Image processing system, image processing method, image processing program, image capturing apparatus, and image capturing method

• US 7,949,153 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ono, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella; Matthew C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rosario; Dennis
• Application Number:
  US11/391,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20060232682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,882 Days
• Field of Search: 382/106, 382/303, 382/307, 382/255, 396/89
• US Class Current: 382/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/671 in combination with active ranging signals, e.g. using light or sound signals emitted toward objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

An image processing is performed based on a distance computed for each partial area within an image capturing range. An image processing system according to the present invention includes a captured image acquiring section that acquires a captured image taken by an image capturing apparatus, a distance information acquiring section that acquires subject distance information that is information indicative of a distance between the image capturing apparatus and a subject for each of a plurality of partial areas in the captured image acquired by the captured image acquiring section, and an image processing section that performs an image processing different from one another on each of the plurality of partial areas in the captured image acquired by the captured image acquiring section according to the subject distance information acquired by the distance information acquiring section.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

a captured image acquiring section that acquires a captured image taken by an image capturing apparatus;

a distance information acquiring section that acquires subject distance information that is information indicative of a distance between the image capturing apparatus and a subject for each of a plurality of partial areas in the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section;

an image processing section that performs an image processing different from one another on each of the plurality of partial areas in the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section according to the subject distance information acquired by said distance information acquiring section;

a boundary specifying section that specifies a boundary of a subject in the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section based on the subject distance information acquired by said distance information acquiring section, wherein said image processing section uses the boundary specified by said boundary specifying section to perform an image processing on the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section; and

a main subject area specifying section that specifies a main subject area that is an area of a main subject included in the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section by means of the boundary specified by said boundary specifying section, wherein

said image processing section performs an image processing different from each other on an image in the main subject area and an image in an area except the main subject area,

said image processing section performs an image processing on the image in the area except the main subject area so as to have a color definition lower than that of the image in the main subject area, and

said image processing section generates a new image in which only the main subject is emphasized by processing a captured image.

2. The image processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image processing section uses the boundary specified by said boundary specifying section to trim off the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section.

3. The image processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image processing section performs an image processing by a gamma correction on the image in the area except the main subject area so as to have a color definition lower than that of the image in the main subject area.

4. The image processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said image processing section performs an image processing on an image in the partial area farther from the image capturing apparatus using the subject distance information acquired by said distance information acquiring section so as to have a lower color definition.

5. The image processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said distance information acquiring section comprises:

a preliminary image acquiring section that acquires a plurality of preliminary images taken by an image capturing section every focusing distance when a focusing distance controlling section included in the image capturing apparatus sequentially changes a focusing distance of the image capturing section; and

a subject distance computing section that analyzes the plurality of preliminary images acquired by the preliminary image acquiring section every focusing distance to compute a distance between the image capturing apparatus and the subject for each of the plurality of partial areas in the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section.

6. The image processing system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the subject distance computing section comprises:

a spatial frequency computing section that computes a spatial frequency distribution every partial area for each of the plurality of preliminary images acquired by the preliminary image acquiring section every focusing distance; and

a subject distance determining section that compares the spatial frequency distributions computed from the spatial frequency computing section in regard to the same partial area of the preliminary images different from one another and determines a focusing distance of the preliminary image having the largest level of spatial frequency component in a predetermined partial area as a distance between the image capturing apparatus and the subject in the predetermined partial area.

7. The image processing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said distance information acquiring section has a measured distance data acquiring section that acquires measured distance data indicative of a distance between the image capturing apparatus and the subject measured by a distance measuring section included in the image capturing apparatus as the subject distance information.

8. An image processing method comprising:

a captured image acquiring step of acquiring a captured image taken by an image capturing apparatus;

a distance information acquiring step of acquiring subject distance information that is information indicative of a distance between the image capturing apparatus and a subject for each of a plurality of partial areas in the captured image acquired in said captured image acquiring step;

an image processing step of performing an image processing different from one another on each of the plurality of partial areas in the captured image acquired in said captured image acquiring step according to the subject distance information acquired in said distance information acquiring step;

a boundary specifying step of specifying a boundary of a subject in the captured image acquired in said captured image acquiring step based on the subject distance information acquired in said distance information acquiring step, wherein said image processing step uses the boundary specified in said boundary specifying step to perform an image processing on the captured image acquired in said captured image acquiring step; and

a main subject area specifying step of specifying a main subject area that is an area of a main subject included in the captured image acquired in said captured image acquiring step by means of the boundary specified in said boundary specifying step, wherein

said image processing step performs an image processing different from each other on an image in the main subject area and an image in an area except the main subject area, respectively,

said image processing step performs an image processing on the image in the area except the main subject area so as to have a color definition lower than that of the image in the main subject area, and

said image processing step generates a new image in which only the main subject is emphasized by processing a captured image.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing an image processing program for an image processing apparatus that performs an image processing on a captured image, the program when executed by a processor making the image processing apparatus function as:

a captured image acquiring section that acquires a captured image taken by an image capturing apparatus;

a distance information acquiring section that acquires subject distance information that is information indicative of a distance between the image capturing apparatus and a subject for each of a plurality of partial areas in the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section;

an image processing section that performs an image processing different from one another on each of the plurality of partial areas in the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section according to the subject distance information acquired by said distance information acquiring section;

a boundary specifying section that specifies a boundary of a subject in the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section based on the subject distance information acquired by said distance information acquiring section, wherein said image processing section uses the boundary specified by said boundary specifying section to perform an image processing on the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section; and

a main subject area specifying section that specifies a main subject area that is an area of a main subject included in the captured image acquired by said captured image acquiring section by means of the boundary specified by said boundary specifying section, wherein

said image processing section performs an image processing different from each other on an image in the main subject area and an image in an area except the main subject area,

said image processing section performs an image processing on the image in the area except the main subject area so as to have a color definition lower than that of the image in the main subject area, and

said image processing section generates a new image in which only the main subject is emphasized by processing a captured image.