Evaluating method of image information, storage medium having evaluation program stored therein, and evaluating apparatus

• US 20060159364A1
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Interconnect Systems Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Poon, Eunice, Clarke, Ian, Kanda, Megumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,342 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/275
• 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

Abstract

An evaluating method of image information acquires image information, performs camera shake evaluation of the image information by determining a camera shake direction on the basis of the image information, and performs out-of-focus evaluation of the image information by using information concerning a camera shake direction determined in the camera shake evaluation.

Claims

1. An evaluating method of image information, comprising:

acquiring image information;

performing camera shake evaluation of the image information by determining a camera shake direction on the basis of the image information; and

performing out-of-focus evaluation of the image information by using information concerning the camera shake direction determined in the camera shake evaluation.

2. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein

the information concerning the camera shake direction is information on the camera shake direction, and

in the out-of-focus evaluation, a degree of blurring in a direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction is evaluated.

3. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein

the information concerning the camera shake direction is information on edges of the image information in a direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction.

4. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein

in the camera shake evaluation, a degree of blurring is evaluated by extracting a sample line in the camera shake direction, and

in the out-of-focus evaluation, a degree of blurring is evaluated by extracting a sample line in a direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction.

5. An evaluating method according to claim 4, wherein

in the camera shake evaluation and the out-of-focus evaluation, a degree of blurring is evaluated on the basis of an autocorrelation function of the extracted sample lines.

6. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein

the same function is used in the camera shake evaluation and the out-of-focus evaluation,

in the camera shake evaluation, the camera shake direction is set as an argument, and

in the out-of-focus evaluation, the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction is set as an argument.

7. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein

in the camera shake evaluation, a degree of blurring in the camera shake direction is evaluated, and

in the out-of-focus evaluation, a degree of blurring in a direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction is evaluated.

8. An evaluating method according to claim 7, wherein

in the out-of-focus evaluation, a degree of out-of-focus blurring is evaluated on the basis of a degree of blurring in the camera shake direction and a degree of blurring in the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction.

9. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein

the image information is divided into a plurality of areas,

a specific area is selected from the divided areas, and

the camera shake evaluation and the out-of-focus evaluation are performed to the selected specific area.

10. An evaluating method according to claim 9, wherein

a luminance difference in the area of each of the divided areas is calculated, and

an area in which the luminance difference is the largest is selected as the specific area.

11. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein

camera shake correction is performed to the image information on the basis of a result of the camera shake evaluation, and

out-of-focus correction is performed to the image information on the basis of a result of the out-of-focus evaluation.

12. An evaluating method according to claim 11, wherein

image information subjected to at least one of the camera shake correction and the out-of-focus correction is displayed at no magnification.

13. A storage medium having stored therein a program for performing evaluation of image information, the program comprises the following codes:

a code for causing an arithmetic processing unit and a memory to acquire image information;

a code for causing the arithmetic processing unit to perform camera shake evaluation of the image information by determining a camera shake direction on the basis of the image information; and

a code for causing the arithmetic processing unit to perform out-of-focus evaluation of the image information by using information concerning the camera shake direction determined in the camera shake evaluation.

14. An image information evaluating apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

an arithmetic processing unit that acquires image information, performs camera shake evaluation of the image information by determining a camera shake direction on the basis of the image information, and performs out-of-focus evaluation of the image information by using information concerning a camera shake direction determined in the camera shake evaluation.

15. An image information evaluating apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein the image information evaluating apparatus is a printing apparatus.

16. An image information evaluating apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein the image information evaluating apparatus is a photographing apparatus.