Color-image reproduction apparatus

• US 20070183657A1
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Piolax Incorporated, Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ninomiya, Yoshiki, Kidono, Kiyosumi
• Application Number:
  US11/649,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20070183657A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/047 using multispectral pick-up elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/84 for processing colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/131 including elements passing infrared wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/135 based on four or more different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/67 for matrixing camera processing pipelines for matrixing of colour signals H04N23/85

Abstract

A color-image reproduction apparatus reproduces a color image on the basis of digital image data which are obtained through detection of an image by visible light detection elements and an infrared detection element. Visible image data are extracted from the image data, and infrared-containing image data are extracted from the image data. Brightness information is extracted from the visible image data or infrared-containing image data. An infrared component is removed from the visible image data. Color information is extracted from the visible image data from which the infrared component has been removed. The brightness information and the color information are combined so as to generate a quasi color image.

Claims

1. A color-image reproduction apparatus for reproducing a color image on the basis of digital image data which are obtained through detection of an image by visible light detection elements capable of detecting primary colors of visible light and an infrared detection element capable of detecting electromagnetic waves including infrared rays, and in which data representing each pixel are composed of a plurality of frequency band components, the apparatus comprising:

visible-image extraction means for extracting visible image data from the image data;

infrared-containing-image extraction means for extracting infrared-containing image data from the image data;

brightness-information extraction means for extracting brightness information from the visible image data or infrared-containing image data;

infrared-component removal means for removing an infrared component from the visible image data;

color-information extraction means for extracting color information from the visible image data from which the infrared component has been removed; and

quasi-color-image generation means for combining the brightness information and the color information so as to generate a quasi color image.

2. A color-image reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the infrared-component removal means removes the infrared component from the visible image data on the basis of the infrared-containing image data and the transmission characteristic of a color filter used in image acquisition means.

4. A color-image reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brightness information extraction means includes extraction-source selection means for selecting the visible image data or the infrared-containing image data as extraction source data from which the brightness information is extracted.

5. A color-image reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brightness-information extraction means includes first extraction means for extracting first brightness information from the visible image data, second extraction means for extracting second brightness information from the infrared-containing image data, and weighted-average calculation means for calculating, as the brightness information, the weighted average of the first brightness information and the second brightness information.

7. An image reproduction apparatus which reproduces an image on the basis of image data containing an infrared component, comprising:

the color-image reproduction apparatus according to claim 1;

and

display-area-division definition means for dividing a display area for a reproduced image into a color-image display area and a monochrome-image display area, wherein color display is performed in the color-image display area on the basis of digital image data which are obtained through detection of an image by visible light detection elements capable of detecting primary colors of visible light and an infrared detection element capable of detecting electromagnetic waves including infrared rays, and in which data representing each pixel are composed of a plurality of frequency band components, and monochrome display is performed in the monochrome-image display area on the basis of the image data containing the infrared component only,

wherein the quasi color image is displayed in the color-image display area by the color-image reproduction apparatus.

3. A color-image reproduction apparatus for reproducing a color image on the basis of digital image data which are obtained through detection of an image by visible light detection elements capable of detecting primary colors of visible light and an infrared detection element capable of detecting electromagnetic waves including infrared rays, and in which data representing each pixel are composed of a plurality of frequency band components, the apparatus comprising:

an infrared cut off filter for cutting an infrared-ray component contained in light received by the visible light detection elements;

visible-image extraction means for extracting visible image data from the image data;

infrared-containing-image extraction means for extracting infrared-containing image data from the image data;

brightness-information extraction means for extracting brightness information at least from the infrared-containing image data;

color-information extraction means for extracting color information from the visible image data; and

quasi-color-image generation means for combining the brightness information and the color information so as to generate a quasi color image.

6. A color-image reproduction apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the brightness-information extraction means includes first extraction means for extracting first brightness information from the visible image data, second extraction means for extracting second brightness information from the infrared-containing image data, and weighted-average calculation means for calculating, as the brightness information, the weighted average of the first brightness information and the second brightness information.

8. An image reproduction apparatus which reproduces an image on the basis of image data containing an infrared component, comprising:

the color-image reproduction apparatus according to claim 3;

and

display-area-division definition means for dividing a display area for a reproduced image into a color-image display area and a monochrome-image display area, wherein color display is performed in the color-image display area on the basis of digital image data which are obtained through detection of an image by visible light detection elements capable of detecting primary colors of visible light and an infrared detection element capable of detecting electromagnetic waves including infrared rays, and in which data representing each pixel are composed of a plurality of frequency band components, and monochrome display is performed in the monochrome-image display area on the basis of the image data containing the infrared component only,

wherein the quasi color image is displayed in the color-image display area by the color-image reproduction apparatus.