Image correction apparatus, image correction program storage medium, image correction method, and image correction system

• US 7,586,520 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2005
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Igarashi, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOGUE, DENNIS A
• Application Number:
  US11/146,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20060078218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 348/207.2, 34820899-20816, 348/333.12, 348/208.6, 382254-275, 382/286, 382/199, 396/53, 396/52, 250/208.1
• US Class Current: 348/208.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20201 Motion blur correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• 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 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/682 Vibration or motion blur correction

Abstract

The present invention has an object to provide an image correction apparatus which can correct image blur properly, a storage medium storing an image correction program which makes a computer operate as such an image correction apparatus, an image correction method for correcting the blur properly, and an image correction system which corrects the blur properly. The image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image includes a trimming section which extracts a main subject area from the image, edge analyzing section which produces edge information about edges of the main subject area, blur analyzing section which produces blur information about blur of an input image based on multiple pieces of edge information passed by the edge analyzing section, and correction section which corrects the blur of the input image using the blur information passed by the blur analyzing section.

Claims

1. An image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

a blur detection section which detects blur of the image in a main subject area of the image; and

a correction section which corrects the blur detected by the blur detection section;

wherein the blur detection section comprises;

an edge analyzing section , which creates multiple edge profiles based on edge analysis post image capture in the context of a single frame, said edge profiles including edge width information,

a blur direction calculating section, which uses said edge width information to calculate a direction of the blur caused by the movement of the photografic device,

a blur width calculating section, which calculates an image blur width, said image blur width being an average value of edge widths in the direction of the blur calculated by the blur direction calculating section, and

an of-focus condition analyzing section, which calculates an out-of-focus condition, said out-of-focus condition being an average value edge width in all directions; and

wherein the correction section corrects the image based on the calculated image blur width and the calculated out-of-focus condition.

2. The image correction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blur detection section detects blur of the image using an image part in a predetermined range containing the center of the image as the main subject area.

3. The image correction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blur detection section detects blur of the image using an image part which has a color in a predetermined color range as the main subject area.

16. The image correction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blur detection section distinguishes between blur in the main subject area of the image and blur in a non-main subject area of the image, and

wherein the blur correction section corrects the blur in the main subject area of the image.

17. The image correction apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said main subject area of the image has a color in a predetermined color range.

4. An image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

a blur detection section which detects blur in a plurality of locations in the image;

wherein the blur detection section comprises;

an edge analyzing section, which creates multiple edge profiles based on edge analysis post image capture in the context of a single frame, said edge profiles including edge width information,

a blur direction calculating section, which uses said edge width information to calculate a direction of the blur caused by the movement of the photographic device,

a blur width calculating section, which calculates an image blur width, said image blur width being an average value of edge widths in the direction of the blur calculated by the blur direction calculating section, and

an of-focus condition analyzing section, which calculates an out-of-focus condition, said out-of-focus condition being an average value edge width in all directions;

a blur calculation section which calculates blur of the image by summing up detection results produced by the blur detection section at the plurality of locations with weights assigned to the detection results based on a predetermined weighing standard; and

a correction section which corrects the blur of the image based on calculation results produced by the blur calculation section, wherein the correction section corrects the image based on the calculated image blur width and the calculated out-of-focus condition.

5. The image correction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the blur calculation section gives lighter weights to detection results obtained at locations more distant from the center of the image.

6. The image correction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the blur calculation section gives lighter weights to detection results obtained at locations having a color more different from a predetermined reference color.

7. The image correction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the photographic device has a plurality of shooting modes for the shooting;

the image correction apparatus has a shooting mode acquisition section which acquires a shooting mode used to shoot the image to be corrected for blur; and

the blur calculation section assigns weights based on a weighing standard in accordance with the shooting mode acquired by the shooting mode acquisition section.

23. The image correction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the blur calculation section uses a weighing standard which gives lighter weights to detection results obtained at locations more distant from a reference color.

24. The image correction apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the blur calculation section uses a weighing standard which assigns lighter weights to detection results obtained in a background of an image.

