IMAGE PROCESSOR, IMAGE ACQUISITION APPARATUS, STORAGE MEDIUM OF IMAGE PROCESSING PROGRAM AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20090174793A1
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National University Corporation Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology (National University Corporation Tokyo Institute of Technology), Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: National University Corporation Tokyo Institute of Technology, Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Yano, Takahiro, Shimizu, Masao, Okutomi, Masatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,089,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.990
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation

Abstract

An image processor includes an inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit configured to acquire deformation information between superimposed images included in a multiple image in which images of a subject are superimposed, an image deformation unit configured to generate at least two deformed images by performing deformation processing with respect to the multiple image at least twice to be geometrically deformed based on the acquired deformation information between superimposed images, and a signal intensity relationship acquisition unit configured to acquire signal intensity relationship information indicative of a relationship between signal intensities of the superimposed images included in the multiple image. The image processor further includes a signal processing unit configured to perform addition processing of the at least two deformed images generated from the deformation processing by using the acquired signal intensity relationship information.

Claims

1. An image processor comprising:

an image input unit configured to input a multiple image in which images of a subject are superimposed on each other;

an inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit configured to acquire deformation information between superimposed images included in the multiple image input through the image input unit;

an image deformation unit configured to generate at least two deformed images by performing deformation processing with respect to the multiple image input through the image input unit at least twice to be geometrically deformed based on the deformation information between superimposed images acquired by the inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit;

a signal intensity relationship acquisition unit configured to acquire signal intensity relationship information indicative of a relationship between signal intensities of the superimposed images included in the multiple image input through the image input unit; and

a signal processing unit configured to perform addition processing of the at least two deformed images generated by the deformation processing by using the signal intensity relationship information acquired by the signal intensity relationship acquisition unit.

2. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the image deformation unit performs translational displacement processing for an image as the deformation processing.

3. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the image deformation unit performs deformation combining scaling processing with translational displacement processing for an image as the deformation processing.

4. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit acquires the deformation information between superimposed images by utilizing a previously obtained displacement direction of displacement between the superimposed images on the multiple image.

5. The image processor according to claim 4, wherein the image deformation unit performs deformation processing along the previously obtained displacement direction of displacement between the superimposed images with respect to the multiple image.

6. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit, the image deformation unit, the signal intensity relationship acquisition unit, and the signal processing unit execute processing in accordance with each partial region as a part of the multiple image, respectively.

7. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit, the image deformation unit, the signal intensity relationship acquisition unit, and the signal processing unit execute processing in accordance with each partial region as a part of the multiple image respectively, and integrating results of processing carried out in accordance with each partial region enables generating a restored image of the multiple image.

8. An image acquisition apparatus comprising:

an image acquisition optical system configured to form an image of luminous flux of a subject;

a multiple image formation unit configured to form images of the subject in a superimposed manner in the image acquisition optical system;

an image signal generation unit configured to convert light from the image acquisition optical system into an electrical signal and generate an image signal from the converted electrical signal;

an inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit configured to acquire deformation information between superimposed images included in a multiple image having at least two images generated by the image acquisition optical system, the multiple image formation unit, and the image signal generation unit in a superimposed manner;

an image deformation unit configured to generate at least two deformed images by performing deformation processing with respect to the multiple image at least twice to be geometrically deformed based on the deformation information between superimposed images acquired by the inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit;

a signal intensity relationship acquisition unit configured to acquire signal intensity relationship information indicative of a relationship between signal intensities of the superimposed signals included in the multiple image; and

a signal processing unit configured to perform addition processing of the at least two deformed images generated by the deformation processing by using the signal intensity relationship information acquired by the signal intensity relationship acquisition unit.

9. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the image deformation unit performs translational displacement processing for an image as the deformation processing.

10. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the image deformation unit performs deformation combining scaling processing with translational displacement processing for an image as the deformation processing.

11. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit acquires the deformation information between superimposed images by utilizing a previously obtained displacement direction of displacement between the superimposed images on the multiple image.

12. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the image deformation unit performs deformation processing along the previously obtained displacement direction of displacement between the superimposed images with respect to the multiple image.

13. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit, the image deformation unit, the signal intensity relationship acquisition unit, and the signal processing unit execute processing in accordance with each partial region as a part of the multiple image, respectively.

14. The image acquisition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the inter-superimposed-image deformation acquisition unit, the image deformation unit, the signal intensity relationship acquisition unit, and the signal processing unit execute processing in accordance with each partial region as a part of the multiple image respectively, and integrating results of processing carried out in accordance with each partial region enables generating a restored image of the entire image.

15. A storage medium storing an image processing program allowing a computer to execute the following steps:

performing input processing of a multiple image in which images of a subject are superimposed on each other;

acquiring deformation information between superimposed images included in the input multiple image;

generating at least two deformed images by performing deformation processing with respect to the input multiple image at least twice to be geometrically deformed based on the acquired deformation information between superimposed images;

acquiring signal intensity relationship information indicative of a relationship between signal intensities of the superimposed images included in the input multiple image; and

performing addition processing of the at least two deformed images generated from the deformation processing by using the acquired signal intensity relationship information.

16. An image processing method comprising:

performing input processing of a multiple image in which images of a subject are superimposed on each other;

acquiring deformation information between superimposed images included in the input multiple image;

generating at least two deformed images by performing deformation processing with respect to the input multiple image at least twice to be geometrically deformed based on the acquired deformation information between superimposed images;

acquiring signal intensity relationship information indicative of a relationship between signal intensities of the superimposed images included in the input multiple image; and

generating a restored image in which images of the subject are not superimposed on each other by adding the at least two deformed images generated from the deformation processing based on the acquired signal intensity relationship information.