Olympus Corporation

Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Taketo Tsukioka

Takao Tsuruoka

Seigo On

An image processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a structure index calculation unit that calculates a structure index that is an index of magnitude of variation of a pixel value in a predetermined range around a target pixel of an input image, with respect to each target pixel; a high frequency component extraction unit that extracts a high frequency structure index that is a high frequency component of the structure index; a smoothing unit that calculates a smoothed structure index obtained by smoothing the structure index, with respect to the each target pixel; a flatness index calculation unit that calculates a synthesis index obtained by synthesizing the smoothed structure index and the high frequency structure index, as a flatness index of the target pixel; and a noise reduction unit that performs a noise reduction process of the target pixel in accordance with the flatness index.

Image processing apparatus

An image processing apparatus includes a histogram calculating section, a tone curve determining section and a tone curve applying section that perform different tone corrections on pixels at different positions in a color image and a false contour detecting section that calculates the degree of false contour occurrence for the color image based on the difference in signal saturation level between color signals. Based on the result of the calculation by the false contour detecting section, the tone curve determining section controls the tone correction characteristics to make a false contour less prominent.

Image processing apparatus and recording medium recording image processing program

In a high precision image processor and image processing program, an output of a one-chip Bayer array CCD is A/D converted and noise reduced, and then entered in a G interpolation circuit which comprises interpolation circuit B which implements interpolation processing of a less resolving power but does not reflect on the result of interpolation an apparent sensitivity difference occurring at a pixel value of a G pixel of the one-chip CCD, and interpolation circuit A which implements interpolation processing of an improved resolving power but reflects an apparent sensitivity difference on the result of interpolation. G interpolation circuit estimates a sensitivity difference at a pixel of interest and combines outputs of interpolation circuits A and B such that for a large sensitivity difference, the output of circuit B is used more, and for a small sensitivity difference, the output of circuit A is used more.

Image processing device and image processing program for acquiring specific color component based on sensitivity difference between pixels of an imaging device

An object is to provide an image processor for improving the preservability in an edge portion while effectively removing isolated points. Included are an edge judgment section that judges whether an edge exists in a predetermined region specified by a pixel of interest and surrounding pixels of the pixel of interest; a difference calculation section that calculates differences in pixel value between the pixel of interest and the surrounding pixels in the predetermined region; a weight coefficient calculation section that calculates weight coefficients for the respective surrounding pixels from the differences calculated by the difference calculation section, according to a judgment result of the edge judgment section; a weighted averaging section that calculates a weighted average value of the surrounding pixels by using the weight coefficients calculated by the weight coefficient calculation section; and a correction section that corrects the pixel value of the pixel of interest at least one time based on the weighted average value of the surrounding pixels calculated by the weighted averaging section, the pixel value of the pixel of interest, and the judgment result of the edge judgment section.

Image processor and program

The object is to enable picture compositing having a balanced and uniform appearance over the whole image even when performing space-variant image-signal processing. Provided is an image-signal processing apparatus for performing image-signal processing on an input image signal, the image-signal processing apparatus comprising a first signal processing unit for performing first signal processing on the input image signal; a correction-coefficient calculating unit for calculating a first correction coefficient on the basis of the image signal after being subjected to the first signal processing by the first signal processing unit; and a second signal processing unit for performing second signal processing on the input image signal using the first correction coefficient.

Image-signal processing apparatus for performing space-variant image-signal processing

The digital camera () has an image processor that corrects an input image for a spatial frequency band. The edge enhancement block () computes an edge component for band correction. A signal interpolated at color interpolation block () to make compensation for a color component missing from each pixel of a single-chip image is then converted at YC transform block () into a luminance signal and a color difference signal after tone correction, the luminance and color signals sent out to YC synthesis block () and color saturation correction block (), respectively. Then, the color saturation correction block () controls the color saturation of the color difference signal to send it out to YC synthesis block (). At the same time, the edge component computed at edge enhancement block () is sent out to YC synthesis block (), too.

