IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND PROGRAM

• US 20090021596A1
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Izume, Rieko, Sanaka, Yumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,218,028 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

An imaging apparatus includes: determination means for determining whether a capture image is a frontlit image or a backlit image; detecting means for detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image; calculation means for setting weights, in a luminance histogram on the flesh-color area, on luminance of pixels included in a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value and luminance of pixels included in a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value in accordance with the determination result, and calculating modified luminance produced by modifying luminance on the flesh-color area on the basis of the weights; and correcting means for correcting brightness of the capture image on the basis of the modified luminance.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus comprising:

determination means for determining whether a capture image is a frontlit image or a backlit image;

detecting means for detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image;

calculation means for setting weights, in a luminance histogram on the flesh-color area, on luminance of pixels included in a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value and luminance of pixels included in a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value in accordance with the determination result, and calculating modified luminance produced by modifying luminance on the flesh-color area on the basis of the weights; and

correcting means for correcting brightness of the capture image on the basis of the modified luminance.

2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the capture image is determined to be a frontlit image, the calculation means calculates the modified luminance such that the weight on the high-luminance area is greater than the weight on the low-luminance area, and the modified luminance is greater than an average luminance on the flesh-color area before the modification, and

the correcting means corrects the brightness of the capture image such that the modified luminance becomes a correct luminance value.

3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the capture image is determined to be a frontlit image, the correcting means corrects the brightness of the capture image such that pixels in the high-luminance area have a correct luminance value.

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the capture image is determined to be a backlit image, the calculation means calculates the modified luminance such that the weight on the high-luminance area is less than the weight on the low-luminance area, and the modified luminance is less than an average luminance on the flesh-color area before the modification, and

the correcting means corrects brightness of the capture image such that the modified luminance becomes a correct luminance value.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the capture image is determined to be a backlit image, the correcting means corrects the brightness of the capture image such that pixels in the low-luminance area have a correct luminance value.

6. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation means changes a degree of the modification of luminance of the flesh-color area in accordance with a degree of frontlighting or backlighting.

7. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the detecting means detects a flesh-color area included in an AF area having an amount of defocus less than a predetermined value among a plurality of AF areas in the capture image.

8. An imaging apparatus comprising:

determination means for determining whether a capture image is a frontlit image;

detecting means for detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image; and

when the capture image is determined to be a frontlit image, correction means for correcting brightness of the capture image such that a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value comes closer to a correct luminance value than a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value among the flesh-color area.

9. An imaging apparatus comprising:

determination means for determining whether a capture image is a backlit image;

detecting means for detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image; and

when the capture image is determined to be a backlit image, correction means for correcting brightness of the capture image such that a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value comes closer to a correct luminance value than a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value among the flesh-color area.

10. An image processing apparatus comprising:

determination means for determining whether a capture image is a frontlit image or a backlit image;

detecting means for detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image;

calculation means for setting weights, in a luminance histogram on the flesh-color area, on luminance of pixels included in a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value and luminance of pixels included in a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value in accordance with the determination result, and calculating modified luminance produced by modifying luminance on the flesh-color area on the basis of the weights; and

correcting means for correcting brightness of the capture image on the basis of the modified luminance.

11. An image processing apparatus comprising:

determination means for determining whether a capture image is a frontlit image;

detecting means for detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image; and

when the capture image is determined to be a frontlit image, correction means for correcting brightness of the capture image such that a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value comes closer to a correct luminance value than a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value among the flesh-color area.

12. An image processing apparatus comprising:

determination means for determining whether a capture image is a backlit image;

detecting means for detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image; and

when the capture image is determined to be a backlit image, correction means for correcting brightness of the capture image such that a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value comes closer to a correct luminance value than a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value among the flesh-color area.

13. A program for causing a computer to perform processing comprising the steps of:

a) determining whether a capture image is a frontlit image or a backlit image;

b) detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image;

c) setting weights, in a luminance histogram on the flesh-color area, on luminance of pixels included in a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value and luminance of pixels included in a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value in accordance with the determination result, and calculating modified luminance produced by modifying luminance on the flesh-color area on the basis of the weights; and

d) correcting brightness of the capture image on the basis of the modified luminance.

14. A program for causing a computer to perform processing comprising the steps of:

a) determining whether a capture image is a frontlit image;

b) detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image; and

c) when the capture image is determined to be a frontlit image, correcting brightness of the capture image such that a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value comes closer to a correct luminance value than a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance among the flesh-color area.

15. A program for causing a computer to perform processing comprising the steps of:

a) determining whether a capture image is a backlit image;

b) detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image; and

c) when the capture image is determined to be a backlit image, correcting brightness of the capture image such that a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value comes closer to a correct luminance value than a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value among the flesh-color area.

16. An imaging apparatus comprising:

a determination mechanism for determining whether a capture image is a frontlit image or a backlit image;

a detecting mechanism for detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image;

a calculation mechanism for setting weights, in a luminance histogram on the flesh-color area, on luminance of pixels included in a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance and luminance of pixels included in a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value in accordance with the determination result, and calculating modified luminance produced by modifying luminance on the flesh-color area on the basis of the weights; and

a correcting mechanism for correcting brightness of the capture image on the basis of the modified luminance.