Imaging apparatus and flicker detection method

Abstract

An imaging apparatus including an imaging sensor, a control unit that instructs the imaging sensor to capture a first image with a first charge accumulation time and to capture a second image with a second charge accumulation time different from the first charge accumulation time, under a light source blinking at a first blink cycle, and a flicker detection unit that detects a flicker occurrence in the first or second image based on a difference in luminance between the first image and the second image. The imaging sensor captures the first image and the second image at a same shutter speed.

1 . An imaging apparatus comprising:
 an imaging sensor;   a control unit that instructs the imaging sensor to capture a first image with a first charge accumulation time and to capture a second image with a second charge accumulation time different from the first charge accumulation time, under a light source blinking at a first blink cycle; and   a flicker detection unit that detects a flicker occurrence in the first or second image based on a difference in luminance between the first image and the second image,   wherein the imaging sensor captures the first image and the second image at a same shutter speed.   
     
     
         2 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the imaging sensor,
 wherein the imaging sensor repeatedly and alternately captures the first image and the second image a plurality of times, and   wherein the first image is repeatedly and alternately captured using the first charge accumulation time and the second image is repeatedly and alternately captured using the second charge accumulation time.   
     
     
         3 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a difference image generation unit configured to generate a difference image between the first image and the second image,   wherein the flicker detection unit detects a flicker occurrence in the first or second image based on a fluctuation of pixel values of the difference image in a vertical direction to a scanning direction of the first image and the second image.   
     
     
         4 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the difference image is generated by calculating a difference in pixel values between each corresponding pixel for the first image and the second image. 
     
     
         5 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising: a difference image generation unit configured to generate a difference image between the first image and the second image,
 wherein the flicker detection unit detects a flicker occurrence in the first image or the second image based on a fluctuation of pixel values of the difference image in a vertical direction to a scanning direction of the first image and the second image.   
     
     
         6 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the difference image is generated by calculating a difference in pixel values between each corresponding pixel for the first image and the second image. 
     
     
         7 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the second charge accumulation time is synchronized with a second blink cycle of the light source and does not cause a flicker in a captured image under the light source blinking at the second blink cycle. 
     
     
         8 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a difference image generation unit configured to generate a difference image between the first image and the second image, wherein the flicker detection unit detects which of the first image and the second image a flicker is generated in according to at least one of both a fluctuation period and a fluctuation frequency of pixel values of the difference image in a vertical direction to a scanning direction of the first image and the second image.   
     
     
         9 . A method to detect a flicker occurrence, said method comprising:
 executing capturing a first image by an imaging sensor adjusted to a first charge accumulation time, under a light source blinking at a first blink cycle;   executing capturing a second image by the imaging sensor adjusted to a second charge accumulation time, the second charge accumulation time different from the first charge accumulation time, under the light source blinking at the first blink cycle; and   detecting a flicker occurrence in the first image or the second image based on a difference in luminance between the first image and the second image,   wherein the imaging sensor captures the first image and the second image at a same shutter speed.   
     
     
         10 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a difference image generation unit configured to generate a difference image between the first image and the second image, wherein the difference image has a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.   
     
     
         11 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the flicker detection unit further comprises a flicker frequency detection unit for detecting a flicker frequency in the difference image. 
     
     
         12 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the flicker frequency detection unit detects the flicker frequency in the vertical direction of the difference image. 
     
     
         13 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the flicker frequency detection unit detects the flicker frequency in the vertical direction of the difference image using a digital matched filter. 
     
     
         14 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the flicker frequency detection unit detects the flicker frequency of the difference image based on a spatial frequency spectrum of a Fourier transformed difference image. 
     
     
         15 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the flicker detection unit computes average values of luminance in the vertical direction of the difference image and standard deviation values of luminance in the vertical direction of the difference image, and performs an evaluation of the computed average values of luminance in the vertical direction and the standard deviation of luminance in the vertical direction to determine if flicker has occurred. 
     
     
         16 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first charge accumulation time has a first period and the second charge accumulation time has a second period, and the first period is different from the second period. 
     
     
         17 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising a the difference image generation unit is configured to generate a plurality of difference images between the plurality of first images and the plurality of second images, and
 wherein the plurality of difference images each have a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.   
     
     
         18 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein the first image comprises one of a plurality of first images including:
 an initial first image; and   a subsequent first image,   wherein the second image is one of a plurality of second images including:
 an initial second image; and 
 a subsequent second image, 
   
       wherein the first charge accumulation time has an initial first image charge accumulation time and a subsequent first image charge accumulation time,
 wherein the initial first image charge accumulation time for the initial first image of the plurality of first images is different from the subsequent first image charge accumulation time for the subsequent first image of the plurality of first images, and the second charge accumulation time has an initial second image charge accumulation time and a subsequent second image charge accumulation time, and 
 wherein the initial second image charge accumulation time for the initial second image of the plurality of second images is different from the subsequent second image charge accumulation time for the subsequent second image of the plurality of second images. 
 
     
     
         19 . The imaging apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein the flicker detection unit only detects flicker when the flicker detection unit has detected flicker in a plurality of the plurality of difference images. 
     
     
         20 . The method to detect a flicker occurrence according to  claim 9 , the method further comprising:
 generating a difference image between the first image and the second image; and   detecting a flicker occurrence in the second image based on a fluctuation of pixel values of the difference image in a vertical direction to a scanning direction of the first image and the second image.