JP2009088928A5

JP2009088928A5 -

Info

Publication number: JP2009088928A5
Application number: JP2007255208A
Authority: JP
Filing date: 2007-09-28
Publication date: 2010-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 2027-09-28

Claims

An imaging unit exposure time is relatively long long-time exposure image signal and the exposure time to output a relatively short short-time exposure image signal,
A preprocessing unit that performs gain processing on the long exposure image signal and the short exposure image signal obtained by the imaging unit;
By switching and synthesizing the long-exposure image signal and the short-exposure image signal that have been gain-processed by the pre-processing unit at a switching point indicated by a luminance threshold, at least the long-exposure image signal or the short-exposure image signal. A signal processing unit for performing a synthesis process for generating a composite image signal having a relatively wide dynamic range than any one of the dynamic ranges of the exposure image signal;
In accordance with the gain setting in the gain processing of the preprocessing unit, the luminance threshold value indicating the switching point of the synthesis processing in the signal processing unit is changed, and when the gain is increased, the luminance threshold value is changed to a higher luminance value. An imaging apparatus including a control unit that performs control.

The imaging unit includes an imaging operation in a normal imaging mode that outputs one exposure image signal in a unit period, a long exposure image signal in which a exposure time is relatively long in a unit period, and a short exposure in which an exposure time is relatively short. The imaging operation in the composite imaging mode for outputting an image signal is composed of imaging means that can be selectively executed,
The control unit determines whether or not the imaging unit is in an imaging operation state of a composite imaging mode. When the imaging unit is in an imaging operation state of a composite imaging mode, the signal processing unit outputs a composite image signal. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brightness threshold value is controlled in accordance with a gain setting in a gain process of the preprocessing unit.

The control unit receives a setting to enable or disable the control for changing the luminance threshold, and when the setting for enabling the control to change the luminance threshold is made, the luminance threshold is set to the preprocessing. Control for changing according to the gain setting in the gain processing of the unit, and when setting for invalidating the control for changing the luminance threshold is performed, control for fixing the luminance threshold to a predetermined value is performed. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1.

An imaging process step for obtaining a long exposure image signal having a relatively long exposure time and a short exposure image signal having a relatively short exposure time;
A preprocessing step of performing gain processing on the long exposure image signal and the short exposure image signal obtained in the imaging processing step;
By switching and synthesizing the long-exposure image signal and the short-exposure image signal that have been gain-processed in the preprocessing step at the switching point indicated by the brightness threshold, A signal processing step for performing a combining process for generating a combined image signal having a relatively wide dynamic range than any of the dynamic ranges of the exposure image signal;
In accordance with the gain setting in the preprocessing step, the luminance threshold value indicating the switching point of the synthesis processing in the signal processing step is changed, and when the gain increases, the luminance threshold value is changed to a higher luminance value. An imaging control method comprising: a control step.

In the imaging processing step, the imaging operation in the normal imaging mode that outputs one exposure image signal in a unit period, the long exposure image signal in which the exposure time is relatively long in the unit period, and the short time in which the exposure time is relatively short Perform imaging processing by imaging means that can selectively execute the imaging operation of the composite imaging mode that outputs the exposure image signal,
In the control step, it is determined whether or not the imaging unit is in an imaging operation state of the composite imaging mode. When the imaging unit is in an imaging operation state of the composite imaging mode, the composite image signal is output in the signal processing step. The imaging control method according to claim 4, wherein the brightness threshold value is controlled in accordance with a gain setting in the synthesis process of the signal processing step.

In the control step, a setting for accepting whether to enable or disable the control for changing the luminance threshold is accepted, and when the setting for enabling the control for changing the luminance threshold is made, the synthesis processing of the signal processing step Control to change the luminance threshold according to the gain setting in the above, and when the setting to invalidate the control to change the luminance threshold is made, control to fix the luminance threshold to a predetermined value is performed The imaging control method according to claim 4, wherein:

An imaging means for obtaining a long exposure image signal having a relatively long exposure time and a short exposure image signal having a relatively short exposure time, and a long exposure image signal and a short exposure image signal obtained by the imaging means. By switching and synthesizing the pre-processing means for performing gain processing, and the long-time exposure image signal and the short-time exposure image signal subjected to gain processing by the pre-processing means at a switching point indicated by a luminance threshold, A control method for controlling an imaging apparatus comprising: a long-exposure image signal or a signal processing means for performing a composite process for generating a composite image signal having a relatively wider dynamic range than either the dynamic range of the short-exposure image signal An imaging control program for causing a computer to execute
In accordance with the gain setting in the synthesis processing of the signal processing means, there is a control step of changing the luminance threshold indicating the switching point of the synthesis processing in the signal processing unit, and when the gain is increased, the luminance threshold is An imaging control program that causes a computer to execute a control method for performing control to change to a higher one.

An imaging operation in a normal imaging mode that outputs one exposure image signal per unit period, a long exposure image signal that has a relatively long exposure time and a short exposure image signal that has a relatively short exposure time are output in a unit period. Perform imaging processing by imaging means that can selectively execute the imaging operation in the composite imaging mode,
In the control step, it is determined whether or not the imaging unit is in an imaging operation state of the composite imaging mode. When the imaging unit is in an imaging operation state of the composite imaging mode, the composite image signal is output in the signal processing step. 8. The imaging control program according to claim 7, further comprising: causing a computer to execute a control method for generating and controlling to change the luminance threshold according to a gain setting in the synthesis processing of the signal processing step.

In the control step, a setting for accepting whether to enable or disable the control for changing the luminance threshold is accepted, and when the setting for enabling the control for changing the luminance threshold is made, the synthesis processing of the signal processing step A control method for performing control to fix the luminance threshold value to a predetermined value when the control for changing the luminance threshold value is performed in accordance with the gain setting in the camera and the setting for invalidating the control to change the luminance threshold value is made. The imaging control program according to claim 8, wherein the imaging control program is executed.