Electronic device, method and storage medium for generating an image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9591213-B2
Application number	US-201514634325-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2015
Priority date	Aug 20, 2014
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

In an embodiment, an electronic device includes circuitry configured to automatically execute exposures at a photographing range including at least a first region and a second region, with different focuses by a camera, and acquire first images generated by the exposures, and display a second image on a display based on the first images. A number of exposures at the photographing range of a first photographing and a second photographing are different. The first photographing is a case when a difference between a distance from the camera to the first subject and a distance from the camera to the second subject is greater than or equal to a first value. The second photographing is a case when the difference is smaller than the first value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a camera; and
circuitry configured to:
automatically execute exposures at a photographing range, with different focuses by the camera, the photographing range comprising at least a first region where a first subject is located and a second region where a second subject is located; and
acquire first images generated by the exposures, and display a second image on a display based on the first images,
wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
divide the first image of the photographing range captured for the first time by the camera into blocks and analyze sharpness of each of the blocks;
acquire, if the sharpness of at least one of the blocks is less than a predetermined threshold value, the other first image of the photographing range with the focus on a region corresponding to a block which has the lowest sharpness; and
generate the second image by synthesizing a block image of the first image which is acquired for the first time and has sharpness greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, and a block image of the other first image which is acquired from the second time and onward and has sharpness greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein
the number of exposures at the photographing range is varied depending on whether a character exists in the second region where the second subject is located of the first images exposed when a focus is more adjusted to the first subject than to the second subject.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein
the number of exposures at the photographing range is varied depending on whether a character exists in the first region where the first subject is located of the first images exposed when a focus is more adjusted to the first subject than to the second subject.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to automatically execute a plurality of exposures with different focuses by the camera, and
the second image is generated by synthesizing a plurality of the first images which correspond to the plurality of blocks.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry is further configured to:
emit a sound at each exposure,
change the sound emitted at each exposure in accordance with the number of exposures at the photographing range.

6. A method, comprising:
automatically executing exposures at a photographing range, with different focuses by a camera, the photographing range comprising at least a first region where a first subject is located and a second region where a second subject is located;
dividing a first image of the photographing range captured for the first time by the camera into blocks and analyzing sharpness of each of the blocks;
acquiring, if the sharpness of at least one of the blocks is less than a predetermined threshold value, another first image of the photographing range with the focus on a region corresponding to a block which has the lowest sharpness;
generating a second image by synthesizing a block image of the first image which is acquired for the first time and has sharpness greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, and a block image of the other first image which is acquired from the second time and onward and has sharpness greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value; and
displaying the generated second image on a display.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein
the number of exposures at the photographing range is varied depending on whether a character exists in the second region where the second subject is located of the first images exposed when a focus is more adjusted to the first subject than to the second subject.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein
the number of exposures at the photographing range is varied depending on whether a character exists in the first region where the first subject is located of the first images exposed when a focus is more adjusted to the first subject than to the second subject.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein
the second image is generated by synthesizing a plurality of the first images which correspond to the plurality of blocks and are photographed by automatically executing a plurality of exposures with different focuses by the camera.

10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
emitting a sound at each exposure; and
changing the sound emitted at each exposure in accordance with the number of exposures at the photographing range.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which is executable by a computer, the computer program comprising instructions capable of causing the computer to execute functions of:
automatically executing exposures at a photographing range, with different focuses by a camera, the photographing range comprising at least a first region where a first subject is located and a second region where a second subject is located;
dividing a first image of the photographing range captured for the first time by the camera into blocks and analyzing sharpness of each of the blocks;
acquiring, if the sharpness of at least one of the blocks is less than a predetermined threshold value, another first image of the photographing range with the focus on a region corresponding to a block which has the lowest sharpness;
generating a second image by synthesizing a block image of the first image which is acquiring for the first time and has sharpness greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, and a block image of the other first image which is acquiring from the second time and onward and has sharpness greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value; and
displaying the generated second image on a display.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein
the number of exposures at the photographing range is varied depending on whether a character exists in the second region wherein the second subject is located of the first image exposed when a focus is more adjusted to the first subject than to the second subject.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein
the number of exposures at the photographing range by the camera is varied depending on whether a character exists in the first region wherein the first subject is located of the first image exposed when a focus is more adjusted to the first subject than to the second subject.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein
the second image is generated by synthesizing a plurality of the first images which correspond to the plurality of blocks.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the computer program further comprises instructions capable of causing the computer to further execute:
emitting a sound at each exposure; and
changing the sound emitted at each exposure in accordance with the number of exposures at the photographing range by the camera.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Kimura Mitsuhiro
• Matsuoka Kaoru
• Haruki Kosuke

Classifications

• H04N23/631

  Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters · CPC title

• H04N23/675 Primary

  comprising setting of focusing regions · CPC title

• H04N23/951 Primary

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

• H04N23/673

  based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method · CPC title

• H04N5/23212

  Electricity · mapped topic