Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a subject information storage unit configured to store feature quantities and attributes relating to a plurality of subjects; a subject detecting unit configured to detect a subject included in an image; an attribute determining unit configured to determine the attributes of the detected subject; a feature quantity extracting unit configured to extract a feature quantity relating to the detected subject; and a similarity calculating unit configured to select one or a plurality of feature quantities from feature quantities relating to a plurality of subjects stored in the subject information storage unit based on the determined attributes to calculate similarity between a subject according to the selected feature quantities, and the detected subject, based on the selected feature quantities and the extracted feature quantity.

Abstract: An image-data processing apparatus. The image-data processing apparatus includes: an imaging section capturing an image of a subject and generating image data; a feature-extraction processing section extracting a visual feature from the generated image data; a feature-comparison processing section comparing a visual feature, having been extracted from recorded image data in a recording medium and related to the recorded image data, with the visual feature extracted by the feature-extraction processing section; and a control section reading image data having the visual feature extracted by the feature-extraction processing section from the recording medium on the basis of the comparison result.

Abstract: An image capturing device includes: an image capturing unit that captures a subject and generates a captured image; a resolution converting unit that converts the captured image into a plurality of images with different resolutions; an image storing unit that stores the converted plurality of images with different resolutions as a set of images; a first image analysis processing unit that performs a first image analysis process of analyzing the captured image by using a combination of a plurality of images among the images included in the set of images; and a second image analysis processing unit that performs a second image analysis process that is different from the first image analysis process and is a process of analyzing the captured image by using, among the images included in the set of images, a combination of a plurality of images different from the combination of a plurality of images.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an object-feature-information storage unit configured to store feature information of a predetermined object; an image inputting unit configured to input an image; an object detecting unit configured to detect an object contained in the input image; an attribute determining unit configured to determine an attribute of the detected object; a feature-point determining unit configured to determine, according to the determined attribute, positions of feature points to be set in the input image; and a similarity calculating unit configured to calculate, by comparing feature information stored in the object-feature-information storage unit to feature information at feature points set in the input image, similarity between an object corresponding to the feature information stored in the object-feature-information storage unit and the detected object.

Abstract: For each pixel read from an imaging device, a horizontal counter value and a vertical counter value corresponding to the pixel are supplied from a signal generator to a distance computation section via an optical-axis-center coordinate setting section and an up-and-down and right-and-left weighting section. In the distance computation section, the distance to the optical-axis center is computed, and correction coefficients for the zoom wide end and for the zoom tele end, which correspond to the distance, are obtained by look-up tables. The two obtained correction coefficients are blended at a mixture ratio determined by a blend ratio setting section. The blended shading correction coefficients are gain adjusted by a gain adjustment section, after which they are supplied to a correction section. As a result, a correction corresponding to the distance to the optical-axis-center position is performed on the signal of each pixel supplied from an imaging section.

Abstract: An image recording and reproducing apparatus, an image pickup apparatus, and a chromatic aberration correcting method capable of performing excellent correction processing of an aperture amount of an iris and a lens image height of an object in an image pickup lens are provided. An output signal from a camera signal processing circuit 4 is selected by a switch 5 to be supplied to a chromatic aberration correction unit 6. An aperture amount of an iris 31 provided in an image pickup lens 1 and coordinates of a pixel, to which correction processing is performed, from the chromatic aberration correction unit 6 are supplied to a conversion ratio calculation unit 10. A driving state such as a zoom focal length and focal position of the image pickup lens 1 and a camera shake correction vector are supplied to the conversion ratio calculation unit 10. Then, a conversion ratio for each color is obtained to be supplied to the chromatic aberration correction unit 6.

Abstract: For each pixel read from an imaging device, a horizontal counter value and a vertical counter value corresponding to the pixel are supplied from a signal generator to a distance computation section via an optical-axis-center coordinate setting section and an up-and-down and right-and-left weighting section. In the distance computation section, the distance to the optical-axis center is computed, and correction coefficients for the zoom wide end and for the zoom tele end, which correspond to the distance, are obtained by look-up tables. The two obtained correction coefficients are blended at a mixture ratio determined by a blend ratio setting section. The blended shading correction coefficients are gain adjusted by a gain adjustment section, after which they are supplied to a correction section. As a result, a correction corresponding to the distance to the optical-axis-center position is performed on the signal of each pixel supplied from an imaging section.

Abstract: Through an image pick-up lens 1, image light is focused on an image pickup surface of an image pickup unit 2 for which a primary color filter is provided. An electrical signal removed from the image pickup unit 2 is supplied to an A/D conversion circuit 3 to be converted into raw data of each primary color and is supplied to a first camera signal processing circuit 61 without any change. In the first camera signal processing circuit 61, only basic video signal processing such as gamma-correction is performed. Then, the raw data of each primary color processed in the first camera signal processing circuit 61 is stored in a picture memory 4. The raw data of each primary color stored in the picture memory 4 is supplied to a magnification-reduction circuit 94 functioning as a first resolution conversion processing circuit for correcting the chromatic aberration of a lens.

Abstract: In an image taking apparatus, an imaging unit senses an image of a subject, and a face detection unit detects a face in the image sensed by the imaging unit. A motion detection unit detects an amount of face motion indicating an amount of shake of an area of the face detected by the face detection unit in the image sensed by the imaging unit and also detects an amount of background motion indicating an amount of shake of an area other than the face area. A shake correction unit corrects the shake of the image sensed by the imaging unit according to the amount of face motion and the amount of background motion detected by the motion detection unit.

Abstract: An image pick-up device and a chromatic aberration correcting method are provided in which a satisfactory correction processing can be performed even when the image pickup device, such as a camera, simultaneously performs shake correction. An output signal from a camera-signal processing circuit is selected by a selector switch and is supplied to a chromatic aberration correcting unit. An angular velocity due to the camera shake is detected using sensors and the detected signal is supplied to a camera shake correcting vector calculating unit. A driving state of a camera lens is supplied to a conversion-ratio calculating unit. An optical axis centered shift vector of camera lens is obtained from the camera shake correcting vector and is supplied to the correcting unit.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes an image pickup unit for capturing an image of a subject, an image input unit for inputting the image captured by the image pickup unit, a face detecting unit for detecting a face from the image input by the image input unit, a face position marker generating unit for generating a face position marker indicating a position of the face, detected by the face detecting unit, in the image input by the image input unit, an overlaying unit for overlaying the face position marker generated by the face position marker generating unit and the image input by the image input unit, and a display unit for displaying an image overlaid by the overlaying unit.

Abstract: A face detection device for detecting the face of a person in an input image may include the following elements: a face detection circuit including a hardware circuit configured to detect a face in an input image; a signal processing circuit configured to perform signal processing based on an input image signal in accordance with a rewritable program including a face detection program for detecting a face in an input image; and a controller configured to allow the face detection circuit and the signal processing circuit to perform face detection on an image of a frame or on respective images of adjacent frames among consecutive frames, and to control face detection by the signal processing circuit on the basis of a face detection result obtained by the face detection circuit.

Abstract: A face detection device for detecting the face of a person in an input image may include the following elements: a face detection circuit including a hardware circuit configured to detect a face in an input image; a signal processing circuit configured to perform signal processing based on an input image signal in accordance with a rewritable program including a face detection program for detecting a face in an input image; and a controller configured to allow the face detection circuit and the signal processing circuit to perform face detection in a parallel manner on an image of a frame or on respective images of adjacent frames among consecutive frames, and to output a final face detection result on the basis of face detection results obtained by the face detection circuit and the signal processing circuit.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image processing device for correcting aberrations caused by a capturing lens for an image signal to which light passing through the capturing lens is electrically converted. The image processing device includes a correction vector calculation unit for calculating a correction vector in accordance with coordinates of each pixel of each color component contained in the image signal on the basis of at least data on chromatic aberration and distortion aberration caused by the capturing lens; a conversion ratio calculation unit for receiving at least the image signal, capturing conditions, and the correction vector, and for calculating a conversion ratio for scaling the color component in accordance with the coordinates of the pixel; and a resolution conversion unit for scaling the color component in accordance with the coordinates of the pixel on the basis of the conversion ratio.

Abstract: A high-frequency integrating circuit 32 detects characteristics of horizontal high-frequency components and vertical high-frequency components of the image formed by a processing-target image signal. Based on the detection result, a CPU 61 obtains the number of bits of the after-compression-coding data of the image signal, and calculates the compression rate dependent upon the number of bits. The CPU 61 controls an image codec 36 so that the processing-target image signal is compression-coded through only one time of compression coding processing by use of the calculated compression rate. This configuration allows the image compression processing (compression coding) to be rapidly executed with high accuracy.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: an image acquisition section which acquires an original image; a resolution conversion section which converts the resolution of the original image acquired by the image acquisition section and generates a plurality of reduced images having different resolutions; a detection section which processes by template matching the plurality of reduced images generated by the resolution conversion section and detects an area occupied by a picked-up image of a particular object corresponding to the template, from the reduced images; and a detection result processing section which detects the area occupied by the picked-up image of the particular object on the original image, by processing a detection result obtained by the detection section, the detection section detecting the area occupied by the picked-up image of the particular object by processing the plurality of reduced images in an order in which resolution sequentially varies on a step-by-step basis.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes face detection means for searching image data from at least one direction to detect a face portion in the image data; capture mode search direction instruction means for instructing a search direction of the image data to the face detection means in a capture mode, which is a mode of recording the image data; and monitoring mode search direction instruction means for instructing the search direction of the image data to the face detection means in a monitoring mode, which is a mode of displaying the image data.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an imaging device and a method of processing an imaging result in an imaging device, and is applied to e.g. an electronic still camera to thereby allow the camera to correct image quality readily and flexibly with avoiding the deterioration of the image quality effectively. In the present invention, a three-dimensional look-up table is provided and an imaging result (Y2, Cb2, Cr2) is corrected by use of the three-dimensional look-up table.

Abstract: An image recording and reproducing apparatus, an image pickup apparatus, and a chromatic aberration correcting method capable of performing excellent correction processing of an aperture amount of an iris and a lens image height of an object in an image pickup lens are provided. An output signal from a camera signal processing circuit 4 is selected by a switch 5 to be supplied to a chromatic aberration correction unit 6. An aperture amount of an iris 31 provided in an image pickup lens 1 and coordinates of a pixel, to which correction processing is performed, from the chromatic aberration correction unit 6 are supplied to a conversion ratio calculation unit 10. A driving state such as a zoom focal length and focal position of the image pickup lens 1 and a camera shake correction vector are supplied to the conversion ratio calculation unit 10. Then, a conversion ratio for each color is obtained to be supplied to the chromatic aberration correction unit 6.

Abstract: Picture quality degradation which occurs in a miniaturized image pick-up lens can be favorably corrected when image pick-up of a color picture is performed by providing an optical color filter on an image pickup surface of one piece of image pickup device. Through an image pick-up lens 1, image light is focused on an image pickup surface of an image pickup unit 2 for which a checkerboard shaped primary color filter is provided. An electrical signal taken out from the image pickup unit 2 is supplied to an A/D conversion circuit 3 to be converted into raw data of each primary color and is supplied to a first camera signal processing circuit 61 without any change. In the first camera signal processing circuit 61, only basic video signal processing such as, for example, gamma-correction or the like is performed. Then, the raw data of each primary color processed in the first camera signal processing circuit 61 is stored in a picture memory 4.