IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE, ELECTRONIC CAMERA AND IMAGE PROCESSING PROGRAM

• US 20100007754A1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Doida, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 8,194,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3871 the composed originals being of different kinds, e.g. low- and high-resolution originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/587 acquired sequentially, e.g. using the combination of odd and even image fields

Abstract

The image processing device of the present invention is provided with an image input section, a position discrepancy detecting section, and an image composition section. The image input section reads a plurality of low resolution images imaging a same object, and at least one high resolution image imaging a same object. The position discrepancy detecting section detects position discrepancy of patterns between respective low resolution images and the high resolution image. The image composition section positions and composes patterns of the plurality of low resolution images based on the position discrepancy.

Claims

1. An image processing device comprising:

an image input section which reads a plurality of low resolution images of imaging a same object and at least one high resolution image of imaging the same object;

a position discrepancy detecting section which detects position discrepancy of patterns between the respective low resolution images and the high resolution image; and

an image composition section which positions and composes patterns for the plurality of low resolution images based on the position discrepancy.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein

the position discrepancy detecting section comprises:

a phase dividing section which performs sub-sampling of one of the high resolution image and its feature with its phase shifted and generates a plurality of pieces of mutually phase-shifted sampling information; and

a detail detecting section which detects the position discrepancy in units smaller than pixel distances of the low resolution images by detecting the position discrepancy where a feature of patterns best coincides between the low resolution images and the plurality of pieces of sampling information.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein

the position discrepancy detecting section comprises:

a rough detecting section which detects position discrepancy of patterns between the plurality of low resolution images; and

a detail detecting section which detects position discrepancy between the high resolution image and the low resolution images starting from the position discrepancy detected by the rough detecting section.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein

the image composition section relocates and composes signal components of the plurality of low resolution images based on the position discrepancy, and generates a relocated images having higher resolution.

5. The image processing device according to claim 4, wherein

the image composition section generates a composite image based on the high resolution image and the relocated images.

6. The image processing device according to claim 5, wherein

the composite image is generated with a composite rate of the relocated images locally reduced at portions where a larger signal difference exists between the high resolution image and the relocated images.

7. The image processing device according to claim 5, wherein

the composite image is generated with the composite rate of the relocated images locally reduced at portions where a larger local signal variation of the high resolution image exists.

8. The image processing device according to claim 5, wherein

the composite image is generated with the composite rate of the relocated images generally raised progressively when one of a time interval and the position discrepancy between the high resolution image and the low resolution images is smaller.

9. The image processing device according to claim 5, wherein

the image composition section generates the composite image for high visual-sensitivity signal components constituting a color image, and generates the relocated images for remaining low visual-sensitivity signal components.

12. An electronic camera comprising:

the image processing device according to claim 1; and

an imaging section which images an object with at least two types of resolution, wherein

the high resolution image processed by the image processing device is a high resolution still image imaged with the imaging section, and

the low resolution image processed by the image processing device is a low resolution image imaged with the imaging section one of before and after imaging the still image.

14. A computer readable medium storing an image processing program capable of instructing a computer to function as the image processing device according to claim 1.

15. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein

the image composition section judges a high frequency components of spatial frequency for the plurality of low resolution images, and reduces the composite rate of a positioning composition in the edge part of the pattern having the less high frequency components.

16. The image processing device according to claim 15, wherein

the image composition section raises the composite rate if the positioning composition in a flat part of the pattern to be higher than the composite rate of the edge part for the images which are judged of having the less high frequency components.

17. The image processing device according to claim 15, wherein

the image composition section selects the images for use in the composition in accordance with the amount of the high frequency component.

19. An electronic camera comprising;

the image processing device according to claim 15, and

an imaging section which consecutively images objects and generates a plurality of low resolution images and high resolution images, wherein

the electronic camera has a function of positioning and composing the plurality of low resolution images with the image processing device.

10. An image processing device comprising:

an image input section which reads a plurality of images of imaging a same object;

a position discrepancy detecting section which detects position discrepancy of patterns between the plurality of images; and

an image composition section which positions and composes the patterns of the plurality of images based on the position discrepancy, wherein

the image composition section judges magnitude of a local signal variation for a positioning reference image, and locally lowers the composite rate of other images at portions where the signal variation is judged to be large.

13. An electronic camera comprising:

the image processing device according to claim 10; and

an imaging section which consecutively images object and generates a plurality of images, wherein

the electronic camera has a function of positioning and composing the plurality of images with the image processing device.

20. A computer readable medium storing an image processing program capable of instructing a computer to function as the image processing device according to claim 10.

11. An image processing device comprising:

an image input section which reads a plurality of images of imaging a same object;

a position discrepancy detecting section which detects position discrepancy of patterns between the plurality of images; and

an image composition section which positions and composes the patterns of the plurality of images based on the position discrepancy, wherein

the image composition section finds a difference of gradation value of target pixels at respective corresponding positions in a positioning reference image and other images, and locally lowers the composite rate of the other images at portions where the difference of gradation value is judged to be large.

18. An electronic camera comprising:

the image processing device according to claim 11; and

an imaging section which consecutively images objects and generates a plurality of images, wherein

the electronic camera has a function of positioning and composing the plurality of images with the image processing device.

21. A computer readable medium storing an image processing program capable of instructing a computer to function as the image processing device according to claim 11.