Methods and apparatus for supporting burst modes of camera operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016112650-A1
Application number	US-201514886050-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 17, 2015
Priority date	Oct 17, 2014
Publication date	Apr 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In various embodiments a camera with multiple optical chains, e.g., camera modules, is controlled to operate in one of a variety of supported modes of operation. The modes include a non-motion mode, a motion mode, a normal burst mode and/or a reduced data burst mode. Motion mode is well suited for capturing an image including motion, e.g., moving object(s) with some modules being used to capture scene areas using a shorter exposure time than other modules and the captured images then being combined taking into consideration locations of motion. A reduced data burst mode is supported in some embodiments in which camera modules with different focal lengths capture images at different rates. While the camera modules of different focal length operate at different image capture rates in the reduced data burst mode, images are combined to support a desired composite image output rate, e.g., a desired frame rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of capturing images using a camera device including a plurality of optical chains including a first optical chain and at least a second optical chain, the method comprising:
operating the first optical chain to capture a first number of images during a first period of time; and operating a second optical chain to capture a second number of images during said first period of time, where said second number is different from said first number.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said second number of images is larger than said first number.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said first and second optical chains have different focal lengths, said second focal length being longer than said first focal length.

4 . The method of claim 3 ,
wherein said camera device supports a normal mode of operation and a reduced data burst mode of operation and wherein said first time period is a time period during which said camera device is operating in said reduced data burst mode of operation.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
wherein said first optical chain captures a larger scene area than said second optical chain, the method further comprising: generating a sequence of composite images by combining an image captured by said first optical chain during said first period of time with multiple images captured by said second optical chain during said first period of time.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein generating a sequence of composite images includes:
generating a first composite image and a second composite image.

7 . The method of claim 6 ,
wherein generating a first composite image includes combining the first image captured by the first optical chain during the first period of time with a first image captured by the second optical chain during the first period of time; and wherein generating a second composite image includes combining the first image captured by the first optical chain during the first period of time with a second image captured by the second optical chain during the first period of time.

8 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
operating a third optical chain, having a focal length which is longer than said first focal length, to capture images during said first period of time at the same rate as said second optical chains; and wherein generating a first composite image includes combining the first image captured by the first optical chain during the first period of time with a first image captured by the second optical chain during the first period of time and a first image captured by the third optical chain during said first time period; and wherein generating a second composite image includes combining the first image captured by the first optical chain during the first period of time with a second image captured by the second optical chain during the first period of time and a second image captured by the third optical chain during said first time period.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the image captured by the first optical chain includes portions of a field of view which are not captured by optical chains with which the first image captured by the first optical chain is combined to generate said first composite image and said second composite image.

10 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
wherein the camera device includes a third optical chain having a third focal length which is different from said first and second focal lengths; and wherein operating in said reduced data burst mode of operation includes: operating optical chains having said first focal length to capture images at a first rate, operating optical chains having said second focal length to capture images at a second rate and operating optical chains having said third focal length to capture images at a third image capture rate, at least two of said first, second and third image capture rates being different.

11 . The method of claim 10 ,
wherein said first, second and third image capture rates are different; and wherein optical chains having longer focal lengths have higher image capture rates than optical chains having shorter focal lengths.

12 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first optical chain has a shorter focal length than said second optical chain and captures an image corresponding to a larger scene area than said second optical chain.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
operating a third optical chain of said camera device to capture a third number of images during said first time period, said third optical chain having a larger focal length than said first and second optical chains.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said third number of images is the same as the second number of images, said second and third optical chains capturing different portions of a scene area which overlap portions of the scene area captured by said first optical chain.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein optical chains corresponding to a larger focal length are operated to capture images at a faster rate than the first optical chain which has a smaller focal length.

16 . A camera device comprising:
a plurality of optical chains including a first optical chain and a second optical chain; and a control device configure to control the first optical chain to capture a first number of images during a first period of time and to control the second optical chain to capture a second number of images during said first period of time.

17 . The camera device of claim 16 , wherein said first number is one and said second number is at least two.

18 . The camera device of claim 16 , wherein said control device is a processor.

19 . The camera device of claim 18 ,
wherein said camera device is a multi-mode handheld camera device including at least one optical chain having a first focal length, at least four optical chains having a second focal length and at least for optical chains have a third focal length, said second focal length being longer than said first focal length and said third focal length being longer than said second focal length; and wherein said control device is further configured to control said second optical chains to use a shorter exposure time than an exposure time used by said first optical chain.

20 . A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor control a camera device including a plurality of optical chains including a first optical chain and at least a second optical chain to:
operate the first optical chain to capture a first number of images during a first period of time; and operate a second optical chain to capture a second number of images during said first period of time, where said second number is different from said first number.

Assignees

• Lightco Inc

Inventors

• Laroia Rajiv
• Shroff Nitesh
• Shroff Sapna A

Classifications

• G06T7/20

  Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) · CPC title

• H04N5/265 Primary

  Mixing · CPC title

• G06T11/60

  Creating or editing images; Combining images with text · CPC title

• G06T2207/10148

  Varying focus · CPC title

• G06T2207/10144

  Varying exposure · CPC title