Image taking apparatus and control method therefor

• US 20080036882A1
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OM Digital Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Imaging Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Uemura, Tatsuyuki, Kaneko, Kaoru, Okubo, Mitsumasa
• Granted Patent: US 7,843,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/682 Vibration or motion blur correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Disclosed is an image taking apparatus that has functions of performing plural types of corrections on a captured image, and can continuously execute the plural types of corrections on the image. The image taking apparatus can be configured in such a way that when image data recorded in a recording medium is read and is subjected to plural types of corrections, for example, the image data once read can be saved in the recording medium after completion of the plural corrections which are continuously executed. The plural types of corrections can be configured in such a way that the combination or the order thereof is determined based on information unique to the image data.

Claims

1. An image taking apparatus comprising:

an imaging part that images a subject;

an image recording part that records image data output from the imaging part and/or image data input externally;

an image display part that display the image data;

an image correction processing part capable of performing plural types of correction processes on the image data read from the image recording part; and

a correction control part that determines a combination and an order of the plural types of correction processes based on information instructing correction, and continuously executes the plural types of correction processes on the image data.

2. The image taking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction control part continuously executes the plural types of correction processes on the image data based on one operation instruction given as a correction instruction.

3. The image taking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image correction processing part has functions of executing camera shake correction, tone correction, and red-eye correction.

4. The image taking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image correction processing part has functions of executing camera shake correction, tone correction, and red-eye correction, and the correction control part causes the image correction processing part to execute the correction processes on the image data in an order of the camera shake correction, the tone correction and the red-eye correction.

5. The image taking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the correction control part determines if each of the correction processes is to be enabled by referring to shooting information accompanying the image data as tag information.

6. The image taking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the correction control part allows the image recording part to compress and record the image data after completion of a last one of the correction processes.

7. The image taking apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image recording part maintains the shooting information accompanied to the image data before the execution of the correction process as tag information, and stores and records the history of execution of the correction processes in the tag information.

8. The image taking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein tag information having shooting information of the image data recorded therein is stored accompanied in the image data, and

the correction control part determines which one of the correction processes is to be executed by referring to the tag information of the image data, and records correction history information indicating whether the correction process has already been executed in the tag information.

9. The image taking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction control part determines a combination of the correction processes according to the image data, and continuously executes the plural types of correction processes on the image data by controlling the image correction processing part.

10. The image taking apparatus according to claim 9, wherein tag information having shooting information of the image data recorded therein is stored accompanied in the image data, and

the correction control part determines a combination of the correction processes based on the shooting information.

11. The image taking apparatus according to claim 9, wherein tag information having shooting information of the image data recorded therein is stored accompanied in the image data, and

the correction control part determines an amount of correction in each of the correction processes based on the shooting information.

12. The image taking apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a display control part that segments a display screen of the image display part into a plurality of display areas, and displays the image data before and after the correction processes on the display areas of the display screen.

13. The image taking apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display control part segments the display screen into first and second display areas,

in one of the correction processes, outputs the image data before the correction process to the first display area and outputs the image data after the correction process to the second display area, and

before initiation of a next one of the correction processes, slides the image data on the second display area to the first display area.

14. The image taking apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display control part segments the display screen into first and second display areas,

enlarges or selects correction target areas in the image data before and after the correction process, and respectively displays the correction target areas on the first and second display areas.

15. The image taking apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display control part segments the display screen into first and second display areas,

in one of the correction processes, upon outputting the image data before the correction process to the first display area and outputting the image data after the correction process to the second display area, suppresses displaying on the second display area before initiation of or during the correction process.

16. The image taking apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display control part suppresses outputting of information other than the image data to the display screen during the correction process.

17. The image taking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mode selecting part that selects different playback modes for the image data, wherein the correction control part switches between continuous execution of a plurality of correction processes on the image data and selective execution of one of the correction processes both by the image correction processing part, based on the playback mode selected by the mode selecting part.

18. A control method for an image taking apparatus including an imaging part that images a subject, an image recording part that records image data output from the imaging part and/or image data input externally, an image display part that display the image data, and an image correction processing part capable of performing plural types of correction processes on the image data read from the image recording part, the control method comprising:

reading the image data from the image recording part and displaying the image data on the image display part;

continuously executing a plurality of correction processes adaptable to the image data; and

displaying the image data undergone the correction processes on the image display part.

19. A computer readable recording medium recording a control program for an image taking apparatus including an imaging part that images a subject, an image recording part that records image data output from the imaging part and/or image data input externally, an image display part that display the image data, an image correction processing part capable of performing plural types of correction processes on the image data read from the image recording part, and a control computer that controls the image correction processing part and the image display part,

wherein the program allows the control computer to:

read the image data from the image recording part and display the image data on the image display part;

continuously execute a plurality of correction processes adaptable to the image data; and

display the image data undergone the correction processes on the image display part.