Patent ID: 7623689
Filing Date: 2009-11-24
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. An image pick-up apparatus, comprising: image pick-up means for imaging an object; a light irradiation unit comprising first and second groups of light emitting elements arranged at opposed sides with regard to a center of a side of an image plane along a main scan direction, and a third group of light emitting elements arranged at opposed outermost sides from the center line for irradiating said object with light, wherein each of the groups includes at least two light emitting elements; estimating means for estimating a state of external light reaching said object from an environment outside of the image pick-up apparatus; and exposure control means for controlling exposure of said object to said irradiating light in the image plane in said image pick-up means according to the external light state estimated by said estimating means, by controlling independently the light irradiation of at least the first and second groups of light emitting elements according to an incident direction of the external light, wherein said exposure control means comprises luminance control means for controlling the luminance of said light irradiation means, and an accumulation period control means for controlling an electrical charge accumulation period of said image pick-up means, and wherein said exposure control means controls both of said luminance control means and said accumulation period control means according to the external light state estimated by said estimating means, and wherein the estimating means and the exposure control means estimate the state of external light and control exposure to said irradiating light by: deriving image data under a condition of an exposure to the external light only by extinguishing all of the light emitting elements of the light irradiation unit, and calculating an average luminance data from the image data of three regions including a center region and both side regions along the main scanning region of the image plane; determining whether or not each of the average luminance data from the image data of three regions is larger than a predetermined first reference value; determining whether or not both of the average luminance data derived from both side regions are smaller than a predetermined second reference value, when all of the average luminance data derived from the three regions are larger than the predetermined first reference value; determining which one of the average luminance data derived from one of the side regions is larger than the other of the average luminance data derived from the other of the side regions, when at least one of the average luminance data derived from both side regions is smaller than the predetermined second reference value; controlling the light emitting elements to emit light such that a light emitting luminance of the light emitting elements of the group arranged in a region of both side regions from which the smaller average luminance data is derived is larger than a light emitting luminance of the light emitting elements of the group arranged in a region of both side regions from which the larger average luminance data is derived; and adjusting an accumulation period of the image pick-up means so as to effectively use a dynamic range in evaluating an exposure quantity finally derived.