Image processor, image processing method, and digital camera

1. An image processor for use in an imaging system that generates at least one of a still image or a video image from an original image output from an imaging device and having pixels of a plurality of colors arranged in a color array with a periodicity and records the at least one of the still image or the video image, the image processor comprising:

a pretreatment section configured to generate a plurality of reduced-size images with respect to the original image;

a memory section configured to hold the reduced-size images temporarily via a memory control section;

a face information detector configured to detect face information via the memory control section with respect to one of the reduced-size images read out from the memory section; and

a central processing unit configured to perform at least one of focus control or exposure control for a specific area based on the face information detected by the face information detector, wherein

the pretreatment section includes

a first horizontal reduction resizing processor configured to reduce, in an input line direction, the original image to a reduced-size image of an arbitrary size, and to store the reduced-size image of the arbitrary size temporarily,

a plurality of vertical reduction resizing processors each configured to read the reduced-size image reduced in the input line direction from the memory section by the first horizontal reduction resizing processor, and to reduce the reduced-size image to an image of an arbitrary size in a vertical direction orthogonal to the input line direction, and

a plurality of second horizontal reduction resizing processors each configured to reduce reduced-size images reduced in size in the horizontal and vertical directions and obtained by the vertical reduction resizing processors again to images of an arbitrary size in the input line direction.

2. The image processor of claim 1 , wherein

when the pretreatment section generates n types, where n is an integer of four or more, of reduced-size images,

the first horizontal reduction resizing processor reduces the original image to an image of a horizontally reduced size of one of the n-types of reduced-size images having a largest horizontal image size, with a ratio K 1 ,

one of the vertical reduction resizing processors reduces the reduced-size image reduced with the ratio K 1 in the input line direction, with the ratio K 1 in the vertical direction,

another of the vertical reduction resizing processors reduces the reduced-size image reduced with the ratio K 1 in the input line direction, with a ratio K 2 in the vertical direction,

yet another of the vertical reduction resizing processors reduces the reduced-size image reduced with the ratio K 1 in the input line direction, with a ratio K 3 in the vertical direction,

each of the other (n−3) vertical reduction resizing processors reduces the reduced-size image reduced with the ratio K 1 in the input line direction, with a ratio Kn in the vertical direction,

the number of the second horizontal reduction resizing processors is n−1,

one of the second horizontal reduction resizing processors reduces the reduced-size image reduced with the ratio K 2 in the vertical direction, with a coefficient M 2 satisfying a relationship of K 1 *M 2 =K 2 in the input line direction,

another one of the second horizontal reduction resizing processors reduces the reduced-size image reduced with the ratio K 3 in the vertical direction, with a coefficient M 3 satisfying a relationship of K 1 *M 3 =K 3 in the input line direction, and

each of the other second horizontal reduction resizing processors reduces the reduced-size image reduced with the ratio Kn in the vertical direction, with a coefficient Mn satisfying a relationship of K 1 *Mn=Kn in the input line direction.

3. The image processor of claim 1 , wherein

when the pretreatment section generates a reduced-size image for face detection from the original image, the pretreatment section generates a reduced image of a luminance signal component having no color carrier components by performing:

a color carrier removal process in the input line direction; and

a color carrier removal process in the vertical direction.

4. The image processor of claim 1 , wherein

among the plurality of reduced-size images generated by the pretreatment section, an image having a largest horizontal image size is an image for video recording conforming to a high-definition video standard, and

each of the other reduced-size image(s) is an image for display or image recognition such as face recognition.

5. The image processor of claim 1 , wherein

the original image is an image obtained by using a single-sensor color imaging device and has a plurality of pixels of colors arranged in a color array with a periodicity through a primary color filter.

6. The image processor of claim 1 , wherein

the pretreatment section generates a plurality of reduced-size images in a first frame period in which the original image is input to the image processor, and

the face information detector detects face information in a second frame period subsequent to the first frame period.

