Image processing apparatus and method

• US 7,098,944 B1
• Filed: 10/27/2000
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Eiichiro, Udagawa, Yoshiro, Hidaka, Yumiko, Takahashi, Kenji, Shiraiwa, Yoshinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Application Number:
  US09/697,315
• Time in Patent Office: 2,132 Days
• Field of Search: 348/223.1, 348/224.1, 348/225.1, 348/229.1, 348/362, 348/230.1, 348/207.99, 348/253, 348/655, 348/222.1
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4072 dependent on the contents of the original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/603 controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6086 by scene illuminant, i.e. conditions at the time of picture capture, e.g. flash, optical filter used, evening, cloud, daylight, artificial lighting, white point measurement, colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control

Abstract

In converting image sensing data into image data, a plurality of image sensing data meeting a predetermined condition are processed as a group of image sensing data. An image reproduction parameter is obtained from this image sensing data group, and each image sensing data of the image sensing data group is converted into image data by using the image reproduction parameter. Accordingly, an image reproduction parameter for obtaining an optimum reproduced image can be accurately set from the image sensing data group. Also, since a reproduction luminance level (range) is determined from the image sensing data group, the correlation between the luminances of image planes is not lost. This allows an easy comparison of reproduced images and prevents the boundaries of luminances from becoming unnatural when the reproduced images are synthesized.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a first input unit, arranged to input a sensing image;

an indicating unit manipulated by a user, arranged to indicate an arbitrary position within the input sensing image displayed on a screen;

a determining unit, arranged to determine an image processing parameter to convert color information of a position within the input sensing image indicated by said indicating unit into arbitrary color information;

a second input unit, arranged to input color information, which has an image data format and is used in the determination of the image processing parameter by said determining unit; and

a processing unit, arranged to convert the color information of the indicated position within the input sensing image into the arbitrary color information by performing color processing on the input sensing image using the image processing parameter.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit adjusts color balance of the sensing image by using the image processing parameter.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit performs white balance processing when said second input unit does not input the color information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first input unit inputs the sensing image output from an image sending unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first input unit displays the input sensing image on a monitor, and the user indicates the arbitrary position within the input sensing image displayed on the screen of the monitor.

4. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting a sensing image;

inputting a user'"'"'s indication of an arbitrary position within the input sensing image displayed on a screen;

determining an image processing parameter to convert color information of a position within the input sensing image indicated by the user'"'"'s indication into arbitrary color information;

inputting color information, which has an image data format and is used in the determination of the image processing parameter in determining step; and

converting the color information of the indicated position within the input sensing image into the arbitrary color information by performing color processing on the input sensing image using the image processing parameter.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first input step inputs the sensing image output from an image sending unit.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of displaying the input sensing image on a monitor, wherein the user'"'"'s indication indicates the arbitrary position within the input sensing image displayed on the screen of the monitor.

5. A computer program embodied in a computer-readable medium for making an apparatus execute an image processing method, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting a sensing image;

inputting a user'"'"'s indication of an arbitrary position within the input sensing image displayed on a screen;

determining an image processing parameter to convert color information of a position within the input sensing image indicated by the user'"'"'s indication into arbitrary color information;

inputting color information, which has an image data format and is used in the determination of the image processing parameter in the determining step; and

converting the color information of the indicated position within the input sensing image into the arbitrary color information by performing color processing on the input sensing image using the image processing parameter.

11. The computer program according to claim 5, wherein the first input step inputs the sensing image output from an image sending unit.

12. The computer program according to claim 11, the method further comprising the step of displaying the input sensing image on a monitor, wherein the user'"'"'s indication indicates the arbitrary position within the input sensing image displayed on the screen of the monitor.

6. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium comprising computer program code for making an apparatus execute an image processing method, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting a sensing image;

inputting a user'"'"'s indication of an arbitrary position within the input sensing image displayed on a screen;

determining an image processing parameter to convert color information of a position within the input sensing image indicated by the user'"'"'s indication into arbitrary color information;

inputting color information, which has an image data format and is used in the determination of the image processing parameter in the determining step; and

converting the color information of the indicated position within the input sensing image into the arbitrary color information by performing color processing on the input sensing image using the image processing parameter.

13. The product according to claim 6, wherein the first input step inputs the sensing image output from an image sending unit.

14. The product according to claim 13, the method further comprising the step of displaying the input sensing image on a monitor, wherein the user'"'"'s indication indicates the arbitrary position within the input sensing image displayed on the screen of the monitor.