# US 10,375,304 B2 · Image processing apparatus and image processing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,375,304 B2 - Document ID: US10375304B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/124,934 - Filed: 2018-09-07 - Published: 2019-03-14 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-09-13 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Fumitaka Nakayama - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10375304B2 ## CPC - H04N 23/951: by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio - H04N 5/57: Control of contrast or brightness - H04N 9/646: {for image enhancement, e.g. vertical detail restoration, cross-colour elimination, contour correction, chrominance trapping filters} - H04N 9/77: Circuits for processing the brightness signal and the chrominance signal relative to each other, e.g. adjusting the phase of the brightness signal relative to the colour signal, correcting differential gain or differential phase (circuits for matrixing H04N9/67) - H04N 23/83: specially adapted for colour signals - H04N 23/85: for matrixing - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract An apparatus has first and second generation units which generate, from input image data, color component data for luminance output and color component for color difference output, first and second convertors which converts tones of each piece of the color component data for luminance output and for color difference output, a combining unit combining each piece of the color component data obtained by the first and second convertors to generate respective pieces of combined color component data; a separation unit respectively separating luminance data and color difference data from the combined color component data; and a correction unit correcting a tone of each of the luminance data and color difference data. The second convertor has a characteristic for outputting a non-negative value in a range, of negative infinity to a positive threshold set in advance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image processing apparatus, comprising: a first generation unit configured to generate, from input image data, color component data of a predetermined color space for luminance output; a second generation unit configured to generate, from input image data, color component data of the predetermined color space for color difference output; a first conversion unit configured to convert a tone of each piece of the color component data for luminance output generated by the first generation unit; a second conversion unit configured to convert a tone of each piece of the color component data for color difference output generated by the second generation unit; a combining unit configured to combine each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the first conversion unit and each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the second conversion unit, and generate respective pieces of combined color component data; a separation unit configured to respectively separate luminance data and color difference data from each piece of color component data obtained by the combining unit; and a correction unit configured to correct a tone of each of the luminance data and color difference data obtained by the separation unit, wherein the second conversion unit has a conversion characteristic for outputting, for each piece of color component data, a non-negative value in a range, of negative infinity to a positive threshold set in advance, that input data can take. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit has, for the luminance data, a gain that is positive and smaller than a value indicated by input data in a range from a luminance of 0 to a positive first threshold set in advance, in a range that the input data can take, and has, for color difference data, a gain that is positive and larger than a value indicated by input data in a range from a luminance of 0 to the first threshold, in a range that the input data can take. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the correction unit, for luminance data and color difference data, has a gain of 1 for outputting a value indicated by input data, for input data exceeding the threshold. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image capturing unit configured to generate the input image. ### Claim 5 An image processing method, comprising: first generating, from input image data, color component data of a predetermined color space for luminance output; second generating, from input image data, color component data of the predetermined color space for color difference output; first converting a tone of each piece of the color component data for luminance output generated by the first generating; second converting a tone of each piece of the color component data for color difference output generated by the second generating; combining each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the first converting and each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the second converting, and generating respective pieces of combined color component data; respectively separating luminance data and color difference data from each piece of color component data obtained by the combining; and correcting a tone of each of piece of the luminance data and color difference data obtained by the separating, wherein the second converting has a conversion characteristic for outputting, for each piece of color component data, a non-negative value in a range, of negative infinity to a positive threshold set in advance, that input data can take. ### Claim 6 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps of an image processing method, the method comprising: first generating, from input image data, color component data of a predetermined color space for luminance output; second generating, from input image data, color component data of the predetermined color space for color difference output; first converting a tone of each piece of the color component data for luminance output generated by the first generating; second converting a tone of each piece of the color component data for color difference output generated by the second generating; combining each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the first converting and each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the second converting, and generating respective pieces of combined color component data; respectively separating luminance data and color difference data from each piece of color component data obtained by the combining; and correcting a tone of each of the luminance data and color difference data obtained by the separating, wherein the second converting has a conversion characteristic for outputting, for each piece of color component data, a non-negative value in a range, of negative infinity to a positive threshold set in advance, that input data can take. ### Claim 7 An image processing apparatus, comprising: a first generation unit configured to generate, from input image data, color component data of a predetermined color space for luminance output; a second generation unit configured to generate, from input image data, color component data of the predetermined color space for color difference output; a first conversion unit configured to convert a tone of each piece of the color component data for luminance output generated by the first generation unit; a second conversion unit configured to convert a tone of each piece of the color component data for color difference output generated by the second generation unit; a combining unit configured to combine each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the first conversion unit and each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the second conversion unit, and generate respective pieces of combined color component data; a third conversion unit configured to convert a tone of each piece of color component data obtained by the combining unit, wherein at least one of the second conversion unit and the third conversion unit has a conversion characteristic for outputting, for each piece of color component data, a non-negative value in a range, of negative infinity to a positive threshold set in advance, that input data can take. ### Claim 8 An image processing method, comprising: first generating, from input image data, color component data of a predetermined color space for luminance output; second generating, from input image data, color component data of the predetermined color space for color difference output; first converting a tone of each piece of the color component data for luminance output generated by the first generating; second converting a tone of each piece of the color component data for color difference output generated by the second generating; combining each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the first converting and each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the second converting, and generating respective pieces of combined color component data; third converting a tone of each piece of color component data obtained by the combining, wherein at least one of the second converting and the third converting has a conversion characteristic for outputting, for each piece of color component data, a non-negative value in a range, of negative infinity to a positive threshold set in advance, that input data can take. ### Claim 9 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the steps of an image processing method, the method comprising: first generating, from input image data, color component data of a predetermined color space for luminance output; second generating, from input image data, color component data of the predetermined color space for color difference output; first converting a tone of each piece of the color component data for luminance output generated by the first generating; second converting a tone of each piece of the color component data for color difference output generated by the second generating; combining each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the first converting and each piece of the color component data obtained by the conversion by the second converting, and generating respective pieces of combined color component data; third converting a tone of each piece of color component data obtained by the combining, wherein at least one of the second converting and the third converting has a conversion characteristic for outputting, for each piece of color component data, a non-negative value in a range, of negative infinity to a positive threshold set in advance, that input data can take.