Abstract: A solid-state image sensor according to the present invention includes: a semiconductor layer 7, which has a first surface and a second surface that is opposite to the first surface; a photosensitive cell array, which has been formed in the semiconductor layer 7 to receive light through both of the first and second surfaces; and at least one dispersive element array, which is arranged on the same side as at least one of the first and second surfaces so as to face the photosensitive cell array. The photosensitive cell array includes first and second photosensitive cells 2a and 2b. And the dispersive element array makes light rays falling within mutually different wavelength ranges incident on the first and second photosensitive cells 2a and 2b, respectively.

Abstract: To provide an image processing apparatus which reduces, using a temporal noise removal scheme, image block distortion or noise and temporal flickering and fluctuation phenomena. The image processing apparatus (1) removing noise in an input image by adding a reference image to the input image includes a motion estimation unit (20) which generates motion information indicating a motion estimated for the input image; a motion compensation unit (30) which generates a after motion compensation second image corresponding to a before motion compensation first image by performing motion compensation using the generated motion information; a flatness degree calculation unit (40) which calculates a flatness degree of the input image; a blending rate calculation unit (53) which calculates addition rates for the input image, first image, and second image, using the calculated flatness degree; and a pixel addition unit (60) which adds the respective images according to the addition rates.

Abstract: Images of a target are stably tracked even when an image-capture environment changes.

Abstract: It is possible to inhibit side effects even when an image that has sharp edge regions has been input, using a spatial processing portion (10) outputting surrounding image information US from an input image signal, a control signal generation portion (40) outputting an effect adjustment signal MOD according to a degree of flatness of an edge proximal region, and an effect adjustment portion (20) outputting a synthesized signal MUS that is synthesized by changing a ratio of the image signal IS and the surrounding image information US according to the effect adjustment signal MOD. Further, the side effects are inhibited using a visual processing portion (30) visually processing the image signal IS based on the synthesized signal MUS and the image signal IS.

Abstract: A visual processing device that achieves gradation processing and further enhances a visual effect. The visual processing device 1 performs gradation processing for each image region of an input signal IS, and includes an image partitioning portion 2, a gradation transformation curve derivation portion 10, and a gradation processing portion 5. The image partitioning portion 2 and the gradation transformation curve derivation portion 10 use a brightness histogram Hm of a wide area image region Em to create a gradation transformation curve Cm of an image region Pm. The gradation processing portion 5 performs gradation processing of the image region Pm based on the derived gradation transformation curve Cm.

Abstract: In order to inhibit artifacts (even when a special image has been input) a visual processing device is provided with a spatial processing portion extracting surrounding image information US from an input image signal IS, and a special image detection portion outputting a special image effect adjustment signal DS according to a degree of a statistical bias of the image signal IS. The visual processing device also includes a continuous changing portion outputting an effect adjustment signal MOD in which the special image effect adjustment signal DS is continuously changed between frames, an effect adjustment portion outputting a synthesized signal MUS in which the effect of the visual processing differs depending on the effect adjustment signal MOD, and a visual processing portion outputting a processed signal OS obtained by visually processing the image signal IS based on the image signal IS and the synthesized signal MUS.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided which is capable of stably tracking a target even when an amount of characteristics of an image of the target varies on input pictures due to an abrupt movement of the target or other causes. An image processing apparatus (10) which tracks an image of a target on an input image includes a blur detection unit (12) detecting a trajectory of blur that is a trajectory indicating blur in a search region on the input picture, the search region including the image of the target and being determined using a picture captured temporally before the input picture; and a tracking processing unit (13) tracking the image of the target by specifying a target region using an end point of the trajectory of blur detected by the blur detection unit (12), the target region being a region including the image of the target and being smaller than the search region.

Abstract: A visual processing device, display device, visual processing method, program, and integrated circuit that change a strength of visual processing of an image in real-time. A spatial processing portion (2) creates an unsharp signal US from an input signal IS. A target level setting portion (4) sets a predetermined target level value L for setting a range according to which the strength of the visual processing is adjusted. An effect adjustment portion (5) creates a synthesized signal MUS by synthesizing the predetermined target level value L and the unsharp signal US in accordance with an effect adjustment signal MOD that has been set externally. A visual processing portion (3) outputs an output signal OS in accordance with the input signal IS and the synthesized signal MUS, making it possible to change the strength of the visual processing.

Abstract: The prevent invention can prevent roughness in an image and reduce contouring and coding distortion in the image. The image processing apparatus according to the present invention reduces distortion in an input image, and includes: a masking signal generating unit 101 that generates a masking signal for reducing the distortion; and a masking signal adding unit 102 that adds the masking signal to the input image, wherein the masking signal generating unit 101 includes: a level difference processing unit 105 that smoothes a level difference between pixel values of pixels in the input image; a difference calculating unit 106 that calculates a difference between the input image and an image which has been processed by the level difference processing unit 105; and a random number setting unit 108 that sets an amplitude, creates a is random number having the set amplitude, the amplitude decreasing, as the difference approaches a predetermined value.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for motion blur and ghosting prevention in imaging system is presented. A residue image is computed by performing spatial-temporal filter with a set of absolute image difference of image pairs from input images. A noise adaptive pixel threshold is computed for every pixel based on noise statistics of image sensor. The residue image and the noise adaptive pixel threshold are used to create a motion masking map. The motion masking map is used to represent motion and non-motion pixels in pixels merging. The pixels merging step is performed to generate an output image by considering the motion pixels where the motion pixels are performed separately. The resulting output image having no or less motion blur and ghosting artifacts can be obtained, even the input images having different degree of motion blur between each of the image, while the complexity is low. It is preferred that the current invention is applied in the Bayer raw domain.

