DIGITAL CAMERA

• Main Author: HYODO MANABU
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.12.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a digital camera having a simple and low cost configuration for accurately detecting the kind of a light source and capable of properly carrying out white balance control even in the case of a scene or the like wherein fluorescent light and electric light bulbs are intermingled. SOLUTION: A color distribution from R, G, B integral values of images multiplied with a white balance (WB) gain for a reference light source is obtained and an evaluation value Fc() with respect to colors of an environment light source is obtained (steps S12 to S22); an evaluation value Fy() with respect to the luminance of the environment light source is obtained (steps S10, S24); an evaluation value Hjof the environment light source is obtained from the evaluation values (step S26); and the WB gain to control the WB balance is calculated so that the color of the light source becomes a white color from the Hjwith a threshold value or over and the gain is adjusted to be a value below the WB gain of the reference light source and to be a value suitable for the environment light source (steps S30, S32). COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI