IP Library Granted Patent US 10,027,938
Granted Patent B2
US 10,027,938 · App. 15/372,965 · Granted Jul 17, 2018

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

Inventors: Shinya Fujiwara (Saitama, JP); Taro Saito (Saitama, JP)
Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
H04N9/73H04N9/04
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,027,938
App. No.
15/372,965
Granted
Jul 17, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image processing device includes a first image acquisition unit that acquires each of a first imaging signal indicating a flash emission image and a second imaging signal indicating a flash non-emission image, a second image acquisition unit that acquires a third imaging signal indicating a difference between the first imaging signal and the second imaging signal that have been acquired, a third image acquisition unit that acquires a fourth imaging signal obtained by multiplying the acquired third imaging signal by a white balance gain for a flash for removing an influence due to color of the flash light, a color signal acquisition unit that acquires a color signal indicating a first color of each area in an imaging screen on the basis of the acquired fourth imaging signal, and a first white balance gain calculation unit.

Claims (65)

1. An image processing device, comprising:

a processor configured to:

acquire each of a first imaging signal indicating a flash emission image captured with emission of flash light and a second imaging signal indicating a flash non-emission image captured without emission of the flash light;

acquire a third imaging signal indicating a difference between the first imaging signal and the second imaging signal that have been acquired;

acquire a fourth imaging signal obtained by multiplying the acquired third imaging signal by a white balance gain for a flash for removing an influence due to color of the flash light;

acquire a color signal indicating a first color of each area in an imaging screen on the basis of the acquired fourth imaging signal; and

calculate, for each area, a white balance gain for correcting a color signal indicating a second color in each area of an imaging signal of an image subjected to main exposure using a color signal indicating the first color in the same area.

2. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to perform white balance correction on the imaging signal of the image subjected to main exposure for each area on the basis of the white balance gain for each area calculated by the processor.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a white balance gain for all areas on the basis of the white balance gain for each area calculated by the processor.

4. The image processing device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to perform weighted averaging on the white balance gain for each area calculated by the processor to calculate a white balance gain for all areas.

5. The image processing device according to claim 4 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to increase a weight for an area with a low chroma according to a chroma of the first color of each area indicated by the color signal acquired by the processor when the white balance gain for each area is subjected to weighted averaging.

6. The image processing device according to claim 4 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a brightness value of each area in the imaging screen on the basis of the third imaging signal acquired by the processor, and

wherein the processor is further configured to decrease a weight of an area with a low brightness value on the basis of the brightness value of each area calculated by the processor when the white balance gain for each area is subjected to weighted averaging.

7. The image processing device according to claim 5 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a brightness value of each area in the imaging screen on the basis of the third imaging signal acquired by the processor, and

wherein the processor is further configured to decrease a weight of an area with a low brightness value on the basis of the brightness value of each area calculated by the processor when the white balance gain for each area is subjected to weighted averaging.

8. The image processing device according to claim 4 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a brightness value of each area in the imaging screen on the basis of the first imaging signal acquired by the processor or the third imaging signal acquired by the processor, and

wherein the processor is further configured to decrease a weight of an area in which a brightness value is higher than a threshold value for determining saturation of the first imaging signal on the basis of the brightness value of each area calculated by the processor when the white balance gain for each area is subjected to weighted averaging.

9. The image processing device according to claim 5 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a brightness value of each area in the imaging screen on the basis of the first imaging signal acquired by the processor or the third imaging signal acquired by the processor, and

wherein the processor is further configured to decrease a weight of an area in which a brightness value is higher than a threshold value for determining saturation of the first imaging signal on the basis of the brightness value of each area calculated by the processor when the white balance gain for each area is subjected to weighted averaging.

10. The image processing device according to claim 6 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a brightness value of each area in the imaging screen on the basis of the first imaging signal acquired by the processor or the third imaging signal acquired by the processor, and

wherein the processor is further configured to decrease a weight of an area in which a brightness value is higher than a threshold value for determining saturation of the first imaging signal on the basis of the brightness value of each area calculated by the processor when the white balance gain for each area is subjected to weighted averaging.

11. The image processing device according to claim 7 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a brightness value of each area in the imaging screen on the basis of the first imaging signal acquired by the processor or the third imaging signal acquired by the processor, and

wherein the processor is further configured to decrease a weight of an area in which a brightness value is higher than a threshold value for determining saturation of the first imaging signal on the basis of the brightness value of each area calculated by the processor when the white balance gain for each area is subjected to weighted averaging.

12. The image processing device according to claim 3 ,

wherein to processor is further configured to perform white balance correction on the imaging signal of the image subjected to main exposure on the basis of the white balance gains for all areas calculated by the processor.

13. The image processing device according to claim 4 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to perform white balance correction on the imaging signal of the image subjected to main exposure on the basis of the white balance gains for all areas calculated by the processor.

14. The image processing device according to claim 5 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to perform white balance correction on the imaging signal of the image subjected to main exposure on the basis of the white balance gains for all areas calculated by the processor.

15. The image processing device according to claim 6 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to perform white balance correction on the imaging signal of the image subjected to main exposure on the basis of the white balance gains for all areas calculated by the processor.

16. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the flash light reaches a subject; and

execute calculation of a white balance gain for each area only when the processor determines that the flash light reaches the subject.

17. The image processing device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether or not flash light reaches each area on the basis of the third imaging signal acquired by the processor, and

wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a white balance gain for each area only when the processor determines that the flash light reaches the area.

18. An imaging device, comprising:

a flash light emitting unit;

an imaging unit that captures a flash emission image for which flash light is emitted from the flash light emitting unit and a flash non-emission image for which the flash light is not emitted, and outputs imaging signals indicating the flash emission image and the flash non-emission image; and

the image processing device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the processor acquires the imaging signals indicating the flash emission image and the flash non-emission image output from the imaging unit as the first imaging signal and the second imaging signal.

19. An image processing method, comprising steps of:

acquiring each of a first imaging signal indicating a flash emission image captured with emission of flash light and a second imaging signal indicating a flash non-emission image captured without emission of the flash light;

acquiring a third imaging signal indicating a difference between the first imaging signal and the second imaging signal that have been acquired;

acquiring a fourth imaging signal obtained by multiplying the acquired third imaging signal by a white balance gain for a flash for removing an influence due to color of the flash light;

acquiring a color signal indicating a first color of each area in an imaging screen on the basis of the acquired fourth imaging signal; and

calculating, for each area, a white balance gain for correcting a color signal indicating a second color in each area of an imaging signal of an image subjected to main exposure using a color signal indicating the first color in the same area.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable tangible medium recording an image processing program that causes a computer to execute steps of:

acquiring each of a first imaging signal indicating a flash emission image captured with emission of flash light and a second imaging signal indicating a flash non-emission image captured without emission of the flash light;

acquiring a third imaging signal indicating a difference between the first imaging signal and the second imaging signal that have been acquired;

acquiring a fourth imaging signal obtained by multiplying the acquired third imaging signal by a white balance gain for a flash for removing an influence due to color of the flash light;

acquiring a color signal indicating a first color of each area in an imaging screen on the basis of the acquired fourth imaging signal; and

calculating, for each area, a white balance gain for correcting a color signal indicating a second color in each area of an imaging signal of an image subjected to main exposure using a color signal indicating the first color in the same area.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2016
From: FUJIWARA, SHINYA; SAITO, TARO
To: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 040699/0821 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2014-140429 · Jul 8, 2014 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2015062695 · Apr 27, 2015
Related Publication 20170094241A1 · Mar 30, 2017
Cited By (1)
US 12,254,532