Image processing apparatus and method, and image processing program

• US 7,663,673 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 138 East LCD Advancements Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kurumisawa, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hogue; Dennis
• Application Number:
  US11/145,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20050270382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/223.1, 348/252, 348254-256, 348/423.1, 348/558, 348/599, 348/674, 348/231.6, 345/418, 382/107, 382/165, 382/276, 382/254, 358/519, 386/95, 386/98, 379/106.01, 347/15
• US Class Current: 348/231.6
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/04 for receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/67 for matrixing camera processing pipelines for matrixing of colour signals H04N23/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/73 Colour balance circuits, e.g. white balance circuits or colour temperature control camera processing pipelines for colour balance H04N23/88

Abstract

An image processing apparatus performs image processing on moving picture data by using image processing control information which defines image processing conditions and outputs the moving picture data subjected to the image processing to an image output device connected to the image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes the following elements. A moving-picture-data obtaining unit obtains the moving picture data in units of blocks, each block including a plurality of unit images. An image-processing-control-information obtaining unit obtains image processing control information associated with each block of the moving picture data. An image processor performs image processing on each block of the moving picture data by using the image processing control information. An output unit outputs the moving picture data subjected to the image processing to the image output device.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

a moving-picture-data obtaining unit for obtaining moving picture data generated by an input image device, said moving picture data comprising a plurality of blocks;

a connection unit connectable to a first image output device which is configured to reproduce images from said moving picture data;

an image-processing-control-information obtaining unit for obtaining image processing control information associated with each block of the moving picture data, the image processing control information defining image processing conditions and being determined by both

(i) characteristics of the image input device when said moving picture data was generated, and

(ii) image output characteristics of a second image output device which was predetermined to reproduce images from said moving picture data, the image output characteristics of the second image output device are different from image output characteristics of the first image output device;

an adjusting-information obtaining unit for obtaining adjusting information for adjusting the image processing control information in accordance with the image output characteristics of the first image output device;

an adjusting unit for adjusting the obtained image processing control information by using the obtained adjusting information;

an image processor for performing image processing on each block of the moving picture data by using the adjusted image processing control information; and

an output unit for outputting, through the connection unit, the moving picture data that has been subjected to the image processing to the first image output device;

wherein the image processing control information includes more than one selected from the group consisting of noise suppression, sharpness, brightness, R, G, B color balance, contrast, and memory colors;

wherein said blocks comprise;

a first block consisting of the moving-picture-data of a plurality of frame images, and

a second block consisting of the image-processing-control-information associated with said moving-picture-data of said frame images, wherein said second block precedes the first block.

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

a receiver for receiving digital broadcasting waves from a broadcasting station to generate broadcasting data; and

a program-table-data obtaining unit for obtaining program table data from the broadcasting data,

wherein the moving-picture-data obtaining unit is arranged for obtaining the moving picture data in said blocks from the broadcasting data, and the image-processing-control-information obtaining unit is arranged for obtaining the image processing control information based on the program table data.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, said frame images corresponding to one scene.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving-picture-data obtaining unit is arranged for obtaining the moving picture data after the image-processing-control-information associated with the moving-picture-data is obtained by the image-processing-control-information unit.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said blocks includes both the moving-picture-data and the image-processing-control-information associated with said moving-picture-data with the image-processing-control-information preceding the associated moving-picture-data.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the image-processing-control-information obtaining unit is further configured for obtaining, in addition to the image processing control information, photographing information concerning photographing conditions which were set by the image input device when said moving picture data was generated;

and

the image processor is further configured for performing the image processing on each block of the moving picture data by using the adjusted image processing control information and the photographing information;

wherein said photographing information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of shutter speed, exposure mode, ISO, diaphragm stop, aperture value, photographing scene, and strobe ON/OFF.

7. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

moving-picture-data obtaining means for obtaining moving picture data generated by an input image device, said moving picture data comprising a plurality of blocks;

connection means for connecting to a first image output device which is configured to reproduce images from said moving picture data;

image-processing-control-information obtaining means for obtaining image processing control information associated with each block of the moving picture data, the image processing control information defining image processing conditions and being determined by both

(i) characteristics of the image input device when said moving picture data was generated, and

(ii) image output characteristics of a second image output device which was predetermined to reproduce images from said moving picture data, the image output characteristics of the second image output device are different from image output characteristics of the first image output device;

adjusting-information obtaining means for obtaining adjusting information for adjusting the image processing control information in accordance with the image output characteristics of the first image output device;

adjusting means for adjusting the obtained image processing control information by using the obtained adjusting information;

image processing means for performing image processing on each block of the moving picture data by using the adjusted image processing control information; and

outputting means for outputting, through the connection means, the moving picture data that has been subjected to the image processing to the first image output device;

wherein the image processing control information includes more than one selected from the group consisting of noise suppression, sharpness, brightness, R, G, B color balance, contrast, and memory colors; and

wherein said blocks comprise;

a first block consisting of the moving-picture-data of a plurality of frame images, and

a second block consisting of the image-processing-control-information associated with said moving-picture-data of said frame images, wherein said second block precedes the first block.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

receiving means for receiving digital broadcasting waves from a broadcasting station to generate broadcasting data; and

program-table-data obtaining means for obtaining program table data from the broadcasting data,

wherein the moving-picture-data obtaining means is arranged for obtaining the moving picture data in said blocks from the broadcasting data, and the image-processing-control-information obtaining means is arranged for obtaining the image processing control information based on the program table data.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, said frame images corresponding to one scene.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the moving-picture-data obtaining means is arranged for obtaining the moving picture data after the image-processing-control-information associated with the moving-picture-data is obtained by the image-processing-control-information means.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of said blocks includes both the moving-picture-data and the image-processing-control-information associated with said moving-picture-data with the image-processing-control-information preceding the associated moving-picture-data.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the image-processing-control-information obtaining means is further configured for obtaining, in addition to the image processing control information, photographing information concerning photographing conditions which were set by the image input device when said moving picture data was generated;

and

the image processing means is further configured for performing the image processing on each block of the moving picture data by using the adjusted image processing control information and the photographing information;

wherein said photographing information comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of shutter speed, exposure mode, ISO, diaphragm stop, aperture value, photographing scene, and strobe ON/OFF.