Abstract: The invention provides an image signal processing apparatus, an image signal processing program and an image signal recording medium, each capable of generating high-definition image signals with no or little artifacts. The image signal processing apparatus adapted to implement tone correction of an image signal comprises correction coefficient calculation block (112) for calculating a correction coefficient for a pixel of interest in that image signal and a neighborhood area, transformation block (110) for applying tone correction processing to that pixel of interest, and correction block (111) for using that correction coefficient to make correction of each pixel after that tone correction processing. An image signal of each pixel of interest from correction block (111) is forwarded to compression block (113), and at a time when all image signals are in order, compression processing such as known JPEG is applied to them for their forwarding to output block (114).

Abstract: A signal processing system for performing noise reduction processing on signals from an image pickup device in front of which is arranged a color filter. The system includes extracting unit for extracting a local region formed by a target region which noise reduction processing is performed and at least one or more nearby regions which exist neighborhood of the target region, Y/C separating unit for separating luminance signals and color difference signals for each of the target region and the nearby regions, selecting unit for selecting the nearby regions similar to the target region, noise estimating unit for estimating the amount of noise from the target region and the selected nearby regions, and noise reduction unit for reducing noise in the target region based on the amount of noise.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that obtains a high-quality image signal by determining an amount of noise in an optimum fashion and reducing the amount of noise. The image processing apparatus reduces a noise component contained in the image signal picked up by an image pickup element and digitized. The image processing apparatus includes a determining unit which determines whether or not a target pixel in the image signal is within a predetermined noise range for each pixel, and a noise reducing unit which reduces the noise of the target pixel based on the determination result.

Abstract: An image pickup system for processing an image signal where each pixel is composed of more than one color signals and at least one of the color signals are dropped out according to the location of the pixel, having an extraction section for extracting a plurality of local regions including a target pixel from the image signal; a noise estimation section for estimating the noise amount for each local region extracted by the extraction section; first to third interpolation sections respectively for interpolating, by means of mutually different interpolation processing, missing color signals of the target pixel; an interpolation selection section for selecting which of the first to third interpolation sections is to be used on the basis of the noise amount estimated by the noise estimation section.

Abstract: An image pickup system includes a color noise estimation section, which has a local region extraction section that extracts luminance and color difference signals in units of 4×4 pixels from signals of a CCD with a color filter, an average luminance calculation section that calculates an average luminance value from the luminance signals, a temperature estimation section that estimates a temperature T of the CCD from a signal of an OB region, a gain calculation section that calculates a gain G of the signals based on information from a control section, a coefficient and a function calculation sections for estimating a color noise amount from the average luminance value based on a formulation using the temperature and the gain, and a color noise reducing section that reduces color noise in the color difference signals in units of 4×4 pixels based on the estimated color noise amount.

Abstract: The image pickup system of the present invention is an image pickup system for processing an image signal at each pixel which is composed of more than one color signals and one or more of the color signals are dropped out according to the location of the pixel, comprising a first interpolating unit for interpolating the color signals dropped-out from the image signals by a first interpolation method based on the edge detection, a verifying unit for verifying the interpolation precision on the basis of the image signals and the color signals interpolated by the first interpolating unit, and a second interpolating unit for interpolating the color signals dropped-out from the image signals by a second interpolation method based on the color correlation that is different from the first interpolation method in cases where it is judged that the interpolation precision by the first interpolation method is insufficient.

Abstract: The image pickup system for performing noise reduction processing on signals from an image pickup element comprises a first noise estimating unit for estimating a first amount of noise on the basis of a target pixel in the signals for which noise reduction processing is performed, an extraction unit for extracting similar pixels that resemble the target pixel from the neighborhood of the target pixel on the basis of the target pixel and the first amount of noise, a second noise estimating unit for estimating a second amount of noise from the target pixel and the similar pixels, and a noise reduction unit for reducing the noise of the target pixel on the basis of the second amount of noise.

Abstract: An image pickup system according to the present invention includes an extracting unit for extracting a block area with a predetermined size from a signal of an image pickup device, a transforming unit for transforming the signal in the extracted block area into a signal in a frequency space, an estimating unit for estimating the amount of noises of a frequency component except for a zero-order component based on the zero-order component in the transformed signal in the frequency space, a noise reducing unit for reducing noises of the frequency component except for the zero-order component based on the estimated amount of noises, and a compressing unit for compressing the zero-order component and the frequency component except for the zero-order component from which the noises are reduced.

Abstract: An image pickup system has a noise estimating unit which estimates the amount of noise contained in a digitized signal from an image pickup element composed of an array of a plurality of pixels, either for each pixel or for each specified unit area made up of a plurality of pixels, and a shooting conditions estimation unit which estimates the shooting condition when an image based on the signal is acquired. The amount of noise estimated by the noise estimating unit is corrected on the basis of the shooting conditions estimated by the shooting conditions estimation unit, and the noise in the signal is reduced on the basis of the corrected amount of noise.

