Image processing apparatus and method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016150147-A1
Application number	US-201615011130-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 29, 2016
Priority date	Nov 8, 2012
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

There is provided an image processing apparatus that includes an ambient-light image obtaining section, a cumulative image generation section, and a high-quality image generation section. The ambient-light image obtaining section obtains an ambient-light image in a first time range, the ambient-light image being an image of an object captured with a predetermined exposure time. The cumulative image generation section generates a cumulative image in a second time range, the cumulative image being obtained by cumulative addition of each pixel value in a plurality of images, the plurality of images being of the object sequentially captured with the predetermined exposure time. The high-quality image generation section generates a high-quality image, the high-quality image being obtained by subtracting a pixel value in the ambient-light image from a corresponding pixel value in a normalized image, the normalized image being the cumulative image normalized based on a total sum of the exposure time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An imaging system, comprising:
a lighting unit; an image capturing unit configured to capture at least two images of an object captured at different times; and an image processing unit configured to process the at least two images from the image capturing unit, wherein the image processing unit includes a combining unit configured to add and combine the at least two images based on a first predetermined ratio.

2 . The imaging system according to claim 1 , further comprising a light turning-off detection unit configured to determine whether or not the lighting unit is turned off, the lighting unit being a light source different from a light source from which light is initially emitted for illumination of the object, wherein when the lighting unit is determined as being turned off, the image is captured.

3 . The imaging system according to claim 2 , wherein the lighting unit is turned on during imaging in a time range after the image is captured.

4 . The imaging system according to claim 3 , wherein the lighting unit is held by a user, and is moved in an arc.

5 . The imaging system according to claim 1 , further comprising
an image generation unit configured to generate one or more cumulative images by performing cumulative addition of a plurality of images of the object captured in a time range, the cumulative addition being performed by classifying the plurality of images by direction based on information specifying toward which directions the lighting unit emits light, and a high-quality image generation unit configured to generate another high-quality image by combining a plurality of high-quality images based on a second predetermined ratio, wherein each of the plurality of high-quality images being obtained by subtracting a pixel value in an image from a corresponding pixel value in a normalized image, the normalized image being each of the one or more cumulative images classified by direction and normalized based on the total sum of the exposure time.

6 . The imaging system according to claim 5 , further comprising a display unit configured to produce an image display, wherein the display unit is configured to display a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for specifying the second predetermined ratio of combining the plurality of high-quality images.

7 . The imaging system according to claim 5 , wherein the image generation unit is configured to divide the time range into a plurality of short time ranges, and perform the cumulative addition of the plurality of images of the object captured in the time range by classifying the plurality of images by the short time range, and the high-quality image generation unit is configured to generate another high-quality image by combining the plurality of high-quality images at the second predetermined ratio, each of the plurality of high-quality images being obtained by subtracting the pixel value in the image from the corresponding pixel value in another normalized image, the other normalized image being each of the cumulative images classified by the short time range and normalized based on the total sum of the exposure time.

8 . The imaging system according to claim 7 , further comprising a display unit configured to produce an image display, wherein the display unit is configured to display a GUI for specifying the second predetermined ratio of combining the plurality of high-quality images.

9 . The imaging system according to claim 5 , further comprising a display unit configured to produce an image display, wherein in the time range, the high-quality image is sequentially displayed on the display unit.

10 . The imaging system according to claim 9 , wherein a gain shows a gradual increase before a lapse of a predetermined time in the time range, the gain being multiplied to a luminance value of a pixel in the high-quality image displayed on the display unit.

11 . The imaging system according to claim 9 , wherein a gain shows a gradual increase before a maximum luminance value of a pixel in the cumulative image reaches a predetermined value, the gain being multiplied to a luminance value of a pixel in the high-quality image displayed on the display unit.

12 . The imaging system according to claim 5 , wherein in the image, a weight coefficient is multiplied to each of the pixel values in the plurality of images to prevent a per-image proportional contribution of the plurality of images from being lower than a predetermined value, the plurality of images being captured in the time range.

13 . The imaging system according to claim 12 , wherein occurrence of specular reflection on a surface of the object is detected based on a change of a pixel value in the cumulative image, and the weight coefficient is changed in value to reduce the proportional contribution of the image observed with the specular reflection.

14 . The imaging system according to claim 5 , wherein the second predetermined ratio is a ratio of weight coefficient.

15 . The imaging system according to claim 5 , wherein an initial cumulative image of the one or more cumulative images corresponds to an image which is entirely black.

16 . The imaging system according to claim 15 , wherein the cumulative image after the initial cumulative image is obtained by adding the initial cumulative image and an image of the plurality of images captured in the time range.

17 . The imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein by a predetermined computing process performed on the pixel values, a lighting color is changed to illuminate the object in the captured images.

18 . The imaging system according to claim 1 , wherein the first predetermined ratio is a ratio of weight coefficient.

19 . An imaging method, comprising:
capturing, by an image capturing unit, at least two images of an object at different times; and perform processing, by an image processing unit, on the at least two captured images, wherein the processing is performed by adding and combining the at least two images based on a first predetermined ratio.

20 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon, a set of computer-executable instructions causing a computer to perform steps comprising:
capturing at least two images of an object at different times; and perform processing on the at least two captured images, wherein the processing is performed by adding and combining the at least two images based on a first predetermined ratio.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Shioya Hiroyuki

Classifications

• H04N23/631

  Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters · CPC title

• H04N23/743 Primary

  Bracketing, i.e. taking a series of images with varying exposure conditions · CPC title

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• H04N23/72

  Combination of two or more compensation controls · CPC title

• H04N23/56 Primary

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title