Image processor and image processing program to correct a spatial frequency band of an image

An image processing apparatus inputs an image obtained by sensing an optical image by an image sensing system, compensates an omitted color component, and outputs a color image. A weight setting unit sets a weight Wk in each direction Sk (k is an integer from 1 to n) of a plurality of directions S, S, . . . , Sn (n is an integer of not less than 1) starting from a pixel of interest in a predetermined neighborhood of the pixel of interest. An average value calculation unit calculates a weighted average of pixel values Vk of pixels having a specific color component and located on each direction Sk (k is an integer from 1 to n) in the predetermined neighborhood by using weights Wto Wn of the pixel values Vto Vn. An restoration unit causes the average calculation unit to calculate weighted averages of a plurality of types of color components and restores a value of an omitted color component of the pixel of interest on the basis of the weighted average result and the pixel value of the pixel of interest.

Image processing apparatus and image processing program

The present invention is an image processing apparatus applied to a digital camera which includes a Bayer array CCD for producing and outputting an image lacking at least one type of color component per pixel by capturing an optical image focused by an optical system, a line correction circuit for correcting the difference in gain between lines on the image output from the CCD via a single-chip image buffer, and an interpolation circuit for producing color image data by interpolating a missing color component at each pixel of the single-chip image data output from the line correction circuit via a WB correction circuit based on information regarding neighborhood pixels.

The invention is an image pickup apparatus comprising an LE-SE buffer for storing multiple images with different exposure amounts that have been taken with a CCD, an SL synthesizing circuit for performing Super Latitude (SL) processing for the multiple images to generate a synthesized image with a wide dynamic range, a suitability evaluating circuit for evaluating whether the photography scene is suitable for performing SL processing with the SL synthesizing circuit, an image quality evaluating circuit for comparing the synthesized image with the images before synthesizing and evaluating image quality, and a recording format selecting circuit for which of the multiple images before synthesizing and the synthesized image to be recorded by a recording circuit, based on the image quality evaluation results and operating input from a key input circuit.

Image storage and control device for camera to generate synthesized image with wide dynamic range

An imaging apparatus including: a single-chip image sensor with a color filter array and capable of intermittent readout operation in horizontal and vertical directions; an intermittence control means for controlling the intermittent readout operation of the image sensor; and an interpolation means for processing signals read out from the image sensor in a thinned out pattern designated by the intermittence control means to form a reduced image consisting of trichromatic components; wherein the intermittence control means reads signals at a plurality of locations on the image sensor correspondingly to each pixel of the reduced image and controls reading at that time so that there are two or more types of color filters at the readout locations and at least one type of the color filters thereof is common to all pixels of the reduced image and at least one type of the color filters is not common to all pixels of the reduced image; and the interpolation means supplements signals corresponding to the type of unread color filter at each pixel of the reduced image to compute trichromatic components of an observed pixel.

Imaging apparatus

An image processing apparatus has a one CCD, two CCD, or three CCD with spatial pixel offset imaging system. A parameter calculation section sequentially scans an image signal in units of pixels and calculates a parameter for region segmentation from at least one neighboring region containing the current pixel of interest. An image signal segmentation section segments the image signal into uniform regions having single color correlation on the basis of the calculated parameters. A regression section regresses, to a linear formula, the color correlation between color signals in the uniform region. A restoring section restores a missing color signal on the basis of the linear formula and the color signals present in the uniform region.

Image processing apparatus and storage medium storing image processing program

An image signal processor includes an area extracting unit for extracting from an image signal color signals of a local area of a predetermined size which includes a desired pixel. A maximum variance signal selecting unit selects one of the color signals which exhibits a maximum variance over the average variance of the color signals in the local area. In a signal modifying unit, the shape of the other color signals than the selected color signal is modified so that their parameters are equal to the parameters of the selected color signal. In a candidate image generating unit, the other modified color signals and the selected color signal are combined together to generate a plurality of reference image candidates. A reference image selecting unit than selects as a reference image one of the reference image candidates on the basis of a given evaluation function. In a restoring unit, dropout color signals are then restored with the use of the reference image determined by the reference image selecting unit.

Growing community of inventors

Hachioji, Japan

Taketo Tsukioka