IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD, AND PROGRAM USED THEREWITH

• US 20070115364A1
• Filed: 11/08/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KUMAKI, Jinyo
• Granted Patent: US 7,636,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.990
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6842 by controlling the scanning position, e.g. windowing

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes an image capturing unit for capturing a first image by using an image capturing device, a detection unit for detecting applied vibration and outputting a vibration value representing a magnitude of the vibration, a calculation unit for calculating a first correcting value and a second correcting value from the vibration value, an alteration unit for altering, when a difference between the first and second correcting values is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, a region of the second image so as to reduce a distance between the center of an image obtained by correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value and the center of another image obtained by correcting the third image on the basis of the second correcting value, and a correction unit for correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

image capturing means for capturing a first image by using an image capturing device;

detection means for detecting applied vibration and outputting a vibration value representing a magnitude of the vibration;

calculation means for calculating a first correcting value and a second correcting value from the vibration value, the first correcting value representing a displacement for moving, in the first image, a position of a second image selectively output from the first image so that an effect of the vibration on the second image is suppressed, the second correcting value representing a displacement for moving, in the first image, a third image selectively output from the first image so that an effect of the vibration on the third image is suppressed;

alteration means for altering, when a difference between the first correcting value and the second correcting value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, a region corresponding to the second image so as to reduce a distance between the center of a corrected second image and the center of a corrected third image, the corrected second image being obtained by correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value, the corrected third image being obtained by correcting the third image on the basis of the second correcting value; and

correction means for correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the calculated first correcting value is greater than a predetermined value, said calculation means uses the predetermined value as the first correcting value.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said calculation means also calculates distortion correction values on the basis of the vibration value and the first correcting value so that an effect of distortion caused by the vibration in the second image is suppressed, the distortion correction values each representing a displacement for moving a position of each of lines of pixels included in the second image; and

said correction means corrects the second image on the basis of the first correcting value and the distortion correction values.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when one distortion correction value for a predetermined line of pixels included in the second image is greater than a predetermined value based on the first correcting value, said calculation means uses, as the distortion correction value for the predetermined line, the predetermined value based on the first correcting value.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the third image is a still image used as a field of a moving image; and

the second image is a still image captured during capturing of the moving image.

6. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

capturing a first image by using an image capturing device;

detecting applied vibration and outputting a vibration value representing a magnitude of the vibration;

calculating a first correcting value and a second correcting value from the vibration value, the first correcting value representing a displacement for moving, in the first image, a position of a second image selectively output from the first image so that an effect of the vibration on the second image is suppressed, the second correcting value representing a displacement for moving, in the first image, a third image selectively output from the first image so that an effect of the vibration on the third image is suppressed;

when a difference between the first correcting value and the second correcting value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, altering a region corresponding to the second image so as to reduce a distance between the center of a corrected second image and the center of a corrected third image, the corrected second image being obtained by correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value, the corrected third image being obtained by correcting the third image on the basis of the second correcting value; and

correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value.

7. A program for allowing a computer to execute:

an image capturing step of capturing a first image by using an image capturing device;

a detection step of detecting applied vibration and outputting a vibration value representing a magnitude of the vibration;

a calculation step of calculating a first correcting value and a second correcting value from the vibration value, the first correcting value representing a displacement for moving, in the first image, a position of a second image selectively output from the first image so that an effect of the vibration on the second image is suppressed, the second correcting value representing a displacement for moving, in the first image, a third image selectively output from the first image so that an effect of the vibration on the third image is suppressed;

an alteration step of altering, when a difference between the first correcting value and the second correcting value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, a region corresponding to the second image so as to reduce a distance between the center of a corrected second image and the center of a corrected third image, the corrected second image being obtained by correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value, the corrected third image being obtained by correcting the third image on the basis of the second correcting value; and

a correction step of correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value.

8. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image capturing unit capturing a first image by using an image capturing device;

a detection unit detecting applied vibration and outputting a vibration value representing a magnitude of the vibration;

a calculation unit calculating a first correcting value and a second correcting value from the vibration value, the first correcting value representing a displacement for moving, in the first image, a position of a second image selectively output from the first image so that an effect of the vibration on the second image is suppressed, the second correcting value representing a displacement for moving, in the first image, a third image selectively output from the first image so that an effect of the vibration on the third image is suppressed;

an alteration unit altering, when a difference between the first correcting value and the second correcting value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, a region corresponding to the second image so as to reduce a distance between the center of a corrected second image and the center of a corrected third image, the corrected second image being obtained by correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value, the corrected third image being obtained by correcting the third image on the basis of the second correcting value; and

a correction unit correcting the second image on the basis of the first correcting value.