LIGHTING DEVICE, IMAGE CAPTURING SYSTEM, AND LIGHTING CONTROL METHOD

• US 20150117849A1
• Filed: 02/18/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: KASAHARA, Yuki, LI, Jian
• Granted Patent: US 9,280,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/164
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/02 Illuminating scene
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/03 Combinations of cameras with lighting apparatus; Flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/07 Arrangements of lamps in studios
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories

Abstract

A lighting device includes a base unit arranged on a medium installation face on which a medium is disposed, an arm unit extending upwardly from the base unit, a top unit extending from the arm unit so as to face the medium installation face, a mounting face disposed on the top unit to mount an image capturing unit at a position capable of photographing the medium on the medium installation face, a lighting disposed in the top unit to irradiate the medium installation face, and a lighting control unit configured to adjust an amount of light of the lighting. The lighting control unit sets the amount of light of the lighting to a maximum at the time of photographing and, after the photographing, returns the amount of light to that before the photographing.

Claims

1. A lighting device comprising:

a base unit arranged on a medium installation face on which a medium that is a reading target is disposed;

an arm unit extending upwardly from the base unit;

a top unit extending from the arm unit so as to face the medium installation face;

a mounting face disposed on the top unit to mount an image capturing unit at a position for photographing the medium disposed on the medium installation face, the image capturing unit including a first communication unit to perform wireless communication;

a lighting disposed in the top unit to irradiate the medium installation face;

a lighting control unit configured to perform driving control to adjust an amount of light of the lighting; and

a second communication unit arranged in the lighting device, the second communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the first communication unit,

wherein the image capturing unit is configured to determine whether or not the lighting is in a turned-on state, and when the lighting is determined to be in the turned-on state, the image capturing unit instructs the lighting control unit to set the amount of light of the lighting to a maximum at the time of photographing and, after the photographing, the image capturing unit instructs the lighting control unit to return the amount of light of the lighting to the amount of light before the photographing.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1,

wherein the driving control is pulse width modulation (PWM) control, and

wherein the lighting control unit sets a duty ratio of the PWM control to 100% at the time of the photographing.

3. An image capturing system comprising:

an image capturing unit configured to photograph a medium and including a first communication unit to perform wireless communication; and

a lighting device including

a base unit arranged on a medium installation face on which the medium that is a reading target is disposed,

an arm unit extending upwardly from the base unit,

a top unit extending from the arm unit so as to face the medium installation face,

a mounting face disposed on the top unit to mount the image capturing unit at a position for photographing the medium disposed on the medium installation face,

a lighting disposed in the top unit to irradiate the medium installation face,

a lighting control unit configured to perform driving control to adjust an amount of light of the lighting, and

a second communication unit arranged in the lighting device, the second communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the first communication unit,

wherein the image capturing unit is configured to determine whether or not the lighting is in a turned-on state, and when the lighting is determined to be in the turned-on state, the image capturing unit instructs the lighting control unit to set the amount of light of the lighting to a maximum at the time of photographing and, after the photographing, the image capturing unit instructs the lighting control unit to return the amount of light of the lighting to the amount of light before the photographing.

4. A method of controlling lighting of a lighting device including a base unit arranged on a medium installation face on which a medium that is a reading target is disposed, an arm unit extending upwardly from the base unit, a top unit extending from the arm unit so as to face the medium installation face, a mounting face disposed on the top unit to mount an image capturing unit at a position for photographing the medium disposed on the medium installation face, the image capturing unit including a first communication unit to perform wireless communication, a lighting disposed in the top unit to irradiate the medium installation face, and a second communication unit arranged in the lighting device, the second communication unit configured to perform wireless communication with the first communication, the method comprising:

irradiating the medium installation face with an amount of light of the lighting;

determining whether or not the lighting is in a turned-on state at the image capturing unit;

when it is determined that the lighting is in the turned-on state, instructing from the image capturing unit to set the amount of light of the lighting to a maximum at the time of photographing; and

after the photographing, instructing from the image capturing unit to return the amount of light of the lighting to the amount of light before the photographing.