circuitry to measure or to take account of the object contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/94 based on local image properties, e.g. for local contrast enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/60 relating to illumination properties, e.g. using a reflectance or lighting model
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/72 Combination of two or more compensation controls

Abstract

A camera is configured to adaptively determine camera settings. The camera includes a plurality of sensors elements configured to acquire a current image of a scene according to a current set of camera settings. A number of sensor elements having a set of desirable properties is measured. Then, a next set of camera settings that maximize an overall number of sensor elements having the set of desirable properties is determined to acquire a next better image.

Claims

1. A method for adaptively determining camera settings, comprising the steps of:

acquiring a current image of a scene with a camera including a plurality of sensor elements, the camera having a current set of camera settings while acquiring the current image;

measuring, from the current image, a number of sensor elements having a set of desirable properties; and

determining a next set of camera setting that maximize an overall number of sensor elements having the set of desirable properties.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring a next image of the scene with the camera having the next set of camera settings.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the sensor elements are pixels and the set of desirable properties includes well-exposed pixels, and further comprising:

maximizing a number of well exposed pixels.

4. The method of claim 2, in which the sensor elements are pixels and the set of desirable properties includes well-exposed pixels, and further comprising:

measuring, from the next image, a number of sensor elements having the set of desirable properties; and

determining another next set of camera setting that maximize a cumulative number of well exposed pixels in the current image and the next image.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the acquiring, measuring, and determining is repeated until the number of sensor elements having the set of desirable properties exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. A camera configured to adaptively determine camera settings, comprising:

a set of camera settings;

a plurality of sensors elements configured to acquire a current image of a scene according to a current set of camera settings;

means for measuring, from the current image, a number of sensor elements having a set of desirable properties; and

means for determining a next set of camera setting that maximize an overall number of sensor elements having the set of desirable properties.