Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and computer-readable recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10419685-B2
Application number	US-201715698717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2017
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a correction factor calculating unit configured to calculate a correction factor for correcting a difference in pixel values corresponding to a difference between a spectral sensitivity and a preset reference spectral sensitivity in a predetermined wavelength range at a pixel of interest, based on image data generated by an image sensor, the image sensor having a plurality of pixels on which color filters of a plurality of colors with different spectral transmittances are respectively disposed, the color filters forming a predetermined array pattern, the correction factor calculating unit being configured to calculate the correction factor for each of the plurality of pixels on which at least a predetermined color filter of the color filters is disposed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to:
acquire image data from an image sensor, the image sensor comprising a pixel of interest in which a color filter of a first color is disposed and one or more additional pixels on which color filters of the first color are disposed;
determine a spectral sensitivity characteristic in a first predetermined wavelength range of the pixel of interest;
determine a spectral sensitivity characteristic in the first predetermined wavelength range of each of the one or more additional pixels;
determine a reference spectral sensitivity in the first predetermined wavelength range based on the spectral sensitivity characteristic in the first predetermined wavelength range of the each of the one or more additional pixels;
determine a difference between the spectral sensitivity characteristic of the pixel of interest and the reference spectral sensitivity in the first predetermined wavelength range; and
determine a correction factor for correcting a pixel value in the first predetermined wavelength range of the pixel of interest based on the difference.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the image sensor comprises the pixel of interest and the one or more additional pixels in which the color filters of the first color are disposed, and another pixel in which a color filter of a second color is disposed, and
wherein the processor is configured to determine the correction factor in the predetermined wavelength range including a wavelength range where the first color has a lower spectral transmittance than the second color.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the image sensor comprises the pixel of interest and the one or more additional pixels in which the color filters of the first color are disposed, and another pixel in which a color filter of a second color is disposed, and
wherein the processor is configured to determine the correction factor in the predetermined wavelength range including a wavelength range where the first color has a higher spectral transmittance than the first color.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to determine the reference spectral sensitivity based on one of:
the spectral sensitivity characteristic in the first predetermined wavelength range of the pixel of interest and the spectral sensitivity characteristic in the first predetermined wavelength range of the each of the one or more additional pixels; and
the spectral sensitivity characteristic in the first predetermined wavelength range of the each of the one or more additional pixels.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the processor is configured to:
determine, as the reference spectral sensitivity, an average value of the spectral sensitivity characteristics of the one or more additional pixels; or
determine, as the reference spectral sensitivity, an average value of spectral sensitivity characteristics of pixels of the one or more additional pixels located around the pixel of interest.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to determine the correction factor for each of light sources that emit light of different wavelength characteristics.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the image sensor is configured to receive uniform light having a higher spectral radiance in the predetermined wavelength range than in other wavelength ranges to generate the image data.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to:
remove random noise from the image data; and
determine the correction factor for the image data after the random noise is removed.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the image sensor comprises pixels including the pixel of interest and the one or more additional pixels, wherein each of the pixels has a color filter of one of a plurality of colors disposed thereon, and
wherein the plurality of colors includes red, green, and blue.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the image sensor comprises pixels including the pixel of interest and the one or more additional pixels, wherein each of the pixels has a color filter of one of a plurality of colors disposed thereon, and
wherein the plurality of colors includes cyan, magenta, yellow, and green.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to correct the image data based on the correction factor determined.

12. An image processing method executed by a computer, the image processing method comprising:
acquiring image data from an image sensor, the image sensor comprising a pixel of interest in which a color filter of a first color is disposed and one or more additional pixels on which color filters of the first color are disposed;
determining a spectral sensitivity characteristic in a first predetermined wavelength range of the pixel of interest;
determining a spectral sensitivity characteristic in the first predetermined wavelength range of each of the one or more additional pixels;
determining a reference spectral sensitivity in the first predetermined wavelength range based on the spectral sensitivity characteristic in the first predetermined wavelength range of the each of the one or more additional pixels;
determining a difference between the spectral sensitivity characteristic of the pixel of interest and the reference spectral sensitivity in the first predetermined wavelength range; and
determining a correction factor for correcting a pixel value in the first predetermined wavelength range of the pixel of interest based on the difference.

13. The image processing method according to claim 12 ,
wherein the image processing method comprises correcting the image data based on the correction factor determined.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium with an executable program stored thereon, the program causing a computer to:
acquire image data from an image sensor, the image sensor comprising a pixel of interest in which a color filter of a first color is disposed and one or more additional pixels on which color filters of the first color are disposed;
determine a spectral sensitivity characteristic in a first predetermined wavelength range of the pixel of interest;
determine a spectral sensitivity characteristic in the first predetermined wavelength range of each of the one or more additional pixels;
determine a reference spectral sensitivity in the first predetermined wavelength range based on the spectral sensitivity characteristic in the first predetermined wavelength range of the each of the one or more additional pixels;
determine a difference between the spectral sensitivity characteristic of the pixel of interest and the reference spectral sensitivity in the first predetermined wavelength range; and
determine a correction factor for correcting a pixel value in the first predetermined wavelength range of the pixel of interest based on the difference.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 14 , wherein the program causes the computer to correct the image data based on the correction factor determined.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Ichikawa Manabu
• Maruyama Hiroki

Classifications

• H04N23/72 Primary

  Combination of two or more compensation controls · CPC title

• H04N23/843

  Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values · CPC title

• G01J3/28 Primary

  Investigating the spectrum (using colour filters G01J3/51) · CPC title

• H04N23/12

  with one sensor only · CPC title

• H04N23/84

  for processing colour signals · CPC title