Patent ID: 7551207
Filing Date: 2009-06-23
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image pickup apparatus comprising: an image pickup device configured to pick up an image of an object and output an image signal having color components; a light emitting unit configured to emit light; a first amplifying unit configured to amplify the image signal output from the image pickup device for each color component; a detecting unit configured to detect a type of a light source when the light emitting unit does not emit light based on the color components of the image signal; a first setting unit configured to set a set of gains for each color component to the first amplifying unit according to the type of the light source detected by the detecting unit during imaging when the light emitting unit emits light; a control unit configured to supply the image signal amplified by the first amplifying unit to which the set of gains is set by the first setting unit to a recording device; a first set gain storage unit configured to store sets of gains for each color component corresponding to each type of the light source for establishing a white balance during light emission of the light emitting unit; a second amplifying unit configured to amplify the image signal output from the image pickup device for each color component; and a second setting unit configured to sequentially set a different one of the sets of gains to the second amplifying unit for each color component every time the image signal is output from the image pickup device when the light emitting unit does not emit light; and wherein the detecting unit detects the type of the light source based on the color components of the image signal amplified by the second amplifying unit to which the sequentially set sets of gains are set by the second setting unit; and wherein the first setting unit reads out one of the sets of gains corresponding to the type of the light source detected by the detecting unit from the first set gain storage unit, and sets the read-out set of gains to the first amplifying unit.