8. An image correction program storage medium storing an image correction program that runs on a computer and makes the computer operate as an image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, wherein the image correction program builds on the computer:

a blur detection section which detects blur of the image in a main subject area of the image; and

a correction section which corrects the blur detected by the blur detection section, wherein the blur detection section comprises;

an edge analyzing section, which creates multiple edge profiles based on edge analysis post image capture in the context of a single frame, said edge profiles including edge width information,

a blur direction calculating section, which uses said edge width information to calculate a direction of the blur caused by the movement of the photographic device,

a blur width calculation section, which calculates an image blur width, said image blur width being an average value of edge widths in the direction of the blur calculated by the blur direction calculating section, and

an out-of-focus condition analyzing section, which calculates an out-of-focus condition, said out-of-focus condition being an average value edge width in all directions; and

wherein the correction section corrects the image based on the calculated image blur width and the calculated out-of-focus condition.

18. The image correction program storage medium storing an image correction program according to claim 8, wherein the blur detection section distinguishes between blur in the main subject area of the image and blur in a non-main subject area of the image, and

wherein the blur correction section corrects the blur in the main subject area of the image.

9. An image correction program storage medium storing an image correction program that runs on a computer and makes the computer operate as an image correction apparatus which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, wherein the image correction program builds on the computer:

a blur detection section which detects blur in a plurality of locations in the image;

wherein the blur detection section comprises;

an edge analyzing section, which creates multiple edge profiles based on edge analysis post image capture in the context of the single frame, said edge profiles including width information,

a blur direction calculating section, which uses said edge width information to calculate a direction of the blur caused by the movement of the photographic device,

a blur width calculation section, which calculates an image blur width, said image blur width being an average value edge widths in the direction of the blur calculated by the blur direction calculating section, and

an out-of-focus condition analyzing section, which calculates an out-of-focus condition, said out-of-focus condition being an average value edge width in all directions; and

a blur calculation section which calculates blur of the image by summing up detection results produced by the blur detection section at the plurality of locations with weights assigned to the detection results based on a predetermined weighing standard; and

a correction section which corrects the blur of the image based on calculation results produced by the blur calculation section wherein the correction section corrects the imaged based on the calculated image blur width and the calculated out-of-focus condition.

25. The image correction storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the blur calculation section uses a weighing standard which gives lighter weights to detection results obtained at locations more distant from a reference color.

26. The image correction storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the blur calculation section uses a weighing standard which assigns lighter weights to detection results obtained in a background of an image.

10. An image correction method which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

a blur detection step, performed by a blur detection section, said blur detection step comprising detecting blur of the image in a main subject area of the image; and

a correction step of correcting the blur detected in the blur detection step wherein the blur detection step comprises;

an edge analyzing step of creating multiple edge profiles based on edge analysis post image capture in the context of a single frame, said edge profiles including edge width information,

a blur direction calculating step of using said edge width information to calculate a direction of the blur caused by the movement of the photographic device,

a blur width calculation step of calculating an image blur width, said image blur width being an average value edge widths in the direction of the blur calculated in the blur direction calculating step, and

an out-of-focus condition analyzing step of calculating an out-of-focus condition, said out-of-focus condition being an average value edge width in all directions; and

wherein the correction steps comprises correcting the image based on the calculated image blur width and the calculated out-of-focus condition.

19. The image correction method according to claim 10, wherein the blur detection step comprises distinguishing between blur in the main subject area of the image and blur in a non-main subject area of the image, and

wherein the blur correction step comprises correcting the blur in the main subject area of the image.

11. An image correction method which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

a blur detection step, performed by a blur detection section, said blur detection step comprising detecting blur in a plurality of locations in the image;

wherein the blur detection step comprises;

an edge analyzing step of creating multiple edge profiles based on edge analysis post image capture in the context of a single frame, said edge profiles including edge width information,

a blur direction calculating step of using said edge width information to calculate a direction of the blur caused by the movement of the photographic device,

a blur width calculation step of calculating an image blur width, said image blur width being an average value edge widths in the direction of the blur calculated in the blur direction calculating step, and

an out-of-focus condition analyzing step of calculating an out-of-focus condition, said out-of-focus condition being an average value edge width in all directions; and

a blur calculation step of calculating blur of the image by summing up detection results produced in the blur detection step at the plurality of locations with weights assigned to the detection results based on a predetermined weighing standard; and

a correction step of correcting the blur of the image based on calculation results produced in the blur calculation step, wherein the correction step comprises correcting the image based on the calculated image blur width and the calculated out-of-focus condition.

