IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, RECORDING MEDIUM CARRYING IMAGE PROCESSING PROGRAM, AND IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20090208128A1
• Filed: 02/05/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sako, Yoichiro, Kon, Takayasu, Kamada, Yasunori, Hayashi, Kazunori, Kawakami, Itaru
• Granted Patent: US 8,218,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/256
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/306 using a re-scaling of images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/804 for lane monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An image processing method includes the steps of extracting edges from each of a plurality of original images, thereby obtaining edge images; extracting straight lines from the edge images, thereby obtaining line images; assuming extensions of the straight lines constituting the line images and setting vanishing points on the basis of the extensions; and trimming the plurality of original images so that positions of the vanishing points in the respective original images mutually match, thereby obtaining final images.

Claims

1. An image processing method comprising:

extracting edges from each of a plurality of original images, thereby obtaining edge images;

extracting straight lines from the edge images, thereby obtaining line images;

assuming extensions of the straight lines of the line images and setting vanishing points based at least in part on the extensions; and

trimming the plurality of original images so that positions of the vanishing points in the respective original images mutually match, thereby obtaining final images.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

if a non-image area exists in any of the final images when the original images are trimmed so that the positions of the vanishing points in the respective original images mutually match, extending the original image to fill the non-image area.

3. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein, when the original images are trimmed so that the positions of the vanishing points in the respective original images mutually match, inclination of the original images is corrected so that the straight lines in the line images obtained from the respective original images mutually match.

4. The image processing method according to claim 1,

wherein, when the final images are obtained by the trimming, the images as a result of the trimming have a size based on the original images.

5. The image processing method according to claim 1,

wherein the final images resulting from the trimming are stored in a storage device.

6. A recording medium carrying an image processing program that allows a computer to execute a method comprising:

extracting edges from each of a plurality of original images, thereby obtaining edge images;

extracting straight lines from the edge images, thereby obtaining line images;

assuming extensions of the straight lines of the line images and setting vanishing points based at least in part on the extensions; and

trimming the plurality of original images so that positions of the vanishing points in the respective original images mutually match, thereby obtaining final images.

7. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an edge extracting circuit configured to extract edges from each of a plurality of original images, thereby obtaining edge images;

a line image circuit configured to extract straight lines from the edge images, thereby obtaining line images;

a vanishing point setting circuit configured to assume extensions of the straight lines of the line images and set vanishing points based at least in part on the extensions; and

a trimming circuit configured to trim the plurality of original images so that positions of the vanishing points in the respective original images mutually match, thereby obtaining final images.