Image processing apparatus and method for readily identifying image data suitable for super-resolution processing

• US 8,050,518 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Rengakuji, Hideyuki, Hara, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rush; Eric
• Application Number:
  US11/550,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20070098301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/284, 382/300, 382/298, 382/299, 348/E5.053, 396/310, 396/311
• US Class Current: 382/284
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/48 Increasing resolution by shifting the sensor relative to the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a determining unit that determines whether image capturing conditions concerning super-resolution processing are satisfied for each piece of image data, and an adding unit that adds data corresponding to a result of determination made by the determining unit to each piece of the image data.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor coupled via a bus to a memory, the processor being programmed to control one or more of;

an image capturing unit that captures an image and output image data of the image;

a setting unit that sets control parameters for the image capturing unit capturing each piece of image data;

a controlling unit that controls an image capturing of the image capturing unit using the control parameters set by the setting unit;

a determining unit that determines whether image capturing conditions concerning resolution processing generating a high-resolution image using a plurality of image data are satisfied for each piece of image data, wherein the image capturing conditions include conditions concerning similarities of the control parameters set by the setting unit between consecutive pieces of the image data;

an adding unit that adds data corresponding to a result of determination made by the determining unit to each piece of the image data; and

a recording unit that records a plurality of the image data output by the adding unit as a moving image file,

wherein the setting unit varies the control parameters set to each piece of the image data among the plurality of pieces of the image data of the moving image file, and consecutive pieces of the image data which satisfy the image capturing conditions can be identified.

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

a resolution processing unit that performs the resolution processing to generate a high-resolution still image using a plurality of image frames of the moving image file.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conditions concerning similarities of control parameters for an image capture unit capturing each piece of image data between consecutive pieces of the image data include at least one of a condition concerning variation in white balance, a condition concerning variation in exposure, a condition concerning variation in focus, and a condition concerning the amount of movement of a zoom lens between consecutive pieces of the image data.

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

a detecting unit that detects positions of at least two consecutive pieces of the image data that satisfy the image capturing conditions concerning resolution processing.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a specifying unit that specifies a direction in which the detecting unit searches for consecutive pieces of the image data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a suspend-playback unit that plays back the image data at the positions detected by the detecting unit while the image data is being suspended.

7. A method comprising:

capturing an image and output image data of the image by an image capturing unit;

setting control parameters for the image capturing unit capturing each piece of image data;

controlling an image capturing of the image capturing unit using the control parameters;

determining whether image capturing conditions concerning resolution processing generating a high-resolution image using a plurality of image data are satisfied for each piece of image data, wherein the image capturing conditions include conditions concerning similarities of the control parameters between consecutive pieces of the image data;

adding data indicating whether the image capturing conditions are satisfied to each respective piece of the image data; and

recording a plurality of the image data to which the data indicating whether the image capturing conditions are satisfied are added as a moving image file,

wherein the control parameters set for each piece of the image data is varied among the plurality of pieces of the image data of the moving image file, and consecutive pieces of the image data which satisfy the image capturing conditions can be identified.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein each piece of the image data corresponds to an image frame of the moving image file.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

performing the resolution processing to generate a still image using a plurality of image frames of the moving image file.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the conditions concerning similarities of control parameter for an image capturing unit capturing the each piece of image data between consecutive pieces of the image data include at least one of a condition concerning variation in exposure, a condition concerning variation in focus, and a condition concerning the amount of movement of a zoom lens between consecutive pieces of the image data.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

reading the image data from the moving image file; and

detecting a position of the moving image file at which at least two consecutive pieces of the image data satisfy the image capturing conditions.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

capturing an image and output image data of the image by an image capturing unit;

setting control parameters for the image capturing unit capturing each piece of image data;

controlling an image capturing of the image capturing unit using the control parameters;

determining whether image capturing conditions concerning resolution processing generating a high-resolution image using a plurality of image data are satisfied for each piece of image data, wherein the image capturing conditions include conditions concerning similarities of the control parameters between consecutive pieces of the image data;

adding data indicating whether the image capturing conditions are satisfied to each respective piece of the image data; and

recording a plurality of the image data to which the data indicating whether the image capturing conditions are satisfied are added as a moving image file,

wherein the control parameters set for each piece of the image data is varied among the plurality of pieces of the image data of the moving image file, and consecutive pieces of the image data which satisfy the image capturing conditions can be identified.