Image processing method, image processing program, image processing apparatus, and digital still camera using the image processing apparatus

• US 20060061673A1
• Filed: 10/28/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 138 East LCD Advancements Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nakami, Yoshihiro, Hiroshige, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 7,616,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/646 for image enhancement, e.g. vertical detail restoration, cross-colour elimination, contour correction, chrominance trapping filters

Abstract

Electronic data output from CCD is separated into a brightness component Y and color difference components Cb and Cr and an edge is extracted for each of the components. The edge amounts are calculated from the extracted edges and the component having the maximum edge amount is selected. Edge information (for example, edge gradient direction) is calculated based on the selected component having the maximum edge amount, a filter is selected based on the calculated edge information about the component having the maximum edge amount, and smoothing processing is performed for the electronic data output from the CCD based on the filter. The electronic data subjected to the smoothing processing is written into flash memory.

Claims

1. An image processing method for processing electronic data of an input image, comprising:

a signal separation step of separating the electronic data into a brightness component and a color difference component;

an edge amount calculation step of calculating the brightness component edge amount and the color difference component edge amount for each of the brightness component and the color difference component provided at said signal separation step;

a maximum edge amount selection step of selecting the maximum edge amount from among the brightness component and the color difference component calculated at said edge amount calculation step;

an edge information calculation step of calculating edge information of the component corresponding to the maximum edge amount based on the maximum edge amount selected at said maximum edge amount selection step; and

an electronic data processing step of processing the electronic data based on the edge information calculated at said edge information calculation step.

2. An image processing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at said maximum edge amount selection step and said edge information calculation step, the maximum edge amount is selected and the edge information of the component corresponding to the maximum edge amount is calculated for each of pixels of the input image.

3. An image processing program for causing a computer to process electronic data of an input image by executing:

a signal separation step of separating the electronic data into a brightness component and a color difference component;

an edge amount calculation step of calculating the brightness component edge amount and the color difference component edge amount for each of the brightness component and the color difference component provided at said signal separation step;

a maximum edge amount selection step of selecting the maximum edge amount from among the brightness component and the color difference component calculated at said edge amount calculation step;

an edge information calculation step of calculating edge information of the component corresponding to the maximum edge amount based on the maximum edge amount selected at said maximum edge amount selection step; and

an electronic data processing step of processing the electronic data based on the edge information calculated at said edge information calculation step.

4. An image processing program as claimed in claim 3, wherein at said maximum edge amount selection step and said edge information calculation step, the maximum edge amount is selected and the edge information of the component corresponding to the maximum edge amount is calculated for each of pixels of the input image.

5. An image processing apparatus comprising:

image input means, to which image information is input, being capable of outputting the image information as electronic data;

edge information calculation means for detecting a brightness component and a color difference component from the electronic data output from said image input means and calculating edge information about the component having the maximum edge amount, of the brightness component and the color difference component;

image processing means for processing the electronic data based on the edge information calculated by said edge information calculation means; and

record means being capable of recording the electronic data and filter information.

6. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising filter information selection means for selecting filter information to process the electronic data based on the edge information calculated by said edge information calculation means.

7. A digital still camera comprising an image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5.

8. A digital still camera comprising an image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 6.