Image-processing apparatus and image-quality control method

• US 7,184,078 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Minakuti, Jun, Nakanishi, Motohiro, Okisu, Noriyuki, Itoh, Ayumi
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US10/186,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20030007076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/207.99, 348/229.1, 348/370, 348/371, 348/231.3
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes

Abstract

A digital camera is provided with a plurality of image-pickup modes to carry out an optimal controlling process in accordance with an image-pickup scene. With respect to mode selection settings, a switching can be made between a manual selection setting in which the user manually selects an image-pickup mode and an automatic selection setting which automatically discriminates each image-pickup scene, and selects a suitable image-pickup mode. In the case of the automatic selection setting in the mode selection setting, a limited value in comparison with a parameter value relating to the image quality set at the time of the manual selection setting is set as the parameter. As a result, even in the case of a misdiscrimination in an image-pickup scene, it is possible to provide a flawless image as the resulting image, and consequently to prevent serious degradation in the image quality.

Claims

1. An image-processing apparatus comprising:

an image-pickup mode selection part which selects an image-pickup mode from a plurality of image-pickup modes;

a first parameter setting part which sets a parameter relating to image quality of an image to a predetermined value in said image-pickup mode;

a second parameter setting part which sets said parameter to a value different from said predetermined value in said image-pickup mode;

a determining part which, with respect to a mode selection setting that allows said image-pickup mode selection part to select said image-pickup mode, determines whether the mode selection setting is a manual setting by a selection of the user or an automatic setting by a selection of said image-processing apparatus; and

a parameter setting part selecting part which selects one of said first and second parameter setting parts for setting said parameter, in accordance with the results of discrimination of said determining part.

2. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first and second parameter setting parts operate for each of said plurality of image-pickup modes.

3. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the value of said parameter, set by said first and second parameter setting parts, is varied depending on said plurality of image-pickup modes.

4. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory part which stores a reference value of said parameter and an optimal value of said parameter set in accordance with said image-pickup mode,

wherein one of said first and second parameter setting parts, which is selected upon determination of said manual setting, sets said parameter to said optimal value, and

one of said first and second parameter setting parts, which is selected upon determination of said automatic setting, sets said parameter to a value between said optimal value and said reference value.

5. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image-pickup part for acquiring said image,

wherein said parameter includes an exposure control parameter relating to exposure control at the time of an image-pickup process of said image.

6. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said exposure control parameter includes at least one of aperture value control, shutter speed control and flash light emission control.

7. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said parameter includes an image-processing control parameter relating to control of an image-process on an image.

8. The image-processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said image-process includes at least one of a white-balance correcting process, a γ

correction process, a sharpness process, a coring process and a color correction process.