Patent
1990-09-20
1992-07-14
Perkey, W. B.
354429, G03B 700
Patent
active
051307391
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This patent application describes and claims subject matter that is also described in the following co-pending U.S. patent applications, filed simultaneously herewith, all of which are divisional patent applications of our co-pending parent U.S. patent application identified above: (a) "A DEPTH NUMBER BASED TECHNIQUE FOR SELECTING LENS APERTURE SIZE AND FLASH PARAMETERS FOR A FULL FLASH EXPOSURE", Ser. No. 587,461; (b) "A TECHNIQUE FOR DETERMINING WHETHER TO USE FILL FLASH ILLUMINATION TO CAPTURE AN IMAGE OF A CURRENT SCENE", Ser. No. 587,463; (c) "A TECHNIQUE FOR SELECTING LENS APERTURE SIZE FOR A FILL FLASH EXPOSURE", Ser. No. 587,462; and (d) "A TECHNIQUE FOR PRIORITIZED SELECTION OF SHUTTER SPEED AND LENS APERTURE SETTINGS", Ser. No. 586,344.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to apparatus, and various accompanying methods, for use in a photographic camera for improving the overall quality of photographed images, i.e. increasing the number of acceptable and higher quality images, that are produced by the camera. The quality improvement is attained by automatically selecting the values of various photographic exposure parameters (exposure settings and, where appropriate, flash parameters) based upon scene requirements (including providing sufficient depth-of-field and avoiding image blur) and film quality characteristics, and, wherein appropriate, deviating from the corresponding exposure values dictated by adherence to the ISO/ANSI exposure standards.
BACKGROUND ART
Photographic cameras have been in widespread use for quite some time. Basically, such a camera operates by exposing a portion of a light sensitive media, i.e. a frame of film, for a pre-defined period of time to scene illumination. The light is focused on the frame through a lens that has an aperture of a given, often variable, size. A shutter, situated behind the lens and in front of the film, opens for a selected period of time in order to permit the light to transit therethrough, illuminate and expose the film. As a result of being properly exposed and subsequently developed, the film undergoes a photochemical process, on a two-dimensional basis throughout the frame, that locally varies the optical transmissivity of each portion of the frame in proportion to the amount of illumination that reaches that portion of the frame from a corresponding portion of the scene, thereby producing, depending upon whether reversal or negative film is used, either a two-dimensional positive or negative optical image of the scene. As such, tonal variations that appeared in the scene are captured in the frame of the film. Photographic prints are often made from negatives, while transparencies (commonly referred to as "slides") are made from positives.
Though this overall process, which relies on the use of silver halide has a photosensitive reagent in film, has basically remained unchanged over many years, this process is highly non-linear and subject to a great many variables which significantly complicate its use. In particular, exposure (E) is defined, under a standardized definition, as being a product of the illuminance (I) multiplied by the time (t) during which the film is exposed to this illumination. In this regard, see specifically ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard PH 3.49-1971 "American National Standard for General Purpose Photographic Exposure Meters" (re-affirmed in its entirety with no modifications in 1987 as ANSI standard PH 3.49-1987) [hereinafter referred to as ANSI standard 3.49-1987], and also ANSI standard PH 2.7-1986 "American National Standard for Photography--Photographic Exposure Guide " and specifically page 13 thereof. In a camera, the combination of two settings, namely lens aperture (size of the lens opening) and shutter speed (time during which the shutter remains open), primarily defines a particular exposure. Unfortunately, lens aperture and shutter speed define more than just an amount of exposure, these settings also dramatically affect picture (hereinafter including both prin
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O'Such William R.
Wheeler Richard B.
Wilson Roger W.
Boos, Jr. Francis H.
Eastman Kodak Company
Perkey W. B.
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