Image processing device, image processing method, and solid-state imaging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10002436-B2
Application number	US-201515505474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2015
Priority date	Sep 3, 2014
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an image processing device, an image processing method, and a solid-state imaging device capable of detecting image information with high accuracy by using images with different shooting conditions. A difference detection unit detects difference information of a short exposure image of a current frame and a past frame shot in a short exposure time. The difference detection unit detects difference information of a long exposure image of a current frame and a past frame shot in a long exposure time. The combining unit combines the difference information of the short exposure image and the difference information of the long exposure image on the basis of the short exposure image or the long exposure image and generates a motion vector of the current frame on the basis of the combined difference information. The present disclosure may be applied to the image processing apparatus and the like, for example.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image processing device comprising:
a first difference detection unit which detects difference information of a first image of first and second frames shot with a first shooting condition;
a second difference detection unit which detects difference information of a second image of the first and second frames shot with a second shooting condition; and
a combining unit which combines the difference information of the first image detected by the first difference detection unit and the difference information of the second image detected by the second difference detection unit on the basis of the first or second image and generates a motion vector of the first frame on the basis of the combined difference information.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of the image with a better SN ratio out of the first and second images.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of luminance of the first or second image.

4. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of contrast of the first or second image.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of the first or second image and a motion vector of a frame before the first frame.

6. The image processing device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a blend ratio determination unit which determines a blend ratio of the difference information of the first image and the difference information of the second image on the basis of the first or second image and the motion vector of the frame before the first frame, wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of the blend ratio determined by the blend ratio determination unit.

7. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,
configured such that an exposure time, sensitivity, a shooting gain, or a focusing position is different between the first and second shooting conditions.

8. The image processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first motion detection unit which detects a first motion vector by using the first and second images of the first frame; and
a second motion detection unit which detects a second motion vector by using the first and second images of the second frame; wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of the first or second image, the first motion vector, and the second motion vector.

9. An image processing method comprising:
a first difference detection step of detecting difference information of a first image of first and second frames shot with a first shooting condition;
a second difference detection step of detecting difference information of a second image of the first and second frames shot with a second shooting condition; and
a combining step of combining the difference information of the first image detected by a process at the first difference detection step and the difference information of the second image detected by a process at the second difference detection step on the basis of the first or second image and generating a motion vector of the first frame on the basis of the combined difference information
by an image processing device.

10. A solid-state imaging device comprising:
a shooting unit which shoots with first and second shooting conditions;
a first difference detection unit which detects difference information of a first image of first and second frames shot by the shooting unit with the first shooting condition;
a second difference detection unit which detects difference information of a second image of the first and second frames shot by the shooting unit with the second shooting condition; and
a combining unit which combines the difference information of the first image detected by the first difference detection unit and the difference information of the second image detected by the second difference detection unit on the basis of the first or second image and generates a motion vector of the first frame on the basis of the combined difference information.

11. An image processing device comprising:
a first difference detection unit which detects difference information between a left-eye image and a right-eye image shot with a first shooting condition;
a second difference detection unit which detects difference information between the left-eye image and the right-eye image shot with a second shooting condition; and
a combining unit which combines the difference information with the first shooting condition detected by the first difference detection unit and the difference information with the second shooting condition detected by the second difference detection unit on the basis of the left-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition or the right-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition and generates the combined difference information as a depth value.

12. The image processing device according to claim 11 , wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of the image with a better SN ratio out of the left-eye image shot with the first shooting condition and the left-eye image shot with the second shooting condition or the image with a better SN ratio out of the right-eye image shot with the first shooting condition and the right-eye image shot with the second shooting condition.

13. The image processing device according to claim 11 , wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of luminance of the left-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition or the right-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition.

14. The image processing device according to claim 11 , wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of contrast of the left-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition or the right-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition.

15. The image processing device according to claim 11 , wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of the left-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition or the right-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition and a past depth value.

16. The image processing device according to claim 11 , wherein
the combining unit is configured to combine on the basis of the left-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition or the right-eye image shot with the first or second shooting condition and a motion vector of the image.

17. The image processing device according to claim 11 ,
configured such that an exposure time, sensitivity, a shooting gain, or a focusing position is different between the first and second shooting conditions.

18. An image processing method comprising:
a first difference detection step of detecting difference information between a left-eye image and a right-eye image shot with a first shooting condition;
a second difference detection step of detecting difference information between the left-eye image and the right-eye image shot with a second shooting condition; and
a combining step of combining the difference information with the first shooting condition detected by a process at the first difference detection step and the difference information with the second shooting condition detected by a process at the second difference detection s

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Yamada Hideshi

Classifications

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• H04N25/583

  with different integration times · CPC title

• H04N13/189 Primary

  Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals · CPC title

• H04N23/741

  by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/683

  performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory · CPC title