Exposure optimization for digital burst light
AssigneeLight & Motion Industries
InventorsGeoffrey Barker, Daniel T. Emerson, David W. Tolan, Brooks P. Lame
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A camera and LED strobe unit are operated such that the strobe unit produces a series of bursts, such as approximately ten per second. The bursts are used either to illuminate a subject at a series of different light levels, to then present a series of images to the user to select the best exposure, or to produce a series of images of a moving subject within a single frame. The light unit has a continuous mode of LED light output, but can be switched to the burst mode for high power bursts in rapid succession.
Claims13
A method for operating a burst light source to obtain a photo image with a camera connected to the light source, comprising:
- providing a self-contained continuous/burst LED light source with regulating circuitry enabling the light source to be operated in a primary continuous lighting mode or, when selected, a burst mode with a much greater power output to the LED, and capable of a rapid series of bursts,
- the LED light source being connected to a camera such that signals from the camera will be sent to the light source to control the light source,
- operating the camera and the connected LED light source to produce light bursts for a series of consecutive images, at a rate of at least five bursts per second and at a sequence of different light illumination levels, with a gradation from a lowest burst of light to a highest burst of light, to produce a series of separate, similar images but with different levels of illumination of the subject,
- presenting the series of images with different illumination levels to a user and prompting the user to select a preferred image with a preferred light level,
- after the user selects an image from the series with an input to the camera, sending a signal from the camera to the LED light source to set the illumination level for an image to be taken, and
- taking an image of the subject with the illumination level setting as set by the camera.
A method for operating a burst light source to obtain a photo image with a camera connected to the light source, comprising:
- providing a self-contained continuous/burst LED light source with regulating circuitry enabling the light source to be operated in a primary continuous lighting mode or, when selected, a burst mode with a much greater power output to the LED, and capable of a rapid series of bursts,
- the LED light source being connected to a camera such that signals from the camera will be sent to the light source to control the light source,
- with the LED light source set to produce bursts, setting the camera at a selected long exposure, and
- with a subject in the image frame, tripping a camera trigger to open a shutter of the camera and to cause the LED light unit to produce rapid light bursts at a rate of at least five per second, for a series of exposures of the subject as the subject moves within a single image frame, such that a series of consecutive images of the moving subject are contained within the single image frame, each consecutive image being in a different position so as to indicate motion of the subject, while the background is correctly exposed in the image frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.