Image synthesizing apparatus, image synthesizing method and a computer readable recording medium having recorded a program

• US 20040179749A1
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Yoshida, Kaoru, Kato, Yoshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,343,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/284
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images

Abstract

Disclosed is an image synthesizing apparatus which extracts plural images of different magnification ratios from a single piece of image data and combines those images to provide a moving image equivalent to a moving image zoomed up in moving image pickup. In record mode, an image acquired by a CCD is subjected to color processing and is then sent to an image memory. At the same time, a through image is displayed on a display section. If it is a zoomed moving image mode, when a shutter is pressed to pick up an image, plural images zoomed up in plural levels are created based on image data stored then in the image memory as an original image. A zoomed moving image equivalent to a zoomed moving image is obtained in moving image pickup.

Claims

1. An image synthesizing apparatus comprising:

an image extracting section which extracts plural images of different sizes from a single image as an original image;

an image zooming section which zooms up said plural images of different sizes extracted by said image extracting section to a same size as a size of said original image; and

a moving image generating section which synthesizes said plural images zoomed up by said image zooming section to generate a moving image.

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

an imaging section which images a subject to be imaged;

a recording section which records an image of said subject imaged by said imaging section as image data; and

an information memory section where information on extraction sizes is stored.

3. The image synthesizing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a data transmission- and reception section which wirelessly transmits and receives voices and data; and

a display section which displays said image of said subject imaged by said imaging section.

4. The image synthesizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image zooming section performs image zooming based on a rectangle zooming algorithm, and selects one pixel from pixels constituting an image before zooming and copies a value of that pixel.

5. The image synthesizing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said original image is an image before imaging is done by said imaging section.

6. The image synthesizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image extracting section can arbitrarily set a center position of an image to be extracted from said original image.

7. The image synthesizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said moving image generating section generates a moving image by changing sizes of plural images to be synthesized.

8. The image synthesizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said moving image generating section reduces an amount of data by compressing a generated moving image.

9. The image synthesizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image synthesizing apparatus is an imaging apparatus or a portable telephone terminal.

10. An image synthesizing method comprising:

an image extracting step which extracts plural images of different sizes from a single image as an original image;

an image zooming step which zooms up said plural images of different sizes extracted in said image extracting step to a same size as a size of said original image; and

a moving image generating step which synthesizes said plural images zoomed up in said image zooming step to generate a moving image.

11. The image synthesizing method according to claim 10, wherein said image extracting step can arbitrarily set a center position of an image to be extracted from said original image.

12. The image synthesizing method according to claim 10, wherein said moving image generating step generates a moving image by changing sizes of plural images to be synthesized.

13. The image synthesizing method according to claim 10, wherein said moving image generating step reduces an amount of data by compressing a generated moving image.

14. A computer readable recording medium having recorded a program for allowing a computer to execute:

an image extracting step which extracts plural images of different sizes from a single image as an original image;

an image zooming step which zooms up said plural images of different sizes extracted in said image extracting step to a same size as a size of said original image; and

a moving image generating step which synthesizes said plural images zoomed up in said image zooming step to generate a moving image.

15. The recording medium according to claim 14, wherein said image extracting step can arbitrarily set a center position of an image to be extracted from said original image.

16. The recording medium according to claim 14, wherein said moving image generating step generates a moving image by changing sizes of plural images to be synthesized.

17. The recording medium according to claim 14, wherein said moving image generating step reduces an amount of data by compressing a generated moving image.