Methods for correcting distortions of image-taking video signals and apparatus for correcting distortions of image-taking video signals

A method for correcting a distortion of a taken image as a distortion contained in a signal of said taken image due to a positional change, which occurs due to a hand movement in the horizontal and/or vertical directions of said taken image at a photographing time as a positional change of an image-taking device, and for correcting a distortion of said taken image as a distortion contained in said signal due to an image-taking lens, said method comprising:

• using a lens-distortion correction quantity generation section for generating a first correction quantity set in advance as a correction quantity used for correcting a distortion caused by said image-taking lens at a pixel position on said image-taking device as a distortion of said taken image on the basis of information on said pixel position;
• dividing one screen segment of said taken image into a plurality of image sub-segments;
• detecting the rate of said positional change caused by said hand movement for each of said image sub-segments;
• computing a second correction quantity used for correcting said taken-image distortion resulting from a positional change caused by said hand movement as said positional change of a member subjected to a process to correct said distortion of said taken image on the basis of a rate detected for each of said image sub-segments as said rate of said positional change in each of the image sub-segments;
• and
• correcting said distortion of said taken image on the basis of a sum of said second correction quantity and said first correction quantity, which is generated by said lens-distortion correction quantity generation section as a correction quantity for said member subjected to said process to correct said distortion.

An apparatus for correcting a distortion of a taken image as a distortion contained in a signal of said taken image due to a positional change, which occurs in the horizontal and/or vertical directions of said taken image at a photographing time as a positional change of an image-taking device, and for correcting a distortion of said taken image as a distortion contained in said signal due to an image-taking lens, said apparatus comprising:

• a lens-distortion correction quantity generation section for generating a first correction quantity set in advance as a correction quantity used for correcting said distortion caused by said image-taking lens at a pixel position on said image-taking device as a distortion of said taken image on the basis of information on said pixel position;
• rate detection means for detecting the rate of said positional change for each of image sub-segments obtained as a result of dividing one screen segment of said taken image;
• second correction quantity computation means for computing a second correction quantity used for correcting said distortion of said taken image as a distortion caused by said positional change of a member subjected to a process to correct said distortion of said taken image on the basis of a rate detected for each of said image sub-segments as said rate of said positional change in each of the image sub-segments by said rate detection means;
• and
• distortion correction processing means for correcting said distortion of said taken image on the basis of a sum of said second correction quantity and said first correction quantity, which is generated by said lens-distortion correction quantity generation section as a correction quantity for said member subjected to said process to correct said distortion.

An apparatus for correcting a distortion of a taken image as a distortion contained in a signal of said taken image due to a positional change, which occurs due to a hand movement in the horizontal and/or vertical directions of said taken image at a photographing time as a positional change of an image-taking device, and for correcting a distortion of said taken image as a distortion contained in said signal due to an image-taking lens, said apparatus comprising:

• a lens-distortion correction quantity generation section for generating a first correction quantity set in advance as a correction quantity used for correcting a distortion caused by said image-taking lens at a pixel position on said image-taking device as a distortion of said taken image on the basis of information on said pixel position;
• hand movement detection means for detecting the hand movement change for each of image sub-segments obtained as a result of dividing one screen segment of said taken image;
• second correction quantity computation means for computing a second correction quantity used for correcting said taken-image distortion resulting from a positional change caused by said hand movement as said positional change of a member subjected to a process to correct said distortion of said taken image on the basis of a rate detected for each of said image sub-segments as said rate of said positional change in each of the image sub-segments;
• and
• distortion correction means for correcting said distortion of said taken image on the basis of a sum of said second correction quantity and said first correction quantity, which is generated by said lens-distortion correction quantity generation section as a correction quantity for said member subjected to said process to correct said distortion.