IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20140340550A1
• Filed: 07/09/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kaizu, Shun, Mitsunaga, Tomoo
• Granted Patent: US 9,432,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/296
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/533 by using differing integration times for different sensor regions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/583 with different integration times
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes an intermediate image generating unit configured to input an image which has been shot with differing exposure times set by region, generates a plurality of exposure pattern images corresponding to differing exposure times based on the input image, and generates a plurality of timing images which are difference images of the plurality of exposure pattern images; and a distortion correction processing unit configured to generate a corrected image equivalent to an exposure processing image at a predetermined exposure time by synthesizing processing of the plurality of timing images.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a pixel unit configured to have a plurality of pixels which arrange pixel groups having at least two pixels;

an image signal processing unit configured to generate an image based on each pixel signal from each of the pixel groups; and

wherein each of the pixel groups has different exposure times;

wherein the image signal processing unit combines the pixel signal from each of the pixel groups to generate an image.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the pixels includes a photoelectric conversion element.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the pixels includes a transistor element.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the transistor element is a reset transistor.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the transistor element is an amplifying transistor.

6. The system according to claim 3, wherein the transistor element is a select transistor.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image signal processing unit configured to have an intermediate image generating unit inputs the image which has been shot with the different exposure times set by region and generate a plurality of exposure pattern images corresponding to the different exposure times based on the input image.