IMAGER CAPTURING AN IMAGE WITH A ROLLING SHUTTER

• US 20100171875A1
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD.
• Original Assignee: Hoya Corporation
• Inventors: YAMAMOTO, Yasuhiro
• Application Number:
  US12/649,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20100171875A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/370
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/03 Combinations of cameras with lighting apparatus; Flash units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/745 Detection of flicker frequency or suppression of flicker wherein the flicker is caused by illumination, e.g. due to fluorescent tube illumination or pulsed LED illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/531 by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors

Abstract

An imager is provided having an image-capturing sensor, a focusing detector, a flicker detector, and a light source. The image-capturing sensor captures a subject image with a rolling shutter and outputs image data. The focusing detector determines whether a subject image is in focus of said image-capturing sensor using the output image data. The flicker detector detects a flicker in the output image data. The light source illuminates a subject while the image-capturing sensor captures a subject image. The light source emits light having a phase opposite to the phase of the flicker detected by said flicker detector.

Claims

1. An imager comprising:

an image-capturing sensor that captures a subject image with a rolling shutter and outputs image data;

a focusing detector that determines whether a subject image is in focus of said image-capturing sensor using the output image data;

a flicker detector that detects a flicker in the output image data; and

a light source that illuminates a subject while said image-capturing sensor captures a subject image, said light source emitting light having a phase opposite to the phase of the flicker detected by said flicker detector.

2. The imager according to claim 1, wherein said light source determines emitting intensity according to the distance to a subject.

3. The imager according to claim 1, wherein said focusing detector determines whether a subject image is in focus of said image-capturing sensor using a contrast auto focus device.

4. The imager according to claim 1, wherein said light source has an LED and a driver that controls the LED to emit light periodically.

5. The imager according to claim 1, further comprising a light source detector that detects a type of a light source illuminating a subject, and wherein said flicker detector detects flicker when the detected type of a light source corresponds to a certain type.

6. The imager according to claim 1, further comprising a light cycle detector that detects a cycle of light that illuminates a subject, and wherein said flicker detector detects flicker when the detected light cycle corresponds to a certain type.

7. The imager according to claim 6, wherein said flicker detector controls said light source so as to emit light that has a phase opposite to the phase of the flicker detected by said flicker detector, in the case that the charge storage time per one row of said image-capturing sensor is shorter than the threshold time that is determined according to the light cycle detected by said light cycle detector.