# US 2008/0175580 A1 · Imaging apparatus including strobe light emitting function > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0175580 A1 - Document ID: US20080175580A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/002,230 - Filed: 2007-12-14 - Published: 2008-07-24 - Earliest claimed: 2006-12-15 - Assignees: Casio Computer Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Kazunori Kita - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080175580A1 ## CPC - G03B 7/16: in accordance with both the intensity of the flash source and the distance of the flash source from the object, e.g. in accordance with the "guide number" of the flash bulb and the focusing of the camera - H04N 23/56: provided with illuminating means - G03B 15/03: Combinations of cameras with lighting apparatus; Flash units - G03B 15/16: for photographing the track of moving objects (high-speed photography G03B39/00) - G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A digital camera 1 comprising a xenon strobe light device 15 and an LED strobe light device 16, wherein, when strobe light consecutive imaging is performed when the strobe light is set to “automatically-switched strobe light”, the digital camera 1 illuminates a xenon tube 27 by controlling the xenon strobe light device 15 synchronously with each instance of imaging for a predetermined number of frames, and when the number of consecutively-imaged frames exceeds a predetermined number of times, the digital camera 1 switches the strobe light to the LED strobe light, and illuminates the LED synchronously with each instance of imaging in the consecutive imaging by controlling the LED strobe light device 16. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An imaging apparatus, comprising: an image sensor element for converting light of a subject to image data; a xenon tube; a solid light-emitting element; a consecutive imaging controlling section for controlling the image sensor element so that the subject is imaged a plurality of times at a predetermined imaging interval; and a light emission controlling section for controlling the xenon strobe light and the solid light-emitting element strobe light so as to emit during each instance of imaging by the consecutive imaging controlling section. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: a xenon light emission amount calculating section for calculating a light emission amount of the xenon strobe light to be emitted to achieve an optimal exposure amount; and a solid light-emitting element light emission amount calculating section for calculating a light emission amount of the solid light-emitting element strobe light to be emitted to achieve the optimal exposure amount; wherein the light emission controlling section controls the xenon strobe light such that the xenon strobe light is emitted with the light emission amount calculated by the xenon light emission amount calculating section and controls the solid light-emitting element strobe light such that the solid light-emitting element strobe light is emitted with the light emission amount calculated by the solid light-emitting element light emission amount calculating section. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emission controlling section controls the xenon strobe light to emit at each instance of imaging by the consecutive imaging controlling section and controls the xenon strobe light and the solid light-emitting element strobe light such that, when a number of times the xenon strobe light is emitted exceeds a predetermined number of times, the strobe light is switched from the xenon strobe light to the solid light-emitting element strobe light and the solid light-emitting element strobe light is emitted. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: a strobe light type setting section for setting a strobe light type; wherein when the strobe light type setting section sets the strobe light type to an automatically-switched strobe light, the light emission controlling section controls the xenon strobe light and the solid light-emitting element strobe light such as to emit the xenon strobe light until the number of times the xenon strobe light is emitted exceeds the predetermined number of times, and when the number of times the xenon strobe light is emitted exceeds the predetermined number of times, switches from the xenon strobe light to the solid light-emitting element strobe light and emits the solid light-emitting element strobe light. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the strobe light type setting section sets the strobe light type to the solid light-emitting element strobe light, the light emission controlling section controls the xenon strobe light and the solid light-emitting element strobe light such as to emit only the solid light-emitting element strobe light. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the strobe light type setting section sets the strobe light type to the xenon strobe light, the light emission controlling section controls only the xenon strobe light to emit and limits the number of times the xenon strobe light is emitted to the predetermined number of times, and the consecutive imaging controlling section limits a number of times imaging is performed at the predetermined imaging interval to the predetermined number of times. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the xenon strobe light has a capacitor, and the predetermined number of times is a number of times the xenon strobe light can be emitted without the capacitor being recharged. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined number of times is a number of light emitting times until a voltage at the capacitor becomes lower than a threshold voltage for a first time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The imaging apparatus according to claim 3, comprises a light emission possibility judging section for judging whether or not the xenon strobe light can be emitted for the predetermined number of times based on a light emission amount calculated by the xenon light emission amount calculating section and the predetermined number of times is a number of times determined in advance; wherein when judged that the xenon strobe light cannot be emitted for the predetermined number of times by the light emission possibility judging section, the light emission controlling section controls the xenon strobe light such that the xenon strobe light is emitted by a light emission amount allowing the xenon strobe light to be emitted for the predetermined number of times. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The imaging apparatus according to claim 4, comprising: an imaging interval setting section for setting the imaging interval; and an imaging interval judging section for judging whether or not the imaging interval set by the imaging interval setting section is shorter than the predetermined imaging interval; wherein when the image interval judging section judges that the imaging interval set by the imaging interval setting section is shorter than the predetermined imaging interval, the light emission controlling section controls the xenon strobe light and the solid light-emitting element strobe light such as to emit only the solid light-emitting element strobe light regardless of the strobe light type set by the strobe light type setting section. