Image processing apparatus

• US 20020141255A1
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Hitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,003,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 365/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes an image processing circuit having a first mode that corrects an offset between a first image and a second image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize the first image and the second image into a new third image, and a second mode that corrects an offset between the third image and a fourth image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize the third image and the fourth image into a new fifth image.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

an image processing circuit having a first mode that corrects an offset between a first image and a second image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize said first image and said second image into a new third image, and a second mode that corrects an offset between said third image and a fourth image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize said third image and said fourth image into a new fifth image.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image processing circuit corrects an offset between a sixth image and a seventh image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize said sixth image and said seventh image into said fourth image.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image processing circuit corrects said two images on the basis of statistic property of a pixel value in a boundary portion region between the synthesized two images.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image sensing element arranged to sense acquires a plurality of images independently.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said image sensing element includes a plurality of partial panels that constitute a single sensor panel.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said sensor panel includes a radiation sensor panel, and wherein a pixel value that constitutes an image obtained by said radiation sensor panel is in proportion to a radiation intensity incident to said radiation sensor panel.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said sensor panel includes a radiation sensor panel, and wherein a pixel value that constitutes an image obtained by said radiation sensor panel is in proportion to a logarithmic value of a radiation intensity incident to said radiation sensor panel.

8. An image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said image processing circuit obtains said correction value with the statistic property of the pixel value of said boundary portion region as statistic property of the substantial step value between the images, which results from subtracting a necessarily existing step value due to a tendency of the image per se from the differential value of the pixel value of the boundary portion of two images.

9. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said image processing circuit obtains said correction value with the statistic property of the substantial step value between the images as the maximum frequency value of a plurality of substantial step values obtained in association with the boundary of two images.

10. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said image processing circuit obtains said correction value with the statistic property of the substantial step value between the images as the average value of a plurality of substantial step values obtained in association with the boundary of two images.

11. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said image processing circuit obtains said correction value with the statistic property of the substantial step value between the images as a result of fitting a plurality of substantial step values obtained in association with the boundary of two images by a function of a low degree of freedom.

12. An image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said image processing circuit acquires the statistic property of the substantial step value between the images by using a pixel value for which the linearity of said image sensing element is ensured.

13. An image processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said image sensing element includes a radiation sensor panel, and wherein said image processing circuit uses a pixel value within a region except for a region where no radiation is conducted to said radiation sensor panel and a region where the radiation is conducted directly to said radiation sensor panel without passing through an object, as the pixel value for which the linearity is ensured.

14. An image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when a substantial gap is defined in the boundary portion between said two images, said image processing circuit generates the pixel of the gap portion by interpolation after the correction.

15. An image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said image processing circuit locally corrects the step of said boundary portion region after the correction.

17. An image processing apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising an image sensing element arranged to sense said plurality of partial images independently.

18. An image processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said image sensing element includes a plurality of partial panels that constitute a single sensor panel.

19. An image processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said sensor panel includes a radiation sensor panel, and wherein a pixel value that constitutes an image obtained by said radiation sensor panel is in proportion to a radiation intensity incident to said radiation sensor panel.

20. An image processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said sensor panel includes a radiation sensor panel, and wherein a pixel value that constitutes an image obtained by said radiation sensor panel is in proportion to a logarithmic value of a radiation intensity incident to said radiation sensor panel.

21. An image processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said correcting circuit obtains said correction value with the statistic property of the pixel value of said boundary portion region as statistic property of the substantial step value between the partial images, which results from subtracting a necessarily existing step value due to a tendency of the image per se from the differential value of the pixel value of the boundary portion of the partial images.

22. An image processing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said correcting circuit obtains said correction value with the statistic property of the substantial step value between the partial images as the maximum frequency value of a plurality of substantial step values obtained in association with the boundary of the partial images.

23. An image processing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said correcting circuit obtains said correction value with the statistic property of the substantial step value between the partial images as the average value of a plurality of substantial step values obtained in association with the boundary of the partial images.

24. An image processing apparatus according to claim 21, wherein when said correcting circuit sets the correction value in the subjecting partial images as a reference value and obtains the correction values of other partial images, said correcting circuit obtains the statistic property of the step values between said plurality of substantial partial images from the subjecting partial images, taking into consideration the substantial step values in all of routes that reach other partial images.

25. An image processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said correcting circuit obtains said correction value on the basis of the statistic property of the step values between a plurality of substantial partial images which are independently obtained as to a plurality of boundaries which exist in the plurality of partial images.

26. An image processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said correcting circuit obtains the step value between said substantial partial images by using only the pixel value for which linearity is ensured in said plurality of partial images.

27. An image processing apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said plurality of partial images include an image obtained by a plurality of partial panels that constitute a single radiation sensor panel, and wherein said correcting circuit obtains the substantial step value between the partial images with a pixel value of a portion except for a portion where irradiation is not conducted to said radiation sensor panel and a portion where the radiation is conducted directly to said radiation sensor panel without passing through an object, as a pixel value for which linearity is ensured.

28. An image processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein when a substantial gap is defined in the boundary portion region between said plurality of partial images, said correcting circuit generates the pixel of the gap portion by interpolation after the correction.

29. An image processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said correcting circuit locally corrects the step of said boundary portion region after the correction.

16. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a correcting circuit arranged to obtain a correction value of a step between a plurality of partial images for every partial image on the basis of statistic property of a pixel value in boundary portions between said plurality of partial images to correct said plurality of partial images on the basis of said correction value in order to constitute a single image from said plurality of partial images.

30. An image processing method, comprising the steps of:

correcting an offset between a first image and a second image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize said first image and said second image into a new third image; and

correcting an offset between said third image and a fourth image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize said third image and said fourth image into a new fifth image.

31. A storage medium that stores program therein, said program comprising a code of a step of correcting an offset between a first image and a second image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize said first image and said second image into a new third image, and a code of a step of correcting an offset between said third image and a fourth image that are adjacent to each other to synthesize said third image and said fourth image into a new fifth image.

32. An image processing method, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a correction value of a step between a plurality of partial images for every partial image on the basis of statistic property of a pixel value in boundary portions between said plurality of partial images; and

correcting said plurality of partial images on the basis of said correction value in order to constitute a single image from said plurality of partial images.

33. A storage medium that stores program therein, said program comprising a code of a step of obtaining a correction value of a difference between a plurality of partial images for every partial images on the basis of statistic property of a pixel value in a boundary portion region between a plurality of partial images, and a code of a step of correcting said plurality of partial images on the basis of said correction value in order to constitute a single image from said plurality of partial images.