Imaging device, imaging device control method and program

1. An imaging device comprising:

an imaging element that receives light from a subject;

an infrared cut filter that removes an infrared region of light entering the imaging element in a day mode;

a gain control unit that controls a gain such that an image has a target brightness level; and

a control unit that switches from a night mode to the day mode when the gain becomes smaller than a threshold value, the threshold value obtained based on a difference between a first gain value and a hysteresis in the first gain value, wherein the first gain value is set when a brightness level of the image reaches the target brightness level.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the gain control unit increases the gain when an image capture environment becomes dark.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein a mode shifts from the day mode to the night mode when the gain is saturated and a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the gain is increased from the first gain value until the gain is saturated and reaches a maximum when an infrared irradiation intensity reaches a maximum predetermined value and when an image capture environment is dark.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the gain is temporarily reduced to zero when a mode switches from the day mode to the night mode.

6. The imaging device according to claim 5 , wherein the gain is increased from zero and adjusted such that the brightness level of the image reaches the target brightness level.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the gain is an analog gain or a digital gain.

8. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the hysteresis is generated when the first gain value is stored at a time of a switch from the day mode to the night mode.

9. An imaging device comprising:

an imaging element that receives light from a subject and converts the light to an electrical signal;

an infrared cut filter which is detachably provided on an optical path that connects the subject and the imaging element, and which removes an infrared region of light entering the imaging element;

an infrared irradiation portion that irradiates infrared light onto the subject;

a gain control portion that controls a gain such that an image has a target brightness, based on an amount of incident light entering the imaging element; and

a control portion which switches between a day mode, in which image capture is performed while the infrared cut filter is placed on the optical path, and a night mode, in which image capture is performed while the infrared cut filter is removed from the optical path, and which, immediately after shifting from the day mode to the night mode, increases an irradiation intensity of the infrared irradiation portion from zero while the gain is maintained at a first gain value, as the amount of the incident light decreases in the night mode, and which increases the gain from the first gain value when the amount of the incident light further decreases after the irradiation intensity reaches a maximum,

wherein, in the night mode, as the amount of the incident light increases, the control portion decreases the gain while the irradiation intensity of the infrared irradiation portion is maintained at the maximum, and when the amount of the incident light further increases after the gain reaches the first gain value, the control portion decreases the irradiation intensity from the maximum to zero while the gain is maintained at the first gain value.

10. The imaging device according to claim 9 , wherein, in the night mode, when the amount of the incident light further increases after the irradiation intensity becomes zero, the control portion decreases the gain to a value obtained by subtracting hysteresis from the first gain value.

11. An imaging device comprising:

an imaging element that receives light from a subject and converts the light to an electrical signal;

an infrared cut filter which is detachably provided on an optical path that connects the subject and the imaging element, and which removes an infrared region of light entering the imaging element;

an infrared irradiation portion that irradiates infrared light onto the subject;

a gain control portion that controls a gain such that an image has a target brightness, based on an amount of incident light entering the imaging element; and

a control portion which switches between a day mode, in which image capture is performed while the infrared cut filter is placed on the optical path, and a night mode, in which image capture is performed while the infrared cut filter is removed from the optical path, and which, immediately after shifting from the day mode to the night mode, increases an irradiation intensity of the infrared irradiation portion from zero while the gain is maintained at a first gain value, as the amount of the incident light decreases in the night mode, and which increases the gain from the first gain value when the amount of the incident light further decreases after the irradiation intensity reaches a maximum,

wherein the control portion switches from the day mode to the night mode if two conditions are satisfied, the two conditions being that the gain is saturated and that the amount of the incident light is smaller than a value determined in advance.

12. An imaging device comprising:

an imaging element that receives light from a subject and converts the light to an electrical signal;

an infrared cut filter which is detachably provided on an optical path that connects the subject and the imaging element, and which removes an infrared region of light entering the imaging element;

an infrared irradiation portion that irradiates infrared light onto the subject;

a gain control portion that controls a gain such that an image has a target brightness, based on an amount of incident light entering the imaging element; and

a control portion which switches between a day mode, in which image capture is performed while the infrared cut filter is placed on the optical path, and a night mode, in which image capture is performed while the infrared cut filter is removed from the optical path, and which, immediately after shifting from the day mode to the night mode, increases an irradiation intensity of the infrared irradiation portion from zero while the gain is maintained at a first gain value, as the amount of the incident light decreases in the night mode, and which increases the gain from the first gain value when the amount of the incident light further decreases after the irradiation intensity reaches a maximum,

wherein the control portion switches from the night mode to the day mode when the gain decreases and becomes smaller than a value obtained by subtracting hysteresis from the first gain value.

13. An imaging device control method comprising:

in an imaging device comprising an imaging element that receives light from a subject:

switching between a day mode in which image capture is performed while an infrared cut filter, which removes an infrared region of light entering the imaging element, is placed on an optical path that connects the imaging element and the subject, and a night mode in which image capture is performed while the infrared cut filter is removed from the optical path;

increasing from zero, immediately after shifting from the day mode to the night mode, an irradiation intensity of an infrared irradiation portion that irradiates infrared light onto the subject while a gain is maintained at a first gain value, the gain controlling brightness of an image based on an amount of the incident light; and

increasing the gain from the first gain value when the amount of the incident light decreases after the irradiation intensity reaches a maximum value,

wherein a mode of image capture is switched from the night mode to the day mode when the gain decreases and becomes smaller than a value obtained by subtracting hysteresis from the first gain value.

14. The imaging device control method according to claim 13 , further comprising maintaining a zero value of a day to night count when the gain is not saturated or when a luminance value of the image is greater than the threshold value.

15. The imaging device control method according to claim 14 , further comprising switching to the night mode when the day to night count becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined value.

16. The imaging device control method according to claim 15 , further comprising incrementing the day to night count by one, when the detected value is equal to or smaller than the threshold value.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a program having instructions being executable by a computer for causing the computer to perform steps comprising:

in an imaging device:

switching between a day mode in which image capture is performed while an infrared cut filter, which removes an infrared region of light entering the imaging element, is placed on an optical path that connects an imaging element and the subject, and a night mode in which image capture is performed while the infrared cut filter is removed from the optical path;

increasing from zero, immediately after shifting from the day mode to the night mode, an irradiation intensity of an infrared irradiation portion that irradiates infrared light onto the subject while a gain is maintained at a first gain value, the gain controlling brightness of an image based on an amount of the incident light; and

increasing the gain from the first gain value when the amount of the incident light decreases after the irradiation intensity reaches a maximum value,

wherein a mode of image capture is switched from the night mode to the day mode when the gain decreases and becomes smaller than a value obtained by subtracting hysteresis from the first gain value.