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the image interval judging section judges that the imaging interval set by the imaging interval setting section is shorter than the predetermined imaging interval, the light emission controlling section controls the xenon strobe light and the solid light-emitting element strobe light such as to continuously emit only the solid light-emitting element strobe light while the imaging is performed at the predetermined imaging interval by the consecutive imaging controlling section. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The imaging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the image interval judging section judges that the imaging interval set by the imaging interval setting section is shorter than the predetermined imaging interval, the light emission controlling section controls the xenon strobe light and the solid light-emitting element strobe light such as to flash only the solid light-emitting element strobe light at a shorter interval than the predetermined imaging interval while the imaging is performed at the predetermined imaging interval by the consecutive imaging controlling section. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: a judging section for judging whether or not an optimal exposure amount can be achieved at each instance of imaging by the consecutive imaging controlling section; wherein when the judging section judges that the optimal exposure amount cannot be achieved, the consecutive imaging controlling section controls the image sensor element to either drive the image sensor element to perform pixel addition or increase sensitivity of image data acquired through each instance of imaging, or both. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: a judging section for judging whether or not an optimal exposure amount can be achieved at each instance of imaging by the consecutive imaging controlling section; and a generating section for generating a single frame of composite image data in which additive compositing is performed on a plurality of pieces of image data; wherein when the judging section judges that the optimal exposure amount cannot be achieved, the consecutive imaging controlling section controls such as to perform sub-imaging for a plurality of times during each imaging period that occurs at the predetermined imaging interval, and the generating section performs additive compositing on a plurality of pieces of image data that is sub-imaged during the imaging period and generates a single frame of composite image data for each imaging period. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The imaging apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the consecutive imaging controlling section controls to perform sub-imaging for a plural number of times during each imaging period that occurs at the predetermined imaging interval, only when the predetermined imaging interval is longer than a constant interval. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: a first instructing section for giving an instruction to start imaging; and a second instructing section for giving an instruction to end imaging; wherein when the first instructing section gives the instruction to start imaging, the consecutive imaging controlling section starts performing control in which the subject is imaged at the predetermined imaging interval, and when the second instructing section gives the instruction to end imaging, the consecutive imaging controlling section stops performing the control. ### Claim 17 An imaging apparatus comprising: a image sensor element for converting light of a subject to image data; a xenon tube; a solid light-emitting element; a consecutive imaging controlling section for performing a consecutive imaging process in which the subject is consecutively imaged at a predetermined imaging interval, depending on a consecutive imaging instruction; a deciding section for deciding whether to emit the xenon strobe light or the solid light-emitting element strobe light for each instance of imaging in the consecutive imaging process performed by the consecutive imaging controlling section; and a light emission controlling section for emitting the strobe light that has been decided by the deciding section for each instance of imaging in the consecutive imaging process performed by the consecutive imaging controlling section. ### Claim 18 A computer program product for controlling an imaging apparatus including an image sensor element for converting light of a subject to image data, a xenon tube, and a solid light-emitting element, stored on a computer-readable storage medium that is executable by a computer, comprising: a consecutive imaging controlling process for controlling consecutive imaging to image the subject at a predetermined imaging interval using the image sensor element that converts the light of the subject to image data; and a light emission controlling process for controlling the xenon strobe light and the solid light-emitting element strobe light such as to emit the xenon strobe light for every instance of imaging by the consecutive imaging controlling section, and when a number of times the xenon strobe light is emitted exceeds a predetermined number of times, switches from the xenon strobe light to the solid light-emitting element strobe light and emits the solid light-emitting element strobe light. ### Claim 19 A method for controlling an imaging apparatus including an image sensor element for converting light of a subject to image data, a xenon tube, and a solid light-emitting element, comprising: a setting step of performing setting such that any one of consecutive imaging processes, among xenon strobe light consecutive imaging process, a solid light-emitting element strobe light consecutive imaging process, and an automatically-switched strobe light consecutive imaging process, is performed; a starting step of starting a consecutive imaging process for imaging the subject for only a predetermined number of times at a predetermined imaging interval, using the image sensor element; and a light-emitting step of emitting only the xenon strobe light at each instance of imaging when the consecutive imaging process is set to the xenon strobe light consecutive imaging process at the setting step, emitting only the solid light-emitting element strobe light at each instance of imaging when the consecutive imaging process is set to the solid light-emitting element strobe light consecutive imaging process at the setting step, and selects one of either the xenon strobe light or the solid light-emitting element strobe light for each instance of imaging when the consecutive imaging process is set to the automatically-switched strobe light consecutive imaging process at the setting step, in the consecutive imaging process started at the starting step. ### Claim 20 A method for controlling an imaging apparatus including an image sensor element for converting light of a subject to image data, a xenon tube, and a solid light-emitting element, comprising: a starting step of starting a consecutive imaging process for consecutively imaging the subject at a predetermined imaging interval, depending on an instruction for consecutive imaging; a deciding step of deciding whether to emit the xenon strobe light or the solid light-emitting element strobe light in each instance of imaging in the consecutive imaging process started at the starting step; and an imaging step of emitting the strobe light decided by the deciding step and performing an imaging and recording of the subject by the image sensor element at each instance of imaging in the consecutive imaging process started at the starting step.