27. The image correction method according to claim 11, wherein the blur calculation step comprises using a weighing standard which gives lighter weights to detection results obtained at locations more distant from a reference color.

28. The image correction method according to claim 11, wherein the blur calculation step comprises using a weighing standard which assigns lighter weights to detection results obtained in a background of an image.

12. An image correction system which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

an image transmitter device that comprises a blur detection section which detects blur of the image in a main subject area of the image, and a transmitter section which transmits the image and the blur detected by the blur detection section; and

an image receiver device that comprises a receiver section which receives the image and blur from the transmitter section of the image transmitter device, and a correction section which corrects the blur contained in the image and received by the receiver section together with the image,

wherein the blur detection section comprises;

an edge analyzing section, which creates multiple edge profiles based on edge analysis post image capture in the context of the single frame, said edge profiles including width information,

a blur direction calculating section, which uses said edge width information to calculate a direction of the blur caused by the movement of the photographic device,

a blur width calculation section, which calculates an image blur width, said image blur width being an average value edge widths in the direction of the blur calculated by the blur direction calculating section, and

an out-of-focus condition analyzing section, which calculates an out-of-focus condition, said out-of-focus condition being an average value edge width in all directions; and

wherein the correction section corrects the image based on the calculated image blur width and the calculated out-of-focus condition.

14. The image correction system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein:

the image transmitter device comprises a resolution lowering section which lowers resolution of the image according to the blur of the image; and

the transmitter section of the image transmitter device transmits the image whose resolution has been lowered by the resolution lowering section.

15. The image correction system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein:

the image transmitter device is incorporated in the photographic device; and

the image receiver device is incorporated in a printer which prints the image corrected for blur by the correction section.

20. The image correction system according to claim 12, wherein the blur detection section distinguishes between blur in the main subject area of the image and blur in a non-main subject area of the image, and

wherein the blur correction section corrects the blur in the main subject area of the image.

21. The image correction system according to claim 12, wherein the image is transmitted from the transmitter section to the receiver section wirelessly.

13. An image correction system which corrects image blur caused by movement of a photographic device shooting an image, comprising:

an image transmitter device that comprises a blur detection section which detects blur in a plurality of locations in the image, a blur calculation section which calculates blur of the image by summing up detection results produced by the blur detection section at the plurality of locations with weights assigned to the detection results based on a predetermined weighing standard, and a transmitter section which transmits the image and the blur calculated by the blur calculation section; and

an image receiver device that comprises a receiver section which receives the image and blur from the transmitter section of the image transmitter device, and a correction section which corrects the blur contained in the image and received by the receiver section together with the image,

wherein the blur detection section comprises;

an edge analyzing section, which creates multiple edge profiles based on edge analysis post image capture in the context of the single frame, said edge profiles including width information,

a blur direction calculating section, which uses said edge width information to calculate a direction of the blur caused by the movement of the photographic device,

a blur width calculation section, which calculates an image blur width, said image blur width being an average value edge widths in the direction of the blur calculated by the blur direction calculating section, and

an out-of-focus condition analyzing section, which calculates an out-of-focus condition, said out-of-focus condition being an average value edge width in all directions; and

wherein the correction section corrects the image based on the calculated image blur width and the calculated out-of-focus condition.

22. The image correction system according to claim 13, wherein the image is transmitted from the transmitter section to the receiver section wirelessly.

29. The image correction system according to claim 13, wherein the blur calculation section uses a weighing standard which gives lighter weights to detection results obtained at locations more distant from a reference color.

30. The image correction system according to claim 13, wherein the blur calculation section uses a weighing standard which assigns lighter weights to detection results obtained in a background of an image.