DIGITAL CAMERA, COMPOSITION CORRECTION DEVICE, AND COMPOSITION CORRECTION METHOD

• US 20070223900A1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Nakazawa, Hirokazu, Kobayashi, Masao, Kurata, Kazuyasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/632 for displaying or modifying preview images prior to image capturing, e.g. variety of image resolutions or capturing parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability

Abstract

When composition of a first captured image having a tilted subject image is corrected, the first image is rotated such that the subject image stands in an erect position, according to the attitude of the camera achieved during capture of the first image. Images corresponding to missing portions, which arise in the image area for recording due to rotation, are extracted from a second captured image as compensation images. The second image is obtained by capturing an image of the same subject as that captured by the first image, at the different angle of view and attitude of the camera. An image obtained by enlarging the compensation images extracted from the second image according to the angle of view employed for capturing the first image is synthesized with the rotated first image, to thus make the subject image stand in an erect position and to obtain a corrected image without involving a decreased number of pixels.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

first captured image obtaining means for acquiring a first captured image by capturing an image of a subject at a predetermined angle of view;

second captured image obtaining means for acquiring a second captured image by means of capturing an image of a subject identical with the subject while at least one of the image capturing angle of view and an attitude of the camera is changed as compared with its counterpart used for capturing the first captured image;

attitude detection means for detecting the attitude of the camera during image-capture operation;

rotation processing means for rotating the first captured image in order to make an image of the subject in the first captured image stand in an erect position, on the basis of the attitude detected at the time of capture of the first captured image; and

compensation means for compensating for missing portions where portions of the image are absent in a predetermined image recording range due to rotation of the first captured image, on the basis of the second captured image.

2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the second captured image obtaining means captures an image at an angle of view which is wider than that used for capturing the first captured image, to thus acquire the second captured image.

3. The digital camera according to claim 2, wherein the compensation means extracts the images of the subject corresponding to the missing portions from the second captured image as compensation images, and compensates for the missing portion with images which is formed by enlarging the compensation images in accordance with the image capturing angle of view employed for capturing the first captured image.

4. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the second captured image obtaining means performs image capture operation with the attitude of the camera by means of which the image of the subject stands in an erect position, to thus acquire the second captured image.

5. The digital camera according to claim 4, further comprising grid line display means for displaying grid lines, whose attitude angle changes according to a detection result output from the attitude detection means, in conjunction with a preview screen.

6. The digital camera according to claim 2, further comprising first captured image display means for displaying, along with a preview screen, a first captured image that has been rotated by the rotation processing means in such a way that the image of the subject stands in an erect position.

7. The digital camera according to claim 1, where the first captured image obtaining means and the second captured image obtaining means are identical image capture means, and the first captured image and the second captured image are images which have been captured with a time difference.

8. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the first captured image obtaining means and the second captured image obtaining means are two image capture means which are independently provided in one camera and capable of simultaneously acquiring images of a single subject at different angles of view;

and the first captured image and the second captured image are images which are simultaneously captured by the two image capture means.

9. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the shape of an image area for recording is switched between a landscape rectangular shape and a portrait rectangular shape, on the basis of the attitude of the camera employed at the time of capture of the first captured image.

10. A composition correction apparatus comprising:

rotation processing means for rotating a first captured image obtained by means of capturing an image of a subject at a predetermined angle of view, on the basis of the attitude detected during capture of the first captured image in order to cause the image of the subject to sand in an erect position; and

compensation means for compensating for missing portions, where images are absent in predetermined image recording areas due to rotation of the first captured image, on the basis of a second captured image obtained by capturing an image of a subject identical with that of the first captured image while at least one of an image capturing angle of view and an attitude of the camera is changed as compared with its counterpart employed for capturing the first captured image.

11. A composition correction method comprising:

a rotation processing step of rotating a first captured image obtained by means of capturing an image of a subject at a predetermined angle of view, on the basis of the attitude detected during capture of the first captured image in order to cause the image of the subject to stand in an erect position; and

a compensation step of compensating for missing portions, where an images are absent in a predetermined image recording area due to rotation of the first captured image, on the basis of a second captured image obtained by capturing an image of a subject identical with that of the first captured image while at least one of an image capturing angle of view and a attitude of the camera is changed as compared with its counterpart employed for capturing the first captured image.