Image Processing Apparatus Combining Mode Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing technologies cannot accurately identify or process images generated through various combining modes or processing sequences, including those created during editing, beyond multiple exposure imaging.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus and method that determines and records type data indicating the type of combining processing in image files, using a data structure compliant with the Exif standard to associate combining information with image data, allowing for appropriate processing and identification of images based on their combining modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing image processing techniques are used, then multiple exposure imaging can be identified, but images generated through various combining modes or processing sequences cannot be accurately identified or processed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal metadata structure that can identify and categorize multiple types of image combining operations (multiple exposure, panoramic stitching, HDR, etc.) within a single standardized framework. The CombiningInformation section serves as a multi-functional container that adapts to different combining modes through type identification fields, allowing the system to handle diverse image processing scenarios with a unified approach rather than requiring separate identification mechanisms for each combining type.
2Adaptability or versatility
If general-purpose supplementary information is added to image files, then various combining modes can be identified, but the data structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the metadata structure into distinct, organized sections: a CombiningInformation section that specifically handles combining operation details, and a TypeData section that categorizes the nature of the image data. Within the CombiningInformation section, further segmentation occurs through structured fields for combining type identification, source image references, and processing parameters. This hierarchical segmentation allows complex combining information to be organized in a manageable, standardized manner that reduces overall data structure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary metadata layer (the CombiningInformation section) that sits between the raw image data and the processing/analysis systems. This intermediary structure standardizes and mediates the representation of combining operation information, translating various combining modes into a unified format that processing systems can easily interpret. The TypeData field acts as an intermediary classifier that summarizes the essential nature of the image data, simplifying the interface between diverse combining operations and processing systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes combining means configured to combine a plurality of images to generate a combined image, and control means configured to record the combined image generated by the combining means on a recording medium, and configured to: if the combined image, generated by the combining means, is generated by combining a plurality of captured images, and: if the combined image satisfies a predetermined condition, attach first type data to the recorded combined image, and if the combined image does not satisfy the predetermined condition, attach second type data to the recorded combined image. If the combined image, generated by the combining means, is generated by combining a plurality of captured images recorded on the recording medium, the second type data is attached regardless of whether the predetermined condition is satisfied.