7. An image processing method for use in an imaging system that generates at least one of a still image or a video image from an original image output from an imaging device and having pixels of a plurality of colors arranged in a color array with a periodicity and records the at least one of the still image or the video image, the method comprising:

a pretreatment step of generating a plurality of reduced-size images with respect to the original image;

a face information detection step of detecting face information with respect to one of the reduced-size images; and

an imaging control step of performing at least one of focus control or exposure control for a specific area based on the face information detected in the face information detection step, wherein

the pretreatment step include

a first horizontal reduction resizing process of reducing, in an input line direction, the original image to an image of an arbitrary size,

a plurality of vertical reduction resizing processes of each reducing the reduced-size image that has been reduced in the input line direction in the first horizontal reduction resizing process to an image of an arbitrary size in a vertical direction orthogonal to the input line direction, and

a plurality of second horizontal reduction resizing processes of each reducing reduced-size images that have been reduced in size in the horizontal and vertical directions and obtained in the vertical reduction resizing processes again to images of an arbitrary size in the input line direction.

8. The image processing method of claim 7 , wherein

when n-types, where n is an integer of four or more, of reduced-size images are generated in the pretreatment step,

in the first horizontal reduction resizing process, the original image is reduced to an image of a horizontally reduced size of one of the n-types of reduced-size images having a largest horizontal image size, with a ratio K 1 ,

in one of the vertical reduction resizing processes, the reduced-size image that has been reduced with the ratio K 1 in the input line direction, is reduced with the ratio K 1 in the vertical direction,

in another of the vertical reduction resizing processes, the reduced-size image that has been reduced with the ratio K 1 in the input line direction is reduced with a ratio K 2 in the vertical direction,

in yet another of the vertical reduction resizing processes, the reduced-size image that has been reduced with the ratio K 1 in the input line direction is reduced with a ratio K 3 in the vertical direction,

in each of the other (n−3) vertical reduction resizing processes, the reduced-size image that has been reduced with the ratio K 1 in the input line direction is reduced with a ratio Kn in the vertical direction,

the number of the second horizontal reduction resizing processes is n−1,

in one of the second horizontal reduction resizing processes, the reduced-size image that has been reduced with the ratio K 2 in the vertical direction is reduced in the input line direction with a coefficient M 2 satisfying a relationship of K 1 *M 2 =K 2 ,

in another of the second horizontal reduction resizing processes, the reduced-size image that has been reduced with the ratio K 3 in the vertical direction is reduced in the input line direction with a coefficient M 3 satisfying a relationship of K 1 *M 3 =K 3 ,

in each of the other (n−3) second horizontal reduction resizing processes, the reduced-size image that has been reduced with the ratio Kn in the vertical direction is reduced in the input line direction with a coefficient Mn satisfying a relationship of K 1 *Mn=Kn.

9. The image processing method of claim 7 , wherein

in the pretreatment step,

when generating a reduced-size image for face detection from the original image, a reduced-size image of a luminance signal component having no color carrier components is generated by performing:

a color carrier removal process concurrently with the first horizontal reduction resizing process; and

a color carrier removal process concurrently with the vertical reduction resizing process.

10. The image processing method of claim 7 , wherein

among the plurality of reduced-size images generated in the pretreatment step, an image having a largest horizontal image size is an image for video recording conforming to a high-definition video standard, and

each of the other reduced-size image(s) is an image for display or image recognition such as face recognition.

11. The image processing method of claim 7 , wherein

the original image is an image obtained by using a single-sensor color imaging device and has a plurality of pixels of colors arranged in a color array with a periodicity through a primary color filter.

12. The image processing method of claim 7 , wherein

in the pretreatment step, a plurality of reduced-size images are generated in a first frame period in which the original image is input in the pretreatment step, and

in the face information detection step, face information is detected in a second frame period subsequent to the first frame period.

13. A digital camera comprising the image processor defined in claim 1 .