Apparatus, method and medium preventing image degradation due to shaking of an image photographing device

• US 20080170128A1
• Filed: 11/15/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Chang-yeong, Lee, Seong-deok, Oh, Hyun-hwa
• Granted Patent: US 8,284,265 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method of preventing image degradation due to shaking of an image photographing device. An apparatus for preventing image degradation due to shaking of an image photographing device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an image acquiring unit to acquire a plurality of images of a predetermined subject using a second exposure time shorter than a first exposure time, a scale adjusting unit to adjust scales of the plurality of acquired images, and an image restoring unit to restore images of the subject using the plurality of images whose scales are adjusted.

Claims

1. An apparatus for preventing image degradation due to shaking of an image photographing device, the apparatus comprising:

an image acquiring unit to acquire a plurality of images of a predetermined subject using a second exposure time shorter than a first exposure time;

a scale adjusting unit to adjust scales of the plurality of acquired images; and

an image restoring unit to restore images of the subject using the plurality of images whose scales are adjusted.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scale adjusting unit adds a predetermined number of pixel values to the acquired images so as to reduce the scales of the obtained images.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scale adjusting unit reduces the scales of the acquired images using an average value among a predetermined number of pixel values in the acquired images and a ratio between the first exposure time and the second exposure time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image restoring unit comprises:

an estimating unit to estimate motion information among the plurality of acquired images;

a matching unit to match the plurality of acquired images using the estimated motion information; and

a restoring unit to restore the images of the subject using the plurality of matched images.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the estimating unit estimates all of the region motion information among continuous images.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the restoring unit restores the images of the subject using the plurality of matched images and predetermined images acquired by the image acquiring unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the restoring unit restores pixel values to be restored in the plurality of matched images using pixel values existing in a predetermined region on the basis of the pixel values to be restored.

8. A method of preventing image degradation due to shaking of an image photographing device, the method comprising:

acquiring a plurality of images of a predetermined subject using a second exposure time shorter than a first exposure time;

adjusting scales of the plurality of acquired images; and

restoring images of the subject using the plurality of images whose scales are adjusted.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjusting of the scales comprises adding a predetermined number of pixel values in the acquired images so as to reduce the scales of the obtained images.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjusting of the scale comprises reducing the scales of the acquired images using an average value among the predetermined number of pixel values in the acquired images and a ratio between the first exposure time and the second exposure time.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the restoring of the image comprises:

estimating motion information among the plurality of acquired images;

matching the plurality of acquired images using the estimated motion information; and

restoring the images of the subject using the plurality of matched images.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the estimating of the motion information comprises estimating all of the region motion information among continuous images.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein, in the restoring of the images, the images of the subject are restored using the plurality of matched images and the predetermined images acquired by the image acquiring unit.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, in the restoring of the images, pixel values to be restored in the plurality of matched images are restored using pixel values existing in a predetermined region on the basis of the pixel values to be restored.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the first exposure time is an automatically selected exposure time.

16. At least one medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing element to implement the method of claim 8.