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

1. An image processing device for generating a color image, having a plurality of color information for each pixel, from a color mosaic image obtained from a Bayer pixel array filter equipped CCD with red (R), green next to the R in one direction of the pixel array (Gr), blue (B), and green next to the B in the one direction (Gb) pixels, wherein, at a pixel position in the color mosaic image with the R, Gr, Gb and B pixels as a single unified unit, a luminance (Y) is generated from a sum of R, Gr, Gb and B pixel signals and a first color difference is generated by subtracting the R pixel signal and the B pixel signal from a sum of the Gr pixel signal and the Gb pixel signal, the image processing device furthermore comprising:

a synchronization facility for generating a second color difference by calculating a difference between the R pixel signal and B pixel signal;

a pseudo-color suppression facility for suppressing pseudo-color in at least one of the first color difference and the second color difference; and

a color space conversion facility for converting the pseudo-color suppressed first color difference and/or second color difference, obtained from the pseudo-color suppression facility, using said luminance, into a determined color space for generating the color information.

2. The image processing device of claim 1 , comprising a pseudo-color information generation facility that generates at least one of a first parameter or second parameter expressing a high frequency component amount of a luminance in mutually differing directions.

3. The image processing device of claim 2 wherein the second parameter is a parameter expressing a difference between the Gr pixel signal and the Gb pixel signal.

4. The image processing device of claim 2 wherein the pseudo-color suppression facility is arranged to suppress the first color difference in accordance with the first parameter and is arranged to suppress the second color difference in accordance with the second parameter.

5. The image processing device according to claim 1 having a low frequency pass filter for removal of a high frequency component in the first color difference and second color difference obtained from the pseudo-color suppression facility.

6. The image processing device of claim 1 wherein the pseudo-color suppression facility is a low frequency pass filter for removing a high frequency component of the first color difference and the second color difference.

7. An imaging device comprising:

an image processing device for generating a color image, having a plurality of color information for each pixel, from a color mosaic image obtained from a Bayer pixel array filter equipped CCD with red (R), green next to the R in one direction of the pixel array (Or), blue (B), and green next to the B in the one direction (Gb) pixels, wherein, at a pixel position in the color mosaic image with the R, Gr, Gb and B pixels as a single unified unit, a luminance (Y) is generated from a sum of R, Gr, Gb and B pixel signals and a first color difference is generated by subtracting the R pixel signal and the B pixel signal from a sum of the Gr pixel signal and the Gb pixel signal, the image processing device furthermore comprising:

a synchronization facility for generating a second color difference by calculating a difference between the R pixel signal and B pixel signal;

a pseudo-color suppression facility for suppressing pseudo-color in at least one of the first color difference and the second color difference; and

a color space conversion facility for converting the pseudo-color suppressed first color difference and/or second color difference, obtained from the pseudo-color suppression facility, using said luminance, into a determined color space for generating the color information; and

an imaging optics system to image an object image to the CCD and wherein the image processing device generates a color image having the multiple color information of each pixel in accordance with the mosaic image signal output from the CCD.

8. The imaging device of claim 7 including an optical low-pass filter for suppression of luminance high frequency of an oblique direction on the color image pixel array, the optical low-pass filter being arranged in the incident light path forming the object image on the CCD, the cutoff of the optical low pass filter being associated with the color mosaic image pixel array direction, forming a quadrangle having a 45° angle in the color mosaic image frequency space and with the origin point of said space as its center, with the inside of the quadrangle being the transmission band.