Abstract: A color signal of a primary color or a color signal of a complementary color is converted from a CCD to signals in a color space having an intensity, a hue and a chroma. Tone conversion is performed on a luminance signal. A chroma correction coefficient is calculated to be used for performing correction on a chroma signal. A first maximum chroma value is calculated with respect to the luminance signal and a hue signal and a second maximum chroma value is calculated with respect to the hue signal and the converted luminance signal. And a correction coefficient is calculated based on the first and second maximum chroma values and the chroma signal is corrected based on the correction coefficient and the chroma correction coefficient.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a photographing condition estimation unit for estimating a photographing condition of the input image based on photometric information and focal information. A Y/C separation unit separates the input image into a luminance signal and a color difference signal; a luminance correction unit extracts an edge from the luminance signal and corrects the luminance signal by a gradation conversion curve; a color difference correction unit corrects the color difference signal based on luminance signals obtained before and after the gradation correction and a theoretical limit characteristic of color reproduction; a skin color correction unit performs skin color correction depending on the photographing condition; and a Y/C synthesis unit synthesizes the luminance signal and the color difference signal obtained after the correction. Gradation correction is performed on the input image such that appropriate hue and saturation are achieved while emphasizing a main object.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a photographing condition estimation unit for estimating a photographing condition of the input image on the basis of photometric information of a photometric evaluation unit and focal information of a focal point detection unit; a Y/C separation unit for separating the input image into a luminance signal and a color difference signal; a luminance correction unit for extracting an edge from the luminance signal and correcting the luminance signal by a gradation conversion curve obtained by weighting depending on the photographing condition; a color difference correction unit for performing correction on the color difference signal on the basis of luminance signals obtained before and after the gradation correction and a theoretical limit characteristic of color reproduction; a skin color correction unit for performing skin color correction or the like depending on the photographing condition; a Y/C synthesis unit for synthesizing the luminance signal and the color differ

Abstract: An image processing apparatus has a one CCD, two CCD, or three CCD with spatial pixel offset imaging system. A parameter calculation section sequentially scans an image signal in units of pixels and calculates a parameter for region segmentation from at least one neighboring region containing the current pixel of interest. An image signal segmentation section segments the image signal into uniform regions having single color correlation on the basis of the calculated parameters. A regression section regresses, to a linear formula, the color correlation between color signals in the uniform region. A restoring section restores a missing color signal on the basis of the linear formula and the color signals present in the uniform region.

Abstract: In the image pickup system of the present invention, factors that have an effect on noise such as the signal level, temperature of the CCD during shooting, exposure time, gain and the like are dynamically acquired, the noise level of the CCD is estimated for example for each pixel by a noise estimating unit, and signal components equal to or less than this noise level in the video signals are suppressed by a noise reducing unit, so that a high-quality image that is substantially free of noise is obtained while preserving the edges of the image and the like.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus which includes a time-serial image recording arrangement for recording time-serial images of an object. The apparatus also includes an outputting arrangement capable of outputting an image information data of at least a part of the time-serial images to be recorded or having been recorded by the time-serial image recording arrangement, which is used as a standard for observing variations in the time-serial images of the object which occur with lapse of time. The outputting arrangement includes an extracting arrangement for extracting a selected feature of at least one image among the time-serial images as the image information to be a standard of the position and a composing arrangement for composing and outputting image information of the selected feature extracted by the extracting arrangement and for composing and outputting the time-serial images.

Abstract: An image signal processor includes an area extracting unit for extracting from an image signal color signals of a local area of a predetermined size which includes a desired pixel. A maximum variance signal selecting unit selects one of the color signals which exhibits a maximum variance over the average variance of the color signals in the local area. In a signal modifying unit, the shape of the other color signals than the selected color signal is modified so that their parameters are equal to the parameters of the selected color signal. In a candidate image generating unit, the other modified color signals and the selected color signal are combined together to generate a plurality of reference image candidates. A reference image selecting unit than selects as a reference image one of the reference image candidates on the basis of a given evaluation function. In a restoring unit, dropout color signals are then restored with the use of the reference image determined by the reference image selecting unit.

Abstract: This invention is an image processing apparatus including a photographing condition estimation unit for estimating a photographing condition of the input image on the basis of photometric information of a photometric evaluation unit and focal information of a focal point detection unit; a Y/C separation unit for separating the input image into a luminance signal and a color difference signal; a luminance correction unit for extracting an edge from the luminance signal and correcting the luminance signal by a gradation conversion curve obtained by weighting depending on the photographing condition; a color difference correction unit for performing correction on the color difference signal on the basis of luminance signals obtained before and after the gradation correction and a theoretical limit characteristic of color reproduction; a skin color correction unit for performing skin color correction or the like depending on the photographing condition; a Y/C synthesis unit for synthesizing the luminance signal a

Abstract: The endoscope image processing apparatus comprises a processing apparatus for image-processing as predetermined at least one image signal and a discriminating apparatus for discriminating regions ineffective to image-processing by the processing apparatus or to the result of the image-processing from other effective regions. The image processing apparatus further comprises an outputting apparatus for outputting the results of processing images by the processing apparatus only on the effective regions discriminated by the discriminating apparatus and an image forming apparatus forming images based on the results of processing images by the processing apparatus only on the effective regions.

Abstract: A marker detecting section detects markers formed at four corners of a block using binary image data of a two-dimensional code stored in a data memory. A marker's approximate center calculating section calculates the approximate centers of the detected markers. A pattern code detecting means detects a pattern code in accordance with format information of the two-dimensional code stored in a format memory. A marker's real center calculating section calculates the real centers of the markers from the detected pattern code and the format information using the error minimizing method. Based on the calculated real centers of the markers, a data code reading coordinate calculating section calculates reading coordinates for reading data dots of address code and data code areas from the data memory.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus processes a signal which has a plurality of spectral sensitivity characteristics and in which the information amount of a signal related to at least one of the spectral sensitivity characteristics is larger than the information amount of any one of signals related to the other spectral sensitivity characteristics. A wavelet transform section resolves the signal of the spectral sensitivity characteristic having a large information amount into high- and low-frequency components. An R- and B-signal correlation coefficient calculating section calculates correlation coefficients between the low-frequency component derived and the signals of the spectral sensitivity characteristics having a small information amount. An R- and B-signal high-frequency creating section creates high-frequency components of the signals of the spectral sensitivity characteristics having a small information amount based on the correlation coefficients derived and the high-frequency component.