Image-capturing apparatus, image processing method and program product

• US 20070177818A1
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Sakurai, Keiichi, Teshima, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,249,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/276
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20076 Probabilistic image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30144 Printing quality
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/32 using correlation-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/22 by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition

Abstract

An image-capturing apparatus includes an image-acquiring unit which acquires an image that is captured by photographing a photographic subject which is laid on an arbitrary place, a difference image producing unit which produces a difference image between the captured image that is acquired by the image-acquiring unit and an image which is captured before the photographic subject is laid, a contour extraction unit which extracts contour information of the photographic subject from the difference image that is produced by the difference image producing unit, and an image conversion unit which corrects a distortion of the captured image on the basis of the contour information that is extracted by the contour extraction unit.

Claims

1. An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

an image-acquiring unit which acquires an image that is captured by photographing a photographic subject which is laid on an arbitrary place;

a difference image producing unit which produces a difference image between the captured image that is acquired by the image-acquiring unit and an image which is captured before the photographic subject is laid;

a contour extraction unit which extracts contour information of the photographic subject from the difference image that is produced by the difference image producing unit; and

an image conversion unit which corrects a distortion of the captured image on the basis of the contour information that is extracted by the contour extraction unit.

3. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storing unit which stores the captured image, which is processed by the image conversion unit, in a predetermined format.

4. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storing unit stores the captured image, which is successfully corrected by the image conversion unit, and the captured image, which is not successfully corrected by the image conversion unit, in different folders.

5. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the storing unit stores the captured image, which is successfully corrected by the image conversion unit, and the captured image, which is not successfully corrected by the image conversion unit, in the same folder by adding individual identification information to the captured images.

2. An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

an image-acquiring unit which successively acquires images that are captured by successively photographing a plurality of photographic subjects while the photographic subjects are being overlaid on an arbitrary place;

a difference image producing unit which produces a difference image between each of the captured images that are acquired by the image-acquiring unit and the image which is captured immediately previously;

a contour extraction unit which extracts contour information of the photographic subject, which is newly laid, from the difference image that is produced by the difference image producing unit; and

an image conversion unit which corrects a distortion of the captured image on the basis of the contour information that is extracted by the contour extraction unit.

6. An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

a difference image producing unit which produces a difference image between a captured image, which is acquired by photographing a photographic subject that is laid on an arbitrary place, and an image which is captured before the photographic subject is laid;

a rectangle detection unit which detects a rectangular area on the basis of the difference image that is produced by the difference image producing unit; and

an image conversion unit which clips an area corresponding to the rectangular area, which is detected by the rectangle detection unit, out of the captured image that is acquired by photographing the photographic subject laid on the arbitrary place, and corrects a distortion of a shape of the clipped image area.

7. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image conversion unit corrects the distortion of the shape of the clipped image area on the basis of a shape of the rectangular area detected by the rectangle detection unit.

8. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a reduced image producing unit which produces reduced images in association with the captured image that is acquired by photographing the photographic subject laid on the arbitrary place and the image that is captured before the photographic subject is laid,

wherein the difference image producing unit produces the difference image on the basis of the reduced images produced by the reduced image producing unit.

9. The image-capturing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a luminance image producing unit which produces, in a case where the captured image that is acquired by photographing the photographic subject laid on the arbitrary place and the image that is captured before the photographic subject is laid include image data of respective color components, luminance images on the basis of the image data of the respective color components,

wherein the difference image producing unit produces the difference image on the basis of the luminance images produced by the luminance image producing unit.

10. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring an image that is captured by photographing a photographic subject which is laid on an arbitrary place;

producing a difference image between the captured image that is acquired and an image which is captured before the photographic subject is laid;

extracting contour information of the photographic subject from the difference image that is produced; and

correcting a distortion of the captured image on the basis of the contour information that is extracted.

11. An image processing method comprising:

successively acquiring images that are captured by successively photographing a plurality of photographic subjects while the photographic subjects are being overlaid on an arbitrary place;

producing a difference image between each of the captured images that are acquired and the image which is captured immediately previously;

extracting contour information of the photographic subject, which is newly laid, from the difference image that is produced; and

correcting a distortion of the captured image on the basis of the contour information that is extracted.

12. An image processing method comprising:

producing a difference image between a captured image, which is acquired by photographing a photographic subject that is laid on an arbitrary place, and an image which is captured before the photographic subject is laid;

detecting a rectangular area on the basis of the difference image that is produced; and

clipping an area corresponding to the detected rectangular area out of the captured image that is acquired by photographing the photographic subject laid on the arbitrary place, and correcting a distortion of a shape of the clipped image area.

13. A program product recorded in a computer-readable recording medium and executed by a computer for controlling an image-capturing apparatus, the program product comprising:

an image acquiring function of acquiring an image that is captured by photographing a photographic subject which is laid on an arbitrary place;

a difference image producing function of producing a difference image between the captured image that is acquired by the image acquiring function and an image which is captured before the photographic subject is laid;

a contour extracting function of extracting contour information of the photographic subject from the difference image that is produced by the difference image producing function; and

an image converting function of correcting a distortion of the captured image on the basis of the contour information that is extracted by the contour extracting function.

14. A program product recorded in a computer-readable recording medium and executed by a computer for controlling an image-capturing apparatus, the program product comprising:

an image acquiring function of successively acquiring images that are captured by successively photographing a plurality of photographic subjects while the photographic subjects are being overlaid on an arbitrary place;

a difference image producing function of producing a difference image between each of the captured images that are acquired by the image acquiring function and the image which is captured immediately previously;

a contour extracting function of extracting contour information of the photographic subject, which is newly laid, from the difference image that is produced by the difference image producing function; and

an image converting function of correcting a distortion of the captured image on the basis of the contour information that is extracted by the contour extracting function.

15. A program product recorded in a computer-readable recording medium and executed by a computer for controlling an image-capturing apparatus, the program product comprising:

a difference image producing function of producing a difference image between a captured image, which is acquired by photographing a photographic subject that is laid on an arbitrary place, and an image which is captured before the photographic subject is laid;

a rectangle detection function of detecting a rectangular area on the basis of the difference image that is produced by the difference image producing function; and

an image converting function of clipping an area corresponding to the rectangular area, which is detected by the rectangle detection function, out of the captured image that is acquired by photographing the photographic subject laid on the arbitrary place, and correcting a distortion of a shape of the clipped image area.