Patent ID: 7432959
Filing Date: 2008-10-07
Classification: G01N,H04N

Abstract:
1. An image acquiring device for performing time lapse imaging, comprising: an imaging portion which performs imaging of a subject; a time lapse imaging condition setting portion which sets a time lapse imaging condition including at least an exposure time and an imaging interval, prior to the imaging of the subject by the imaging portion; a determining portion which determines a contradiction of the time lapse imaging condition set by the time lapse imaging condition setting portion according to a predetermined criterion; and a presenting portion which presents at least information relating to the contradiction of the time lapse imaging condition based on a determined result determined by the determining portion; an avoiding condition generating portion which generates a plurality of time lapse imaging conditions for avoiding the contradiction of the time lapse imaging condition based on the determined result determined by the determining portion, and causes information relating to the plurality of time lapse imaging conditions to be presented by the presenting portion; a selecting portion which selects one of the plurality of time lapse imaging conditions from the information relating to the plurality of time lapse imaging conditions presented by the presenting portion; an instructing portion which instructs the imaging portion to execute time lapse imaging based on the time lapse imaging condition selected by the selecting portion; an exposure time setting portion which sets the exposure time set by the time lapse imaging condition setting portion to the imaging portion; a gain setting portion which enables setting of gain of an output signal from the imaging portion; and a brightness correcting portion which enables correction of brightness of an image by correcting the output signal from the imaging portion; wherein the determining portion determines the contradiction of the time lapse imaging condition by using a relation between the exposure time and the imaging interval as the predetermined criterion; wherein, when the determining portion determines as the contradiction that the exposure time is longer than the imaging interval, the avoiding condition generating portion changes a set value of the exposure time set by the exposure time setting portion to be shorter than the imaging interval, and sets a value of the gain set by the gain setting portion to a value determined from a ratio of the exposure time after the change and the imaging interval, and when a set gain value exceeds a maximum gain value, sets the maximum gain value as the value of the gain set by the gain setting portion and sets a value for correcting the brightness of the image by the brightness correction part based on a value determined from a ratio of the value of the gain determined from the ratio and the maximum gain value.