US 10,432,873 B2Granted

Imaging apparatus and imaging method for concurrently acquiring still images and video

AssigneeOlympus Corporation

InventorsTakayuki Matsuhashi, Ryosuke Mochizuki, Mika Muto

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Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to generate an image at each of predetermined timings, wherein an exposure time is used at each of predetermined timings. The imaging apparatus includes at least one circuit which divides, according to whether or not a specific photography situation occurs, the exposure time, into a plurality of exposure times including a first exposure time for acquiring still image and a second exposure time for acquiring movie; and generates a still image, based on an image generated by photography with the first exposure time, and generates a movie frame constituting a movie, by using an image generated by photography with the second exposure time.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An imaging apparatus comprising:

an imager configured to generate an image using a set exposure time;
and
at least one circuit configured to:
detect a specific photography situation based on an output from a sensor, wherein the sensor measures an orientation of the imager,
start a sequential shooting movie photography mode when the specific photography situation is detected, the sequential shooting movie photography mode including:
setting an exposure time for acquiring a movie frame based on a subject luminance of an entirety of a field angle and setting a first exposure time for acquiring a still image frame based on a subject luminance of a subject of interest at predetermined timings;
setting, a difference between the exposure time for acquiring a movie frame and the first exposure time as a second exposure time for acquiring a complementary frame;
generating a still image, based on the still image frame generated by photography with the first exposure time;
and
generating the movie frame constituting a movie, by composing the still image frame and the complementary frame generated by photography with the second exposure time;
determine whether the still image generated in the sequential shooting movie photography mode includes the subject of interest;
determine, when the subject of interest is detected, whether the still image includes a composition for photographing that is suitable for the subject of interest and suitable for playback or appreciation;
select the still image determined as including the composition for photographing that is suitable for the subject of interest and suitable for playback or appreciation;
determine whether the selected still image is suitable for a time lapse movie based on whether at least one of a characteristic of the still image, a position of the characteristic on the still image, the output from the sensor, and a pose or expression of the subject of interest if the subject of interest is a person, has changed;
and
generate a time lapse movie frame constituting a time lapse movie from the still image that is determined to be suitable.

13 more elements

An imaging method comprising:

detecting a specific photography situation based on an output from a sensor, wherein the sensor measures an orientation of the imager;
starting a sequential shooting movie photography mode when the specific photography is detected, the sequential shooting movie photography mode including:
setting an exposure time for acquiring a movie frame based on a subject luminance of an entirety of a field angle and a first exposure time for acquiring a still image frame based on a subject luminance of a subject of interest at predetermined timings;
setting a difference between the exposure time for acquiring a movie frame and the first exposure time as a second exposure time for acquiring a complementary frame;
executing imaging with use of the first exposure time and the second exposure time at each of the predetermined timings;
generating a still image, based on the still image frame generated by photography with the first exposure time;
and
generating the movie frame constituting a movie, by composing the still image frame and the complementary frame generated by photography with the second exposure time
determining whether the still image generated in the sequential shooting movie photography mode includes the subject of interest;
determining, when the subject of interest is detected, whether the still image includes a composition for photographing that is suitable for the subject of interest and suitable for playback or appreciation;
and
selecting, as a still image to be recorded, the still image determined as including the composition for photographing that is suitable for the subject of interest and suitable for playback or appreciation.

9 more elements

An imaging apparatus comprising:

an imager configured to generate an image using a set exposure time;
and
at least one circuit configured to:
detect a specific photography situation based on an output from a sensor, wherein the sensor measures an orientation of the imager,
start a sequential shooting movie photography mode when the specific photography situation is detected, the sequential shooting movie photography mode including:
setting an exposure time for acquiring a movie frame based on a subject luminance of an entirety of a field angle and setting a first exposure time for acquiring a still image frame based on a subject luminance of a subject of interest at predetermined timings;
setting a difference between the exposure time for acquiring a movie frame and the first exposure time as a second exposure time for acquiring a complementary frame;
generating a still image, based on the still image frame generated by photography with the first exposure time;
and
generating the movie frame constituting a movie, by composing the still image frame and a complimentary frame generated by photography with the second exposure time;
determine whether the still image generated in the sequential shooting movie photography mode includes the subject of interest;
determine, when the subject of interest is detected, whether the still image includes a composition for photographing that is suitable for the subject of interest and suitable for playback or appreciation;
and
select, as a still image to be recorded, the still image determined as including the composition for photographing that is suitable for the subject of interest and suitable for playback or appreciation.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/797,514Filed 30 Oct 2017
Priority: JP 2016-21304931 Oct 2016
Published: US 2018/0124297 A13 May 2018
Granted: 1 Oct 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04N 23/73
Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene: by influencing the exposure time
H04N 23/667
Control of cameras or camera modules: camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution…
H04N 23/6812
Motion detection: based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
H04N 23/80
Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof: camera processing pipelines; Components thereof