Photographing apparatus

• US 7,590,348 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2006
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Usui, Tsutomu, Sai, Hirotomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Perkey; W B
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADAMS, BRET W
• Application Number:
  US11/638,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20070153086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 396/322, 396/325, 396/332, 396/333, 348/28, 348 47- 48, 348/218.1, 348/262, 348/264
• US Class Current: 396/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

A photographing apparatuses, enabling to keep dynamic resolution, as well as, to obtain an image being wide in dynamic range, with using a plural number of cameras therein, and further enabling to photograph a further wider range, comprises: a plural number of photographing devices overlapping photographing regions thereof with each other; a brightness distribution detecting portion for detecting brightness levels of image signals, which are photographed by means of the plural number of photographing devices; an area determining portion for determining an area where the brightness level detected by the brightness distribution detecting portion is appropriate, among photographing regions overlapping with each other, in relation with the image signals photographed by the plural number of photographing devices; and a synthesizing portion for synthesizing the image signals photographed by the plural number of photographing devices, with using the image signal of the area, the brightness level of which is determined to be appropriate in the area determining portion, among the image signals photographed by the plural number of photographing devices, in relation with the photographing regions overlapping with each other.

Claims

1. A photographing apparatus, comprising:

a plural number of photographing devices, each photographing device having a photographing region, a part of the photographing region of at least one of the photographing devices overlaps a portion of photographing region(s) of other photographing device(s);

a brightness distribution detecting portion, which is configured to detect brightness levels of image signals, which are photographed by means of the plural number of photographing devices;

an area determining portion configured to determine an area where the brightness level is appropriate from among photographing regions overlapping each other, in relation with the image signals photographed by said plural number of photographing devices; and

a synthesizing portion configured to synthesize the image signals photographed by said plural number of photographing devices using the image signal of the area and the brightness level of the area which is determined to be appropriate by said area determining portion,

wherein when the photographic devices are capturing images and there is a difference in brightness levels among the image signals in captured images, then the photographic devices are controlled such that an exposure setting of at least one photographic device is set to be greater than an exposure setting of at least another photographic device.

2. The photographing apparatus, as described in claim 1, wherein said area determining portion

detects the brightness levels of the photographing regions overlapping with each other, by means of said brightness distribution detecting portion, from among the images photographed by the respective photographing devices;

and

selects, within areas where the brightness level detected is lower or higher than an appropriate brightness level, an image of the photographing device which is appropriate in the averaged brightness level thereof, among the image signals photographed by the respective photographing devices.

3. The photographing apparatus, as described in the claim 1, wherein said synthesizing portion synthesizes the image signals photographed by the respective photographing devices, for each of the areas selected by said area determining portion.

4. The photographing apparatus, as described in the claim 1, wherein said photographing devices change directions thereof, respectively, so that the photographed regions overlapping with each other comes to be large, in case when conducting such control that the difference in the exposure comes to be large through the exposure control of the ach of the photographing devices.

5. The photographing apparatus, as described in the claim 1, wherein said photographing devices change directions thereof, respectively, so that the photographed regions overlapping with each other comes to be large, in case when there is a car running in opposite direction and/or a pedestrian within each of the photographing regions thereof.