IP Library Granted Patent US 11,297,228
Granted Patent B2
US 11,297,228 · App. 16/601,594 · Granted Apr 5, 2022

Image processing apparatus, imaging apparatus, image processing method, and program

Inventor: Shuji Ono (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
H04N5/23229G06T5/50G06T2207/20212G06T2207/30181
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,297,228
App. No.
16/601,594
Granted
Apr 5, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image processing apparatus 500 includes an image obtaining unit 501 that obtains a plurality of frame images of the same scene including a water surface having a wave, a brightness value calculation unit 503 that calculates a brightness value corresponding to a minute region constituting each frame image based on the plurality of frame images, a pixel value extraction unit 505 that extracts a pixel value corresponding to the minute region of a frame image in which the brightness value of the minute region is a brightness value lower than the brightness value of the minute region of another frame image in the plurality of frame images, a storage unit 507 that stores the pixel value extracted by the pixel value extraction unit 505 , and a composite image generation unit 509 that generates a composite image corresponding to the scene based on the pixel value stored in the storage unit 507.

Claims (30)

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to:

obtain a plurality of frame images of a same scene including a water surface having a wave, each frame image including a plurality of minute regions;

wherein each minute region of a frame image has a corresponding minute region in each of the other frame images respectively, wherein the corresponding minute regions of the frame images are defined as a set, and a total number of sets is equal to the number of minute regions in one frame image,

calculate a brightness value for each of the minute regions of each frame image respectively to obtain a plurality of brightness values, wherein a number of the plurality of frame images is greater than 2, and the minute region is a region of one pixel in each frame image;

for each set of corresponding minute regions, extract a pixel value corresponding to the minute region of a frame image in which the brightness value of the minute region is a minimum as compared to the brightness values of the minute region of other frame images in the plurality of frame images;

store the pixel value of each set extracted by the processor to obtain a plurality of pixel values; and

generate a composite image corresponding to the scene based on the plurality of pixel values stored in the processor.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the wave is an artificially generated wave.

3. An imaging apparatus comprising:

the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 ,

wherein the same scene including the water surface having the wave is imaged by fixing the imaging apparatus at a fixed point.

5. The imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:

a polarization filter through which a luminous flux of the same scene including the water surface having the wave passes.

6. An image processing method comprising:

an image obtaining step of obtaining a plurality of frame images of a same scene including a water surface having a wave, each frame image including a plurality of minute regions;

wherein each minute region of a frame image has a corresponding minute region in each of the other frame images respectively, wherein the corresponding minute regions of the frame images are defined as a set, and a total number of sets is equal to the number of minute regions in one frame image,

a brightness value calculation step of calculating a brightness value for each of the minute regions of each frame image respectively to obtain a plurality of brightness values, wherein a number of the plurality of frame images is greater than 2, and the minute region is a region of one pixel in each frame image;

a pixel value extraction step of, for each set of corresponding minute regions, extracting a pixel value corresponding to the minute region of a frame image in which the brightness value of the minute region is a minimum as compared to the brightness values of the minute region of other frame images in the plurality of frame images;

a storage step of storing the pixel value of each set extracted in the pixel value extraction step to obtain a plurality of pixel values; and

a composite image generation step of generating a composite image corresponding to the scene based on the plurality of pixel values stored in the storage step.

7. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a program causing a computer to execute an image processing process comprising:

an image obtaining step of obtaining a plurality of frame images of a same scene including a water surface having a wave, each frame image including a plurality of minute regions;

wherein each minute region of a frame image has a corresponding minute region in each of the other frame images respectively, wherein the corresponding minute regions of the frame images are defined as a set, and a total number of sets is equal to the number of minute regions in one frame image,

a brightness value calculation step of calculating a brightness value for each of the minute regions of each frame image respectively to obtain a plurality of brightness values, wherein a number of the plurality of frame images is greater than 2, and the minute region is a region of one pixel in each frame image;

a pixel value extraction step of, for each set of corresponding minute regions, extracting a pixel value corresponding to the minute region of a frame image in which the brightness value of the minute region is a minimum as compared to the brightness values of the minute region of other frame images in the plurality of frame images;

a storage step of storing the pixel value of each set extracted in the pixel value extraction step to obtain a plurality of pixel values; and

a composite image generation step of generating a composite image corresponding to the scene based on the plurality of pixel values stored in the storage step.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 20, 2019
From: ONO, SHUJI
To: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 050769/0016 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2017-086452 · Apr 25, 2017 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2018014349 · Apr 4, 2018
Related Publication 20200043203A1 · Feb 6, 2020