Image capturing apparatus, image capturing method, and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9794493-B2
Application number	US-201715488554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2017
Priority date	Oct 30, 2013
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

There is provided an image capturing apparatus comprising an image capturing unit. A control unit controls the image capturing unit to capture a first image having exposure unevenness caused by flicker in a light source. A detection unit detects a timing at which there is a low change in a light amount caused by the flicker, based on the exposure unevenness in the first image. An accepting unit accepts an image capturing instruction. The control unit controls the image capturing unit to capture a second image at the detected timing in response to the image capturing instruction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image capturing apparatus comprising:
an image sensor that sequentially starts exposure of each line of the image sensor; and
at least one processor programmed to function as a calculation unit and a determination unit, wherein:
the calculation unit is configured to calculate a predetermined timing corresponding to a brightness of a first image data obtained by the image sensor; and
the determination unit is configured to determine an exposure timing for taking a still image based on the predetermined timing calculated by the calculation unit,
wherein the image sensor obtains the first image data with a first exposure time period which is shorter than a cycle of flicker of a light source, while obtaining a second image data with a second exposure time period for a moving picture; and
wherein the first exposure time period is different from the second exposure time period.

2. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second exposure time period is longer than the first exposure time period.

3. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second exposure time period is a multiple of the cycle of the flicker.

4. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to function as an accepting unit configured to accept an image capturing instruction in response to an operating member being operated by a user,
wherein the image sensor periodically obtains the second image data for the moving picture until the operating member is operated and wherein the image sensor obtains the first image data after the operating member is operated.

5. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to function as a display unit configured to continuously display an image on a display based on the second image data,
wherein the display unit does not display an image on the display based on the first image data.

6. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to function as a storage unit configured to store moving picture information based on the second image data in a storage medium,
wherein the storage unit does not include the first image data in the moving picture information.

7. The image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the predetermined timing corresponds to a peak or bottom of the brightness of the first image.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ariga Yuichi

Classifications

• G03B7/093

  for control of exposure time · CPC title

• H04N23/70

  Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene · CPC title

• H04N23/745 Primary

  Detection of flicker frequency or suppression of flicker wherein the flicker is caused by illumination, e.g. due to fluorescent tube illumination or pulsed LED illumination · CPC title

• H04N23/73

  by influencing the exposure time · CPC title

• H04N25/531

  by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS · CPC title