Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions, Ltd.

Clarion Co

Hirotomo Sai

Shinichiro Hirooka

Junji Shiokawa

Mari Ohbuchi

Daisuke Yoshida

Tsutomu Usui

Shinichi Nonaka

Akihito Nishizawa

Toshio Nishida

Yusuke Yatabe

Junji Kamimura

Tadasu Horiuchi

Akira Irinouchi

Keisuke Kawamoto

An in-vehicle imaging device is provided with a detection region setting unit for setting a detection region, which corresponds to a predetermined object to be detected within an imaging screen; a color signal determination unit for setting a specific color corresponding to the object to be detected, and for determining whether the color data of pixels contained in the detection region are close to the specific color; and a gain control unit for averaging the color data of pixels (approximate color pixels) that were determined to be close to the specific color within the detection region and for adjusting the color gain of the image signal on the basis of a differential value of the color data of the specific color and the average value of the color data of the approximate color pixels.

In-vehicle imaging device

An image signal processing apparatus includes an image signal input unit for inputting an image signal, a noise correcting unit for executing noise correction processing for the input image signal to output a noise-corrected image signal; an image signal correcting unit for executing signal level correction processing for the noise-corrected image signal to output a signal level-corrected image signal; an image signal correction intensity control unit for determining correction intensity of the signal level correction processing in the image signal correcting unit; a signal extension estimating unit for estimating a signal extension degree of signal extension based on the determined correction intensity; and a noise correction intensity control unit for calculating and controlling correction intensity of the noise correction processing in the noise correcting unit.

Image signal processing apparatus, imaging apparatus and image processing program for performing image and noise correction

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit; an image signal correcting unit that executes a signal level correction process on an image signal output by the imaging unit and outputs the level corrected image signal; and a gradation collapse suppression control unit that evaluates a degree of gradation collapse of a predetermined brightness range in the image signal output by the imaging unit and switches control of an exposure amount of the imaging unit and an input/output characteristic of the signal level correction process of the image signal correcting unit, when it is determined that the gradation collapse exists according to an evaluation result and when it is determined that the gradation collapse does not exist according to the evaluation result.

Imaging apparatus

An image signal processing apparatus includes an image signal input unit, a local information acquisition unit for calculating a statistical quantity of pixel values in a local area including a noted pixel from an image signal as local information, a noise correction unit for conducting noise correction on the image signal by using the local information and outputting a noise-corrected image signal, an image signal correction unit for conducting signal level correction on the image signal from the noise correction unit and outputting a level-corrected image signal, an image signal correction intensity control unit for determining correction intensity in the level correction and changing input-output characteristics in the level correction, a signal correction characteristic estimation unit for estimating level correction characteristics based on the correction intensity, and a noise correction intensity control unit for controlling correction intensity in the noise correction in conjunction with the level correction characteristics.

Image processing apparatus and imaging apparatus with noise correction function and signal level correction function

An image signal processing apparatus includes an image signal input unit; a gradation decrease evaluation device that evaluates a decrease in gradation within a certain area in image signals; a gradation loss evaluation device that evaluates a degree of gradation loss within a certain area in image signals; an image signal correction device that performs signal level correction processing on image signals and outputs the processing result; and an image signal correction control device that controls strength of correction by the image signal correction unit, using both the gradation decrease evaluated value which is output by the gradation decrease evaluation device and the gradation loss evaluated value which is output by the gradation loss evaluation unit.

Image signal processing apparatus, image signal processing method, and image capturing apparatus

The autofocus function included in general digital cameras and video cameras cannot set the camera to an in-focus state for a scene including a point light source depending on cases. This difficulty is removed by an image signal processing device including an area setting unit to set an area as a target area to calculate a focus evaluation value, a detection unit to judge presence or absence of a point light source in the area set as a target area, and a calculation unit to identify, by use of information obtained from the detection unit, an area in which a point light source exists and to calculate a focus evaluation value by removing the identified area from the target area. Once the detection unit detects a point light source, it conducts the operation only after a predetermined period of time.

Image signal processing device for auto-focus for a scene including a point light source

An image signal processing apparatus includes an imaging unit having an imaging element to conduct photoelectric conversion on incident light from a subject and output an electric signal, a defective pixel detection unit for detecting a defective pixel in the imaging element, a defective pixel correction unit for correcting the detected defective pixel, an image signal correction unit for conducting image signal correction every arbitrary area on a signal supplied from the defective pixel correction unit, a system control unit for generally controlling those units, and a temperature measurement unit for measuring temperature in the vicinity of the imaging element. The system control unit controls a detection condition to be used when the defective pixel detection unit detects a defective pixel, i.e., one or more of an exposure time, a defective pixel detection threshold, and a gain, by using information of the temperature obtained from the temperature measurement unit.

