Evaluating method of image information, storage medium having evaluation program stored therein, and evaluating apparatus

• US 7,693,342 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Interconnect Systems Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Poon, Eunice, Clarke, Ian, Kanda, Megumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns; Andrew W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas; Mia M
• Application Number:
  US11/287,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20060159364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: 382/255, 382/275, 396/52
• US Class Current: 382/255
• 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

Abstract

An evaluating method of image information acquires image information, performs camera shake evaluation of the image information by determining a camera shake direction on the basis of the image information, and performs out-of-focus evaluation of the image information by using information concerning a camera shake direction determined in the camera shake evaluation.

Claims

1. An evaluating method image information, comprising:

acquiring image information;

calculating, by a computer, a camera shake degree in a camera shake direction based on the image information;

calculating, by the computer, a camera shake degree in a direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction based on the image information; and

evaluating, by the computer, whether the image information is out-of-focus or not based on the camera shake degree in the camera shake direction and the camera shake degree in the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction.

2. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein

the calculating the camera shake degree in the camera shake direction comprises extracting a sample line in the camera shake direction and calculating the camera shake degree in the camera shake direction based on an autocorrelation function of the extracted sample line;

and

the calculating the camera shake degree in the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction comprises extracting a second sample line in the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction and calculating the camera shake degree in the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction based on an autocorrelation function of the second extracted sample line.

3. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein:

the camera shake degree in the camera shake direction is calculated based on a function by setting the camera shake direction as an argument, and

the camera shake degree in the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction is calculated based on said function by setting the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction as an argument.

4. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein:

the image information is divided into a plurality of areas,

a luminance difference within each of the divided areas is calculated,

an area in which the luminance difference is largest is selected, and

the camera shake degree in the camera shake direction and the camera shake degree in the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction are calculated in the selected area.

5. An evaluating method according to claim 1, wherein

an out-of-focus correction is performed on the image information in case the image information is evaluated as an out-of-focus image.

6. An evaluating method according to claim 5, wherein

image information subjected to the out-of-focus correction is displayed at no magnification.

7. An image information evaluating apparatus, comprising:

a memory; and

an arithmetic processing unit that;

acquires image information,

calculates a camera shake degree in a camera shake direction based on the image information,

calculates a camera shake degree in a direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction based on the image information, and

evaluates whether the image information is out-of-focus or not based on the camera shake degree in the camera shake direction and the camera shake degree in the direction perpendicular to the camera shake direction.

8. An image information evaluating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image information evaluating apparatus is a printing apparatus.

9. An image information evaluating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image information evaluating apparatus is a photographing apparatus.