IMAGE CAPTURING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND IMAGE PROCESSING PROGRAM

• US 20130063616A1
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Yasunori, Monobe, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,071,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.6
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/683 performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory

Abstract

This image capture device is configured to generate a restored image by reducing a motion blur that has been induced by a camera shake during shooting. The device includes: an image sensor 10; an optical system 20; and an image processing section 220 which processes an image signal that has been obtained by the image sensor 10. The image processing section 220 includes: a blur kernel determining section which determines a blur kernel that defines the camera-shake-induced motion blur of the image captured; and an image restoration section which generates the restored image. The blur kernel determining section changes the size of the blur kernel by reference to information that affects the degree of the blur of the image such as the zoom power of the optical system 20.

Claims

1. An image capture device which is configured to generate a restored image by reducing a motion blur that has been induced by a camera shake during shooting, the device comprising:

an image sensor;

an optical system which produces an image on an imaging area of the image sensor; and

an image processing section which processes a signal that has been obtained by the image sensor,

wherein the image processing section includes;

a blur kernel determining section which determines a blur kernel that defines the camera-shake-induced motion blur of the image that has been captured by the image sensor; and

an image restoration section which generates the restored image by reducing the camera-shake-induced motion blur from the image using the blur kernel that has been determined, and

wherein the blur kernel determining section sets the size of the blur kernel by reference to information that affects the degree of the blur of the image.

2. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein the blur kernel determining section changes the size of the blur kernel according to the zoom power of the optical system.

3. The image capture device of claim 2, further comprising a conversion table which defines a correspondence between the zoom power of the optical system and the size of the blur kernel,

wherein the blur kernel determining section sets the size of the blur kernel by reference to the conversion table.

4. The image capture device of claim 3, wherein the conversion table defines a correspondence between the zoom power of the optical system and the magnification of the blur kernel with respect to its reference size.

5. The image capture device of claim 2, wherein the blur kernel determining section sets the size of the blur kernel by reference to both pieces of information about the zoom power of the optical system and an exposure time.

6. The image capture device of claim 5, further comprising a conversion table which defines a correspondence between the size of the blur kernel and a combination of the zoom power of the optical system and the exposure time,

wherein the blur kernel determining section sets the size of the blur kernel by reference to the conversion table.

7. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein the blur kernel determining section changes the size of the blur kernel according to an exposure time.

8. The image capture device of claim 7, further comprising a conversion table which defines a correspondence between the exposure time and the size of the blur kernel,

wherein the blur kernel determining section sets the size of the blur kernel by reference to the conversion table.

9. The image capture device of claim 8, wherein the conversion table defines a correspondence between the exposure time and the magnification of the blur kernel with respect to its reference size.

10. The image capture device of claim 1, further comprising a camera shake sensing section which senses the magnitude of the camera shake during shooting,

wherein the blur kernel determining section sets the size of the blur kernel based on the magnitude of the camera shake that has been sensed by the camera shake sensing section.

11. The image capture device of claim 10, wherein the camera shake sensing section is a gyrosensor.

12. An image processor which is configured to generate a restored image by reducing a motion blur that has been induced by a camera shake from an image that has been captured by an image capture device, the processor comprising:

an image getting section which gets the image and information that affects the degree of the motion blur of the image;

a blur kernel determining section which determines a blur kernel that defines the camera-shake-induced motion blur of the image; and

an image restoration section which generates the restored image by reducing the camera-shake-induced motion blur from the image using the blur kernel that has been determined, and

wherein the blur kernel determining section sets the size of the blur kernel by reference to the information that affects the degree of the blur of the image.

13. The image processor of claim 12, wherein the shooting information is at least one piece of information about the zoom power of an optical system, an exposure time, and the magnitude of the camera shake during shooting.

14. A computer program, stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, to be executed by a computer which is designed to generate a restored image by reducing a motion blur that has been induced by a camera shake from an image that has been captured by an image capture device, the program being defined to make the computer perform the steps of:

getting the image and information that affects the degree of the motion blur of the image;

setting the size of a blur kernel that defines the camera-shake-induced motion blur of the image by reference to the information that affects the degree of the motion blur of the image;

determining the blur kernel; and

generating the restored image by reducing the camera-shake-induced motion blur from the image using the blur kernel that has been determined.

15. The computer program of claim 14, wherein the information that affects the degree of the motion blur of the image is at least one piece of information about the zoom power of an optical system, an exposure time, and the magnitude of the camera shake during shooting.

16. An image processing method for generating a restored image by reducing a motion blur that has been induced by a camera shake from an image that has been captured by an image capture device, the method comprising the steps of:

getting the image and information that affects the degree of the motion blur of the image;

setting the size of a blur kernel that defines the camera-shake-induced motion blur of the image by reference to the information that affects the degree of the motion blur of the image;

determining the blur kernel; and

generating the restored image by reducing the camera-shake-induced motion blur from the image using the blur kernel that has been determined.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the information that affects the degree of the motion blur of the image is at least one piece of information about the zoom power of an optical system, an exposure time, and the magnitude of the camera shake during shooting.