US 6,784,927 B1Granted

Image processing apparatus and image processing method, and storage medium

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorOsamu Itokawa

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An image processing apparatus for correcting the position of a specific object included in a moving image formed by a plurality of successive images to a predetermined position on the frame, sets a reference point on the object included in the first image of the plurality of images, which serves as a reference image, detects the positions of points, which correspond to the reference point, from a plurality of second images, which are different from the first image, of the plurality of images, detects the shift amounts between the corresponding points and the reference point in units of images on the basis of the positions of the corresponding points detected from the plurality of second images, and the position of the reference point, and corrects the positions of the object included in the plurality of second images in correspondence with the shift amounts detected in units of images.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An image processing apparatus for correcting a position of a specific object included in a moving image formed by a plurality of successive images to a predetermined position on a frame, comprising:

reference point setting means for setting a reference point on the object included in a first image which serves as a reference image;
position detection means for detecting a position of a corresponding point, which corresponds to the reference point in the first image, in each of a plurality of second images which are different from the first image;
shift amount detection means for detecting a shift amount of the object between the first image and each of the second images on the basis of a distance between the position of the corresponding point detected from each of the plurality of second images, and a position of the reference point;
and
corrected image generation means for generating a corrected image by correcting position of the object included in each of the plurality of second images in accordance with the shift amounts detected by said shift amount detection means in units of the second images,
wherein said corrected image generation means includes:
image shift means for shifting the plurality of second images in correspondence with the shift amounts detected by said shift amount detection means in units of images;
and
image synthesis means for selecting images corresponding to missing portions, which have formed with respect to original recording regions of the plurality of second images upon shifting the second images by said images shift means, from the plurality of second images, and synthesizing the selected images as the images of the missing portions;
wherein said image synthesis means includes pattern matching means for dividing the second image as an object from which the images of the missing portion is to be selected, into a plurality of blocks, and selecting the image of the missing portion on the basis of matching results between the respective blocks and an image having the missing portion and for using a shift amount of a background portion obtained by excluding the object from each of the plurality of second image as a reference for matching.

7 more elements

An image processing method for correcting a position of a specific object included in a moving image formed by a plurality of successive images to a predetermined position on a frame, comprising:

a reference point setting step of setting a reference point on the object included in a first image which serves as a reference image;
a position detection step of detecting a positions of a corresponding point, which correspond to the reference point, in the first image, in each of a plurality of second images, which are different from the first image;
a shift amount detection step of detecting a shift amount of the object between the first image and each of the second images on the basis of a distance between the position of the corresponding point detected from each of the plurality of second images, and a position of the reference point;
and
a corrected image generation step of generating a corrected image of the moving image by correcting position of the object included in each of the plurality of second images in accordance with the shift amounts detected in units of the second images,
wherein said corrected image generation step includes:
an image shift step for shifting the plurality of second images in correspondence with the shift amounts detected by said shift amount detection step in units of images;
and
an image synthesis step for selecting images corresponding to missing portions, which have formed with respect to original recording regions of the plurality of second images upon shifting the second images by said images shift step, from the plurality of second images, and synthesizing the selected images as the images of the missing portions;
wherein said image synthesis step includes a pattern matching step for dividing the second image as an object from which the images of the missing portion is to be selected, into a plurality of blocks, and selecting the image of the missing portion on the basis of matching results between the respective blocks and an image having the missing portion and for using a shift amount of a background portion obtained by excluding the object from each of the plurality of second image as a reference for matching.

7 more elements

A computer-readable storage medium, which stores an image processing program for correcting a position of a specific object included in a moving image formed by a plurality of successive images to a predetermined position on a frame, said image processing program having:

a code of a reference point setting step of setting a reference point on the object included in a first image which serves as a reference image;
a code of a position detection step of detecting a position of a corresponding point, which corresponds to the reference point in the first image in each of a plurality of second images, which are different from the first image;
a code of a shift amount detection step of detecting a shift amount of the object between the first image and each of the second images on the basis of a distance between the positions of the corresponding points detected from each of the plurality of second images, and a position of the reference point;
and
a code of a corrected image generation step of generating a corrected image by correcting position of the object included in each of the plurality of second images in accordance with the shift amount detected in units of the second images,
wherein the code of corrected image generation step includes:
a code of an image shift step of shifting the plurality of second images in correspondence with the shift amounts detected in said shift amount detection step in units of images;
and
a code of an image synthesis step of selecting images corresponding to missing portions, which have formed with respect to original recording regions of the plurality of second images upon shifting the second images in said image shift step, from the plurality of second images, and synthesizing the selected images as the images of the missing portions,
wherein the code of the image synthesis step includes a code of a pattern matching step for dividing the second image as an object from which the images of the missing portion is to be selected, into a plurality of blocks, and selecting the image of the missing portion on the basis of matching results between the respective blocks and an image having the missing portion and for using a shift amount of a background portion obtained by excluding the object from each of the plurality of second image as a reference for matching.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.