Image-taking apparatus and image processing method

• US 7,834,907 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2005
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• 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): Tran; Nhan T
• Application Number:
  US11/071,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,085 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.4, 348/208.6, 348/335, 348/240.2
• US Class Current: 348/208.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/681 Motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An image taking apparatus capable of taking a first image in accordance with a first projection method includes an image taking element for photoelectrically converting the first image, conversion means for converting an area in the first image acquired with the image taking element to a second image in accordance with a second projection method different from the first projection method, and vibration detection means for acquiring information about vibration of the image taking apparatus. The conversion means of the image taking apparatus is configured to change the size of the conversion area in the first image based on the vibration information.

Claims

1. An image taking apparatus capable of taking a fisheye image in accordance with a first projection method, the image taking apparatus comprising:

an image taking element that photoelectrically converts the fisheye image;

a conversion processing section that converts a portion of an area of the fisheye image acquired with the image taking element to a converted image in accordance with a second projection method, which is different from the first projection method, to reduce fisheye distortion; and

a vibration detection section that acquires information about vibration of the image taking apparatus,

wherein the conversion processing section first selects the portion of the fisheye image independently of an amount of the vibration detected by the vibration detection section and then changes the size of the selected portion of the fisheye image based on the amount of the vibration detected by the vibration detection section to create the converted image,

wherein the fisheye image has a larger image taking magnification ratio at a central area thereof than that at an edge area thereof, and

wherein the converted image has a substantially equal image taking magnification ratio between the central area thereof and the edge area thereof.

2. The image taking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image shift correction section that shifts an area in the converted image, which is to be output, based on the vibration information.

3. The image taking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conversion processing section reduces the size of the selected portion of the fisheye image as the vibration is larger.

4. The image taking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a zoom section that changes the zoom ratio of the fisheye image,

wherein the conversion processing section changes the size of the conversion area based on the vibration information and information about the zoom ratio.

5. The image taking apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the conversion processing section reduces the selected portion of the fisheye image as the zoom ratio is larger.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores an image processing program for causing a computer to perform an image processing method comprising:

a first conversion step of converting a fisheye image in accordance with a first projection method;

a second conversion step of converting an area of the fisheye image to a converted image in accordance with a second projection method, which is different from the first projection method; and

a detection step of detecting information about image shift of the fisheye image on an image taking of the fisheye image,

wherein the second conversion step first selects the portion of the fisheye image independently of the image shift information detected in the detection step and then changes the size of the selected portion of the fisheye image based on the image shift information detected in the detection step to create the converted image,

wherein the fisheye image has a larger image taking magnification ratio at a central area thereof than that at an edge area thereof,

wherein the converted image has a substantially equal image taking magnification ratio between the central area thereof and the edge area thereof.

7. The computer-readable medium according to claim 6, further comprising a image shift correction step of shifting an area of the converted image, which is to be output, based on the image shift information.

8. The computer-readable medium according to claim 6, wherein the conversion step reduces the size of the selected portion of the fisheye image as the image shift is larger.

9. The computer-readable medium according to claim 6, further comprising:

a zoom setting step of changing the zoom ratio of the fisheye image,

wherein the conversion step changes the size of the selected portion of the fisheye image based on the image shift information and the zoom ratio.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the conversion step reduces the selected portion of the fisheye image as the zoom ratio is larger.

11. An image taking apparatus capable of taking a fisheye image in accordance with a first projection method, the image taking apparatus comprising:

an image taking element that photoelectrically converts the fisheye image;

a conversion processing section that converts a portion of an area of the first image acquired with the image taking element to a converted image in accordance with a second projection method, which is different from the first projection method; and

a vibration detection section that detects an amount of vibration imparted to the image taking element,

wherein the conversion processing section first selects the portion of the fisheye image independently of the vibration detection information detected by the vibration detection section and then reduces the size of the selected portion of the fisheye image to the converted image at a reduction ratio corresponding to an amount of the vibration detected by the vibration detection section to create the converted image,

wherein the fisheye image has a larger image taking magnification ratio at a central area thereof than that at an edge area thereof,

wherein the converted image has a substantially equal image taking magnification ratio between the central area thereof an the edge area thereof.

12. The image taking apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an image shift correction section that shifts an area of the selected portion of the fisheye image, which is to be output, based on the detected amount of vibration.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores an image processing program for causing a computer to perform an image processing method comprising:

a first conversion step of converting a fisheye image in accordance with a first projection method;

a second conversion step of converting a portion of an area of the fisheye image to a converted image in accordance with a second projection method, which is different from the first projection method; and

an image shift detection step of detecting an amount of image shift in the fisheye image,

wherein the second conversion step first selects the portion of the fisheye image independently of the image shift amount detected by the image shift detecting step and then reduces the size of the selected portion of the fisheye image a reduction ratio corresponding to the image shift amount detected in the image shift detection step to create the converted image,

wherein the fisheye image has a larger image taking magnification ratio at a central area thereof than at an edge area thereof, and

wherein the converted image has a substantially equal image taking magnification ratio between the central area thereof and the edge area thereof.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13, further comprising a image shift correction step of shifting an area in the selected portion of the fisheye image based on the detected amount of image shift.