Image processing apparatus, image processing system and image processing method

• US 7,783,129 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nose, Atsushi, Wada, Kimitaka, Aoyama, Koji, Kurata, Tohru
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Vu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bloom; Nathan
• Application Number:
  US12/232,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20090046179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 382/254, 382274-275, 382/293, 382/298, 356124-426
• US Class Current: 382/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4007 based on interpolation, e.g. bilinear interpolation image demosaicing G06T3/4015; edge-driven or edge-based scaling G06T3/403
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/80 Geometric correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation

Abstract

An image processing apparatus, an image processing system and an image processing method can correct the distortion of an image at a low cost and can generate a high quality image in real time. An image processing apparatus is provided which is an image processing apparatus for correcting an original image having distortion. The apparatus includes a horizontal one-dimensional interpolating unit (501) for correcting the distortion in the horizontal direction by performing a one-dimensional interpolation operation using a horizontal correcting parameter Xm which indicates a correction quantity in the horizontal direction at a pixel point constituting the original image, and a vertical one-dimensional interpolating unit (502) for correcting the distortion of the original image in the vertical direction by performing the one-dimensional interpolation operation to the image obtained by the correction by the horizontal one-dimensional interpolating unit (501), using a vertical correcting parameter Ym which indicates a correction quantity in the vertical direction at the pixel point constituting the original image.

Claims

1. An image processing system for correcting an original image having distortion, comprising:

an encoded parameter storage means for storing horizontal correction parameters and vertical correction parameters, the horizontal correction parameters indicating distances in the horizontal direction by which a horizontal correcting means adjusts designated pixels in the original image and the vertical correction parameters indicating distances in the vertical direction by which a vertical correcting means adjusts designated pixels in the original image;

horizontal decoding means for decoding said encoded horizontal correction parameters supplied from said encoded parameter storage means;

the horizontal correcting means for correcting distortion along the horizontal direction of said original image by performing one-dimensional horizontal interpolation operations between the designated pixels in the original image using said horizontal correction parameters decoded by said horizontal decoding means;

vertical decoding means for decoding said encoded vertical correction parameters supplied from said encoded parameter storage means; and

the vertical correcting means for correcting distortion along the vertical direction of said original image by performing one-dimensional vertical interpolation operations between the designated pixels in the original image using said vertical correction parameters decoded by said vertical decoding means,

wherein said horizontal correction parameters and vertical correction parameters are obtained by performing grid split, at a grid splitting means, according to a control signal supplied from a user interface, and

parameter compressing means for selectively compressing said horizontal correcting parameters at grid points obtained by said grid split and supplied to said horizontal decoding means, and for selectively compressing said vertical correcting parameters at said grid points and supplied to said vertical decoding means.

2. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

a said horizontal decoding means includes

a first grid determining means for determining a grid frame enclosing each pixel point of a generated image, according to a grid generated by said grid splitting means, and

a horizontal parameter calculating means for approximating each grid frame determined by said first grid determining means by a function, and for calculating said horizontal correcting parameters at each pixel point of said generated image by using said function; and

in that;

said vertical decoding means includes

a second grid determining means for determining a grid frame enclosing each pixel point of said generated image, according to a grid generated by said grid splitting means, and

a vertical parameter calculating means for approximating each grid frame determined by said second grid determining means by a function, and for calculating said vertical correcting parameters at each pixel point of said generated image by using said function.

3. The image processing system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said horizontal parameter calculating means and said vertical parameter calculating means approximates at least one grid frame by means of n-th order polynomial (where n is a natural number).

4. The image processing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image storing means for storing a horizontally corrected image obtained by the correction of said horizontal correcting means;

wherein said vertical correcting means includes

data obtaining means for obtaining from said image storing means said horizontally corrected image according to said vertical correcting parameters, and

interpolation operating means for performing a one-dimensional interpolation operations using said vertical correcting parameters to said horizontally corrected image data obtained by said data obtaining means.

8. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein:

said horizontal correcting step performs said horizontal one-dimensional interpolation operation by fitting said horizontal correcting parameters for the designated pixels into a quadratic polynomial, which is then used as the basis to determine the distance by which to move image data at pixels between the designated pixels; and

said vertical correcting step performs said vertical one-dimensional interpolation operation by fitting said vertical correcting parameters for the designated pixels into a quadratic polynomial, which is then used as the basis to determine the distance by which to move image data at pixels between the designated pixels.

5. An image processing method for correcting an original image having distortion, characterized by comprising:

a first step of performing grid split to said original image according to a control signal supplied from a user interface;

a second step of selectively encoding correction quantities in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction at a grid point obtained by said grid split;

a third step of decoding said encoded correction quantities in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction;

a fourth step of performing a one-dimensional interpolation operation to said original image in the horizontal direction according to a decoded correction quantity in the horizontal direction; and

a fifth step of performing a one-dimensional interpolation operation to said original image in the vertical direction according to a decoded correction quantity in the vertical direction.

6. The imaging processing method according to claim 5, characterized in that said third step includes:

a grid frame determining step of determining a grid frame enclosing each pixel point of a generated image, according to a grid generated at said first step; and

a parameter calculating step of approximating each grid frame determined at said grid frame determining step by means of a function, and for calculating said correction quantities in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction at each pixel point constituting said generated image by means of said function.

7. The image processing method according to claim 6, characterized in that, at said parameter calculating step, at least one grid frame is approximated by means of an n-th order polynomial (n is a natural number).