Method of controlling exposure time by using infrared light, computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon computer program codes for performing the method, and electronic apparatus having photographing function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9288400-B2
Application number	US-201414494816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2014
Priority date	Oct 8, 2013
Publication date	Mar 15, 2016
Grant date	Mar 15, 2016

Abstract

An electronic apparatus having a photographing function includes: a flash that emits light including a visible light wavelength range and an infrared wavelength range and radiates the light onto a subject; an infrared detector that absorbs light in the infrared wavelength range and generates a detection signal corresponding to the light; an image sensor that photoelectrically transforms incident light and generates an image signal; and a controller that controls an exposure time of the image sensor based on the detection signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic apparatus having a photographing function, comprising:
a flash that emits light including a visible light wavelength range and an infrared wavelength range and radiates the light onto a subject;
an infrared detector that absorbs light in the infrared wavelength range and generates a detection signal corresponding to the light in the infrared wavelength range;
an image sensor that photoelectrically transforms incident light in the visible light wavelength range and generates an image signal; and
a controller that controls an exposure time in which the image sensor is exposed to the incident light based on the detection signal,
wherein, when an increment in the detection signal generated by the infrared detector, compared to a case in which the emission of the flash is not performed, reaches a threshold value, the controller stops exposure of the image sensor.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the infrared detector is mounted on a front side of the image sensor.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the infrared detector comprises an organic layer that absorbs light in the infrared wavelength range.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the exposure time of the image sensor when main emission of the flash is performed.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the increment in the detection signal is a difference between a detection signal generated by the infrared detector before emission of the flash is performed and a detection signal generated by the infrared detector while the flash emits light.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the threshold value is set based on an appropriate amount of visible light, a correlation coefficient between an amount of visible light and an amount of infrared light, and the relationship between the amount of infrared light and the detection signal.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, when the increment in the detection signal generated by the infrared detector, compared to a case in which the emission of the flash is not performed, reaches the threshold value, the controller stops emission of the flash.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a shutter that controls exposure of the image sensor,
wherein, when the increment in the detection signal generated by the infrared detector, compared to a case in which the emission of the flash is not performed, reaches the threshold value, the controller controls the shutter to stop exposure of the image sensor.

9. A method of controlling an exposure time by using infrared light, the method comprising:
emitting light including a visible light wavelength range and an infrared wavelength range from a flash;
absorbing light in the infrared wavelength range and generating a detection signal corresponding to the light in the infrared wavelength range; and
controlling an exposure time in which an image sensor is exposed to an incident light in the visible light wavelength range based on the detection signal,
wherein, if an increment in the detection signal, compared to a case in which the emission of the flash is not performed, reaches a threshold value, the exposure of the image sensor is stopped.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein, when main emission of the flash is performed, an exposure time of the image sensor is controlled.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the increment in the detection signal is a difference between a detection signal generated before emission of the flash is performed and a detection signal generated while the flash emits light.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the threshold value is set based on an appropriate amount of visible light, a correlation coefficient between an amount of visible light and an amount of infrared light, and the relationship between the amount of infrared light and the detection signal.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein, if the increment in the detection signal, compared to a case in which the emission of the flash is not performed, reaches a threshold value, the emission of the flash is stopped.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein, if the increment in the detection signal, compared to a case in which the emission of the flash is not performed, reaches a threshold value, a shutter is controlled to stop exposure of the image sensor.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon computer program codes for performing a method of controlling an exposure time by using infrared light when the computer program codes are read and executed by a processor, the method of controlling an exposure time by using infrared light comprising:
emitting light including a visible light wavelength range and an infrared wavelength range from a flash;
absorbing light in the infrared wavelength range and generating a detection signal corresponding to the light in the infrared wavelength range; and
controlling an exposure time in which an image sensor is exposed to an incident light in the visible light wavelength range based on the detection signal,
wherein, when an increment in the detection signal, compared to a case in which the emission of the flash is not performed, reaches a threshold value, the emission of the flash is stopped.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 15 , wherein, when main emission of the flash is performed, an exposure time of the image sensor is controlled.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 15 , wherein, when the increment in the detection signal, compared to a case in which the emission of the flash is not performed, reaches a threshold value, a shutter is controlled to stop exposure of the image sensor.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Youn Yeo-Tak
• Mikoshiba Atsushi
• Dohi Hiroshi
• Park Ji-Woong
• Usui Takafumi

Classifications

• H04N23/70

  Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene · CPC title

• H04N23/73 Primary

  by influencing the exposure time · CPC title

• H04N23/11

  for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths · CPC title

• G03B7/08

  Control effected solely on the basis of the response, to the intensity of the light received by the camera, of a built-in light-sensitive device · CPC title

• H04N5/33

  Transforming infrared radiation (cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20) · CPC title