Image Focus Indicator Using Pixel and Region Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing technologies fail to effectively indicate the focus of specific regions within an image, either by not clearly showing focused areas without high-frequency components or not indicating focus in regions lacking such components.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus and method that determines and presents degrees of focus both at a pixel and region level, using separate determination units to assess focus in images and control the presentation of these focus indicators, allowing users to visually recognize focused areas through overlapping edge and decision images on the target image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an indicator based on high-frequency components is composited with the image to allow visual recognition of focused portions, then a user may visually recognize a focused portion in the image, but the user may not recognize focus of details of the image with the indicator generated by integrating high-frequency components of a specific region
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image into multiple regions and performs focus determination separately for each region rather than integrating high-frequency components across the entire image. This segmentation allows detailed focus information to be preserved for each specific region while still providing overall visual recognition of focused portions through composite indicators.
2Measurement precision
If edges of a subject are emphasized and displayed to allow recognition of details, then a user may recognize details of a portion on which the user wants to focus, but edges are not indicated in a portion having no high-frequency component in an image even if the technology described in Patent Literature 2 is used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different focus determination methods to different regions based on their characteristics. Regions with high-frequency components use edge emphasis, while regions without high-frequency components use alternative focus evaluation metrics. This local quality approach ensures that focus information is provided adaptively across all image regions regardless of their frequency content.
3Measurement precision
If focus determination is performed only in pixel unit to provide detailed focus information, then detailed focus can be recognized, but focused regions as a whole cannot be clearly indicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines pixel-level focus determination results with region-level focus evaluation. Detailed pixel-level focus information is maintained and displayed, while simultaneously generating region-level focus indicators that show the overall focused areas. This merging of multiple scales of information allows users to recognize both detailed pixel-level focus and broader region-level focus patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an image processing apparatus including a presentation controller configured to control presentation of degrees of focus in a target image corresponding to an image to be processed on the basis of a first determination result corresponding to a determination result of a degree of focus in a pixel unit in the target image and a second determination result corresponding to a determination result of a degree of focus in a region unit in the target image.