Image processing apparatus

• US 20020164082A1
• Filed: 03/21/2002
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Sumitomo, Hironori, Yamanaka, Mutsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,079,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20192 Edge enhancement; Edge preservation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation

Abstract

In an image processing apparatus for performing image restoration by utilizing iterative calculations based on a captured degraded image and a degradation function obtained in or before photographing, a residual is calculated in each time of iteration in the iterative calculations and the rate of variation from the previous residual to the newly obtained residual is calculated. When the rate of variation of the residual becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value, it is judged that the iterative calculations are converged.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a image processor for performing an image restoration by utilizing iterative calculations based on a captured image and a degradation function;

a first calculator for calculating a residual at each time of iteration in the iterative calculations;

a second calculator for calculating a rate of variation of the residual calculated by the first calculator; and

a judger for judging that the iterative calculations are converged when the rate of variation calculated by said second calculator becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said first calculator calculates a residual with respect to the entirety or only a part of the image.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the residual is a difference between an image before degradation and an image after degradation by the degraded function.

4. A program product containing a program for executing an image processing, in which execution of said program by a computer allows said computer to execute the steps of:

performing an image restoration by utilizing iterative calculations based on a captured image and a degradation function;

calculating a residual at each time of iteration in the iterative calculations;

calculating a rate of variation of the calculated residual; and

judging that the iterative calculations are converged when the calculated rate of variation becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value.

5. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a image processor for performing an image restoration by utilizing iterative calculations based on a captured image and a degradation function; and

a setter for setting a number of iterative calculations in accordance with a photographing state of the captured image,

wherein said image processor conducts iterative calculations the number of times set by said setter.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the photographing state is a size of a degradation filter of the captured image.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the photographing state is a photographing environment of the captured image.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the photographing environment is a temperature.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the photographing state is an image quality of the captured image.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the image quality is a noise level inherent in the image processing apparatus.

11. A program product containing a program for executing an image processing, in which execution of said program by a computer allows said computer to execute the steps of:

setting a number of iterative calculations in accordance with a photographing state of a captured image,

performing an image restoration by utilizing iterative calculations based on the captured image and a degradation function, and

performing said image restoration step the number of times set by said setting step.