Determining a final exposure setting automatically for a solid state camera without a separate light metering circuit

An electronic camera comprising:

• camera imager to provide pixel values defining a captured scene using an exposure setting;
• and
• processing electronics to automatically generate a final exposure setting without using a light metering circuit separate from the camera imager,
• wherein for a current exposure setting selected from a plurality of predetermined exposure settings that are arranged from the one corresponding to the least exposure to the one corresponding to the greatest exposure,
• a) the camera imager is to provide pixel values defining the captured scene using the current setting, and
• b) the processing electronics is to select according to an automated search methodology another one of the plurality of exposure settings to be the current setting in response to the captured scene being underexposed or overexposed, and wherein
• a) and b) are to repeat until the current exposure setting is neither underexposed or overexposed as determined using the pixel values defining the captured scene, where the automated search methodology is to perform a binary chop of the exposure settings so long as the captured scene is either grossly overexposed or grossly underexposed, and then changes to a fine granularity search if the captured scene is still overexposed or underexposed but not grossly so.

An article of manufacture comprising

• a machine-readable medium having a plurality of instructions therein which when executed by a processor cause an electronic system to
• a) select one of a plurality of exposure settings as a current exposure setting for a solid state camera having a camera imager;
• b) receive a captured scene obtained by the camera imager using the current exposure setting;
• c) select according to an automated search methodology another one of the exposure settings to be the current setting in response to the captured scene being underexposed or overexposed;
• and
• d) repeat b) and c) until the captured scene is neither underexposed or overexposed, wherein the search methodology performs a binary chop so long as the captured scene is either grossly overexposed or grossly underexposed, and then changes to a fine granularity search if the captured scene is still overexposed or underexposed but not grossly so.