Camera, distortion correction device and distortion correction method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9313411-B2
Application number	US-201113995201-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2011
Priority date	Jan 6, 2011
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

An electronic zoom and distortion correction processing unit ( 104 ) performs electronic zooming and distortion correction of a distorted image by re-mapping the pixels of the distorted image. In accordance with a specified electronic zoom factor (S 1 ), a re-mapping control unit ( 110 ) controls re-mapping by the electronic zoom and distortion correction processing unit ( 104 ) such that the correction factor (S 4 ) of the distortion correction processing is changed in addition to the electronic zoom factor of the electronic zoom processing. By this means, the correction factor (S 4 ) is changed in accordance with the specified electronic zoom factor (S 1 ), and distorted images can be appropriately corrected while preventing denaturing of the images.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A camera comprising:
a lens that forms an image of a subject;
an imaging sensor that acquires a captured image signal by converting an optical image formed by the lens into an electrical signal;
an electronic zoom and distortion correction processor that performs an electronic zooming process on the captured image signal in accordance with a user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio and a distortion correction process on the captured image signal in accordance with an adjustable correction factor; and
a zoom-angle-of-view calculator that calculates an electronic zoom angle of view based on the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio and an angle of view of the lens, wherein
the correction factor is adjusted in accordance with the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio, and wherein
the electronic zoom and distortion correction processor changes the correction factor of the distortion correction process in accordance with the electronic zoom angle of view calculated by the zoom-angle-of-view calculator,
wherein a value of the correction factor of distortion correction of a straight vertical line is greater than a value of the correction factor of distortion correction of a straight horizontal line which is changed in accordance with the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio.

2. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic zoom and distortion correction processor further changes the correction factor of the distortion correction process in accordance with the angle of view of the lens.

3. The camera according to claim 1 , further comprising a correction status superimposer that superimposes a distortion correction status based on the correction factor on the image on which the electronic zooming process and the distortion correction process have been performed.

4. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the correction factor is independently controlled in horizontal and vertical directions.

5. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the value of the correction factor of distortion correction of the straight vertical line is 100%.

6. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the angle of view of the lens is user-designated.

7. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the value of the correction factor of distortion correction of the straight vertical line is fixed.

8. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the value of the correction factor of distortion correction of the straight horizontal line is changed to allow curvature, in accordance with the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio.

9. The camera according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic zoom angle of view is a degree value.

10. A distortion correction apparatus associated with a camera and a lens, comprising:
an electronic zoom and distortion correction processor that performs an electronic zooming process on a distorted image in accordance with a user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio and an angle of view of the lens, and a distortion correction process on the distorted image by remapping pixels of the distorted image in accordance with an adjustable correction factor; and
a remapping controller that controls the remapping performed by the electronic zoom and distortion correction processor such that the correction factor is adjusted in accordance with the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio and the angle of view of the lens,
wherein a value of the correction factor of distortion correction of a straight vertical line is greater than a value of the correction factor of distortion correction of a straight horizontal line which is changed in accordance with the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio.

11. The distortion correction apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the angle of view of the lens is user-designated.

12. The camera according to claim 10 , wherein an electronic zoom angle of view comprising a degree value is calculated based on the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio and the angle of view of the lens.

13. A distortion correction method associated with a camera and a lens, comprising:
performing an electronic zooming process and a distortion correction process on a distorted image by remapping pixels of the distorted image in accordance with a user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio;
calculating an electronic zoom angle of view based on the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio and an angle of view of the lens; and
controlling the remapping by adjusting a correction factor in accordance with the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio,
wherein the electronic zoom and distortion correction process changes the correction factor of the distortion correction process in accordance with the calculated electronic zoom angle of view,
wherein a value of the correction factor of distortion correction of a straight vertical line is greater than a value of the correction factor of distortion correction of a straight horizontal line which is changed in accordance with the user-designated electronic zoom magnification ratio.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the electronic zoom and distortion correction process further changes the correction factor of the distortion correction process in accordance with the angle of view of the lens.

15. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising superimposing a distortion correction status based on the correction factor on the image on which the electronic zooming process and the distortion correction process have been performed.

16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the correction factor is controlled independently in horizontal and vertical directions.

17. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the value of the correction factor of distortion correction of the straight vertical line is 100%.

18. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the angle of view of the lens is user-designated.

19. The camera according to claim 13 , wherein the electronic zoom angle of view is a degree value.

Assignees

• Morimura Atsushi
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Morimura Atsushi

Classifications

• H04N23/69 Primary

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• H04N25/61

  the noise originating only from the lens unit, e.g. flare, shading, vignetting or "cos4" · CPC title

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N5/23238

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06T3/0062

  Physics · mapped topic