Apparatus, method, and computer-readable storage device for generating composite image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9948867-B2
Application number	US-201615066422-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2016
Priority date	Mar 10, 2015
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus including a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to: perform a selection operation of selecting one or more pickup images among a time-sequential series of pickup images; perform a correction operation to correct a brightness of the one or more pickup images selected by the selection operation; and generate a composite image based on: one or more pickup images among the series of pickup images not selected; and a result of the correction operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to:
perform a selection operation of selecting one or more pickup images among a time-sequential series of pickup images;
perform a correction operation to correct a brightness of the one or more pickup images selected by the selection operation; and
generate a composite image based on:
one or more pickup images among the series of pickup images not selected; and
a result of the correction operation,

wherein the selection operation comprises:
distinguishing a character portion and an unnecessary portion in the time-sequential series of pickup images based on a handwritten character stroke recognition dictionary; and
selecting the one or more pickup images among the time-sequential series of pickup images, wherein the one or more pickup images contain the unnecessary portion.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
generate one or more integrated images by integrating image signals of a plurality of pickup images among the time-sequential series of pickup images, and

wherein the selection operation of selecting one or more pickup images among the time-sequential series of pickup images comprises:
selecting at least one of the one or more integrated images; and
selecting the one or more pickup images among the time-sequential series of pickup images based on the at least one of the one or more integrated images selected.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
control a display to display one or more thumbnail images corresponding to the one or more integrated images, and

wherein selecting the at least one of the one or more integrated images comprises accepting a selection operation that selects at least one of the one or more thumbnail images displayed by the display that corresponds to the at least one of the one or more integrated images selected.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
control a display to display the one or more integrated images in time sequence in which the one or more integrated images are generated, and

wherein selecting the at least one of the one or more integrated images comprises:
accepting a selection operation that indicates a time period during display of the one or more integrated images; and
selecting the at least one of the one or more integrated images displayed during the time period.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the selection operation comprises:
distinguishing the character portion and the unnecessary portion in the one or more integrated images based on the handwritten character stroke recognition dictionary.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the correction operation comprises correcting a brightness of the one or more pickup images selected by the selection operation such that the brightness of the one or more pickup images is lowered.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the correction operation comprises deleting the one or more pickup images selected by the selection operation.

8. A method comprising:
performing a selection operation of selecting one or more pickup images among a time-sequential series of pickup images;
performing a correction operation to correct a brightness of the one or more pickup images selected by the selection operation; and
generating a composite image based on:
one or more pickup images among the series of pickup images not selected; and
a result of the correction operation,

wherein the selection operation comprises:
distinguishing a character portion and an unnecessary portion in the time-sequential series of pickup images based on a handwritten character stroke recognition dictionary; and
selecting the one or more pickup images among the time-sequential series of pickup images, wherein the one or more pickup images contain the unnecessary portion.

9. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to:
perform a selection operation of selecting one or more pickup images among a time-sequential series of pickup images;
perform a correction operation to correct a brightness of the one or more pickup images selected by the selection operation; and
generate a composite image based on:
one or more pickup images among the series of pickup images not selected; and
a result of the correction operation,

wherein the selection operation comprises:
distinguishing a character portion and an unnecessary portion in the time-sequential series of pickup images based on a handwritten character stroke recognition dictionary; and
selecting the one or more pickup images among the time-sequential series of pickup images, wherein the one or more pickup images contain the unnecessary portion.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Fukuya Yoshiyuki
• Kanda Kazuo
• Shima Nobuyuki
• Hoshino Tomohiro

Classifications

• H04N23/80

  Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• H04N5/2621 Primary

  Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability · CPC title

• H04N23/64

  Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image · CPC title

• H04N23/743 Primary

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