Image processing apparatus and method, and image-capturing apparatus based on the difference between a signal detected by a sensor and the real world

An image processing method for detecting a mixed area from image data which is formed of a predetermined number of pieces of pixel data obtained by an image-capturing device including a predetermined number of pixels, the pixels having a time integrating function, the mixed area being obtained as the pixel data in which a plurality of objects are mixed in the real world, said image processing method comprising:

• a motion compensating step of compensating for the motion of frames of the image data;
• and
• an area detecting step of subtracting pixel data at a corresponding position in the motion-compensated frames, determining a difference between the subtracted pixel data, and detecting the mixed area based on the difference between the pixel data at the corresponding position in the motion-compensated frames,
• wherein, in said area detecting step, the mixed area to which at least the pixel data belongs is detected when the difference is greater than or equal to a threshold,
• wherein a shutter-time period is divided into a plurality of equal periods, each pixel data being divided in accordance with the plurality of periods and pixel data corresponding to each of the plurality of equal periods being obtained for estimating a mixed ratio of each pixel in the mixed area, and
• wherein the motion compensating step generates the motion-compensated frames by matching backgrounds of the image data.

A computer readable recording medium encoded with a computer-readable program for image processing, the program being adapted to detect a mixed area from image data which is formed of a predetermined number of pieces of pixel data obtained by an image-capturing device including a predetermined number of pixels, the pixels having a time integrating function, the mixed area being obtained as the pixel data in which a plurality of objects are mixed in the real world, the program comprising:

• a motion compensating step of compensating for the motion of frames of the image data;
• and
• an area detecting step of subtracting pixel data at a corresponding position in the motion-compensated frames, determining a difference between the subtracted pixel data, and detecting the mixed area based on the difference between the pixel data at the corresponding position in the motion-compensated frames,
• wherein, in said area detecting step, the mixed area to which at least the pixel data belongs is detected when the difference is greater than or equal to a threshold,
• wherein a shutter-time period is divided into a plurality of equal periods, each pixel data being divided in accordance with the plurality of periods and pixel data corresponding to each of the plurality of equal periods being obtained for estimating a mixed ratio of each pixel in the mixed area, and
• wherein the motion compensating step generates the motion-compensated frames by matching backgrounds of the image data.

An image-capturing apparatus comprising:

• an image-capturing unit configured to output a subject image captured by an image-capturing device including a predetermined number of pixels as image data consisting of a predetermined number of pieces of pixel data, the pixels having a time integrating function;
• a motion compensation unit configured to compensate for the motion of frames of the image data;
• and
• an area detector configured to subtract pixel data at a corresponding position in the motion-compensated frames, determine a difference between the subtracted pixel data, and detect from the image data a mixed area as the pixel data in which a plurality of objects are mixed in the real world based on the difference between the pixel data at the corresponding position in the motion-compensated frames,
• wherein said area detector detects the mixed area to which at least the pixel data belongs when the difference is greater than or equal to a threshold,
• wherein a shutter-time period is divided into a plurality of equal periods, each pixel data being divided in accordance with the plurality of periods and pixel data corresponding to each of the plurality of equal periods being obtained for estimating a mixed ratio of each pixel in the mixed area, and
• wherein the motion compensation unit generates the motion-compensated frames by matching backgrounds of the image data.