9. An image processing method for generating a color image having a plurality of color information for each pixel from a color mosaic image from a Bayer pixel array filter equipped CCD with red (R), green next to the R in one direction of the pixel array (Gr), blue (B), and green next to the B in the one direction (Gb) pixels, wherein said method comprises:

generating a luminance (Y), at a pixel position in the color mosaic image with the R, Gr, Gb and B pixels as a single unified unit, from a sum of the R, Gr, Gb and B pixel signals;

generating a first color difference wherein the R pixel signal and the B pixel signal are subtracted from a sum of the Gr pixel signal and the Gb pixel signal;

generating a second color difference wherein a difference between the R pixel signal and B pixel signal is calculated;

suppressing pseudo-color in at least one of the first color difference and the second color difference; and

converting said first color difference and/or the second color difference, for which the suppressing pseudo-color step was applied, using said luminance, into a predetermined color space and generating the color information.

10. The image processing method according to claim 9 further comprising generating at least one parameter of a first parameter or a second parameter expressing a high frequency component amount of the luminance in mutually differing directions.

11. The image processing method according to claim 10 wherein said second parameter is a parameter expressing a difference between the Gr pixel signal and Gb pixel signal.

12. The image processing method according to claim 10 wherein in said suppressing pseudo-color step, the first color difference pseudo-color is suppressed in accordance with the first parameter and the second color difference pseudo-color is suppressed in accordance with the second parameter.

13. The image processing method according to claim 9 further comprising removing, using a low pass filter, a high frequency component from the pseudo color suppressed first color difference and second color difference obtained from the suppressing pseudo-color step.

14. The image processing method according to claim 9 wherein in said suppressing pseudo-color step the first color difference and second color difference high frequency component is removed using a low frequency pass filter.

15. The imaging method according to claim 9 further comprising generating a color image having a plurality of color information for each pixel in accordance with the image signal of the color mosaic image output, which uses a photo-optical system to introduce the image, from the CCD.

16. The imaging method according to claim 15 wherein in the incident light path forming the object image on the CCD, the color image pixel array is equipped with an optical low pass filter for suppressing high frequency luminance in an oblique direction with the cutoff of the aforementioned optical low pass filter being associated with the color mosaic image pixel array direction, forming a quadrangle having a 45° angle in said color mosaic image frequency space with the origin point of said space as its center on, with the inside of the quadrangle being the transmission band.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing an image processing program comprising computer executable instructions for generating a color image having a plurality of color information for each pixel from a color mosaic image obtained from a Bayer pixel array filter equipped CCD with red (R), green next to the R in one direction of the pixel array (Gr), blue (B), and green next to the B in the one direction (Gb) pixels, the pixel position in the color image with the R, Gr, Gb and B pixels being a single unified unit, the program comprising executable instructions for performing the steps of:

generating a luminance (Y) from a sum of the R, Gr, Gb and B pixel signals;

generating a first color difference by subtracting the R pixel signal and B pixel signal from a sum of the Gr pixel signal and Gb pixel signal;

generating a second color difference by calculation of a difference between the R pixel signal and B pixel signal;

suppressing pseudo-color in at least one of said first color difference and said second color difference; and

converting the pseudo-color suppressed first color difference and/or second color difference rendered by the suppressing pseudo-color step, using said luminance, into a determined color space and generating the color information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium containing the image processing program according to claim 17 further comprising computer-executable instructions for generating, as the pseudo-color suppression information, at least one parameter of a first or a second parameter expressing a high frequency component amount of the luminance in mutually different directions.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium containing the image processing program according to claim 18 wherein the second parameter is a parameter expressing a difference between the Gr pixel signal and the Gb pixel signal.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium containing the image processing program according to claim 18 , wherein, in the suppressing pseudo-color, the pseudo-color of the first color difference is suppressed in accordance with the first parameter and the pseudo-color of the second color difference is suppressed in accordance with the second parameter by execution of the computer program.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium containing the image processing program according to claim 17 wherein the computer-executable instructions cause a computer to remove a high frequency component of the first color difference and second color difference obtained from the suppressing pseudo-color step using a low frequency pass filter.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium containing the image processing program according to claim 17 wherein the computer-executable instructions cause a computer to remove, during execution of the suppressing pseudo-color step, a high frequency component of the first color difference and second color difference using a low frequency pass filter.