Image capturing apparatus and method therefor
First Claim
1. An image capturing apparatus for capturing a plurality of images with different amounts of exposure to compose said images into a single composite image, said image capturing apparatus comprising:
- integrating means for integrating pixel values for each pixel train in the horizontal direction to produce an array in the vertical direction, and for integrating pixel values for each pixel train in the vertical direction to produce a data array in the horizontal direction, for each of said plurality of images;
misregistration amount detecting means for detecting the amounts of misregistration of respective images except for a reference image using feature points of images, said reference image selected from said plurality of images, with respect to said reference image;
wherein the misregistration amount detecting means comprises a feature point extracting means for extracting feature points from said reference image and respective images except for said reference image, respectively;
wherein said feature point extracting means extracts feature points in said reference image and feature points in each of the images except for said reference image based on the respective data arrays in the vertical and horizontal directions;
misregistration correcting means for correcting the misregistration of the respective images except for said reference image with respect to said reference image based on said misregistration amounts; and
image composing means for composing said reference image and all of the respective misregistration corrected images except for said reference images.
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Abstract
An image capturing apparatus and a method therefor are proposed for the production of a natural composite image corresponding to an object to be imaged. A misregistration amount (d) of each image (xS1) except for a reference image (xL1) is detected with respect to the reference image, misregistration of each image except for the reference image with respect to the reference image is corrected on the basis of the misregistration amount, and then the reference image and each misregistration corrected image (xS4) except for the reference image are composed, thereby making it possible to avoid a degraded image quality which would otherwise be produced when a plurality of images are composed without correction, and consequently produce a natural composite image corresponding to an object to be imaged.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. An image capturing apparatus for capturing a plurality of images with different amounts of exposure to compose said images into a single composite image, said image capturing apparatus comprising:
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integrating means for integrating pixel values for each pixel train in the horizontal direction to produce an array in the vertical direction, and for integrating pixel values for each pixel train in the vertical direction to produce a data array in the horizontal direction, for each of said plurality of images; misregistration amount detecting means for detecting the amounts of misregistration of respective images except for a reference image using feature points of images, said reference image selected from said plurality of images, with respect to said reference image; wherein the misregistration amount detecting means comprises a feature point extracting means for extracting feature points from said reference image and respective images except for said reference image, respectively; wherein said feature point extracting means extracts feature points in said reference image and feature points in each of the images except for said reference image based on the respective data arrays in the vertical and horizontal directions; misregistration correcting means for correcting the misregistration of the respective images except for said reference image with respect to said reference image based on said misregistration amounts; and image composing means for composing said reference image and all of the respective misregistration corrected images except for said reference images. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An imaging method for capturing a plurality of images with different amounts of exposure to compose said images into a single composite image, said imaging method comprising the steps of:
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integrating pixel values for each pixel train in the horizontal direction to produce an array in the vertical direction, and for integrating pixel values for each pixel train in the vertical direction to produce a data array in the horizontal direction, for each of said plurality of images; detecting the amounts of misregistration of respective images except for a reference image, said reference image selected from said plurality of images, with respect to said reference image; extracting feature points from said reference image and respective images except for said reference image, respectively, based on the respective data arrays in the vertical and horizontal directions; correcting the misregistration of the respective images except for said reference image with respect to said reference image based on said misregistration amounts; and composing said reference image and all of the respective misregistration corrected images except for said reference images. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification