Patents by Inventor Chiaki Inoue

Chiaki Inoue has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10063829
    Abstract: An image processing method includes the steps of determining a first unnecessary component contained in each of a plurality of parallax images based on a plurality of pieces of relative difference information of the parallax images, generating a first image by reducing the first unnecessary component from the parallax images, generating a blurred image by adding blur to the first image, creating a mask based on the blurred image and the first image, and determining a second unnecessary component based on the first unnecessary component and the mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Chiaki Inoue, Kaoru Eguchi
  • Patent number: 10049439
    Abstract: The image processing method includes acquiring multiple parallax images produced by image capturing of an object, the parallax images having a parallax to one another. The method further includes acquiring, by using the respective parallax images as base images, relative difference information on a relative difference between each of the base images and at least one other parallax image in the multiple parallax images, and detecting an unwanted component contained in each of the parallax images by using the relative difference information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Chiaki Inoue
  • Publication number: 20180176436
    Abstract: At least one image pickup apparatus includes an image pickup unit which photoelectrically converts object images formed by plural image pickup optical systems of different focal lengths. If an image plane most separated from an object side among the image planes of the plural image pickup optical systems is defined as a reference image plane, a longest distance among distances from a reference image plane to each of entrance pupil planes of the plurality of image pickup optical systems is defined as EPmax, a shortest distance among distances from the reference image plane to each of the entrance pupil planes of the plural image pickup optical systems is defined as EPmin, and a 35 mm equivalent focal length of an image pickup optical system having the longest focal length among a plurality of image pickup optical systems is defined as ftele35, then EPmax, EPmin, and ftele35 satisfy a predetermined condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Ko Ichihara, Chiaki Inoue
  • Publication number: 20180160029
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes a focus detector configured to perform focus detection based on an image signal obtained via a first optical system, the first optical system having a shallowest depth of field in a plurality of optical systems having focal lengths different from each other, and a controller configured to perform focus control of the plurality of optical systems based on an output signal from the focus detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2018
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Inventor: Chiaki Inoue
  • Patent number: 9992478
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an image capturing condition acquirer (260) configured to acquire image capturing condition information of a plurality of images having angles of view different from each other, a distance information acquirer (230) configured to acquire distance information of an object included in the plurality of images, an angle of view information acquirer (240) configured to acquire angle of view information, and an image generator (224) configured to generate an image corresponding to the angle of view information from the plurality of images based on the image capturing condition information, the distance information, and the angle of view information, and the distance information is object distance information at each position in an image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Chiaki Inoue, Tomohiro Nishiyama
  • Publication number: 20180152649
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a diffuse image obtainer configured to obtain a diffuse reflection image by using an input image, and a processor configured to perform noise reduction processing for the diffuse reflection image by using specular reflection information in the input image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Inventors: Yuichi Kusumi, Chiaki Inoue, Yoshiaki Ida
  • Publication number: 20180150941
    Abstract: One or more image processing apparatuses, imaging apparatuses, image processing methods, image processing programs, and recording mediums are provided herein. At least one image processing apparatus includes a hue obtaining unit configured to perform a noise reduction process on an input image or a first hue of the input image so as to obtain a second hue having reduced noise, an extraction unit configured to extract a plurality of pixels from the input image based on the second hue having the reduced noise, and an estimation unit configured to estimate diffuse reflection components based on the plurality of extracted pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Inventors: Yuichi Kusumi, Chiaki Inoue, Yoshiaki Ida
  • Publication number: 20180091718
    Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a photographed image obtainer configured to obtain a plurality of photographed images of an object, the images being photographed by sequentially irradiating light onto the object from a plurality of different light source positions, a first shadow map generator configured to generate a first shadow map by determining a shadow area in the plurality of photographed images, a second shadow map generator configured to generate a second shadow map based on the first shadow map, and a normal information obtainer configured to obtain normal information of the object calculated based on the second shadow map and the plurality of photographed images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Yuichi KUSUMI, Chiaki INOUE, Yoshiaki IDA
  • Patent number: 9918003
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes a focus detector configured to perform focus detection based on an image signal obtained via a first optical system, the first optical system having a shallowest depth of field in a plurality of optical systems having focal lengths different from each other, and a controller configured to perform focus control of the plurality of optical systems based on an output signal from the focus detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Chiaki Inoue
  • Patent number: 9894343
    Abstract: An image processing method includes the steps of determining a first unnecessary component included in each of a plurality of parallax images based on a plurality of pieces of relative difference information of the parallax images (S14, S25, S35, S46), calculating a synthesis value of the first unnecessary components included in the parallax images (S15, S26, S36, S47), and reducing a second unnecessary component included in a synthesis image of the parallax images based on the synthesis value of the first unnecessary components (S17, S28, S38, S50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Chiaki Inoue
