Photographing apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016094772-A1
Application number	US-201514840615-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 31, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2014
Publication date	Mar 31, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

There are provided a photographing apparatus and a photographing method capable of generating an added image by adding up images, the apparatus and the method achieving image quality of the added image. A photographing apparatus includes: a photographing section that photographs a subject a plurality of times sequentially; an image processing section that adds up images so as to generate an added image; and an exposure condition calculation section that calculates the minimum number of shots of the photography, which is for calculating a plurality of predetermined exposure time periods, and unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography performed the minimum number of times, on the basis of set and input exposure conditions. The image processing section generates an added image of the plurality of exposure time periods by adding up images which are captured through the shots of the photography for the unit exposure time periods.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A photographing apparatus comprising:
a photographing section that photographs a subject a plurality of times sequentially; an image processing section that adds up images sequentially captured through shots of the photography so as to generate an added image; and an exposure condition calculation section that calculates the minimum number of shots of the photography, which is for calculating a plurality of predetermined exposure time periods, and unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography performed the minimum number of times, on the basis of set and input exposure conditions, wherein the photographing section takes each shot of the photography performed the minimum number of times, for the unit exposure time period, and wherein the image processing section generates the added image of the plurality of exposure time periods by adding up images which are captured through the shots of the photography for the unit exposure time periods.

2 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the exposure conditions are conditions of a shortest exposure time period of the shots of the photography and a total exposure time period in which all the exposure time periods of the shots of the photography are added up.

3 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising an exposure time period receiving section that receives a setting and an input of the shortest exposure time period and the total exposure time period, as the exposure conditions.

4 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising an exposure time period receiving section that receives a setting and an input of the shortest exposure time period and a ratio of the total exposure time period to the shortest exposure time period, as the exposure conditions.

5 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a signal amount receiving section that receives settings and inputs of a minimum signal amount, which is acquired by the photography, and a total signal amount, which is obtained by adding up signal amounts acquired by all the shots of the photography, as the exposure conditions,
wherein the exposure condition calculation section calculates the shortest exposure time period on the basis of the minimum signal amount, and calculates the total exposure time period on the basis of the total signal amount.

6 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a signal amount receiving section that receives settings and inputs of a minimum signal amount, which is acquired by the photography, and a ratio of a total signal amount, which is obtained by adding up signal amounts acquired by all the shots of the photography, to the minimum signal amount, as the exposure conditions,
wherein the exposure condition calculation section calculates the shortest exposure time period on the basis of the minimum signal amount, and calculates the total exposure time period on the basis of the ratio.

7 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the exposure condition calculation section calculates the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography, in which a value obtained by adding up the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography is equal to or less than the total exposure time period, and the minimum number of shots of the photography.

8 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the exposure condition calculation section calculates the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography, in which a value obtained by adding up the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography is equal to or less than the total exposure time period, and the minimum number of shots of the photography.

9 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the exposure condition calculation section calculates the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography, in which a value obtained by adding up the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography is equal to or less than the total exposure time period, and the minimum number of shots of the photography.

10 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the exposure condition calculation section calculates the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography, in which a value obtained by adding up the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography is equal to or less than the total exposure time period, and the minimum number of shots of the photography.

11 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the exposure condition calculation section calculates the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography, in which a value obtained by adding up the unit exposure time periods of the shots of the photography is equal to or less than the total exposure time period, and the minimum number of shots of the photography.

12 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein assuming that the shortest exposure time period is t and the total exposure time period is T, the exposure condition calculation section calculates a maximum of n satisfying 2 n−1 t≦T, wherein assuming that m is an integer of 0 to n, 2 m t and T−( 2 n+1 −1)t are calculated as the plurality of unit exposure time periods, and n+2 are calculated as the minimum number of shots of the photography, and wherein assuming that k is an integer of 1 to (T/t), the image processing section calculates an added image of an exposure time period of kt.

13 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein assuming that the shortest exposure time period is t and the total exposure time period is T, the exposure condition calculation section calculates a maximum of n satisfying 2 n+1 t≦T, wherein assuming that m is an integer of 0 to n, 2 m t and T−(2 n+1 −1)t are calculated as the plurality of unit exposure time periods, and n+2 are calculated as the minimum number of shots of the photography, and wherein assuming that k is an integer of 1 to (T/t), the image processing section calculates an added image of an exposure time period of kt.

14 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein assuming that the shortest exposure time period is t and the total exposure time period is T, the exposure condition calculation section calculates a maximum of n satisfying 2 n+1 t≦T, wherein assuming that m is an integer of 0 to n, 2 m t and T−(2 n+1 −1)t are calculated as the plurality of unit exposure time periods, and n+2 are calculated as the minimum number of shots of the photography, and wherein assuming that k is an integer of 1 to (T/t), the image processing section calculates an added image of an exposure time period of kt.

15 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein assuming that the shortest exposure time period is t and the total exposure time period is T, the exposure condition calculation section calculates a maximum of n satisfying 2 n+1 t≦T, wherein assuming that m is an integer of 0 to n, 2 m t and T−(2 n+1 −1)t are calculated as the plurality of unit exposure time periods, and n+2 are calculated as the minimum number of shots of the photography, and wherein assuming that k is an integer of 1 to (T/t), the image processing section calculates an added image of an exposure time period of kt.

16 . The photographing apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein assuming that the shortest exposure time period is t and the total exposure time period is T, the exposure condition calc

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Yasutake
• Ohta Yasunori

Classifications

• H04N23/743 Primary

  Bracketing, i.e. taking a series of images with varying exposure conditions · CPC title

• H04N23/71

  Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation · CPC title

• H04N23/73

  by influencing the exposure time · CPC title

• H04N23/741

  by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors · CPC title

• G06T5/50 Primary

  using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction · CPC title