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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10630924-B2
Application number	US-201916260196-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2019
Priority date	Aug 2, 2016
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

An image processing apparatus executes plural corrections for plural types of noises having mutually different characteristics included in image data generated by an image sensor including plural pixels, and including plural read-out circuits that read out the signal of each pixel as a pixel value. The apparatus includes a noise correction unit executable of the plural types of correction processes in an order determined based on the characteristic of each of the plural types of noises and a signal generating process from a light reception through an output of pixel values from the pixel. The noise correction unit classifies the plural types of correction processes into plural groups, on the basis of the characteristic of each of the plural types of noises, and executes the plural types of correction processes in an order determined in accordance with the plural groups and the signal generation process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus executable of a plurality of types of correction processes of correcting each of a plurality of types of noises having mutually different characteristics included in image data generated by an image sensor including a plurality of pixels that receive light and generate a signal according to an amount of received light and including a plurality of read-out circuits that read out the signal of each of the pixels as a pixel value, the image processing apparatus comprising
a noise correction unit executable of the plurality of types of correction processes in an order determined in accordance with the characteristic of each of the plurality of types of noises and a signal generating process from a reception of light by the pixels through an output of pixel values from the pixel,
wherein
the noise correction unit classifies the plurality of types of correction processes into a plurality of groups, on the basis of the characteristic of each of the plurality of types of noises, and executes the plurality of types of correction processes in an order determined in accordance with the plurality of groups and the signal generating process.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of types of noises are noises that occur in an optical system provided on a light receiving surface of any one of the pixels, any one of the pixels, or any one of the read-out circuits, and
the noise correction unit executes the plurality of types of correction processes included in each of the plurality of groups in an order determined in a reverse order of an order of noise occurrence in the signal generation process.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the noise correction unit executes the plurality of types of correction processes included in each of the plurality of groups in an order determined in accordance with a noise level of each of the noises.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the noise correction unit executes the plurality of types of correction processes included in each of the plurality of groups in an order determined in accordance with an occurrence range of each of the noises.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the noise correction unit executes the plurality of types of correction processes included in each of the plurality of groups in an order such that a correction process in which correction details are switched depending on a specific condition is to be executed at a later stage than the other correction processes.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when a correction process executed in a preceding stage resulted in an occurrence of similar noise being similar to another noise to be corrected by another correction process to be executed in a later stage, the noise correction unit corrects the similar noise together with the another noise by the correction process in the later stage.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of types of correction processes include a correction process of correcting noise while detecting the noise using the image data, and
the noise correction unit
classifies the plurality of types of correction processes into a first group of correction processes that are accompanied with detection of a noise, the detection being performed before correction, and a second group of correction processes that are not accompanied with the detection, and
executes the plurality of types of correction processes in the order of the first group to the second group.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the noise correction unit
classifies the plurality of types of correction processes into the plurality of groups in accordance with a level of the noises to be corrected by each of the plurality of types of correction processes, and
executes the plurality of types of correction processes onto the groups in a descending order of magnitude of the level of the noise of the group.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the noise correction unit
classifies the plurality of types of correction processes into the plurality of groups in accordance with an occurrence range of each of the noises to be corrected by each of the plurality of types of correction processes, and
executes the plurality of types of correction processes in an ascending order of a size of the occurrence range of the group.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a noise information recording unit recordable of noise information related to each of the plurality of types of noises.

11. An image processing method to be executed by an image processing apparatus executable of a plurality of types of correction processes of correcting each of a plurality of types of noises having mutually different characteristics included in image data generated by an image sensor including a plurality of pixels that receive light and generate a signal according to an amount of received light and including a plurality of read-out circuits that read out the signal of each of the pixels as a pixel value, the image processing method comprising
executing the plurality of types of correction processes in an order determined in accordance with the characteristic of each of the plurality of types of noises and a signal generating process from a reception of light by the pixels through an output of pixel values from the pixel,
wherein
the noise correction unit classifies the plurality of types of correction processes into a plurality of groups, on the basis of the characteristic of each of the plurality of types of noises, and executes the plurality of types of correction processes in an order determined in accordance with the plurality of groups and the signal generating process.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program that causes an image processing apparatus executable of a plurality of types of correction processes of correcting each of a plurality of types of noises having mutually different characteristics included in image data generated by an image sensor including a plurality of pixels that receive light and generate a signal according to an amount of received light and including a plurality of read-out circuits that read out the signal of each of the pixels as a pixel value, to execute processing, the processing comprising
executing the plurality of types of correction processes in an order determined in accordance with the characteristic of each of the plurality of types of noise and a signal generating process from a reception of light by the pixels through an output of pixel values from the pixel,
wherein
the noise correction unit classifies the plurality of types of correction processes into a plurality of groups, on the basis of the characteristic of each of the plurality of types of noises, and executes the plurality of types of correction processes in an order determined in accordance with the plurality of groups and the signal generating process.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Maruyama Hiroki
• Ichikawa Manabu

Classifications

• H04N9/7908 Primary

  Suppression of interfering signals at the reproducing side, e.g. noise · CPC title

• H04N9/646

  for image enhancement, e.g. vertical detail restoration, cross-colour elimination, contour correction, chrominance trapping filters · CPC title

• H04N5/772

  the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure · CPC title

• H04N5/77 Primary

  between a recording apparatus and a television camera · CPC title

• H04N9/735

  Electricity · mapped topic