Image processing apparatus and method, and image sensing apparatus

• US 7,433,543 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hagiwara, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Samir A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koziol; Stephen R
• Application Number:
  US11/191,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20060029292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• Field of Search: 382/276, 382/296, 382/297
• US Class Current: 382/296
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/242 by image rotation, e.g. by 90 degrees

Abstract

An image processing method is for processing image data that has been captured by an image sensing apparatus having an image sensing device in which a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are arrayed two-dimensionally for outputting an electric signal in accordance with an incident amount of light. According to the method, attitude information representing the attitude of the image sensing apparatus is input and, in a case where the input attitude information of the image sensing apparatus indicates an attitude that has been specified in advance, the image data is subjected to rotation processing, which conforms to the attitude specified in advance, successively in units of a prescribed number of pixels divided into a plurality of areas.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus for processing image data that has been captured by an image sensing apparatus having a two-dimensional image sensing device, said apparatus comprising:

an attitude information input unit that inputs attitude information representing the attitude of the image sensing apparatus;

a rotating unit which divides the image data captured by the image sensing device into a plurality of divided image data that have a block size corresponding to a size by which a processing unit processes image data, and rotates the block-size image data in accordance with the attitude information input by said attitude information input unit; and

a processing unit that processes the image data output from said rotating unit in units having the block size;

wherein in a case where the attitude information indicates that the image sensing apparatus is not rotated relative to a reference attitude, said rotating unit inputs the block-size image data successively in a first order and outputs the block-size image data without rotating the block-size image data, and

wherein in a case where the attitude information indicates that the image sensing apparatus is rotated clockwise through at least any one of 90°

, 180° and

270°

relative to the reference attitude, said rotating unit inputs the block-size image data successively in a second order which is determined by the relation between the first order and the rotation degree of the image sensing apparatus, rotates each of the block-size image data, and outputs the plurality of the rotated block-size image data.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory that stores one frame of image data that is output from the image sensing apparatus;

wherein in a case where the attitude information indicates the rotation degree is 90°

or 270°

, said rotating unit reads out image data, which has been stored in said memory, in order by the blocks, in an orthogonal direction to a line direction of the image data, and applies rotation processing to the image data in units of blocks.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotating unit includes:

a first storage unit that has a capacity, which is equivalent to the block size, for storing the divided image data before the rotation processing is executed; and

a second storage unit that has a capacity, which is equivalent to the block size, for storing the divided image data after the rotation processing has been applied thereto.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit is an encoding unit that successively encodes the image data, which has been processed by said rotating unit, in units having the block size.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a storage unit that stores image data that has been encoded by said encoding unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that successively stores image data, which has been processed by said rotating unit, on a storage medium in the units of the block size.

7. An image sensing apparatus having a two-dimensional image sensing device, comprising:

an attitude detecting unit that detects the attitude of the image sensing apparatus;

a rotating unit which divides the image data captured by the image sensing device into a plurality of divided image data that have a block size corresponding to a size by which a processing unit processes image data, and rotates the block-size image data in accordance with the attitude information input by said attitude detecting unit; and

a processing unit that processes the image data output from said rotating unit in units having the block size;

wherein in a case where the attitude information indicates that the image sensing apparatus is not rotated relative to a reference attitude, said rotating unit inputs the block-size image data successively in a first order and output the block-size image data without rotating the block size image data, and

wherein in a case where the attitude information indicates that the image sensing apparatus is rotated clockwise through at least any one of 90°

, 180° and

270°

relative to the reference attitude, said rotating unit inputs the block-size image data successively in a second order which is determined by the relation between the first order and the rotation degree of the image sensing apparatus, rotates each of the block-size image data, and outputs the plurality of the rotated block-size image data.

8. An image processing method for processing image data that has been captured by an image sensing apparatus having a two-dimensional image sensing device, said method comprising:

inputting attitude information representing the attitude of the image sensing apparatus;

in a case where the attitude information indicates that the image sensing apparatus is not rotated relative to a reference attitude

dividing the image data captured by the image sensing apparatus into a plurality of divided image data having a block size corresponding to a size by which processing is performed,

inputting the block-size image data successively in a first order, and

outputting the block-size image data without rotating the block-size image data; and

in a case where the attitude information indicates that the image sensing apparatus is rotated clockwise through at least any one of 90°

, 180° and

270°

relative to the reference attitude

dividing the image data captured by the image sensing apparatus into a plurality of divided image data that have a block size corresponding to a size by which processing is performed;

inputting the block-size image data successively in a second order which is determined by the relation between the first order and the rotation degree of the image sensing apparatus, and

rotating the block-size image data in accordance with the attitude information input in said attitude information input step; and

processing the rotated image data in units having the block size.

9. A computer-readable recording medium on which has been recorded a program for causing the image processing method set forth in claim 8 to be executed by a computer.