US 8,009,978 B2Granted

Handheld electronic device and camera providing flash compensation of images, and associated method

AssigneeResearch In Motion Limited

InventorsMarc Drader, Michael Purdy, Ken Wu

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An improved handheld electronic device and camera apparatus upon which can be executed an improved method enable a modular camera to be used in conjunction with a flash. In one implementation, compensation parameters that are intended for use in a non-flash situation are overwritten with compensation parameters that are configured to compensate for the combined effects of the camera and the flash and are used by an embedded compensation routine executed on the camera. In another implementation, an image signal is processed by the embedded compensation routine using the original compensation parameters, but if it is determined that the image signal is a flash image signal, the image signal is further processed by the embedded compensation routine employing an additional set of parameters which compensate the image signal for the effect of the flash.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A handheld electronic device comprising:

an input apparatus comprising a camera apparatus and being structured to provide input to a processor apparatus;
an output apparatus structured to receive output signals from the processor apparatus and to provide output;
the camera apparatus comprising a camera and a flash;
the camera comprising a sensor, a camera lens, and a processor system having a lens shading routine executable thereon;
the flash comprising a light source and a flash lens;
the lens shading routine being structured to employ compensation parameters stored in a plurality of storage registers in performing a processing operation on an image signal from the sensor, the lens shading routine being further structured to be executable on the processor system to cause the camera apparatus to perform operations comprising:
storing compensation parameters for processing a non-flash image in the storage registers of the camera;
overwriting at least a portion of the storage registers to provide compensation parameters for processing a flash image;
processing a flash image signal in accordance with the compensation parameters for processing a flash image;
and
overwriting the storage registers to restore the compensation parameters for processing a non-flash image when processing of the flash image signal is completed.

8 more elements

A method of operating a camera apparatus to process an image signal, the camera apparatus comprising a camera and a flash, the camera comprising a sensor, a camera lens, and a processor system having a lens shading routine executable thereon, the flash comprising a light source and a flash lens, the method comprising:

storing compensation parameters for processing a non-flash image in storage registers of the camera;
overwriting at least a portion of the storage registers to provide compensation parameters for processing a flash image;
processing a flash image signal in accordance with the compensation parameters for processing a flash image;
and
overwriting the storage registers to restore the compensation parameters for processing a non-flash image when processing of the flash image signal is completed.

2 more elements

A camera apparatus comprising:

a camera comprising a sensor, a camera lens, and a processor system having a lens shading routine executable thereon;
a flash comprising a light source and a flash lens;
the lens shading routine being structured to employ compensation parameters stored in storage registers in performing a processing operation on an image signal from the sensor, the lens shading routine being further structured to be executable on the processor system to cause the camera apparatus to perform operations comprising:
storing compensation parameters for processing a non-flash image in the storage registers of the camera;
overwriting at least a portion of the storage registers to provide compensation parameters for processing a flash image;
processing a flash image signal in accordance with the compensation parameters for processing a flash image;
and
overwriting the storage registers to restore the compensation parameters for processing a non-flash image when processing of the flash image signal is completed.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/724,717Filed 16 Mar 2010 · continuation
Priority: 25 Jan 2007
Published: US 2010/0172640 A18 Jul 2010
Granted: 30 Aug 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

G03B 15/05
Combinations of cameras with lighting apparatus; Flash units: combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
G03B 2215/05
Special procedures for taking photographs; Apparatus therefor: combinations of cameras with electronic flash units
G03B
Apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs or for projecting or viewing them

Family

Application11/626,994Parent of this continuation · filed 25 Jan 2007
US 2010/0172640 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Jul 2010
US 7,702,235 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2008/0181596 A1Published application
US 8,009,978 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.