IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20110038510A1
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: NAKAMURA, Kenichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,447,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10148 Varying focus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/571 from focus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes an outline distance estimating unit that acquires distance information on an outline portion of an area included in an image; an area dividing unit that divides an area included in an image on the basis of pixel attribute values; an area-plane estimating unit that estimates an area plane composing each area by using the distance information on the outline portion of each area resulting from the division to calculate an area-plane definitional equation; an abnormal data determining unit that compares the area plane with each coordinate position on a three-dimensional space indicated by the distance information to determine the distance information having a high degree of shift from the area plane to be abnormal data; and an area interpolating unit that estimates the distances inside the area by using the distance information resulting from removal of the abnormal data from the distance information.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an outline distance estimating unit that acquires distance information on an outline portion of an area included in an image;

an area dividing unit that divides an area included in an image on the basis of pixel attribute values;

an area-plane estimating unit that estimates an area plane composing each area by using the distance information on the outline portion of each area resulting from the division in the area dividing unit to calculate an area-plane definitional equation;

an abnormal data determining unit that compares the area plane calculated by the area-plane estimating unit with each coordinate position on a three-dimensional space indicated by the distance information acquired by the outline distance estimating unit to determine the distance information having a high degree of shift from the area plane to be abnormal data; and

an area interpolating unit that estimates the distances inside the area by using the distance information resulting from removal of the abnormal data from the distance information acquired by the outline distance estimating unit.

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

an abnormal data processing unit that holds the distance information that is determined to be the abnormal data for a first area included in the image by the abnormal data determining unit,

wherein the abnormal data determining unit determines whether the data held in the abnormal data processing unit is the abnormal data on the basis of the degree of shift from the area plane in a second area in the determination of the abnormal data in the second area, and

wherein, if it is determined that the data held in the abnormal data processing unit is not the abnormal data for the second area, the area interpolating unit applies the data held in the abnormal data processing unit to an interpolation process in the second area.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the area-plane estimating unit calculates parameters a, b, c, and d in a plane definitional equation ax+by+cz+d=0 in an xyz three-dimensional space for a plane composing the area divided by the area dividing unit.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the area-plane estimating unit calculates parameters a to h, k, and m in a curved-surface definitional equation ax²+by²+cz²+dxy+eyz+fzx+gx+hy+kz+m=0 in an xyz three-dimensional space for a curved surface composing the area divided by the area dividing unit.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the area-plane estimating unit calculates the area-plane definitional equation by using the distance information on the outline portion of the area by a least-squares method or a robust estimation method.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the area-plane estimating unit creates a histogram concerning the distance information on the area, determines whether the created histogram includes only approximately the same distance data, and determines the area plane composing the area to have the same distance if it is determined that the histogram includes only approximately the same distance data.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the abnormal data determining unit compares the distance between the area plane calculated by the area-plane estimating unit and each coordinate position in the three-dimensional space of the distance information acquired by the outline distance estimating unit with a predetermined threshold value to determine the distance information having a distance larger than the threshold value to be the abnormal data.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

wherein the abnormal data determining unit calculates an average value and a standard deviation of the distances between the area plane calculated by the area-plane estimating unit and the coordinate positions in the three-dimensional space of multiple pieces of distance information acquired by the outline distance estimating unit and compares the difference between each piece of distance information and the average value with the standard deviation to find the abnormal data.

9. An image processing method performed in an image processing apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring distance information on an outline portion of an area included in an image by an outline distance estimating unit;

dividing an area included in an image on the basis of pixel attribute values by an area dividing unit;

estimating an area plane composing each area by using the distance information on the outline portion of each area resulting from the division in the area dividing unit to calculate an area-plane definitional equation by an area-plane estimating unit;

comparing the area plane calculated by the area-plane estimating unit with each coordinate position on a three-dimensional space indicated by the distance information acquired by the outline distance estimating unit to determine the distance information having a high degree of shift from the area plane to be abnormal data by an abnormal data determining unit; and

estimating the distances inside the area by using the distance information resulting from removal of the abnormal data from the distance information acquired by the outline distance estimating unit by an area interpolating unit.

10. A program causing an image processing apparatus to perform image processing, the program comprising the steps of causing:

an outline distance estimating unit to acquire distance information on an outline portion of an area included in an image;

an area dividing unit to divide an area included in an image on the basis of pixel attribute values;

an area-plane estimating unit to estimate an area plane composing each area by using the distance information on the outline portion of each area resulting from the division in the area dividing unit in order to calculate an area-plane definitional equation;

an abnormal data determining unit to compare the area plane calculated by the area-plane estimating unit with each coordinate position on a three-dimensional space indicated by the distance information acquired by the outline distance estimating unit in order to determine the distance information having a high degree of shift from the area plane to be abnormal data; and

an area interpolating unit to estimate the distances inside the area by using the distance information resulting from removal of the abnormal data from the distance information acquired by the outline distance estimating unit.