Image signal processing apparatus and image signal processing method

In an imaging device with a wide dynamic range function by combining images, focus is controlled to establish an in-focus state for each image to enlarge the dynamic range with reducing blur, thereby improving visibility. The device includes an imaging unit with a variable focal distance focus lens, an exposure controller for controlling the imaging unit's exposure to implement several shooting operations for a subject with different sensitivity, a processing unit for processing a signal outputted from the imaging unit to generate an image signal and a focus evaluation value indicating focus degree, an image combining unit for combining signals generated by the processing unit and outputting the combined signal, the processing unit generates a focus evaluation value for each outputted signal and the focus controller controls the focus lens for shooting operations of the imaging unit with mutually different sensitivity values, based on focus evaluation values respectively associated therewith.

Imaging device

An imaging device includes an imaging unit having an imaging element to conduct photoelectric conversion on incident light from a subject and output an electric signal, a signal gain control unit for controlling an output signal level of the imaging unit, a plurality of defective pixel correction units for correcting defective pixels contained in a signal output from the signal gain control unit, an image signal processing unit for generating an image signal from a signal which is output from the defective pixel correction units, a temperature measurement unit for measuring temperature in the vicinity of the imaging element, and a system control unit for generally controlling the imaging unit, the signal gain control unit, the correction units, and the image signal processing unit. The system control unit uses the plurality of defective pixel correction units jointly and causes them to operate according to occurrence causes of defective pixels.

An image signal processing system according to the present invention has a function to perform image quality control in photographing a subject having a large difference in brightness in the surrounding environment so that the entire photographed image, in particular a subject which a user desires to view, has an adequate brightness and an adequate gradation. Specifically, this image signal processing system comprises: a video input unit, a video signal processing unit for performing signal processing on a signal output from the video input unit, and generating a video signal; an input-output characteristic control unit for controlling a characteristic of the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates; and a subject recognition unit for performing image processing on the video signal which the video signal processing unit generates, and recognizing and detecting subject information.

Image signal processing system

Considering the locations of a self-vehicle and other vehicles changing from moment to moment, an image signal is chosen in relation to the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of a camera mounted on each vehicle, and information on a region to be a driver's blind spot is provided in real time by means of images and voice. When there is the other vehicles whose camera meets requirements such as the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed for photographing a region to be the self-vehicle's blind spot, it is possible to provide information on the blind spot by the image picked up by the camera. However, since the other vehicle's location also changes with a lapse of time, it is not possible to keep photographing the blind spot with the same camera. Therefore, the image of the driver's blind spot is obtained in real time by constantly detecting the location, orientation, viewing angle, and moving speed of cameras mounted on the other vehicles running near the self-vehicle, choosing dynamically a camera capable of photographing the region to be the self-vehicle's blind spot, and switching image signals in succession.

Photographing apparatus, image signal choosing apparatus, driving assisting apparatus and automobile

When a motion image is to be compressed, the present invention divides a high-resolution still image into image segments to perform a motion image encoding process on each image segment. In this instance, the importance of each image segment and the relativity of each image segment with another image segment are computed. The image segments are then aligned in the order of importance to determine a picture type for motion image encoding in accordance with the computed relativity. Encoding is performed in accordance with a determined encoding sequence and picture type. Further, the rate control bit allocation amount for motion image encoding is increased for highly important image segments. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to exhibit a high overall image compression efficiency while avoiding image quality deterioration in an important portion of a still image by using a motion image compression technology for still image compression.

Image compression method and image processing apparatus

A photographing apparatuses, enabling to keep dynamic resolution, as well as, to obtain an image being wide in dynamic range, with using a plural number of cameras therein, and further enabling to photograph a further wider range, comprises: a plural number of photographing devices overlapping photographing regions thereof with each other; a brightness distribution detecting portion for detecting brightness levels of image signals, which are photographed by means of the plural number of photographing devices; an area determining portion for determining an area where the brightness level detected by the brightness distribution detecting portion is appropriate, among photographing regions overlapping with each other, in relation with the image signals photographed by the plural number of photographing devices; and a synthesizing portion for synthesizing the image signals photographed by the plural number of photographing devices, with using the image signal of the area, the brightness level of which is determined to be appropriate in the area determining portion, among the image signals photographed by the plural number of photographing devices, in relation with the photographing regions overlapping with each other.

Photographing apparatus

A picture-data compression system for compressing inputted multiple picture data includes a storage device that stores the multiple picture data; a selection controller that writes the multiple picture data into the storage device and reads the multiple picture data from the storage device; a pixel-number converter that converts the number of pixels of the picture data read from the storage device; and an inter-picture predictive coding unit that codes the picture data whose number of pixels is converted by the pixel-number converter by inter-picture predictive coding. The selection controller reads the picture data written to the storage device at a period of 1/n (positive integer) times the frame period or field period of the picture data. The pixel-number converter converts the number of pixels of the picture data read from the storage device to 1/m times (positive integer) the original.

Multiple picture-data compression system

The contour correction processing of a still picture that can suppress the generation of a black edge due to an undershoot in a contour portion is enabled while increasing a feeling for resolution. Moreover, an interpolation device that improves the sharpness of a digital picture is provided without increasing a circuit scale.

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Yokohama, Japan

Hirotomo Sai