Image processing method, image processing program, image processing device, and imaging device

• US 8,526,680 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2006
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Doida, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Akhavannik, Hadi
• Assistant Examiner(s): RASHIDIAN, MOHAMMAD M
• Application Number:
  US12/083,553
• Publication Number:
  US 20090052788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,498 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382/107, 382/115, 382/168, 382/173, 382/181, 382/190, 382/194, 382/199, 382/203, 382/209, 382/291, 382/236, 348153-155, 348169-172, 348/208.1, 348/208.99, 348/239, 348/699, 375/240.12, 375/240.16, 375/240.24, 342/90, 345/158, 356 27- 28, 356/28.5
• US Class Current: 382/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51

Abstract

An image-processing method is characterized by including a searching operation of searching for a local motion vector from each of blocks in the plural images, an electing operation of electing a representative motion vector from the local motion vectors of the respective blocks, and an approximating operation of approximating a motion vector distribution on the images based on the representative motion vector in order to detect motion between plural images with high precision without increasing the number of blocks made by dividing an image. In addition, when an approximate surface thereof is a plane, the operation amount for approximating the motion vector distribution and the information amount for representing the motion vector distribution can be minimized.

Claims

1. An image-processing method which searches for a motion vector from between a comparison image and an object image, the method comprising:

a calculating operation of calculating a correlation between a reference area on said comparison image and a reference area on said object image while shifting a position of the reference area on said comparison image and a position of the reference area on said object image, wherein

said correlation is a correlation between projected data of feature quantities in the reference area on said comparison image and projected data of feature quanities in the reference area on said object image,

the projected data of said comparison image is created from a part of a cumulative added image of the feature quantities of said comparison image, and

the projected data of said object image is created from a part of a cumulative added image of the feature quantities of said object image.

2. The image-processing method according to claim 1, wherein the feature quantities of said comparison image and said object image are extracted by performing two or more processes on said comparison image and said object image.

3. The image-processing method according to claim 2, wherein one of said two or more processes is an edge-detecting filter processing.

4. The image-processing method according to claim 1, wherein said motion vector is a motion vector of a block made by dividing said comparison image and said object image.

5. The image-processing method according to claim 1, wherein said motion vector is a motion vector of said entire comparison image and object image.

6. The image-processing method according to claim 1, wherein

said correlation is a correlation between a first and a third projected data and a second and a fourth projected data,

said first projected data is a result of adding the feature quantities in the reference area on said comparison image along a first direction,

said second projected data is a result of adding the feature quantities in the reference area on said object image along said first direction,

said third projected data is a result of adding the feature quantities in the reference area on said comparison image along a second direction,

said fourth projected data is a result of adding the feature quantities in the reference area on said object image along said second direction,

said first projected data is created from a part of a first cumulative added image prepared in advance,

said second projected data is created from a part of a second cumulative added image prepared in advance,

said third projected data is created from a part of a third cumulative added image prepared in advance,

said fourth projected data is created from a part of a fourth cumulative added image prepared in advance,

said first cumulative added image is a result of a cumulatively adding the feature quantities in said comparison image along said first direction,

said second cumulative added image is a result of cumulatively adding the feature quantities in said object image along said first direction,

said third cumulative added image is a result of cumulatively adding the feature quantities in said comparison image along said second direction, and

said fourth cumulative added image is a result of cumulative adding the feature quantities in said object image along said second direction.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing an image-processing program configured to cause a computer to execute an image-processing method which searches for a motion vector from between a comparison image and an object image, the method comprising:

a calculating operation calculating a correlation between a reference area on said comparison image and a reference area on said object image while shifting a position of the reference area on said comparison image and a position of the reference area on said object image, wherein

said correlation is a correlation between projected data of feature quantities in the reference area on said comparison image and projected data of feature quantities in the reference area on said object image,

the projected data of said comparison image is created from a part of a cumulative added image of the feature quantities of said comparison image, and

the projected data of said object image is created from a part of a cumulative added image of the feature quantities of said objected image.

8. An image-processing apparatus for searching for a motion vector from between a comparison image and an object image, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory comprising one or more operations, the one or more operations includes,

a calculating operation calculating a correlation between a reference area on said comparison image and a reference area on said object image while shifting a position of the reference area on said comparison image and a position of the reference area on said object image, wherein

said correlation is a correlation between projected data of feature quantities in the reference area on said comparison image and projected data of features quantities in the reference area on said object image,

the projected data of said comparison image is created from a part of a cumulative added image of the feature quantities of said comparison image, and

the projected data of said object image is created from a part of a cumulative added image of the feature quantities of said object image.

9. An imaging apparatus, comprising:

an imaging unit capable of continuously imaging a subject to obtain said comparison image and said object image; and

the image-processing apparatus according to claim 8.