Image processing apparatus and image processing method

• US 20030122951A1
• Filed: 12/26/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hara, Manabu, Kawada, Norihiko, Morioka, Yoshihiro, Kurita, Susumu
• Granted Patent: US 7,190,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/002 for television cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/20 Circuitry for controlling amplitude response
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0122 the input and the output signals having different aspect ratios

Abstract

An image processing apparatus and an image processing method permit easy adjustment of luminance and contrast, and also permit easy check of the brightness of a target image. A signal format of an image signal is determined by a determiner circuit, and an image signal of a luminance reference image that provides the standard for determining luminance is generated by a luminance reference signal generator circuit on the basis of a result of the determination. A mixing circuit generates an image signal for displaying a target image combined with a luminance reference image. The signal level of the image signal is adjusted by an adjusting circuit so as to adjust luminance and/or contrast. A discrimination display signal superimposing circuit generates a signal of a luminance identifying image superimposed in a desired luminance area. From the luminance reference image, the brightness at a desired position on an image can be easily checked.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a signal generator for generating an image signal of a luminance reference image that provides a standard for determining a luminance; and

a mixer that uses an input image signal and an image signal of the luminance reference image to generate an image signal for displaying a combination of a display image based on the input image signal and the luminance reference image.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a discriminator for carrying out signal discrimination of the input image signal;

wherein the signal generator produces an image signal of the luminance reference image on the basis of a discrimination result supplied by the discriminator.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the discriminator determines an aspect ratio of the input image signal.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the discriminator detects whether a region with no image occurs on a display screen by determining the aspect ratio, and

the signal generator produces an image signal of the luminance reference image so that the luminance reference image is displayed in the region with no image if the discriminator detects that a region with no image will be on the display screen.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the discriminator detects whether a region with no image will take place on a display screen by determining the aspect ratio, and if it detects that a region with no image will not take place on the display screen, then it controls the mixer to perform image reduction based on the input image signal, thereby forming a region with no image, and

the signal generator produces an image signal of the luminance reference image so that the luminance reference image is displayed in the region with no image.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discriminator detects whether a region with no image will take place on a display screen by determining the aspect ratio, and if it detects that a region with no image will not take place on the display screen, then it controls the mixer to generate an image signal produced by superimposing the luminance reference image on an image based on the input image signal.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the discriminator discriminates the color of an image based on the input image signal, and

the signal generator produces an image signal for displaying the luminance reference image with a color based on the result of a color discrimination performed by the discriminator.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the discriminator identifies a dominant color, and

the signal generator produces an image signal for displaying the luminance reference image by using the color identified by the discriminator.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal generator produces an image signal having at least one of a first luminance reference image showing a predetermined gray scale, a second luminance reference image showing a gray scale that is different from the first luminance reference image, a third luminance reference image for adjusting high luminance, and a fourth luminance reference image for adjusting low luminance, as the luminance reference image.

10. An image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the signal generator produces an image signal for the luminance reference image in which the gray scale difference in the third luminance reference image and the gray scale difference in the fourth luminance reference image are smaller than the gray scale difference in the first luminance reference image and the gray scale difference in the second luminance reference image.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an adjustor for adjusting the luminance and the contrast of an image based on an image signal produced by the mixer.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a luminance identifying image superimposer for superimposing a luminance identifying image in a desired luminance region in an image based on an image signal produced by the mixer.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the luminance identifying image superimposer superimposes the luminance identifying image by using a zebra signal.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display position controller for changing positional relationship between an image based on the input image signal and the luminance reference image by controlling the signal generator.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage for storing setting information for generating an image signal for the luminance reference image by the signal generator.

16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a target image signal generator for producing a target image signal, which provides the input image signal, by shooting an object.

17. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

generating an image signal of a luminance reference image that provides a standard for determining a luminance; and

generating an image signal for displaying a combination of a display image based on the input image signal and the luminance reference image by using an input image signal and an image signal of the luminance reference image.

18. The image processing method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

carrying out signal discrimination of the input image signal;

wherein an image signal of the luminance reference image is produced on the basis of a discrimination result obtained from the signal discrimination.

19. The image processing method according to claim 18, wherein the signal discrimination of the input image signal involves the determination of an aspect ratio.

20. The image processing method according to claim 19, wherein

it is detected whether a region with no image occurs on a display screen by determining the aspect ratio, and

an image signal of the luminance reference image is produced so that the luminance reference image is displayed in the region with no image if it is detected that a region with no image will be on the display screen.

21. The image processing method according to claim 19, wherein

it is detected whether a region with no image will take place on a display screen by determining the aspect ratio, and if it detects that a region with no image will not take place on the display screen, then it performs image reduction based on the input image signal, thereby forming a region with no image, and

an image signal of the luminance reference image is produced so that the luminance reference image is displayed in the formed region with no image.

22. The image processing method according to claim 19, wherein

it is detected whether a region with no image will take place on a display screen by determining the aspect ratio, and if it is detected that a region with no image will not take place on the display screen, then the luminance reference image is superimposed on an image based on the input image signal.

23. The image processing method according to claim 18, wherein

color discrimination on an image is carried out on the basis of the input image signal in the step for discriminating the input image signal, and an image signal for displaying the luminance reference image with a color based on the result of the color discrimination is produced.

24. The image processing method according to claim 23, wherein

a dominant color is identified in the color discrimination, and

an image signal for displaying the luminance reference image by using the identified color is produced.

25. The image processing method according to claim 17, wherein

an image signal is produced, the image signal having at least one of a first luminance reference image showing a predetermined gray scale, a second luminance reference image showing a predetermined gray scale that is different from the first luminance reference image, a third luminance reference image for adjusting high luminance, and a fourth luminance reference image for adjusting low luminance, as the luminance reference image.

26. The image processing method according to claim 25, wherein

an image signal is produced for the luminance reference image in which the gray scale difference in the third luminance reference image for adjusting high luminance reference image and the gray scale difference in the fourth luminance reference image for adjusting low luminance are smaller than the gray scale difference in the first luminance reference image and the gray scale difference in the second luminance reference image.

27. The image processing method according to claim 17, wherein

the luminance and the contrast of an image based on an image signal is for displaying a display image based on the input image signal combined with the luminance reference image.

28. The image processing method according to claim 17, wherein

a luminance identifying image is superimposed in a desired luminance region in an image based on an image signal for displaying the display image based on the input image signal combined with the luminance reference image.

29. The image processing method according to claim 28, wherein

the luminance identifying image is superimposed by using a zebra signal.

30. The image processing method according to claim 17, wherein

positional relationship between an image based on the input image signal and the luminance reference image is changed.

31. The image processing method according to claim 17, wherein

setting information for generating an image signal of the luminance reference image is stored.