Imaging camera processing unit and method

• US 8,237,809 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2006
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Mertens, Mark Jozef Willem
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kao, Yih-Sien
• Application Number:
  US12/064,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20080303913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,183 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces

Abstract

To allow much better user control of how a camera output image captures an original scene, the imaging camera unit (401), arranged to form part of a image-capturing camera system (400), includes a user-interface (420), allowing a user to specify at least one indication (gp) of a geometric position of an object (101) of his preference in a captured image (Io) received from an imaging sensor (406) via an input (403), a user-adaptable object segmentation unit (410), arranged to determine a set of pixels (sg) being part of the object (101), on the basis of the indication (gp), and a color composition monitor unit (412), arranged to determine at least one statistic (ST) on the basis of at least one color property of pixels in the set of pixels (sg).

Claims

1. An imaging camera unit, arranged to form part of an image-capturing camera system, comprising:

a user-interface for specifying at least one indication of a geometric position of an object of user preference in a captured image received from an imaging sensor via an input;

a user-adaptable object segmentation unit for determining a set of pixels being part of the object based on the indication;

a color composition monitor unit for determining at least one statistic based on at least one color property of pixels in the set of pixels;

an object transformation unit for applying a transformation to the at least one color property of the pixels in the set of pixels and applying a different transformation to at least one color property of pixels outside the set of pixels based on a user specification of a user supplied to the object transformation unit via a transformation interface unit; and

a capturing optimization unit configured to capture an under-exposed image of the object and an over-exposed image of the object, display the under-exposed image, the over-exposed image of the object and a plot of image parameters versus position, wherein positioning a first cursor on an image position one of the under-exposed image and the over-exposed image automatically displays a second cursor on the plot at a plot position corresponding to the image position.

2. The imaging camera unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object transformation unit is arranged to apply the different transformation via an elastic color transformation in dependence on the transformation to the at least one color property of the pixels in the set of pixels.

3. The imaging camera unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the object transformation unit is arranged to apply the elastic color transformation with a geometric profile.

4. The imaging camera unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said imaging camera unit further comprises a capturing optimization unit arranged to optimize at least one capturing parameter for capturing at least one further image.

5. The imaging camera unit as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one capturing parameter belongs to a set of shutter speed, aperture, amplification factor, contrast adjustment, color temperature correction, and color cast removal.

6. The imaging camera unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the object transformation unit and the transformation interface unit are arranged to specify a range of grey values of the pixels in the set of pixels of the object.

7. The imaging camera unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the transformation interface unit is arranged to display a composition picture comprising at least two different objects and at least two scales for independently changing properties of pixels of the at least two different objects in the captured image.

8. The imaging camera unit according to claim 1, wherein said imaging camera unit further comprises a spatial modification unit arranged to modify a geometrical profile of the at least one color property of the set of pixels of the object based on the user specification.

9. The imaging camera unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said imaging camera unit further comprises a status determining unit arranged to determine whether capturing of a further image is required depending on a final image look determined by the user.

10. The imaging camera unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein the spatial modification unit is arranged to reduce spread of values of the at least one color property of the set of pixels of the object.

11. The imaging camera unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one indication of a geometric position of the object comprises a specification of an outline of the object.

12. The imaging camera unit of claim 1, wherein the transformation changes contrast in the set of pixels of the object without changing an average lightness of the pixels in the set of pixels of the object.

13. The imaging camera unit of claim 1, wherein the transformation reduces contrast in the set of pixels of the object while retaining a relative color variability among pixels in the set of pixels of the object.

14. A still-picture or video camera, comprising:

an imaging camera unit comprising;

a user-interface for specifying at least one indication of a geometric position of an object of user preference in a captured image received from an imaging sensor via an input;

a user-adaptable object segmentation unit for determining a set of pixels being part of the object based on the indication;

a color composition monitor unit for determining at least one statistic based on at least one color property of pixels in the set of pixels;

an object transformation unit for applying a transformation to the at least one color property of the pixels in the set of pixels and applying a different transformation to at least one color property of pixels outside the set of pixels based on a specification of a user supplied to the object transformation unit via a transformation interface unit; and

a capturing optimization unit configured to capture an under-exposed image of the object and an over-exposed image of the object, display the under-exposed image, the over-exposed image of the object and a plot of image parameters versus position,

wherein positioning a first cursor on an image position one of the under-exposed image and the over-exposed image automatically displays a second cursor on the plot at a plot position corresponding to the image position, and

wherein the imaging sensor is connected to the imaging camera unit.

15. A method of determining in a camera at least one statistic of at least one color property of pixels of an object in a picture captured by an imaging sensor of the camera, said method comprising the acts of:

specifying at least one indication of a geometric position of the object in the captured image;

determining a set of pixels being part of the object based on the indication;

determining the at least one statistic based on the at least one color property of pixels in the set of pixels;

based on a user supplied specification, applying a first transformation to the at least one color property of the pixels in the set of pixels specification and applying a second different transformation to at least one color property of pixels outside the set of pixels; and

capturing by a capturing optimization unit an under-exposed image of the object and an over-exposed image of the object, display the under-exposed image, the over-exposed image of the object and a plot of image parameters versus position, wherein positioning a first cursor on an image position one of the under-exposed image and the over-exposed image automatically displays a second cursor on the plot at a plot position corresponding to the image position.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the second different transformation is applied via an elastic color transformation in dependence on the transformation to the at least one color property of the pixels in the set of pixels.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the elastic color transformation is applied with a geometric profile.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for determining in a camera at least one statistic of at least one color property of pixels of an object in a picture captured by an imaging sensor of the camera, the computer program enabling a processor to execute the acts comprising:

specifying at least one indication of a geometric position of the object in the captured image;

determining a set of pixels being part of the object based on the indication;

determining the at least one statistic based on the at least one color property of pixels in the set of pixels;

based on a user supplied specification, applying a first transformation to the at least one color property of the pixels in the set of pixels specification and applying a second different transformation to at least one color property of pixels outside the set of pixels; and

capturing by a capturing optimization unit an under-exposed image of the object and an over-exposed image of the object, display the under-exposed image, the over-exposed image of the object and a plot of image parameters versus position, wherein positioning a first cursor on an image position one of the under-exposed image and the over-exposed image automatically displays a second cursor on the plot at a plot position corresponding to the image position.