IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND IMAGE PROCESSING PROGRAM

• US 20100103311A1
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Makii, Tatsuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,564,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/369
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/521 from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/571 from focus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An object plane is set, and appropriate image processing is performed according to the setting of the object plane. An image processing apparatus has a controller (7). The controller (7) receives image data for a captured image and distance information on the distance to a designated point in the captured image, sets an object plane (100) containing the designated point, converts the distance information to the information on the distance from the object plane, and performs predetermined image processing according to the converted distance information.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an object plane setting means for setting an object plane based on distance information corresponding to a point designated by a user in a displayed image based on image data;

a distance information conversion means for converting the distance information of the image data according to the object plane; and

an image processing means for performing image processing on the image data based on the distance information converted by the distance information conversion means.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the distance information conversion means converts the distance information for each point of the image data based on the coordinates of the designated point.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

further comprising an object plane changing means for changing the object plane according to a specification by the user with the point maintained in the object plane,

wherein the distance information conversion means converts the distance information according to the object plane changed by the object plane changing means.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the object plane changing means changes the object plane by rotating the object plane on the designated point as rotation center.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein, when the object plane is changed by the object plane changing means, the distance information conversion means converts the distance information for each point of the image data based on the coordinates of the designated point and the angle and direction of the rotation.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image processing means blurs the image data with the blur amount according to the distance information converted by the distance information conversion means.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the image processing means blurs the image data such that the blur amount increases as the distance from the object plane increases.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the image processing means blurs the image data so that points within a predetermined distance from the object plane will be blurred with the same blur amount.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the image processing means adjusts the blur amount based on depth of field information indicating a depth of field.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display control means for displaying the state of the object plane on a display.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage means for storing the image data and the distance information in association with each other;

a designation means for designating the point; and

a setting means for setting a tilt angle and a tilt direction of the object plane containing the point with respect to an optical axis of a lens.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein, when the point is designated by the designation means and the tilt direction and the tilt angle of the object plane with respect to the optical axis of the lens is set by the setting means, the object plane setting means sets the object plane based on the tilt direction and tilt angle.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11,

further comprising a ranging means for ranging distance, wherein distance information obtained by the ranging means is stored by the storage means in association with the image data.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the designation means is a touch panel, and, when a point is designated in the captured image, the touch panel accepts the location designation by detecting the coordinates.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein the location designation by the designation means is performed by touching the touch panel a predetermined times.

16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11,

further comprising a display control means for displaying the location designated by the designation means on the display along with the captured image, wherein the designation means accepts the change of the location based on the dragging of the designated point.

17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the designation means and setting means are a touch panel, and wherein designating at least one point in the captured image, changing the designated location, and setting the tilt direction and the tilt angle of the object plane containing the designated point with respect to the optical axis of the lens are performed by touching the touch panel a predetermined times.

18. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the distance information conversion means converts the distance information for each given region including two or more pixels in the image data according to the object plane.

19. An image processing method comprising the step of:

setting an object plane based on distance information corresponding to a point designated by a user in a displayed image based on image data;

converting the distance information of the image data according to the object plane; and

performing image processing on the image data based on the converted distance information.

20. An image processing program for causing a computer to execute an image processing method comprising the step of:

setting an object plane based on distance information corresponding to a point designated by a user in a displayed image based on image data;

converting the distance information of the image data according to the object plane; and

performing image processing on the image data based on the converted distance information.