Method and apparatus for expanding the dynamic range of sensed color images
First Claim
1. An image processing method of forming an image based on color signals output from an image sensing device, comprising:
- the image picking-up step of picking up, in advance by said image sensing device, a first plurality of color signals in a standard exposure and a second plurality of color signals in a non-standard exposure;
the threshold value setting step of setting a different threshold value for each color; and
the combining step of generating a combined color signal by replacing, for each color, a part of a color signal out of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the standard exposure with a corresponding part of a corresponding color signal of the second plurality of color signals, a replacement of a color signal part being made on the basis of the threshold value set for the color.
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Abstract
Disclosed is an image processing method of expanding the dynamic range by determining a saturated or noise region in an image signal and replacing the image signal with a proper image signal. A threshold value is set in units of colors on the basis of a standard image signal for each color, which is obtained upon sensing an image in a standard exposure, and a non-standard image signal for each color, which is obtained upon sensing the image in a non-standard exposure. A saturated or noise region is determined by applying the threshold value set in units of colors to the standard image signal. A region determined as a saturated or noise region is replaced with the non-standard image signal.
82 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An image processing method of forming an image based on color signals output from an image sensing device, comprising:
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the image picking-up step of picking up, in advance by said image sensing device, a first plurality of color signals in a standard exposure and a second plurality of color signals in a non-standard exposure; the threshold value setting step of setting a different threshold value for each color; and the combining step of generating a combined color signal by replacing, for each color, a part of a color signal out of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the standard exposure with a corresponding part of a corresponding color signal of the second plurality of color signals, a replacement of a color signal part being made on the basis of the threshold value set for the color. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An image processing method of forming an image based on color signals output from an image sensing device, comprising:
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the image picking-up step of picking up, in advance by said image sensing device, a first plurality of color signals in a standard exposure and a second plurality of color signals in a non-standard exposure; the threshold value setting step of setting a threshold value for each color on the basis of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the standard exposure and the second plurality of color signals obtained in the non-standard exposure, in the image picking-up step; and the combining step of generating a combined color signal by replacing, for each color, a part of a color signal out of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the standard exposure with the corresponding part of a corresponding color signal of the second plurality of color signals, a replacement of a color signal part being made on the basis of a lowest threshold value out of threshold values for the color set in the threshold value setting step. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17)
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15. An image processing method of forming an image based on color signals output from an image sensing device, comprising:
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the image picking-up step of picking up, in advance by said image sensing device, a first plurality of color signals in a standard exposure and a second plurality of color signals in a non-standard exposure; the threshold value setting step of setting a threshold value for each color on the basis of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the standard exposure and the second plurality of color signals obtained in the non-standard exposure, in the image picking-up step; and the combining step of generating a combined color signal by replacing, for each color, a part of a color signal out of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the standard exposure with a corresponding part of a corresponding color signal of the second plurality of color signals, a replacement of a color signal part being made on the basis of a highest threshold value out of threshold values for the color set in the threshold value setting step. - View Dependent Claims (16, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An image processing apparatus which forms an image based on color signals output from an image sensing device, comprising:
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image picking-up means for picking up, in advance by said image sensing device, a first plurality of color signals in a standard exposure and a second plurality of color signals in a non-standard exposure; threshold value setting means for setting a threshold value for each color signal; and combining means for generating a combined color signal by replacing, for each color, with a corresponding part of a corresponding color signal of the second plurality of color signals, a replacement of a color signal part being made on the basis of the threshold value set for the color.
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22. An image processing apparatus for forming an image based on color signals output from an image sensing device, comprising:
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image picking-up means for picking up, in advance by said image sensing device, a first plurality of color signals in a first exposure and a second plurality of color signals in a second exposure, an amount of the second exposure being larger than an amount of the first exposure; threshold value setting means for setting a threshold value for each color on the basis of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the first exposure and the second plurality of color signals obtained in the second exposure, by the image picking-up means; and combining means for generating a combined color signal by replacing, for each color, a part of a color signal out of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the first exposure with a corresponding part of a corresponding color signal of the second plurality of color signals, a replacement of a color signal part being made on the basis of a lowest threshold value out of threshold values for the color set by the threshold value setting means.
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23. An image processing apparatus for forming an image based on color signals output from an image sensing device, comprising:
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image picking-up means for picking up, in advance by said image sensing device, a first plurality of color signals in a first exposure and a second plurality of color signals in a second exposure, an amount of the second exposure being larger than an amount of the first exposure; threshold value setting means for setting a threshold value predetermined color filter of said image sensing device for each color on the basis of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the first exposure and the second plurality of color signals obtained in the second exposure, by the image picking-up means; and combining means for generating a combined color signal by replacing, for each color, a part of a color signal out of the first plurality of color signals obtained in the first exposure with a corresponding part of a corresponding color signal of the second plurality of color signals, a replacement of a color signal part being made on the basis of a highest threshold value out of threshold values for the color set by the threshold value setting means.
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24. An image processing method of forming an image based on color signals output from an image sensing device, comprising:
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an image picking-up step of picking up, in advance by said image sensing device, a plurality of color signals in respective exposures, the respective exposures being different from each other; a threshold value setting step of setting a threshold value for each color on the basis of a predetermined kind of color signal from among the plurality of color signals obtained in the image picking-up step; and the combining step of generating a combined color signal by selecting, for each color, a color signal from among the plurality of color signals obtained in the image picking-up step, the color signal being selected using the one of the threshold values set in the threshold value setting step which corresponds to the selected color signal. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. An image processing apparatus for forming an image based on color signals output from an image sensing device, comprising:
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image picking-up means for picking up, in advance by said image sensing device, a plurality of color signals in respective exposures, the respective exposures being different from each other; threshold value setting means for setting a threshold value for each color on the basis of a predetermined kind of color signal from among the plurality of color signals obtained by the image picking-up means; and combining means for generating a combined color signal by selecting, for each color, a color signal from among the plurality of color signals obtained by the image picking-up means, the color signal being selected using the one of the threshold values set in the threshold value setting means which corresponds to the selected color signal. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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Specification