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US 10,951,842 B2Granted
Imaging device, camera, and imaging method
AssigneePanasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
InventorTakeo Minami
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An imaging device includes: a solid-state imaging element that includes a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns and configured to be read out nondestructively; and an image processor that performs image processing on a current image using an analysis result of a suitable image. The suitable image is obtained from the solid-state imaging element when an amount of signal charge accumulated in the plurality of pixels is greater than or equal to a first threshold that is predetermined, and the current image is obtained from the solid-state imaging element after a first exposure corresponding to conditions of image capturing.
Claims16
An imaging device, comprising:
- a display that displays a captured image;
- a solid-state imaging element that includes a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns and configured to be read out nondestructively;
- a processor configured to:
- when an amount of signal charge accumulated in the plurality of pixels is greater than or equal to a first threshold that is predetermined, obtain a suitable image from the solid-state imaging element;
- analyze the suitable image to determine a result of the analysis;
- obtain a current image from the solid-state imaging element after a first exposure corresponding to conditions of image capturing;
- and
- perform image processing on the current image using the analysis result of the suitable image;
- a determiner that determines whether an image from the solid-state imaging element is obtained when the amount of signal charge is greater than or equal to the first threshold;
- and
- a controller that controls an exposure, wherein
- in a case where the determiner makes a first determination, the processor obtains the current image from the solid-state imaging element by destructive readout, the first determination indicating that a nondestructive readout image obtained from the solid-state imaging element by nondestructive readout during the first exposure is obtained when the amount of signal charge is greater than or equal to the first threshold,
- in a case where the determiner makes a second determination, the processor obtains the current image from the solid-state imaging element by the nondestructive readout, the second determination indicating that the nondestructive readout image is obtained when the amount of signal charge is not greater than or equal to the first threshold,
- in the case where the determiner makes the second determination for the nondestructive readout image, the controller causes the solid-state imaging element to perform a second exposure after the processor obtains the current image,
- the processor performs the image processing on the current image using an analysis result of the image obtained as the suitable image from the solid-state imaging element during the second exposure, and
- when the second exposure is being performed, the display displays information indicating that the second exposure is being performed.
13 more elements
An imaging method, comprising:
- determining an amount of signal charge accumulated in a plurality of pixels of a solid-state imaging element arranged in rows and columns and configured to be read out nondestructively;
- when the amount of signal charge accumulated in the plurality of pixels is greater than or equal to a threshold that is predetermined, obtaining a suitable image from the solid-state imaging element;
- performing image analysis on the suitable image to determine a result of the analysis;
- obtaining a current image from the solid-state imaging element after a first exposure corresponding to conditions of image capturing;
- performing image processing on the current image using the analysis result of the suitable image;
- determine whether an image from the solid-state imaging element is obtained when the amount of signal charge is greater than or equal to the first threshold;
- in a case where a first determination is made, obtain the current image from the solid-state imaging element by destructive readout, the first determination indicating that a nondestructive readout image obtained from the solid-state imaging element by nondestructive readout during the first exposure is obtained when the amount of signal charge is greater than or equal to the first threshold,
- in a case where a second determination is made, obtain the current image from the solid-state imaging element by the nondestructive readout, the second determination indicating that the nondestructive readout image is obtained when the amount of signal charge is not greater than or equal to the first threshold,
- in the case where the second determination is made for the nondestructive readout image, cause the solid-state imaging element to perform a second exposure after the obtaining of the current image,
- performs the image processing on the current image using an analysis result of the image obtained as the suitable image from the solid-state imaging element during the second exposure, and
- when the second exposure is being performed, display information indicating that the second exposure is being performed.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.