Image correction apparatus, image correction program storage medium, image correction method, and image correction system

• US 20060078218A1
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Igarashi, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,586,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20201 Motion blur correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/003 Deblurring; Sharpening vibration or motion blur correction for cameras comprising an electronic image sensor H04N23/682
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/682 Vibration or motion blur correction

Abstract

The present invention has an object to provide an image correction apparatus which can correct image blur properly, a storage medium storing an image correction program which makes a computer operate as such an image correction apparatus, an image correction method for correcting the blur properly, and an image correction system which corrects the blur properly. The image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image includes a trimming section which extracts a main subject area from the image, edge analyzing section which produces edge information about edges of the main subject area, blur analyzing section which produces blur information about blur of an input image based on multiple pieces of edge information passed by the edge analyzing section, and correction section which corrects the blur of the input image using the blur information passed by the blur analyzing section.

Claims

1. An image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

a blur detection section which detects blur of the image in a main subject area of the image; and

a correction section which corrects the blur detected by the blur detection section.

2. The image correction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blur detection section detects blur of the image using an image part in a predetermined range containing the center of the image as the main subject area.

3. The image correction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blur detection section detects blur of the image using an image part which has a color in a predetermined color range as the main subject area.

4. An image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

a blur detection section which detects blur in a plurality of locations in the image;

a blur calculation section which calculates blur of the image by summing up detection results produced by the blur detection section at the plurality of locations with weights assigned to the detection results based on a predetermined weighing standard; and

a correction section which corrects the blur of the image based on calculation results produced by the blur calculation section.

5. The image correction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the blur calculation section gives lighter weights to detection results obtained at locations more distant from the center of the image.

6. The image correction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the blur calculation section gives lighter weights to detection results obtained at locations more distant from a predetermined reference color.

7. The image correction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the photographic device has a plurality of shooting modes for the shooting;

the image correction apparatus has a shooting mode acquisition section which acquires a shooting mode used to shoot the image to be corrected for blur; and

the blur calculation section assigns weights based on a weighing standard in accordance with the shooting mode acquired by the shooting mode acquisition section.

8. An image correction program storage medium storing an image correction program that runs on a computer and makes the computer operate as an image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, wherein the image correction program builds on the computer:

a blur detection section which detects blur of the image in a main subject area of the image; and

a correction section which corrects the blur detected by the blur detection section.

9. An image correction program storage medium storing an image correction program that runs on a computer and makes the computer operate as an image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, wherein the image correction program builds on the computer:

a blur detection section which detects blur in a plurality of locations in the image;

a blur calculation section which calculates blur of the image by summing up detection results produced by the blur detection section at the plurality of locations with weights assigned to the detection results based on a predetermined weighing standard; and

a correction section which corrects the blur of the image based on calculation results produced by the blur calculation section.

10. An image correction method which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

a blur detection step of detecting blur of the image in a main subject area of the image; and

a correction step of correcting the blur detected in the blur detection step.

11. An image correction method which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

a blur detection step of detecting blur in a plurality of locations in the image;

a blur calculation step of calculating blur of the image by summing up detection results produced in the blur detection step at the plurality of locations with weights assigned to the detection results based on a predetermined weighing standard; and

a correction step of correcting the blur of the image based on calculation results produced in the blur calculation step.

12. An image correction system which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

an image transmitter device that comprises a blur detection section which detects blur of the image in a main subject area of the image, and a transmitter section which transmits the image and the blur detected by the blur detection section; and

an image receiver device that comprises a receiver section which receives the image and blur from the transmitter section of the image transmitter device, and a correction section which corrects the blur contained in the image and received by the receiver section together with the image.

14. The image correction system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein:

the image transmitter device comprises a resolution lowering section which lowers resolution of the image according to the blur of the image; and

the transmitter section of the image transmitter device transmits the image whose resolution has been lowered by the resolution lowering section.

15. The image correction system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein:

the image transmitter device is incorporated in the photographic device; and

the image receiver device is incorporated in a printer which prints the image corrected for blur by the correction section.

13. An image correction system which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

an image transmitter device that comprises a blur detection section which detects blur in a plurality of locations in the image, a blur calculation section which calculates blur of the image by summing up detection results produced by the blur detection section at the plurality of locations with weights assigned to the detection results based on a predetermined weighing standard, and a transmitter section which transmits the image and the blur calculated by the blur calculation section; and

an image receiver device that comprises a receiver section which receives the image and blur from the transmitter section of the image transmitter device, and a correction section which corrects the blur contained in the image and received by the receiver section together with the image.