  • Publication number: 20180007291
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus (120) that generates a virtual light source image of an object, includes a generator (103a) that generates the virtual light source image based on light source information and normal information of the object and a determiner (103b) that determines noise reduction information to be used for noise reduction processing based on the normal information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Ida, Chiaki Inoue, Yuichi Kusumi
  • Publication number: 20170332067
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus processes a first image and a second image so as to detect a corresponding pixel in the second image which corresponds to a target pixel in the first image. The first image has a first parameter value, and the second image has a second parameter value different from the first parameter value. The first parameter value and the second parameter value are values of optical parameters of image capturing systems used to capture the first image and the second image. The image processing apparatus includes an area setter that sets a two-dimensional search area as a partial area in which the corresponding pixel is to be searched in the second image, based on a predetermined range in which each of the first and second parameter values can change, and a detector that detects the corresponding pixel by searching the two-dimensional search area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Inventors: Ko Ichihara, Chiaki Inoue
  • Publication number: 20170262969
    Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a corrector that, when the object is sequentially irradiated with light from three or more light sources with mutually different positions, corrects a light source condition to calculate surface normal information of an object on the basis of brightness of each of the light sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventors: Chiaki Inoue, Yoshiaki Ida, Yuichi Kusumi
  • Publication number: 20170256041
    Abstract: The image processing method includes acquiring multiple parallax images produced by image capturing of an object, the parallax images having a parallax to one another. The method further includes acquiring, by using the respective parallax images as base images, relative difference information on a relative difference between each of the base images and at least one other parallax image in the multiple parallax images, and detecting an unwanted component contained in each of the parallax images by using the relative difference information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventor: Chiaki Inoue
  • Patent number: 9756307
    Abstract: The image processing apparatus includes a determining part configured to determine, from a difference between information on color of a first pixel in a first image and information on color of a second pixel corresponding to the first pixel in a second image, whether or not the first image includes color blur due to defocus, the first and second images being generated by an image-pickup system and whose focus states are mutually different. The apparatus further includes a correcting part configured to perform on the first image a correction process that corrects the color blur determined by the determining part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Chiaki Inoue
  • Publication number: 20170244876
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a generator configured to acquire a plurality of input images generated by image captures under a plurality of light source conditions in which positions of light sources for illuminating an object are different from one another, and to generate normal information on a surface of the object using information on a change of luminance information in the input image which depends on the light source condition, and an acquirer configured to acquire noise reduction process information as information used for a noise reduction process to the normal information or a process target image, using light source information as information on the light source in the image capture. The noise reduction process information contains information used to set an intensity of the noise reduction process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Ida, Chiaki Inoue, Yuichi Kusumi
  • Publication number: 20170206704
    Abstract: The image processing apparatus produces a virtual light source image that is an image of an object lighted by a virtual light source. The apparatus includes a shape acquirer configured to acquire shape information relating to a shape of the object, a light source condition setter configured to set a first virtual light source condition as a condition relating to a virtual light source, depending on an image capturing mode indicating a type of a captured image acquired by image capturing of the object, on image type information indicating a selected one of multiple types of the virtual light source images or on an image capturing condition selected in the image capturing. The apparatus further includes an image producer configured to produce the virtual light source image by using the first virtual light source condition and the shape information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventors: Chiaki Inoue, Yoshiaki Ida, Yuichi Kusumi
  • Patent number: 9710897
    Abstract: At a time of compositing images each of which has a different angle of view, the images are composited by deciding weights of composition for each of the images based on an edge of an image of an object and using the decided weights. At this time, in a periphery of the edge of the image of the object, a weight of an image having a large angle of view is set to be small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nishiyama, Chiaki Inoue
  • Patent number: 9684954
    Abstract: The image processing method includes acquiring multiple parallax images produced by image capturing of an object, the parallax images having a parallax to one another. The method further includes acquiring, by using the respective parallax images as base images, relative difference information on a relative difference between each of the base images and at least one other parallax image in the multiple parallax images, and detecting an unwanted component contained in each of the parallax images by using the relative difference information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Chiaki Inoue
  • Publication number: 20170155883
    Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a luminance information obtainer that obtains luminance information for each color in each of a plurality of images, each of which is imaged respectively when a light source arranged at mutually different positions sequentially irradiates an object with light, and a color setter that sets a color to use in obtaining surface normal information for each region of an image on the basis of the luminance information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Inventors: Yuichi Kusumi, Chiaki Inoue, Yoshiaki Ida