Focal-Plane Shutter Illumination Control for Imaging Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
In plural illumination imaging, adjusting the irradiation areas of multiple illuminating devices is time-consuming and labor-intensive, especially when a large number of devices are used, as it requires adjusting the arrangement, irradiation angle, and distance to achieve the desired lighting effect.
Innovation Solution
An imaging apparatus with an illumination control unit that synchronizes the emission times of multiple illuminating devices with the transition periods of a focal-plane shutter, allowing for partial exposure regions to be transferred across the imaging area, enabling independent control of each device's emission time within these periods to adjust the irradiation areas efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple illuminating devices are used for plural illumination imaging, then lighting control flexibility is improved, but adjustment time and effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment of illuminating devices with an electronic control system. The control unit automatically determines emission timing based on shutter operation timing, eliminating the need for manual adjustment of arrangement, irradiation angle, and distance. This substitutes the mechanical adjustment process with an electronic control process that requires minimal user input.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control parameter from physical adjustment (arrangement, angle, distance) to temporal control (emission timing). By controlling when each illuminating device emits light relative to the shutter's transition period, the system achieves different irradiation area configurations without physically moving the devices. This parameter transformation resolves the contradiction by maintaining lighting flexibility while eliminating adjustment time.
2Manufacturing precision
If emission times of multiple illuminating devices are synchronized with shutter transition period, then irradiation area control precision is improved, but control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit pre-determines the emission timing of each illuminating device based on the shutter's transition period before actual image capture. This preliminary timing setup allows the system to achieve precise irradiation area control without requiring complex real-time coordination during shutter operation. The timing is established in advance, simplifying the actual execution phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the periodic nature of shutter operation (transition periods occurring at regular intervals) to synchronize illuminating device emission. By aligning emission timing with these periodic shutter transitions, the system achieves precise control through a simple timing relationship rather than complex continuous control, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging system includes a digital camera and illuminating devices. The digital camera includes an imaging optical system, a shutter, a shutter driving mechanism, an imaging element, an illumination control unit, and a wireless I/F. The shutter is a focal-plane shutter. In a case in which a main imaging operation is performed in a plural illumination control mode, the shutter driving mechanism drives the shutter to generate a transition period for which a partial exposure region is transferred to the lower side of an imaging area of the imaging element over time. The illumination control unit controls the emission times of the illuminating devices to be different times within the transition period.