Image processing device and program

• US 8,233,055 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsunaga, Kazuhisa, Matsui, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nazrul, Shahbaz
• Application Number:
  US12/497,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20100007761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/239, 382/107
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2625 for obtaining an image which is composed of images from a temporal image sequence, e.g. for a stroboscopic effect sequence generated by event triggered capturing H04N7/188
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing

Abstract

A chronological sequence of a plurality of images is obtained, and one of the plurality of images obtained is set as a reference image while remainders thereof are set as object images. A plurality of parameters for converting each of main subject portions of respective plurality of object images to be aligned so as to be superimposed on a main subject portion of the reference image are calculated. Images are combined such that the main subject portions are superimposed with alignment degrees of the parameters degrading as distance from a predetermined location increases.

Claims

1. An image processing device, comprising:

an image obtainer which obtains a chronological sequence of a plurality of images, sets one of the plurality of images obtained as a reference image, and sets a remainder of the plurality of images as object images;

a projective transformation matrix calculator which calculates a projective transformation matrix for converting each of main subject portions of respective ones of the plurality of object images to be aligned so as to be superimposed on a main subject portion of the reference image;

an intermediate image generator which generates a plurality of intermediate images by applying different predetermined intensity ratios to respective ones of the plurality of object images, wherein each of the plurality of intermediate images is obtained by averaging the reference image and each of the plurality of object images to which the projection transformation matrix has been applied; and

an image combiner which combines the plurality of intermediate images.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image combiner blends and combines the plurality of intermediate images such that a ratio of intermediate images to which an intensity ratio with a larger degree of degrading is applied increases as a distance from a predetermined location increases.

5. The image processing device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined location is a center of an angle of view.

6. The image processing device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined location is the main subject portion.

2. An image processing method, the method comprising:

obtaining a chronological sequence of a plurality of images, setting one of the obtained plurality of images as a reference image, and setting a remainder of the obtained plurality of images as object images;

calculating a projective transformation matrix for converting each of main subject portions of respective ones of the plurality of object images to be aligned so as to be superimposed on a main subject portion of the reference image;

generating a plurality of intermediate images by applying different predetermined intensity ratios to respective ones of the plurality of object images, wherein each of the plurality of intermediate images is obtained by averaging the reference image and each of the plurality of object images to which the projection transformation matrix has been applied; and

combining the plurality of intermediate images.

3. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a program stored thereon which is executable by a computer to function as:

an image obtainer which obtains a chronological sequence of a plurality of images, sets one of the plurality of images obtained as a reference image, and sets a remainder of the obtained reference images as object images;

a projective transformation matrix calculator which calculates a projective transformation matrix for converting each of main subject portions of respective ones of the plurality of object images to be aligned so as to be superimposed on a main subject portion of the reference image;

an intermediate image generator which generates a plurality of intermediate images by applying different predetermined intensity ratios to respective ones of the plurality of object images, wherein each of the plurality of intermediate images is obtained by averaging the reference image and each of the plurality of object images to which the projection transformation matrix has been applied; and

an image combiner which combines the plurality of intermediate images.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein combining the plurality of intermediate images comprises blending and combining the plurality of intermediate images such that a ratio of intermediate images to which an intensity ratio with a larger degree of degrading is applied increases as a distance from a predetermined location increases.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined location is a center of an angle of view.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined location is the main subject portion.

10. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the image combiner blends and combines the plurality of intermediate images such that a ratio of intermediate images to which an intensity ratio with a larger degree of degrading is applied increases as a distance from a predetermined location increases.

11. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined location is a center of an angle of view.

12. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined location is the main subject portion.