Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11930160-B2
Application number	US-201917273891-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2019
Priority date	Sep 12, 2018
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

A polarization imaging unit 20 acquires a polarized image including polarization pixels with a plurality of polarization directions. An information compression unit 40 sets reference image information based on polarized image information of reference polarization pixels with at least a plurality of polarization directions in the polarized image and generates difference information between the polarized image information of each of polarization pixels different from the reference polarization pixels in the polarized image and the reference image information. In addition, the information compression unit 40 reduces the amount of information of the difference information generated for each of the polarization pixels with the plurality of polarization directions to generate compressed image information including the reference image information and the difference information with the reduced amount of information. An information decoding unit 70 applies a decoding process corresponding to the compression process of the information compression unit 40 to the compressed image information acquired through a recording medium 50 or a transmission path 60 to generate the polarized image and outputs the polarized image to a polarized image using unit 80.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
an information compression unit configured to generate compressed image information by reducing an amount of information of polarized image information of each of polarization pixels with at least a plurality of polarization directions in a polarized image including polarization pixels with a plurality of polarization directions,
wherein the amount of information of the polarized image information is reduced by encoding difference information indicating a difference between a reference intensity value of a reference polarization pixel for a respective color and an intensity value of at least one other polarization pixel of the respective color, and
wherein the information compression unit is implemented via at least one processor.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the information compression unit is further configured to
set reference image information based on polarized image information of the reference polarization pixel in the polarized image,
generate the difference information between polarized image information of each polarization pixel different from the reference polarization pixel in the polarized image and the reference image information, and
reduce an amount of information of the difference information generated for each polarization pixel to generate the compressed image information including the reference image information and the difference information with the reduced amount of information.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the reference image information includes information indicating the reference intensity value of the reference polarization pixel for each color and each polarization direction, and
the difference information includes information indicating a difference between the intensity value of the reference polarization pixel for each respective color and an intensity value of a polarization pixel of the respective color and a polarization direction different from the reference polarization pixel.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the information compression unit generates the reference image information and the difference information based on a combination of polarization pixels to calculate the reference intensity value.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the reference image information includes information indicating a reference average intensity value calculated for each color by using intensity values of reference polarization pixels with a plurality of polarization directions and includes information indicating a reference intensity value that is an intensity value of the reference polarization pixel with a polarization direction designated in advance from combinations of polarization pixels with polarization directions that allow to calculate an average intensity value, and
the difference information includes information indicating a difference between an average intensity value, which is calculated for each color by using intensity values of polarization pixels different from the reference polarization pixels, and the reference average intensity value of a same color and includes information indicating a difference between the intensity value of the polarization pixel different from the reference polarization pixel and the reference intensity value of a same color and a same polarization direction.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the reference image information includes information indicating a reference average intensity value calculated for each color by using intensity values of reference polarization pixels with a plurality of polarization directions, and
the difference information includes information indicating a difference between an average intensity value, which is calculated for each color by using intensity values of polarization pixels with a plurality of polarization directions different from the reference polarization pixels, and the reference average intensity value of a same color and includes information indicating a difference between a ratio indicating intensity values in a pixel block of the polarization pixels different from the reference polarization pixels and a ratio indicating intensity values of polarization pixels in an adjacent pixel block.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the reference image information includes information indicating a reference average intensity value calculated for each color by using intensity values of reference polarization pixels with a plurality of polarization directions,
the difference information includes information indicating a difference between an average intensity value, which is calculated for each color by using intensity values of polarization pixels with a plurality of polarization directions different from the reference polarization pixels, and the reference average intensity value of a same color and includes information indicating a difference between each of the intensity values of the polarization pixels with the plurality of polarization directions different from the reference polarization pixels and a predicted value of a same polarization direction, and
the predicted value is calculated for each polarization direction based on the average intensity value calculated in a pixel block of the polarization pixels different from the reference polarization pixels and based on a ratio indicating intensity values of each polarization pixel in a pixel block adjacent to the pixel block.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the polarized image includes an unpolarized normal pixel,
the reference image information includes information indicating an unpolarized reference intensity value that is an intensity value of a reference normal pixel of each color and includes information indicating a reference intensity value that is an intensity value of a reference polarization pixel with a polarization direction designated in advance from combinations of polarization pixels with polarization directions that allow to calculate the average intensity value, and
the difference information includes information indicating a difference between an intensity value of a normal pixel different from the reference normal pixel and an unpolarized reference intensity value of a same color and includes information indicating a difference between an intensity value of a polarization pixel with a same polarization direction that is a polarization pixel different from the reference polarization pixel and a reference intensity value with the same polarization direction.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the polarized image includes an unpolarized normal pixel,
the reference image information includes information indicating an unpolarized reference intensity value that is an intensity value of a reference normal pixel of each color, and
the difference information includes information indicating a difference between an intensity value of a normal pixel different from the reference normal pixel and an unpolarized reference intensity value of a same color and includes information indicating a difference between a ratio indicating intensity values of a designated polarization pixel in a pixel block, which includes the designated polarization pixel with a polarization direction designated in advance from combinations of normal pixels different from the reference normal pixels and polarization pixels with polarization directions that allow to calculate an average intensity value, and a ratio indicating intensity values of the designated po

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Kondo Yuhi
• Hirasawa Yasutaka
• Nagumo Takefumi
• Ihara Toshinori
• Kurita Teppei
• Sun Legong

Classifications

• H04N19/105 Primary

  Selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g. adaptive choice of position and number of pixels used for prediction · CPC title

• H04N19/136

  Incoming video signal characteristics or properties · CPC title

• H04N19/182

  the unit being a pixel · CPC title

• H04N19/186

  the unit being a colour or a chrominance component · CPC title

• H04N19/423

  characterised by memory arrangements (H04N19/433 takes precedence) · CPC title