Abstract: It is possible to inhibit side effects even when an image that has sharp edge regions has been input, using a spatial processing portion (10) outputting surrounding image information US from an input image signal, a control signal generation portion (40) outputting an effect adjustment signal MOD according to a degree of flatness of an edge proximal region, and an effect adjustment portion (20) outputting a synthesized signal MUS that is synthesized by changing a ratio of the image signal IS and the surrounding image information US according to the effect adjustment signal MOD. Further, the side effects are inhibited using a visual processing portion (30) visually processing the image signal IS based on the synthesized signal MUS and the image signal IS.

Abstract: In order to inhibit artifacts (even when a special image has been input) a visual processing device is provided with a spatial processing portion extracting surrounding image information US from an input image signal IS, and a special image detection portion outputting a special image effect adjustment signal DS according to a degree of a statistical bias of the image signal IS. The visual processing device also includes a continuous changing portion outputting an effect adjustment signal MOD in which the special image effect adjustment signal DS is continuously changed between frames, an effect adjustment portion outputting a synthesized signal MUS in which the effect of the visual processing differs depending on the effect adjustment signal MOD, and a visual processing portion outputting a processed signal OS obtained by visually processing the image signal IS based on the image signal IS and the synthesized signal MUS.

Abstract: An input image containing multiple kinds of blur is corrected without using multiple images, resulting in a target image with less blur than the input image. An image correction apparatus (100) for correcting an input image to generate a target image with less blur than the input image is provided, which includes: an adaptive region division unit (110) that divides the input image into a plurality of adaptive regions based on pixel values of pixels included in the input image; a PSF interpolation unit (120) that interpolates a point spread function for a pixel located between representative pixels each representing a corresponding one of the adaptive regions, using a PSF representing characteristics of image blur calculated for each of the adaptive regions; and an image correction unit (130) that corrects the input image using the point spread functions available after the interpolation, so as to generate the target image.

Abstract: The invention achieves a visual processing device that can execute precise contrast adjustment on image signals that have been input and that does not cause discrepancies in the output timing of the image signals that are output. The visual processing device is provided with a gain-type visual processing portion that outputs a first gain signal having predetermined gain characteristics with respect to the input image signal, and a correction portion that corrects the input image signal based on the first gain signal.

Abstract: It is possible to inhibit side effects, even when an image that has sharp edge regions has been input, using a spatial processing portion (10) outputting surrounding image information US from an input image signal, a control signal generation portion (40) outputting an effect adjustment signal MOD according to a degree of flatness of an edge proximal region, and an effect adjustment portion (20) outputting a synthesized signal MUS that is synthesized by changing a ratio of the image signal IS and the surrounding image information US according to the effect adjustment signal MOD. Further, the side effects are inhibited using a visual processing portion (30) visually processing the image signal IS based on the synthesized signal MUS and the image signal IS.

Abstract: The invention achieves a visual processing device that can execute precise contrast adjustment on image signals that have been input and that does not cause discrepancies in the output timing of the image signals that are output. The visual processing device is provided with a gain-type visual processing portion that outputs a first gain signal having predetermined gain characteristics with respect to the input image signal, and a correction portion that corrects the input image signal based on the first gain signal.

Abstract: A visual processing device, display device, visual processing method, program, and integrated circuit that change a strength of visual processing of an image in real-time. A spatial processing portion (2) creates an unsharp signal US from an input signal IS. A target level setting portion (4) sets a predetermined target level value L for setting a range according to which the strength of the visual processing is adjusted. An effect adjustment portion (5) creates a synthesized signal MUS by synthesizing the predetermined target level value L and the unsharp signal US in accordance with an effect adjustment signal MOD that has been set externally. A visual processing portion (3) outputs an output signal OS in accordance with the input signal IS and the synthesized signal MUS, making it possible to change the strength of the visual processing.

Abstract: A tracking processing unit (137) performs a search in a frame using a color feature amount of an object and determines a target area estimated to include the image of the object based on the first evaluation value indicating a degree of matching between a search result and the object. An update detection circuit (139) performs a search in the frame using a shape feature amount of the object, calculates a second evaluation value, and determines an update area for updating a first feature amount based on the second evaluation value indicating a degree of matching between the search result and the object. An update determination circuit (140) determines whether or not to update the first feature amount. A tracking result drawing circuit (144) draws an outer frame of the target area when determined not to update, and draws that of the update area when determined to update.

Abstract: The invention is a visual processing device having a hardware configuration that does not depend on achieving visual processing, wherein the visual processing device includes a spatial processing portion and a visual processing portion. The spatial processing portion performs predetermined processing with respect to an input signal IS that has been received as input, and outputs the result as an unsharp signal US. The visual processing portion outputs an output signal OS, which is the input signal IS after the visual processing, based on a two-dimensional LUT that lists a relationship between the input signal IS, which that has been received as an input, the unsharp signal US, and the output signal OS.

Abstract: A visual processing device that achieves gradation processing and further enhances a visual effect. The visual processing device 1 performs gradation processing for each image region of an input signal IS, and includes an image partitioning portion 2, a gradation transformation curve derivation portion 10, and a gradation processing portion 5. The image partitioning portion 2 and the gradation transformation curve derivation portion 10 use a brightness histogram Hm of a wide area image region Em to create a gradation transformation curve Cm of an image region Pm. The gradation processing portion 5 performs gradation processing of the image region Pm based on the derived gradation transformation curve Cm.