Image processing apparatus

• US 20050263678A1
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Arakawa, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US11/137,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20050263678A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/208.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/33 in the spatial domain

Abstract

An image processing apparatus 1 having: an imaging element A3 for converting light from an object 100 into an image signal A; an imaging element B4 larger than the imaging element A3 in the number of pixels for converting light from the object 100 into an image signal B; imaging devices A6 and B7 capable of driving the imaging elements A3 and B4 independently; an image processing section 5 for converting image signals A and B into image data A and B; an encoding device 19 for converting the image data A and B into code data A and B; and a central processing unit 15 for varying the compression rate in the encoding device 19 based on the code quantity of the code data A and controlling the encoding device so as to make the cod data B fixed in length.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for producing an image file including first and second image data, comprising:

a first imaging element and a second imaging element, converting light from an object into image signals; and

an image-converting section, converting image signals from said first and second imaging elements into the first and second image data respectively.

2. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first imaging element is smaller than said second imaging element in pixel number.

3. The image processing apparatus of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

an encoding device, combining the second image data encoded with a compression rate based on a code quantity of the first image data and the encoded first image data thereby to produce the image file.

4. The image processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein said encoding device makes the first and second image data fixed in length.

5. The image processing apparatus of claim 3 or 4, wherein said encoding device combines the encoded first image data as a thumbnail with the encoded second image data.