# US 11,910,095 B2 · Incident light information acquisition method, incident light information acquisition system, and information processing device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,910,095 B2 - Document ID: US11910095B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/775,998 - Filed: 2019-11-21 - Published: 2022-12-08 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-11-21 - Assignees: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. - Applicants: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. - Inventors: Takayuki Ishida; Shinya Wada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11910095B2 ## CPC - H04N 23/71: Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation - G01B 11/24: for measuring contours or curvatures - G01J 1/00: Photometry, e.g. photographic exposure meter (spectrophotometry G01J3/00; specially adapted for radiation pyrometry G01J5/00 {; exposure meters built in cameras G03B17/06}) - G01J 1/42: using electric radiation detectors (optical or mechanical part G01J1/04; by comparison with a reference light or electric value G01J1/10) - G01N 21/55: Specular reflectivity - G02F 1/137: characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering - G06T 7/97: {Determining parameters from multiple pictures (depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85)} - H04N 23/56: provided with illuminating means - H04N 23/60: Control of cameras or camera modules - H04N 23/72: Combination of two or more compensation controls - G06T 2207/10152: Varying illumination - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract In an information processing apparatus, a captured image acquiring section acquires data of an image captured of a reference object while part of incident light applied thereto is being blocked. An incident light information acquiring section acquires, according to a predetermined model equation, a brightness distribution of partial incident light in each of light-blocked states on the basis of the image of the reference object, and acquires a brightness distribution of overall incident light by calculating brightness distributions of partial incident light. A target information acquiring section acquires the shape and material of a target by using the brightness distribution of overall incident light. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An incident light information acquiring method comprising: acquiring an image captured of a reference object whose shape and material are known while part of incident light applied thereto is being blocked; acquiring, according to a predetermined model equation, a brightness distribution of partial incident light produced by blocking part of the incident light, on a basis of the image of the reference object in each of a plurality of images captured when the incident light is blocked in different directions; and acquiring a brightness distribution of overall incident light by calculating brightness distributions of partial incident light. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring an image includes acquiring an image captured of the reference object that is disposed in an internal space in a light blocking object having a positionally variable light inlet. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 2, further comprising: controlling the light blocking object to place the light inlet in a position where an image needs to be captured, depending on how the brightness distribution of partial incident light has been acquired. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 3, wherein the controlling includes changing the position of the light inlet by partially changing a light transmittance of a liquid crystal panel as the light blocking object by controlling a voltage applied to the light crystal panel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 3, wherein the controlling includes changing at least a facet of the light blocking object to a polarizer by controlling a liquid crystal panel as the light blocking object to form light transmitting stripes each having a predetermined width. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring an image includes acquiring an image captured of an inner wall surface of a light blocking object having a positionally variable light inlet, as the image of the reference object. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 6, wherein the acquiring an image includes acquiring a plurality of images of the inner wall surface of the light blocking object with the light inlet facing in different directions by rotating the light blocking object. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 1, further comprising: acquiring a direction in which the incident light is blocked on a basis of an image of an object that is blocking the incident light in the captured image; and indicating to a user a direction in which to block the incident light and where an image needs to be captured, depending on how the brightness distribution of partial incident light has been acquired. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 1, further comprising: detecting a change in the brightness distribution of incident light on a basis of an image captured of the reference object during a period in which at least either one of a shape and a material of a target included in the captured image is acquired, on a basis of the brightness distribution of incident light; and correcting information of the brightness distribution of incident light depending on the change in the brightness distribution. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring an image includes acquiring polarized images in a plurality of directions, and wherein the acquiring a brightness distribution of partial incident light includes acquiring brightness distributions of partial incident light in the respective directions in which the polarized images are acquired and adding the acquired brightness distributions of partial incident light to acquire the brightness distribution of partial incident light. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 2, further comprising: turning on a light source on an inner wall surface of the light blocking object, acquiring reflective characteristics of a surface on which the light blocking object is placed on a basis of an image of the surface in a captured image free of the reference object, and reflecting the acquired reflective characteristics in the model equation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The incident light information acquiring method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring a brightness distribution of partial incident light includes calculating brightness distributions of light emitted from the reference object that are obtained on the basis of images of the reference object in a plurality of directions in which incident light is blocked, to thereby calculate a brightness distribution of light emitted from the reference object in a direction in which incident light is blocked and where no image is captured, and acquiring a brightness distribution of partial incident light on a basis of the calculated brightness distribution of emitted light. ### Claim 13 An incident light information acquiring system comprising: a reference object whose shape and material are known; an image capturing device that captures an image of the reference object while part of incident light applied thereto is being blocked; and an information processing apparatus that acquires a brightness distribution of incident light by using the captured image, wherein the information processing apparatus includes a partial incident light information acquiring section that acquires, according to a predetermined model equation, a brightness distribution of partial incident light produced by blocking part of the incident light, on a basis of the image of the reference object in each of a plurality of images captured when the incident light is blocked in different directions, and an overall incident light information acquiring section that acquires a brightness distribution of overall incident light by calculating brightness distributions of partial incident light. ### Claim 14 An information processing apparatus comprising: a captured image acquiring section that acquires an image captured of a reference object whose shape and material are known while part of incident light applied thereto is being blocked; a partial incident light information acquiring section that acquires, according to a predetermined model equation, a brightness distribution of partial incident light produced by blocking part of the incident light, on a basis of the image of the reference object in each of a plurality of images captured when the incident light is blocked in different directions; and an overall incident light information acquiring section that acquires a brightness distribution of overall incident light by calculating brightness distributions of partial incident light. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory, computer readable storage medium containing a computer program, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform an incident light information acquiring method by carrying out actions, comprising: acquiring an image captured of a reference object whose shape and material are known while part of incident light applied thereto is being blocked; acquiring, according to a predetermined model equation, a brightness distribution of partial incident light produced by blocking part of the incident light, on a basis of the image of the reference object in each of a plurality of images captured when the incident light is blocked in different directions; and acquiring a brightness distribution of overall incident light by calculating brightness distributions of partial incident light.