DECODING APPARATUS, DECODING METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20160286227A1
• Filed: 02/11/2016
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Naotomo
• Granted Patent: US 10,264,228 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/116 Visible light communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/50 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/12 with one sensor only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/68 for controlling the amplitude of colour signals, e.g. automatic chroma control circuits H04N9/71, H04N9/73 take precedence; camera processing pipelines for controlling the colour saturation of colour signals H04N23/86

Abstract

In the case where a phenomenon called brightness saturation occurs due to high brightness of light output from a transmission apparatus and high lightness in a portion of a transmitter (light source) within a frame obtained by imaging in a reception apparatus, a decoder in a reception apparatus performs first image processing of shifting the focus by moving a lens in an imager or a filtering process (gradation filtering process) of an image for replacing the color of a brightness saturation area with the color surrounding the brightness saturation area, before determination of a change area, determination of the color of the change area, and decoding of bit string data.

Claims

1. A decoding apparatus comprising:

an image acquiring unit configured to continuously acquire an image including a color changing in time-series;

a processing unit configured to perform processing for a pixel area of brightness saturation in an image acquired continuously by the image acquiring unit to increase an image area including the color; and

a decoding unit configured to decode information from a color of an image of which an area has been increased by the processing unit.

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

a determining unit configured to determine whether an image acquired continuously by the image acquiring unit includes (i) an pixel area having a lightness value more than or equal to a predetermined value and (ii) an pixel area adjacent to the image area and having a color changing in time-series at a lightness value less than the predetermined value,

wherein, in a case where determination by the determining unit is positive, the processing unit performs processing to increase an pixel area having a color changing in time-series.

3. The decoding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an adjusting unit configured to optically adjust an image acquired by the image acquiring unit,

wherein the processing unit includes a controlling unit configured to control content of adjustment by the adjusting unit.

4. The decoding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a filtering unit configured to perform a filtering process on an image acquired by the image acquiring unit,

wherein the processing unit includes a controlling unit configured to control the filtering process by the filtering unit.

5. A decoding method comprising:

an image acquiring step of continuously acquiring an image including a color changing in time-series;

a processing step of performing processing for a pixel area of brightness saturation in an image acquired continuously in the image acquiring step to increase an image area including the color; and

a decoding step of decoding information from a color of an image of which an area has been increased in the processing step.

6. The decoding method according to claim 5, further comprising:

a determining step of determining whether an image acquired continuously in the image acquiring step includes (i) an pixel area having a lightness value more than or equal to a predetermined value and (ii) an pixel area adjacent to the image area and having a color changing in time-series at a lightness value less than the predetermined value,

wherein, in a case where determination in the determining step is positive, processing is performed to increase an pixel area having a color changing in time-series in the processing step.

7. The decoding method according to claim 5, further comprising:

an adjusting step of optically adjusting an image acquired in the image acquiring step,

wherein the processing step includes a controlling step of controlling content of adjustment in the adjusting step.

8. The decoding method according to claim 5, further comprising:

a filtering step of performing a filtering process on an image acquired in the image acquiring step,

wherein the processing step includes a controlling step of controlling the filtering process in the filtering step.

9. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having stored therein a program that causes a computer to function as:

an image acquiring unit configured to continuously acquire an image including a color changing in time-series;

a processing unit configured to perform processing for a pixel area of brightness saturation in an image acquired continuously by the image acquiring unit to increase an image area including the color; and

a decoding unit configured to decode information from a color of an image of which an area has been increased by the processing unit.

10. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 9,

wherein the program further functions as a determining unit configured to determine whether an image acquired continuously by the image acquiring unit includes (i) an pixel area having a lightness value more than or equal to a predetermined value and (ii) an pixel area adjacent to the pixel area and having a color changing in time-series at a lightness value less than the predetermined value, and

wherein, in a case where determination by the determining unit is positive, the processing unit functions to perform processing to increase an pixel area having a color changing in time-series.

11. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 9,

wherein the program further functions as an adjusting unit configured to optically adjust an image acquired by the image acquiring unit, and

wherein the processing unit functions as a controlling unit configured to control content of adjustment by the adjusting unit.

12. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 9,

wherein the program further functions as a filtering unit configured to perform a filtering process on an image acquired by the image acquiring unit, and

wherein the processing unit functions as a controlling unit configured to control the filtering process by the filtering unit.