Image processing apparatus and image processing method

1. An image processing apparatus which derives an angle of inclination of an image, the image processing apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory memory device storing a program; and

a hardware processor that executes the program and causes the image processing apparatus to operate as:

an edge angle calculation unit configured to calculate a plurality of edge angles corresponding to a plurality of pixels in the image by calculating, in each of the pixels, an edge angle that is an angle of an edge;

a use angle identification unit configured to identify one or more use angles using a plurality of depth values and the edge angles, the one or more use angles each being the edge angle and each being a candidate for the angle of inclination, the depth values corresponding to the pixels and each indicating a depth of a corresponding one of the pixels, the use angle identification unit including:

a histogram generation unit configured to generate a plurality of histograms by generating, for each depth level, a histogram of the edge angles calculated by the edge angle calculation unit, the depth level indicating a degree of the depth values; and

a use angle identification processing unit configured to identify, as the one or more use angles, one or more of the edge angles which meets a predetermined condition in the histograms; and

an inclination angle derivation unit configured to derive the angle of inclination from the one or more use angles.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the use angle identification unit is configured to identify, as the one or more use angles, one or more edge angles each having a frequency higher than or equal to a predetermined frequency from among the edge angles which correspond to a plurality of the pixels and have a degree of depth variance lower than or equal to a predetermined degree of depth variance, the degree of depth variance indicating a degree of variance of the depth values.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the use angle identification processing unit is configured to identify, as the one or more use angles, one or more of the edge angles which has a frequency higher than or equal to a predetermined frequency in any of the histograms.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the use angle identification processing unit is configured to identify, as the one or more use angles, one or more of the edge angles which has a highest frequency in the histograms.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the use angle identification processing unit is configured to identify, as the one or more use angles, one or more of the edge angles which has a local maximum frequency in any of the histograms.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the use angle identification unit includes:

a candidate use angle identification processing unit configured to identify a plurality of candidate use angles that are a plurality of the edge angles which meet a predetermined condition in the histogram, the candidate use angles being a plurality of candidates for the one or more use angles, and

the use angle identification processing unit obtains a plurality of degrees of depth variance corresponding to the candidate use angles by obtaining a degree of depth variance for each of the candidate use angles, and identifies the one or more use angles from among the candidate use angles based on the degrees of depth variance, the degree of depth variance indicating a degree of variance of the depth values.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6 ,

wherein the use angle identification processing unit is configured to identify, as the one or more use angles, at least one of the candidate use angles that corresponds to the degree of depth variance which is lower than or equal to a predetermined degree of depth variance.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6 ,

wherein the candidate use angle identification processing unit is configured to identify, as the candidate use angles, a plurality of the edge angles each having a frequency higher than or equal to a predetermined frequency in the histogram.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising

an inclination correction unit configured to correct inclination of the image using the angle of inclination derived by the inclination angle derivation unit.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the inclination angle derivation unit is configured to derive, as the angle of inclination, (i) a mean value of the one or more use angles or (ii) any of the one or more use angles.

11. An image processing method for an image processing apparatus for deriving an angle of inclination of an image, the image processing apparatus includes a non-transitory memory device storing a program, and a hardware processor that executes the program and causes the image processing apparatus to perform the image processing method comprising:

calculating a plurality of edge angles corresponding to a plurality of pixels in the image by calculating, in each of the pixels, an edge angle that is an angle of an edge;

identifying one or more use angles using a plurality of depth values and the edge angles, the one or more use angles each being the edge angle and each being a candidate for the angle of inclination, the depth values corresponding to the pixels and each indicating a depth of a corresponding one of the pixels, the identifying of the one or more use angles includes:

generating a plurality of histograms by generating, for each depth level, a histogram of the edge angles calculated by the edge angle calculation unit, the depth level indicating a degree of the depth values; and

identifying, as the one or more use angles, one or more of the edge angles which meets a predetermined condition in the histograms; and

deriving the angle of inclination from the one or more use angles.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute the image processing method according to claim 11 .

13. An integrated circuit which derives an angle of inclination of an image, the integrated circuit comprising:

a non-transitory memory device storing a program; and

a hardware processor that executes the program and causes the integrated circuit to operate as:

an edge angle calculation unit configured to calculate a plurality of edge angles corresponding to a plurality of pixels in the image by calculating, in each of the pixels, an edge angle that is an angle of an edge;

a use angle identification unit configured to identify one or more use angles using a plurality of depth values and the edge angles, the one or more use angles each being the edge angle and each being a candidate for the angle of inclination, the depth values corresponding to the pixels and each indicating a depth of a corresponding one of the pixels, the use angle identification unit including:

a histogram generation unit configured to generate a plurality of histograms by generating, for each depth level, a histogram of the edge angles calculated by the edge angle calculation unit, the depth level indicating a degree of the depth values; and

a use angle identification processing unit configured to identify, as the one or more use angles, one or more of the edge angles which meets a predetermined condition in the histograms; and

an inclination angle derivation unit configured to derive the angle of inclination from the one or more use angles.