Method and apparatus for controlling image generation of image capture device by determining one or more image capture settings used for generating each subgroup of captured images

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9503652-B2
Application number	US-201414477858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2014
Priority date	Oct 7, 2013
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

An image generation method includes: determining at least one first image capture setting and at least one second image capture setting; controlling an image capture device to generate a plurality of first successive captured images for a capture trigger event according to the at least one first image capture setting and generate a plurality of second successive captured images for the same capture trigger event according to the at least one second image capture setting. Variation of the at least one first image capture setting is constrained within a first predetermined range during generation of the first successive captured images. Difference between the at least one first image capture setting and the at least one second image capture setting is beyond the first predetermined range. Variation of the at least one second image capture setting is constrained within a second predetermined range during generation of the second successive captured images.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image generation method, comprising:
determining at least one first image capture setting;
controlling an image capture device to generate a plurality of first successive captured images for a capture trigger event according to the at least one first image capture setting, wherein variation of the at least one first image capture setting is constrained within a first predetermined range during generation of the first successive captured images;
determining at least one second image capture setting, wherein difference between the at least one first image capture setting and the at least one second image capture setting is beyond the first predetermined range; and
controlling the image capture device to generate a plurality of second successive captured images for the same capture trigger event according to the at least one second image capture setting, wherein variation of the at least one second image capture setting is constrained within a second predetermined range during generation of the second successive captured images, the generation of the second successive captured images is performed after the generation of the first successive captured images, and the image capture device generates the second successive captured images regardless of the first successive captured images generated by the image capture device;
wherein the first successive captured images and the second successive captured images are successively generated by the image capture device at a same frame rate.

2. The image generation method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first image capture setting includes only a single image capture setting that is fixed during the generation of the first successive captured images.

3. The image generation method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first image capture setting includes a base image capture setting and at least one tracking image capture setting following the base image capture setting, the base image capture setting is configured based at least partly on a first algorithm, and the at least one tracking image capture setting is configured based at least partly on a second algorithm different from the first algorithm.

4. The image generation method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first image capture setting includes a base image capture setting and at least one tracking image capture setting following the base image capture setting, the base image capture setting is configured based at least partly on a first parameter, and the at least one tracking image capture setting is configured based at least partly on a second parameter different from the first parameter.

5. The image generation method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first image capture setting includes a base image capture setting and at least one tracking image capture setting, and the at least one tracking image capture setting is derived from fine tuning the base image capture setting.

6. The image generation method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one first image capture setting and the at least one second image capture setting is set by adjusting at least one of an auto exposure setting, an auto white balance setting, and an auto focus setting.

7. The image generation method of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing the first successive captured images to generate an output image.

8. The image generation method of claim 7 , wherein the output image is a noise-reduced image.

9. The image generation method of claim 7 , wherein the output image is a sharpness-enhanced image.

10. The image generation method of claim 7 , wherein a resolution of the output image is higher than a resolution of each of the first successive captured images.

11. The image generation method of claim 7 , wherein the capture trigger event occurs during the generation of the first captured images, and the output image is a ZSD (zero shutter delay) image.

12. The image generation method of claim 7 , further comprising:
processing the second successive captured images to generate another output image; and
encoding each output image as one video frame of a video sequence.

13. The image generation method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a plurality of successive output images according to the first successive captured images, wherein each of the successive output images is generated from processing the first successive captured images.

14. The image generation method of claim 13 , further comprising:
encoding each of the successive output images as one video frame of a video sequence.

15. A controller for controlling image generation of an image capture device, comprising:
a setting circuit, configured to determining at least one first image capture setting and at least one second image capture setting; and
a control circuit, configured to:
control the image capture device to generate a plurality of first successive captured images for a capture trigger event according to the at least one first image capture setting; and
control the image capture device to generate a plurality of second successive captured images for the same capture trigger event according to the at least one second image capture setting;

wherein variation of the at least one first image capture setting is constrained within a first predetermined range during generation of the first successive captured images, difference between the at least one first image capture setting and the at least one second image capture setting is beyond the first predetermined range, variation of the at least one second image capture setting is constrained within a second predetermined range during generation of the second successive captured images, the generation of the second successive captured images is performed after the generation of the first successive captured images, and the image capture device generates the second successive captured images regardless of the first successive captured images generated by the image capture device;
wherein the first successive captured images and the second successive captured images are successively generated by the image capture device at a same frame rate.

16. The controller of claim 15 , wherein the at least one first image capture setting includes only a single image capture setting that is fixed during the generation of the first successive captured images.

17. The controller of claim 15 , wherein the at least one first image capture setting includes a base image capture setting and at least one tracking image capture setting following the base image capture setting, the setting circuit determines the base image capture setting based at least partly on a first algorithm, and determines the at least one tracking image capture setting based at least partly on a second algorithm different from the first algorithm.

18. The controller of claim 15 , wherein the at least one first image capture setting includes a base image capture setting and at least one tracking image capture setting following the base image capture setting, the setting circuit determines the base image capture setting based at least partly on a first parameter, and determines the at least one tracking image capture setting based at least partly on a second parameter different from the first parameter.

19. The controller of claim 15 , wherein the at least one first image capture setting includes a base image capture setting and at least one tracking image capture setting, and the setting circuit derives the at least one tracking image capture setting fr

Assignees

• Mediatek Inc

Inventors

• Chen Ding-Yun
• Ho Cheng-Tsai
• Ju Chi-Cheng
• Tsai Chung-Hung

Classifications

• H04N23/81 Primary

  for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation · CPC title

• H04N23/743

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

• H04N23/70 Primary

  Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene · CPC title

• H04N23/951

  by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio · CPC title

• H04N5/235 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic