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Image processing device, electronic camera, image processing method, and image processing program

a technology of image processing and image processing method, applied in the field of image processing device, electronic camera, image processing method, image processing program, can solve the problems of difficult to obtain excellent expansion gradation effect, degraded degree of pictorial pattern matching between a plurality of images, and long time to read an image with high resolution. , to achieve the effect of expanding gradation, high resolution and long reading tim

Inactive Publication Date: 2012-06-28
NIKON CORP
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text discusses the problem of using multiple images to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image, which requires a long time to read and can result in degraded matching of pictorial patterns between images. Additionally, it can be difficult to capture images with expanding gradation using a stationary camera. The technique described in the patent text requires a user to choose which images to save and perform synthesizing processing, which can be burdensome for general users. The patent aims to provide a solution that reduces the workload of users while maintaining the ability to easily create HDR images with expanded dynamic range and flexibility for image processing.

Problems solved by technology

With the prior art in Patent Document 1, however, it is necessary to read a still image with high resolution a plurality of times. In general, it takes a long time to read an image with high resolution, and therefore, the times when these images are shot are separated considerably from each other.
As a result, if a subject or a camera moves, the degree of matching of pictorial pattern between a plurality of images is degraded and it becomes difficult to obtain an excellent effect for expanding gradation.
On the other hand, on the side of an electronic camera, it is required to fix the camera to pin a camera angle from moving during the period which a plurality of still images are shot, and therefore, it is difficult to perform shooting with expanding gradation with ease.

Method used

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  • Image processing device, electronic camera, image processing method, and image processing program
  • Image processing device, electronic camera, image processing method, and image processing program
  • Image processing device, electronic camera, image processing method, and image processing program

Examples

Experimental program
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Effect test

embodiment 1

[0061][Explanation of Electronic Camera Configuration]

[0062]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic camera 10 (including an image processing device 25) in the present embodiment.

[0063]In FIG. 1, a shooting lens 12 is mounted on the electronic camera 10. In an image space of the shooting lens 12, an imaging surface of an imaging device 11 is arranged. The imaging device 11 includes a mode in which a high-resolution image is read and a mode in which a low-resolution image is read by performing pixel skipping and pixel data accumulation within the device. These reading modes are controlled by an imaging controlling part 14. An image signal generated by the imaging device 11 is stored temporarily in a memory 17 after being processed via a signal processing part 15 and an A / D converting part 16.

[0064]The memory 17 is coupled to a bus 18. To the bus 18, the imaging controlling part 14, a microprocessor 19, a recording part 22, an image compressing part 24, a monitor display p...

embodiment 2

[0156]FIG. 11 represents a second embodiment of an image processing device according to the present application.

[0157]Among components represented in FIG. 11, those equivalent to the components represented in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 are representing the same symbols assigned and their explanation is omitted.

[0158]In a digital camera represented in FIG. 11, light formed into a optical image on the imaging device 11 by the shooting optical system 12 when shooting an image is converted into an electric signal according to its intensity by the imaging device 11, and is further converted into digital data by an analog / digital (A / D) converter 23 and stored in the memory 17. The memory 17 represented in FIG. 11 is coupled with the image processing device 25, the image compressing part 24, the recording part 22, and a shooting controlling part 28 via a bus and the shooting controlling part 28 switches the reading mode of the imaging device

[0159]The shooting controlling part 28 represented in FIG. ...

embodiment 3

[0193]FIG. 15 represents a third embodiment of an image processing device according to the present application.

[0194]Among components represented in FIG. 15, that equivalent to each part represented in FIG. 11 is representing the symbol assigned represented in FIG. 11 and its explanation is omitted.

[0195]In a personal computer represented in FIG. 15, a CPU 48 and the memory 17, a card reader 46, and a display processing part 47 are coupled via a bus and the image processing device 25 is realized by a program that causes the CPU 48 to execute processing of each part of the image processing device 25 represented in FIG. 11.

[0196]For example, it is possible to selectively apply a proper synthesizing technique and obtain a high-resolution synthesized image having an expanded dynamic range while taking into consideration various features including the distribution of tone level in the high-resolution image and the low-resolution image to be subjected to synthesizing processing and the nu...

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Abstract

To provide a technique to obtain a synthesized image with an expanded dynamic range with ease and a technique to reduce workload of a user while maintaining the degree of freedom relating to image processing. There provides an image inputting part taking in at least one of a plurality of low-resolution images and a high-resolution image obtained by shooting the same subject while changing exposure condition, a shift detecting part detecting a positional shift of pictorial pattern between each of the plurality of low-resolution images and the high-resolution image, and a gradation expanding part generating a synthesized image in which a range of reproduced gradation is expanded by performing position alignment between each of the plurality of low-resolution images and the high-resolution image based on the positional shift, extracting a gradation information of the plurality of low-resolution images, and synthesizing it with the high-resolution image.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This is a Division of application Ser. No. 12 / 312,983 filed Jun. 3, 2009, which in turn is a National Stage application claiming the benefit of prior filed International Application Number PCT / JP2008 / 000037, filed Jan. 17, 2008, in which the International Application claims priorities from Japanese Application Numbers 2007-012516 (filed on Jan. 23, 2007), 2007-135300 (filed on May 22, 2007), and 2007-175972 (filed on Jul. 4, 2007), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present application relates to an image processing device, an electronic camera, an image processing method, and an image processing program.BACKGROUND ART[0003]Conventionally, there is known a technique to generate a synthesized image in an expanded dynamic range by shooting the same subject while changing exposure settings and synthesizing a plurality of obtained images (for example, Patent Document 1).[0004]As a techniq...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): H04N5/228H04N23/40
CPCG06T3/40G06T3/4053G06T2207/10144H04N1/3871H04N1/407H04N2101/00H04N5/23248H04N5/23254H04N5/23293H04N5/235H04N5/2355H04N5/23232H04N23/951H04N23/68H04N23/6811H04N23/70H04N23/741H04N1/32128H04N2201/0084H04N2201/3257
Inventor DOIDA, SHIGERU
Owner NIKON CORP