IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS THAT SYNTHESIZES ACQUIRED IMAGES TO GENERATE SUCCESSIVE IMAGES, CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR, AND IMAGE PICKUP APPARATUS

• US 20120120272A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Kazuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,994,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio

Abstract

An image processing apparatus that can reduce the area where acquired images are held and reduce the load in image synthesis when successive images are to be generated. Acquired images are sequentially acquired and held in an acquired image storage circuit. A first set number of acquired images among the acquired images are synthesized to generate first composite images. The first composite images are held in a grouped image storage circuit. Second composite images from an image generated last to an image corresponding to a second set number among the first composite images are synthesized to generate a second composite image. The acquired images used to generate the first composite images are sequentially deleted.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a first holding unit configured to hold acquired images that are sequentially acquired;

a first synthesis unit configured to synthesize a first set number of acquired images among the acquired images held in said first holding unit to generate first composite images;

a second holding unit configured to hold the first composite images;

a second synthesis unit configured to synthesize images from an image generated last to an image corresponding to a second set number among the first composite images held in said second holding unit to generate a second composite image; and

an deleting unit configured to sequentially delete the acquired images used to generate the first composite images.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to, every time a new second composite image is generated by said second synthesis unit, update display to the latest second composite image.

3. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, every time the first set number of acquired images are held in said first holding unit, said first synthesis unit synthesizes the first set number of acquired images to generate the first composite images, and in response to said first synthesis unit generating the first composite images, said deleting unit deletes the acquired images used for generation of the first composite images from said first holding unit.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, in a case where there is no free space when the new first composite images are to be held, said second holding unit replaces the oldest one of the first composite images being held with the new first composite images, and holds the new first composite images.

5. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first setting unit configured to set the first set number based on a brightness of the acquired images.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the brightness of the acquired images corresponds to an exposure time when the acquired images are acquired by image pickup.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detecting unit configured to detect motion vectors of the acquired images, and a first setting unit configured to set the first set number based on the motion vectors detected by said detecting unit.

8. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second setting unit configured to set the second setting number based on a brightness set for the second composite image and the first setting number.

9. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a detecting unit configured to detect motion vectors of the acquired images,

wherein said first synthesis unit excludes an image whose degree of matching with other acquired images among the acquired images used for synthesis is smaller than a predetermined value, and carries out synthesis.

10. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an image processing apparatus according to claim 2; and

an image pickup unit configured to acquire acquired images to be held in said first holding unit of the image processing apparatus,

wherein a display unit of the image processing apparatus sequentially displays the second composite images generated by said second synthesis unit as live views.

11. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an image processing apparatus according to claim 2; and

an image pickup unit configured to acquire acquired images to be held in said first holding unit of the image processing apparatus,

wherein the second composite images generated by said second synthesis unit of the image processing apparatus are moving images in a storage device.

12. A control method for an image processing apparatus having a first holding unit configured to hold acquired images, a synthesis unit configured to synthesize a plurality of acquired images to generate first composite images, comprising:

a first holding step of storing, in the holding unit, acquired images there are sequentially acquired;

a first synthesis step in which the synthesis unit generates first composite images by synthesizing the first set number of the acquired images among the acquired images held in said first holding step;

a second holding step of holding the first composite images in the holding unit;

a second synthesis step of synthesizing images from an image generated last to an image corresponding to a second set number among the first composite images held in said second holding step to generate a second composite image; and

a deleting step of sequentially deleting the acquired images that have been used to generate the first composite images.