Patent ID: 8208027
Filing Date: 2012-06-26
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image shooting apparatus comprising: a first light irradiation device for irradiating near infra-red light; a second light irradiation device for irradiating near infra-red light; and a shooting device for shooting an image with received light, wherein the first light irradiation device and the second light irradiation device irradiate the near infra-red light in such a manner that a first irradiation region, through which the near infra-red light irradiated by the first light irradiation device passes, is partially overlapped with a second irradiation region, through which the near infra-red light irradiated by the second light irradiation device passes; and wherein the shooting device is disposed at a predetermined position so that the shooting device receives light reflected on an object, the light provided by the near infra-red light irradiated by the first light irradiation device and the second light irradiation device, and the object arranged in an irradiation overlapping region of the first and second irradiation regions, the apparatus further comprising: a first light irradiation control device for controlling the first light irradiation device and the second light irradiation device to irradiate the near infra-red light only from the first light irradiation device; a first image obtaining device for obtaining the image shot by the shooting device when only the first light irradiation device of the first and second light irradiation devices irradiates the near infra-red light; a second light irradiation control device for controlling the first light irradiation device and the second light irradiation device to irradiate the near infra-red light only from the second light irradiation device; a second image obtaining device for obtaining the image shot by the shooting device when only the second light irradiation device of the first and second light irradiation devices irradiates the near infra-red light; a third image obtaining device for obtaining the image shot by the shooting device when both of the first and second light irradiation devices do not irradiates the near infra-red light; a first non-irradiation difference image generation device for generating a first non-irradiation difference image by calculating a difference between brightness of a first shooting image obtained by the first image obtaining device and brightness of a third shooting image obtained by the third image obtaining device; a second non-irradiation difference image generation device for generating a second non-irradiation difference image by calculating a difference between brightness of a second shooting image obtained by the second image obtaining device and the brightness of the third shooting image; an image addition device for generating an addition image by adding brightness of the first non-irradiation difference image and brightness of the second non-irradiation difference image; a first image difference device for generating a first difference image, which shows an absolute value of a difference between the brightness of the first non-irradiation difference image and the brightness of the second non-irradiation difference image; and a second image difference device for generating a second difference image by calculating a difference between brightness of the addition image generated by the image addition device and brightness of the first difference image generated by the first image difference device.