IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, IMAGE PROCESSING PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM HAVING IMAGE PROCESSING PROGRAM RECORDED THEREIN

• US 20110227950A1
• Filed: 03/17/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Naho
• Granted Patent: US 9,503,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/661
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes: a display section having the function of detecting a position touched by a pointer; an icon display control section for identifying a pixel of interest which is a pixel associated with the position of the pointer from among pixels forming an image displayed at the display section and displaying an icon for indicating the pixel of interest on the image displayed at the display section; and an image processing section for generating an image focused in a part thereof associated with the pixel of interest using distance data associated with the pixels forming the image.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a display section having the function of detecting a position touched by a pointer;

an icon display control section for identifying a pixel of interest which is a pixel associated with the position of the pointer from among pixels forming an image displayed at the display section and displaying an icon for indicating the pixel of interest on the image displayed at the display section; and

an image processing section for generating an image focused in a part thereof associated with the pixel of interest using distance data associated with the pixels forming the image.

2. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an enlarged display control section for displaying a sub screen including an enlarged image of the region associated with the pixel of interest of the image at the display section, wherein

the icon display control section identifies a pixel corresponding to the pixel of interest from among pixels forming the enlarged image when the enlarged image is displayed at the display section and displays an icon for indicating the pixel corresponding to the pixel of interest on the sub screen.

3. An image processing section according to claim 2, wherein the enlarged display control section displays the sub screen in an overlapping relationship with a region of the image including the part associated with the pixel of interest.

4. An image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the icon display control section moves the icon for indicating the pixel corresponding to the pixel of interest displayed in the sub screen based on an operation performed by a user.

5. An image processing apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a contour display section for detecting a contour of interest that is a contour of an object including the pixel of interest or the pixel corresponding to the pixel of interest and causing the display section to display the contour of interest clearly.

6. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the contour display control section detects the contour of interest from a pixel of the enlarged image displayed on the sub screen at which a differentiated value of a distance data distribution of the enlarged image is greater than a predetermined threshold.

7. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the contour display control section detects the contour of interest from a pixel of the enlarged image displayed on the sub screen at which a double differentiated value of the distance data distribution of the enlarged image is zero.

8. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the contour display control section compares an arbitrary pixel of the enlarged image displayed on the sub screen with a pixel adjacent thereto in terms of luminance and detects the contour of interest from a pixel having luminance resulting in a luminance difference of a predetermined value or more when compared with an adjacent pixel.

9. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

identifying a pixel of interest which is a pixel associated with the position of a pointer indicated on a display section having the function of detecting a position touched by the pointer from among pixels forming an image displayed at the display section and displaying an icon for indicating the pixel of interest on the image displayed at the display section; and

generating an image focused in apart thereof associated with the pixel of interest using distance data associated with the pixels forming the image.

10. An image processing program comprising the processes of:

identifying a pixel of interest which is a pixel associated with the position of a pointer indicated on a display section having the function of detecting a position touched by the pointer from among pixels forming an image displayed at the display section and displaying an icon for indicating the pixel of interest on the image displayed at the display section; and

generating an image focused in apart thereof associated with the pixel of interest using distance data associated with the pixels forming the image.

11. A recording medium having an image processing program according to claim 10 recorded therein.