IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110052060A1
• Filed: 08/24/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Furuya, Kohei
• Granted Patent: US 8,351,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/009 Global, i.e. based on properties of the image as a whole applied in cameras using an electronic image sensor H04N23/80, H04N23/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/40 using histogram techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/92 based on global image properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/57 Control of contrast or brightness

Abstract

An image processing apparatus generates, for an image, partial histograms by dividing a luminance histogram at downward convex parts of a frequency distribution of the luminance histogram. The image processing apparatus calculates, for a partial histogram selected from the partial histograms, a difference between a maximum frequency in each of all the partial histograms located on the first side of the selected partial histogram, and a minimum frequency within a luminance range from a luminance level of the maximum frequency to that of a maximum frequency in the selected partial histogram as a drop, and sets a maximum one of the drops calculated for the respective partial histograms as a drop. The image processing apparatus sets a weight, which becomes smaller as this drop is larger, for the selected partial histogram, and calculates a weighted average of the luminance histogram, thereby acquiring a luminance value for the tone correction.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for executing tone correction of luminance values in an image, comprising:

a generation unit configured to generate, for the image, a luminance histogram in which frequencies indicating numbers of pixels for respective luminance values are arranged in an order of luminance values from a first side to a second side;

a dividing unit configured to generate a plurality of partial histograms by dividing the luminance histogram at downward convex parts in a frequency distribution of the luminance histogram;

a calculation unit configured to select one of the plurality of partial histograms as a partial histogram of interest, to calculate, as a drop candidate, a difference between a maximum frequency in one partial histogram located on the first side of the partial histogram of interest, and a minimum frequency within a range from a luminance level corresponding to the maximum frequency to a luminance level corresponding to a maximum frequency in the partial histogram of interest, and to determine, as a drop of the partial histogram of interest, a maximum one of the drop candidates calculated for all the partial histograms located on the first side of the partial histogram of interest;

a setting unit configured to set, for the partial histogram of interest, a smaller weight with increasing drop; and

a correction unit configured to execute the tone correction using a luminance histogram obtained by applying weights set by said setting unit respectively to the plurality of partial histograms.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said correction unit acquires a luminance value as a feature amount required to determine correction characteristics in the tone correction by calculating a weighted average of the luminance histogram by applying the weights set by said setting unit respectively to the plurality of partial histograms, and executes the tone correction based on the luminance value.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said correction unit determines the characteristics of the tone correction so that the acquired luminance value as the feature amount is converted into a predetermined luminance value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said correction unit determines the characteristics using a feature amount acquired when a lower luminance value side is defined as the first side and a higher luminance value side is defined as the second side, and a feature amount acquired when a higher luminance value side is defined as the first side, and a lower luminance value side is defined as the second side.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a weight of a partial histogram located on the most first side of the plurality of partial histograms is set to be a maximum weight value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generation unit uses, as the luminance histogram, a smoothed curve obtained by smoothing a histogram in which frequencies indicating numbers of pixels for respective luminance values are arranged in an order of luminance values from the first side to the second side.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a unit configured to generate a second luminance histogram by applying weights according to luminance values to respective frequencies of the luminance histogram,

wherein said calculation unit and said setting unit set the weight values using the second luminance histogram.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said correction unit determines correction characteristics in the tone correction by calculating a weighted average of one of the luminance histogram and the second luminance histogram by applying the weights set by said setting unit respectively to a plurality of partial histograms in one of the luminance histogram and the second luminance histogram.

9. An image processing apparatus for executing tone correction of luminance values in an image, comprising:

a generation unit configured to generate, for the image, a luminance histogram including frequencies indicating numbers of pixels for respective luminance values;

a second generation unit configured to generate a second luminance histogram by applying weights according to luminance values to the luminance histogram;

a setting unit configured to analyze a histogram shape using the second luminance histogram, and to set weight values for respective mountain-shaped distributions in the second luminance histogram; and

an acquisition unit configured to acquire a feature amount for the tone correction by applying the weight values set by said setting unit to one of the luminance histogram and the second luminance histogram.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the weights according to the luminance values have characteristics to decrease with increasing luminance value with respect to luminance values on a high-luminance side of a predetermined luminance value.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said setting unit sets the weight values for the respective mountain-shaped distributions using a drop between a top peak and a bottom peak formed by each mountain-shaped distribution as a criterion.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said setting unit sets the weight values for the respective mountain-shaped distributions using a ratio of a total of frequencies included in each mountain-shaped distribution with respect to all frequencies as a criterion.

13. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus for executing tone correction of luminance values in an image, comprising:

a generation step of generating, for the image, a luminance histogram in which frequencies indicating numbers of pixels for respective luminance values are arranged in an order of luminance values from a first side to a second side;

a dividing step of generating a plurality of partial histograms by dividing the luminance histogram at downward convex parts in a frequency distribution of the luminance histogram;

a calculation step of selecting one of the plurality of partial histograms as a partial histogram of interest, calculating, as a drop candidate, a difference between a maximum frequency in one partial histogram located on the first side of the partial histogram of interest, and a minimum frequency within a range from a luminance level corresponding to the maximum frequency to a luminance level corresponding to a maximum frequency in the partial histogram of interest, and determining, as a drop of the partial histogram of interest, a maximum one of the drop candidates calculated for all the partial histograms located on the first side of the partial histogram of interest;

a setting step of setting, for the partial histogram of interest, a smaller weight with increasing drop; and

a correction step of executing the tone correction using a luminance histogram obtained by applying weights set in the setting step respectively to the plurality of partial histograms.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for making a computer execute respective steps of a control method of an image processing apparatus according to claim 13.

14. A method of controlling an image processing apparatus for executing tone correction of luminance values in an image, comprising:

a first generation step of generating, for the image, a luminance histogram including frequencies indicating numbers of pixels for respective luminance values;

a second generation step of generating a second luminance histogram by applying weights according to luminance values to the luminance histogram;

a setting step of analyzing a histogram shape using the second luminance histogram, and setting weight values for respective mountain-shaped distributions in the second luminance histogram; and

an acquisition step of acquiring a feature amount for the tone correction by applying the weight values set in the setting step to one of the luminance histogram and the second luminance histogram.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for making a computer execute respective steps of a control method of an image processing apparatus according to claim 14.