Image-taking apparatus and image processing method

• US 7,511,756 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2005
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kawai, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Tuan V
• Application Number:
  US11/069,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20050196068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 34820899-2086, 348/335, 348/222.1
• US Class Current: 348/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

An image-taking apparatus is disclosed which transforms a fisheye image into a perspective projection image and allows appropriate correction of image fluctuations with a reduced load of operation. The image-taking apparatus has an image-pickup element which photoelectrically converts a fisheye image and a transforming section which performs projective transformation processing of fisheye image data obtained by using the image-pickup element into perspective projection image data. The image-taking apparatus has a vibration detecting section which obtains vibration information about vibrations. The transforming section shifts a transformation area which is subjected to projective transformation processing in the fisheye image data based on the vibration information.

Claims

1. An image-taking apparatus capable of taking a fisheye image, comprising:

an image-pickup element which photoelectrically converts the fisheye image;

a transforming section which performs projective transformation processing of fisheye image data obtained by using the image-pickup element into perspective projection image data; and

a vibration detecting section which obtains vibration information about vibrations applied to the image-taking apparatus,

wherein the transforming section shifts a transformation area which is subjected to the projective transformation processing in the fisheye image data based on the vibration information obtained at the vibration detecting section, and the vibration detecting section is integrated with the image-pickup element.

2. The image-taking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transforming section shifts the transformation area by a larger amount as vibrations represented by the vibration information are larger.

3. The image-taking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vibration detecting section obtains the vibration information by using the fisheye image data.

4. The image-taking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a compound eye optical system which includes a plurality of optical units forming the fisheye image on a plurality of image-pickup areas of the image-pickup element.

5. A method of image processing in an image-taking apparatus capable of taking a fisheye image, comprising:

a transformation step, by a transforming section, of performing projective transformation processing of fisheye image data into perspective projection image data; and

a vibration detection step, by a vibration detecting section, of obtaining vibration information about vibrations applied to the image-taking apparatus based on the fisheye image obtained from an image-pickup element which photoelectrically converts the fisheye image,

wherein a transformation area which is subjected to the projective transformation processing in the fisheye image data is shifted on the basis of the vibration information obtained at the vibration detection step in the transformation step, and the vibration detecting section is integrated with the image-pickup element.

6. The method of image processing according to claim 5, wherein the transformation area is shifted by a larger amount as vibrations represented by the vibration information are larger in the transformation step.

7. The method of image processing according to claim 5, wherein the vibration information is obtained by using the fisheye image data in the vibration detection step.