Image Processing Apparatus Depth of Field Control via Aperture Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional photographing apparatuses, especially compact digital cameras with small solid-state imaging elements and lenses, struggle to achieve a shallow depth of field, making it difficult to obtain images with a 'blurred taste' where a specific subject is emphasized over the background, and existing image processing methods require complex processes to achieve this effect.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that adjusts focus and aperture settings to capture multiple images with varying depth of field, using high-frequency component extraction and difference calculation to emphasize the specific subject by adjusting image quality parameters and composition ratios, allowing for the generation of images where the background is blurred and the subject stands out.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a photographing apparatus with a large solid-state imaging element or large lens diameter is used, then the depth of field can be made sufficiently shallow to obtain an image with a 'blurred taste' where the specific subject stands out, but the device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing into multiple stages: focus detection, aperture amount determination, and image quality adjustment. By separating these functions and processing them in sequence using a processor, the system achieves precise depth of field control without requiring a physically large imaging element or lens, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of using large imaging elements and lenses to achieve shallow depth of field with a computational/optical processing approach. By controlling the aperture mechanism and processing image data through software algorithms, the system achieves the same visual effect without increasing the physical size of the photographing apparatus
2Device complexity
If a compact photographing apparatus with small solid-state imaging element or small lens diameter is used, then the device size is reduced, but the depth of field cannot be made sufficiently shallow to obtain an image with a 'blurred taste'
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic control of the aperture mechanism, adjusting the aperture amount based on the detected focus position and image quality. This dynamic adjustment allows the compact apparatus to achieve variable depth of field effects, resolving the contradiction by making the system adaptable rather than fixed in its optical characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes multiple parameters including aperture amount, focus position, and image quality adjustment values to achieve the desired blurred effect. By dynamically modifying these parameters based on detected conditions, the compact apparatus can simulate the depth of field characteristics of larger systems without increasing physical size
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional image processing methods are used to obtain an image with a 'blurred taste', then the background can be blurred and subject emphasized, but a series of complicated processes are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary detection of the focus position and determination of the aperture amount before final image processing. By preparing this information in advance, the subsequent image quality adjustment process can be streamlined and optimized, reducing overall processing complexity while maintaining high image quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the detected focus position and image quality information are used to adjust the aperture amount and processing parameters. This closed-loop approach allows the system to automatically optimize the blurred effect without requiring manual intervention or complex multi-step processing, thus improving image quality while reducing process complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes an image processing circuit. The image processing circuit is configured by an image processing portion for performing an image process on a first image so as to generate a third image, an image composing portion for composing the first image and the third image, and an addition-ratio calculating portion for calculating a degree of composition of a composing process between the first image and the third image by the image composing portion based on a difference signal from a difference calculating portion.