IP Library Granted Patent US 10,250,819
Granted Patent B2
US 10,250,819 · App. 15/600,971 · Granted Apr 2, 2019

Image processing apparatus and image processing method

Inventors: Kazuya Hosono (Chofu, JP); Hiroaki Iwasaki (Niiza, JP)
Assignee: Olympus Corporation
H04N5/2621H04N5/2356H04N5/23222H04N5/23232H04N5/23267H04N5/23293H04N5/772H04N9/8205H04N21/4854H04N21/42692
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,250,819
App. No.
15/600,971
Granted
Apr 2, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image processing apparatus, comprising a memory that stores first image data, and a processor that includes an image associated information processing section, wherein the image associated information processing section, for the image data of a single frame that has been taken at a plurality of shooting conditions, within the first image data that has been stored in the memory, acquires image region information, relating to an image region in which shooting is carried out at different shooting conditions, and image associated information of the image region, associates the image region information and the image associated information and subjects the first image data to image processing, and generates second image data.

Claims (40)

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores first image data, and

a processor that includes an image associated information processing section, wherein

the image associated information processing section, for the image data of a single frame that has been taken at a plurality of shooting conditions, within the first image data that has been stored in the memory, acquires image region information, relating to image regions in which shooting is carried out at different shooting conditions, and image associated information of the image regions, associates the image region information and the image associated information and subjects the first image data to image processing, and generates second image data.

2. The image processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a display that displays the image region information and the image associated information superimposed on the first image data.

3. The image processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

an image sensor that generates image data from a subject image, wherein

image data for one frame that has been taken at the plurality of shooting conditions is image data that has been formed by the image sensor.

4. The image processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein

the image sensor is capable of varying shutter speed for every pixel or for every line, and shutter speed is treated as the image associated information.

5. The image processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the image associated information is at least one of shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, focal length and exposure control value (EV value), which are the shooting conditions for each image region.

6. The image processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the image associated information is at least one of a statistical value for pixel output, exposure offset amount or subject distance, which are values that are calculated using pixel output contained in each of the image regions.

7. The image processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein,

the processor further comprises:

a gain application section that applies gain to image output for every pixel or every line, and wherein

the image associated information processing section treats gain values as the image associated information.

8. The image processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein,

the processor further comprises:

an image combination section that combines image data of a plurality of frames, and wherein

image data for one frame that has been taken at the plurality of shooting conditions is image data that has been combined by the image combination section.

9. The image processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein,

the processor further comprises:

an image data generating section that stores image region information that has been associated with image data by the image associated information processing section, and image associated information for the image regions, as metadata of the image data.

10. The image processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a shooting condition input section that receives input of shooting conditions from a photographer, wherein

the image associated information processing section sets shooting conditions for each of the plurality of image regions in accordance with signals from the shooting condition input section.

11. The image processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein:

the image sensor carries out an actual shooting operation to shoot image data for a single frame at a plurality of shooting conditions, and

before actual shooting the image region information and the image associated information for at the time of the actual shooting operation are superimposed on the live view image data to be displayed.

12. An image processing method comprising:

carrying out shooting with different shooting conditions, and storing image data of a single frame,

extracting image associated information for the image data of a single frame, and

carrying out association of the image data of a single frame and the image associated information for each image region.

13. The image processing method of claim 12 , wherein

the image data for a single frame has different shooting conditions for each of the image regions of a single shot.

14. The image processing method of claim 12 , wherein

the image data for a single frame is generated by image combination of image data that has been acquired by carrying out shooting a plurality of times.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 1, 2021
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: OM DIGITAL SOLUTIONS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058294/0274 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 22, 2017
From: HOSONO, KAZUYA; IWASAKI, HIROAKI
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042452/0097 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2016-116299 · Jun 10, 2016 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170359524A1 · Dec 14, 2017
Cited By (2)
US 12,238,265 US 12,316,965